It's A.......

GIRL! 

I'm going to be completely honest and say that I am surprised I am writing the word above. I thought for sure, somehow in the way back of my mind, that we were having a boy. That's what was showing up in my dreams. Pretty crazy how everything you thought changes so quickly. There was a 50/50 chance I was wrong, and I was! 

I just need to get this out: Katie, you were right! 

We are super stoked. The idea of having a girl pretty much scares the crap out of each of us (hello, teenage years and lots of pink), but we can't contain our excitement. 

Ultrasounds put so many things into perspective. They make the journey we are on seem so much more real. We went in yesterday afternoon to the Women's Clinic. The technician believes I might actually be earlier than we think, meaning, I might only be around 18 weeks, not 20 weeks. My doctor assured us that isn't a cause for concern, but next week I will be going to see a specialist for another ultrasound. The tech wasn't able to get all of the images we needed because of the position of the baby and the chance that I'm not as far along as I thought. They want to make sure the baby is growing at a healthy rate and that my predicted due date is actually somewhat accurate. 

Overall though, our baby girl is moving around and looking great! We almost weren't able to find out the gender of the baby yesterday due to the ultrasound issues, but we did! I am so glad! I don't think I could have left that building without knowing if it was a boy or girl. The suspense alone would have driven me insane. 

Before the Big Reveal 

We had our family over to reveal what we were having last night. We went to the bakery right after my appointment, found the best looking chocolate cake we could find, and had them write "It's a Girl!" in big, pink letters. 

My dad is already discussing with Ryan about the "Rules for Dating My Daughter." There have been discussions of shot guns during the teenage years. I remember the talk of those rules. I remember. 

Seriously, so much pink. Already. I won't be able to escape all of the pink. 

It's all becoming so real. Yes, my belly keeps growing daily. Yes, I have weird food aversions and cravings. But, telling our family that we are bringing a little girl into the family is a big deal. 

This is Ryan's "OH CRAP" face. 

I pray this little girl will be full of spunk and creativity. I also pray that her parents will be able to handle all of the pink gifts they will be receiving in the near future. 

We believe we already have a name picked out: Marin Ryan Hollen. Which, in loose translation terms, Marin means "of the sea." Ryan means "little king (or queen). So in my mind, we are having a little Queen of the Sea. I'm totally fine with that. 

I can't wait to meet our little girl.