Pregnancy #3 - 24 weeks

Bump at 20+3 weeks. Only bump pix I have so far!

I've officially hit the viablility date! We had my detailed 2nd-trimester scan a few weeks ago. 

Baby looks great and everything is measuring right on track. This is such a relief, because we had a crazy first trimester at the gynae -- shall not go into details here.

I've since changed my gynae and am very satisfied with my current doctor. He's calm, professional and very reassuring. Nothing like my crazy, over-the-top stressful previous gynae.

Since our lovely baby was so cooperative at the scan, we managed to take a good look at body parts and found out that.....

We are having our 3rd BOY!

We are really excited to be welcoming another blue addition to our family. Having had two boys already, we pretty much know what to expect and have almost everything we need for the next baby.

I'm sure some of you have questions so I'll answer them, Q&A style 

Wow, really? Were you trying for a girl? 

No, we weren't. Whatever trying for a girl means. We wanted to have at least 3 kids, so we tried for a 3rd kid. No specific gender and no gender swaying.

Are you disappointed?

No, actually I'm not. I think disappointed would be a wrong word to describe how I felt when I first found out the gender.

I was hoping for a baby girl, since there is no specific gender tendencies on either mine nor hubby's side of the family. Moreover, I had such horrible MS in the first trimester of this pregnancy (compared to no MS for my first two pregnancies), such that I really thought we could be expecting a girl. So I was surprised when nature's supposed 50/50 coin toss had yet again dealt us the same hand.

My main issue wasn't the fact that baby isn't a girl, but the fact that I have never pictured myself being in an all-boys household.

That said, the more I think about it, the more I'm loving the idea of having 3 boys and being the Queen of my family. My boys are lovely and I feel it a God-given privilege to have the responsibility of bringing up Godly, brave and strong men for the Lord in the next generation.

And when I spent some time with God about this issue, I felt in my heart that for the fact that we can't choose the genders of our children, that decision lies with God and God alone. And if He chose for our 3rd child to be a boy, that means He has a mandate and specific plans for this child to be a boy.

God's plans are better than my plans and I know this is an area of submission and trust to His sovereign will for my life and my children's.

What is the hardest thing for you to reconcile about not having a baby girl? 

Honestly? It's really the shopping for baby girl clothes and dressing up. Call me superficial but after 2 boys, I can't see the color blue anymore! I've come to realize how bias the fashion industry is against male fashion! Boys' clothes pale in comparison to girls' clothes in variety, color, style, everything! These days, I find myself googling for "beautiful boys clothes". If you have any recommendations, please let me know!

How are you feeling pregnancy-wise?  

 

My second trimester has been a breeze so far, compared to the madness of first trimester. I'm massively thankful for this breather, especially now that winter has hit and the usual winter colds / coughs have made its unwelcome appearance in the Tews household.

 

Will you be trying for a #4?

I really don't know! Ask me again in the future! Of course there's still the desire to have a mini-me, but for now, little Gabriel will do! IF we do try for a #4, it could very well be another boy, so I would have to psycho myself for that real possibility and see if I'm up to it! That said, we're totally jumping the gun here. We'll have our 3rd baby first before seeing if we even want to fire up this baby oven one last time.

How are the boys taking the news?

Sammy is so happy and kept kissing my belly. Gabriel doesn't quite understand the concept of baby boy or girl, but he was equally happy and kept saying "Hello baby!", while stroking my belly. Hub is totally happy about another boy and he's the most neutral person when it comes to gender of a baby.

Have you decided on a name?

Nope! This would be our next project. Any suggestions are welcome!

Any final thoughts?

We are very happy and contented to be expecting our 3rd boy. Having gone through infertility issues with our #1 and our recent miscarriage, we don't take for granted the gift of pregnancy and the ability to stay pregnant. We are grateful to God for choosing to bless us with our 3rd child and look forward to our next adventure come April 2016!

Oh and I came across this article that articulates my thoughts too about having a 3rd boy. Do take a read and have a good laugh.

10 things never to say to a Mom expecting another boy