Duhn da da dahhhh!

Is the suspense killing you yet? :)

Today was ultrasound day!! We are back from the doctor's office and have some news...

There's really a baby in there! :) And it's healthy and perfect and measuring right on time, and weighs in at 12 whole ounces.

Everyone, let me introduce you to little Hoffman Bebe #2. Isn't it beautiful? And just absolutely perfect looking?

We loved spending an hour watching our beautiful little baby move, roll, kick, wiggle, and hide its face with its tiny hands. Little babies are such miracles! It was fun for me to get to connect the movements I was feeling with the movements I was seeing on the screen. It made it that much more real. Ultrasounds are absolutely amazing! I wish I could have one every week! (Seriously, a husband who's an ultrasoundographer - now that would be a sweet hook-up!)

The only downer was that I realized after the ultrasound that I COMPLETELY forgot about the VHS tape we brought and didn't give it to the ultrasoundographer to record our ultrasound! So dumb! Although I would have liked to have a copy, I will live. But, I'm worried that our new little baby will feel like the unwanted child or something because Elena has an ultrasound video and it doesn't. :( I can't believe I forgot!!! In my defense though, last time our ultrasoundographer asked if we had a video and this time he didn't say a thing. Dumb, dumb...

Anyways.

Little bebe was being very modest and stubborn. :) So, it took a while to get a clear shot that would tell us if it is a boy or a girl. But, we did.....

and....

I have been very confident that it is a boy and told everyone that I would be very shocked if it was a girl....

and....

I WAS!!!

It's a girl!!

We couldn't believe it when the ultraoundographer told us! The first shot he showed us wasn't very clear and we both weren't convinced until he showed a couple of much clearer, unmistakable shots later on. It's definitely a girl! And she is beautiful! We are both very excited!

I think, though, that the ultrasoundographer had a good time laughing at me. Early on in the ultrasound after he briefly checked her hip area, he said,

"So, mom, if you had to put money on it - what would you say you're having?"

and I confidently stated, "Oh, its a boy. I'm pretty sure of that."

To which he replied, "What makes you think that?"

"Oh, well, my pregnancy has just been so different, the heartbeat has been slow, and I just have a feeling."

And he just smiled and went on with the ultrasound.

On a related note, yesterday, when I was buying some pants for Elena, one of the ladies behind the checkout counter looked at me and said, "Are you having a girl?". I told her we would find out the next day and she said, "Oh, well, its a girl." The other ladies behind the counter then chimed in and said, "She predicts these things - you should believe her." I smiled and went home and laughed about it with Eric because I was sure it was a boy.

Apparently random strangers even know better than me. So much for mother's intuition. :)

Anyways, I'm excited for tons of reasons - I love little girls, I don't have to worry about buying new boy clothes while Eric's trying to finish up school, another little girl to be absolutely in love with her daddy, and best of all Elena will have a little sister to be buds with. I hope she's able to have the close relationship and the fun that I have with my little sisters and that Eric's sisters have. It's the best! But most of all, we're just excited to be having a healthy little baby. I can't wait to meet this little one! The little glimpses we had of her today were so precious. Hip Hip Hooray!!

For your viewing pleasure, here is a shot of one of her legs and a little bit of her belly. So cute! :)