In case you missed it, WERE HAVING A BABY!
We had a fun little unconventional gender reveal recently, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Unconventional in that Blake and I knew what we were having, and the reveal was to surprise everyone else! I’ve never liked surprises, but I love surprising other people, and with hormones getting me down lately, this party was a welcomed excuse to revisit an old hobby I love, scrapbooking!
I wrote two poems that sent everyone on a search for hidden keys in our backyard. In the end, a key opened a box, revealing baby’s gender.
And while I didn’t account for the downpour of rain, I’m not mad about it because it hid all my happy tears from watching everyone react to pink balloons bursting out of a box (and abruptly pushed back down when the heavy Yeti lid slammed Crosley’s head and hands, poor thing!)
I’m sure most are wondering if we’re disappointed, and honestly, no way! Blake has always had a feeling he’d be a “Girl Dad” and I’ve been loving our Team Girl Squad dynamic so much, I honestly don’t know what I’d do with a boy.
That's not to say we didn't want a boy, just that we knew going into this that we might have three girls and that's pretty exciting too! I had a day of mourning the boy things I won't be a part of, but in truth, that list isn't very long... Girls are doing it all these days and we aim to raise them knowing there's strength in their voice and their hard work will speak for itself.
So that’s how we revealed little girl's gender to our friends and family. But here’s the story of how I found out:
When I walked into the San Diego doctors office for the structural ultrasound, I wasn’t praying for a boy. I was praying for a healthy baby. I’ve been dealing with a lot of anxiety this pregnancy, and I begged God for this peace of mind.
The sonographer asked how many previous pregnancy’s I’d had, two, turned off the lights, and rubbed warm jelly on my tummy. I tried small-talking with her, thinking maybe she’d want to have a part in revealing the gender to Blake later. Dad’s aren’t allowed at these appointments due to California lockdowns, and it’s a total crime to strip them of these special pre-birth bonding moments. Regardless, the sonographer’s short quick answers didn’t feel inviting, so I chose to keep to myself.
The last ultrasound I had showed a tiny jelly bean. But this time, as the sonographer scanned across my tummy, I saw the precious head of a child, with five fingers held close to its head like it was waving at me. My eyes teared up as reality fully sunk in. We’re having another baby!
Some time later, she changed the angle to show directly between baby’s legs.
“Well, these are the legs, and in between them...I’m not seeing anything...so it looks like you’re having a girl.”
As soon as she said it, my body twitched and tears started rolling down the sides of my face. I was smiling ear-to-ear, but you wouldn’t know it because of the required face mask.
And it wasn’t just one twitch. I was too emotional to stop my ab muscles from jerking. While I was crying from happiness and visions of me and three little girls in swimsuits standing at the edge of the ocean, in truth, I also felt really alone.
Here I was learning such incredible news without my best friend sitting next to me. I pictured Blake holding this precious little girl in his arms and I was angry he couldn’t be with me to share this moment. To see our little girl on the screen. I couldn’t hide the tears from the tech because the twitching kept on, and that’s when she asked “what are your other two?”
With a frog in my throat, I barely managed to get it out:
Girls.
...
That poor lady. I thought things were awkward before...but now the tension was palpable. Her eyes wouldn’t meet mine from here on out and the only sound was a humming computer. This woman likely thought I was crushed by the news of a third little girl, and so naturally, I felt the need to reassure her I was more than ok. I wanted her to understand how excited I was! My little girls were getting a new best friend! A new member of Team Girl Squad! How could I convey that to her?
I don’t know. But I can tell you how to dig the hole deeper...
Good thing I have a lot of bows.
I said that. And it unintentionally came out sarcastic.
Glad I didn’t let my husband get rid of all those clothes.
Nope. That wasn’t better.
We have a lot of pink.
You see why I needed Blake there? To put a sock in my mouth!
I’m sure she couldn’t wait to get out of the room. And when a bubbly doctor came in a few minutes later (and after I had time to regain control of myself), she said what I’d prayed to hear: Baby girl looks beautiful and healthy.
Praise the Lord!
I left the office and called Blake to tell him there was a note on the patio table. He opened it, and we could hear each other smiling through the phone.
That afternoon, I spent a couple hours sitting on the beach alone. The last month felt like a year and I needed the ocean to feel rejuvenated. I wrote a letter to our little girl. And I cried even more (have I mentioned I’m super hormonal??) I thanked God for this healthy baby. I thanked him for the beauty of the ocean. And the support of my family. And the love of my husband.
I flipped through the list of baby names I’ve had stored on my phone since we got married, and only one stood out. Brock.
That night I wrote it out for Blake (so the girls wouldn’t hear because if they knew, they’d tell every stranger at the grocery store) and while he has always liked the name for a little girl, he suddenly didn’t feel so attached to it. I needed to convince him, so I made up some cute nicknames: Brocky, Brocken, Brocker, Brox...
With a weird smile that confused me, he took the phone, deleted all the words but one and handed it back.
Brox.
I said no.
We can call her that, but write Brock on the birth certificate because Brox is not a name.
It is a name, because it’s HER name.
No, it’s not a name because I made it up.
I don’t care if it’s made up, it’s her name.
Let’s sleep on it..
That night Blake woke up thinking about Brox and smiled some more. The next night, after many attempts to change Blake’s mind, he says “let’s see what the baby thinks”. He put his hand on my tummy, AND SHE KICKED HIM. Or as Blake explains it...”high-fived” him. Regardless, it was a done deal.
And that’s the story of our baby girl, Brox Lynn Plourd. And if she’s anything like her sisters, she’ll announce it firmly and with pride.
PS: Lynn is my mom’s middle name and also my nieces. Reagan looks excited to have this special connection with baby Brox.
PPS: The structural ultrasound showed a perfectly healthy little baby girl, but we still won't know if we're dealing with Glycogen Storage Disease until after she's genetically tested, post birth. We'd appreciate it if you'd continue to join us in prayer for baby Brox. Thanks.