It's a GIRL!!!

So, MUCH fun has been had over the last few weeks. I will try to make this interesting to someone other than myself...i got to spend time with my bestest, i turned 30, we are now officially half way through our pregnancy AND we get to change the name from SQUIRREL to CHLOE. (Scary squirrel story to follow.) How cool is MY life?!?!

So to start, Brooker the Hooker flew down to SA the weekend before my birthday to surprise me and hang out! She and Andrew had been scheming for a few weeks before and much to my surprise, she was here to hang out ALL Weekend long. I'm a lucky girl to have such a wealthy, jet-setting doctor for a bestest. Haven't you heard those residents make MILLIONS next to nothing?!?!?! Either way, I'm lucky. And eventually, she will make more and Andrew, Chloe and I will serve as her pool maintenance crew for free rent. It works out beautifully. We had a blast and ate fabulous food. And she was smiley all weekend, which made me smiley. Thanks, Brooklyn :) It meant the world.

Then, four days after she left, I turned 30. It was a great day and I'll tell you what.. it was the first birthday that I actually felt my age.. in a good way. I woke up to balloons, Shipley's Donuts (a MUST for a happy wife in our house) and gifts and flowers. (I'll give you a hint.. that's because I have the best husband ever.) Then I went to work. Boring. But here's the kicker. It was the first birthday EVER that I have worked all day. And it felt nice. It felt grown-up. I enjoy what I do, and as a result, I don't mind working. THATS HUGE. But I did get to meet up with the fam for a great lunch and then FABULOUS dinner at Il Sogno downtown. It was three hours long and we had a great time. I'm super lucky. To be 30 and to be related to such fun people.

THEN, one day after that, we found out we were having a Chloe. Not only a chloe, the cutest baby the sonographer has ever seen. Its true and I'm sure she's never said that before. Our appointment went swimmingly and she healthy and perfect. Four chambered heart, kidneys, stomach, intestines. We got some great pictures of her little profile. Don't you think she already looks like Andrew? It's weird, but true.

the most beautiful vagina you will ever see on a songogram: (its never too early to embarrass your child).

cute little feet:

So here is a little fun side story. Five weeks or so ago I went to North Carolina to visit Brooker for her residency graduation. While there, I was giving her a hard time (beware of understatment) about letting me listen for the baby's heart. I was 15 weeks at the time. After numerous eye rolls coming from her direction she said, "Erin, you can't hear the heartbeat this early with a regular stethoscope." Well, talk about right place right timing. As she said that, her attending walked in. He simply asked if I was pregnant and then said, "Why don't you just use a doppler?"

Uhhhhhhh. YES PLEASE! So, he hooked me up immediately with an ob/gyn resident down the hall for a FREE sonogram. WAHOOOO. While we were putzing around, lookinga at cute little baby parts she said, "uhhh, are y'all wanting to know the sex?" I looked at her in total disbelief (it was only 15 weeks) and then worried about saying YES too quickly. AFter all, Andrew wasn't there and we've done EVERY PART of this journey together.

I weighed my options.
A. lose my mind and sanity and happiness in life and say no.
B. call him after and say, "SURPRISE.. wanna know a secret?" and then feel badly, but know that he knows i have a the patience of a small field mouse. (do they have patience? if so, then think of something that does not.) plus, he's awesome and loves me for being stupid and impulsive. right, andrew?

I chose B. She fiddled with the sonogram machine a little more and then said, "well, i have a good idea, but i dont wanna give you the wrong information. so, i'm going to call my attending." ummm, more free awesomeness ensues.

in walks her attending who TEACHES all the residents how to read sonograms. (told ya there was more awesomeness headed your way.) she sits down, fiddles with the sonogram machine and says, "yep, you're right." at that point, they tell me its a girl and I scream. super excited. (for the record, would have scream for a penis sighting as well.) equal opportunity screamer. they said they would only give me a 90% accuracy due to the earliness of the pregnancy. i didn't care.

andrew was thrilled and both of us were dumbstruck. we were having a little girl. that's when it sunk it that it SUCKED we weren't together to celebrate and share this moment. but.. he understood and had pink roses waiting for Chloe and I when we got home. it has been MORE than difficult to keep things quiet, but as Andrew warned, it wasnt worth telling everyone if it wasn't accurate. so now it is.. SHE'S a GIRL!!!!

chloe's first flowers from her daddy:

So this brings us to our sex reveal party. it was a BLAST and i'm so glad that i heard about it from Christine Fox! such a cute way to spread the good news :) here are some highlights:

the cake!!!

our little family:

we had guests sign up under one or the other:

brookyln even got to skype in and join the fun! (aunty mandy and GIGI were on the phone!):

old wives tales helped guests make up their mind before the cake was cut!

3 out of 4 excited grandparents, ready to cut the cake!!! we missed Sherri so much!

and the process begins...

can't hardly believe it...

not excited at all... can we say HOT PINK cake?!?!? there was no denying that cake was pink!

the happy winners... a.k.a. chloe's FIRST and BIGGEST FANS :)

the happy losers...

as you can tell, my mom was slightly excited. it was such a fun moment and taylor captured it so well! although 40 people in one room makes for quite a HOT night, we had a blast. and now we have a Chloe and she has SO many people who love her already. lucky, lucky lady.

oh! and i promised a creepy squirrel story. so this weekend andrew and i went up to austin to register for cute chloe things and have dinner with my sweet friends, watts, michelle and monica! (had a blast, you guys!) so, sunday morning while walking on UT campus, andrew and i see a cute little squirrel. awwww, we think. we watch it. it seems to be carrying something. we stop to figure out what its carrying. i was immediately worried that it seemed to be carrying a black, plastic bag. that can't be good for the little squirrel, i think. we continue to watch. up the tree it goes. it doesn't want us to steal its bag. weirdo squirrel, i think.

and then... i realize its carrying a GIANT piece of a black crow.. which is continues to EAT AT. OMG. OMG. squrirrels = carnivores. that ruined my day. that's not cute. that's disgusting. squirrels are cute and eat berries and have bushy tails.

moral of the story: good thing baby squirrel is now a chloe. whew.

and last but not least.. i am a liar. i swore i wouldn't take another sports bra picture, but i think we can get one more month out of it before i have to retire the outfit for the next few months due to grossness.

20 weeks (5mths):