it's a...

...bit of a gong show, actually.

but i'll get to the part you've been waiting for.

boy!

i am thrilled. and thankful. at one point i wasn't sure if we'd get to find out today, actually.

so we {the whole family went} got to the clinic in great time. my appointment was at 9:30am and we got to the clinic {after crossing ridiculously crazy roads both ways} by 9:15. i paid for my ultrasound and then we went to the waiting area. shortly after we sat down, a cute couple sat down beside us. i wondered if there was another doctor who did ultrasounds in the building.

then alice {our fabulous ultrasound technician} nodded us in and we got all set up {the boys with their snacks, me on the table with the cold gel on my belly} and alice started taking her measurements via ultrasound. 

then jamie said, "hey, your name isn't eleanor." and alice said, "that's not you? what's your name?" and so we told her. my name wasn't on her list of appointments for the entire day. she was confused. so was i. and feeling a bit of dread. i knew without a doubt that today at 9:30am was my appointment. {trust me. a mama about to see her baby and find out the gender does not get that sort of thing messed up.}

so she finished up her measurements and then told me if we could just wait for the next appointment {it was supposed to be a short one, she said} she'd do their ultrasound and then i could come back in and she'd show us the baby.
i breathed a sigh of relief. we'd get to find out after all.
so we finished up {the baby was a-MOVING!} and then we waited in the hall for about 30 minutes before she was finished and nodded us back into the room.
we got to see and hear the heart beat, she showed us the face and head and hands and spine and everything. then she asked if we wanted to know the gender. when we said we did, she moved the ultrasound wand around for a bit and then there it was. boy parts. he was being very proud of his manhood and we laughed at how un-shy he seemed.

we are thrilled, although noah did say he had wanted a sister. i think i always imagined our family as a whole troop of boys. does three count as a troop? i think it will definitely feel like one. welcome to the strickland boys, my little one!