Oh baby!

I like surprises. So much so that when given the option to find out the gender of my second child, I passed.

My sister, on the other hand, knew the gender of each of her children months in advance. And whether I wanted to know for the first two or not, she told me. So when she got pregnant a third and final time, I begged her to keep the gender of the baby to herself. It was fine that she knew, fine that Mom knew, but I DIDN'T WANT TO KNOW.

It almost worked.

Just a few days before H delivers the baby, she and I are talking on the phone. I don't even recall what I asked her about the baby, but I know that the response contained the word "she". Stunned, I try to convince myself that I heard her wrong. Then she stammers and tries to cover her tracks and as we both start to laugh she confesses that indeed the baby is a girl. Fine, now I know. But keep her NAME to yourself, for the love of God.

And she did.

I found out last week that my best friend is pregnant with her first child. I plan to inquire as to whether she and her husband intend to find out the gender of the baby. And if she says "yes", I also plan to ask her to keep that information to herself. I want to be surprised, dang it all.

Call me selfish if you want, but I tend to think that the birth is sort of anticlimactic if months have been spent planning for a specific color of nursery bedding. And I know that ultrasound technology leaves room for error, but come on. If the tech asks if I want to know and then she tells me, then I know. That's it. Some of the anticipation is gone.

There are so few surprises left in life.

BTW, congrats again Missy, on the news that your little one is a BOY! That one I *did* want to know. ;)