baby j is JUDAH!!

 Well our hunches were right!! Baby j is a precious, sweet boy!  I can't wait for this time next year when Judah gets to wear sweater vests and bow ties, haha!  And yes, Judah is the name we decided a few months ago if it was a boy.  Joel was the one who originally brought the name to the table and at first I wasn't a fan.  But slowly as I began praying for baby j during the beginning of my pregnancy, the name not only grew on me, but it was almost as if he was already named Judah and I was just realizing it.  And since we're doing the "J" thing in honor of Joel and his side of the family, I got to pick the middle name--Lee.  It's my dad's middle name and mine (Leigh).  I'm so glad that we get to incorporate both sides of our families into the name, which makes it even more special. 

So why did we think it was a boy?  I can't speak for Joel, but I had a hunch because everytime I opened my Bible a few months ago, for about 3 or 4 times straight, whatever passage I read in whatever book I was in--there was the name Judah.  In fact, the time when I was so certain I was carrying our Judah was when I was flipping over from one book in the Bible to the next and the book of Joel fell open.  I laughed to myself thinking, "how funny--my husband's name."  Then when I looked at what page it was--I teared up.  The last chapter in the book of Joel (ESV) reads, "The Glorious Future of Judah."  It was a moment I'll always remember.  A reminder that not only is the Lord my shepherd but he is Judah's shepherd as well--glorious future indeed.  :)

Now, let's get to the logistics of the visit:

 As you can see in the circle, there was no doubt in the ultrasound tech's mind that we are having a boy.  :)  Sorry Judah--I'll delete this one day.  Let me back up for a bit though--this was our second attempt at finding out the sex.  On Tuesday, when we went for our OB check up and ultrasound appointment, we were told that my ultrasound appointment somehow never got recorded. Since my doctor knew that we wanted to find out the sex, she grabbed the lower-quality machine they had on hand and tried to see if we could figure something out. I didn't show it, but it was such a frustrating time because even after moments of trying, the doctor wasn't 100% sure.  In fact, she said girl at first and then saw that the umbilical cord was bunched up in the lap, so then she began saying, "Well, hold on, maybe not."  Still though, she said that she thinks she was just seeing the umbilical cord--but her machine couldn't show blood flow, so she couldn't be sure what it was exactly.

And there went my moment that I was expecting to have.  I had expectations of hearing the tech say, "it's a BOY!"  or "it's a GIRL!"  Not "Well I'm not really sure!"  We thanked her because she didn't have to spend the extra time looking, plus we still were able to see the organs, the face, brain, and him moving, so obviously it was a wonderful experience--just not one that I had expected. 

So while we were in the room, my nurse made and confirmed another ultrasound appointment for us on Thursday.  It was the longest 48 hours in the history of time.  Thankfully my 27th birthday was the Wednesday between and Joel was so great about keeping me entertained.  I even got a special surprise fom some girls in my community group when they showed up with birthday cookies, ice cream, and candy--just what the doctor ordered! They even dyed two of the cookies pink and blue since we were going to find out the next day. :)

Then Thursday finally came!  Before the appointment, we went to sign up at a local daycare and were told that we had a guaranteed spot come the fall (praise God!)  It has one of the best reputations in our town, so we were very excited to say the least.  Then we made our way to the hospital.  Having the ultrasound was incredible.  Such a different experience that the last time.  We got to see everything so much clearer and on a big screen.  We saw the face, abdomen, hands, feet, legs, head, heart, and so many other things I can barely remember.  The tech was very friendly and talked to us about what we were seeing and sent us home with a ton of pics.  

After we left, we called our parents and siblings and then texted all our friends. I was not expecting to feel as emotional as I felt after we were driving home and I was looking at all the pictures.  There he was--just waiting to meet us.  And then the kicker: Joel grabbed my hand and said a prayer thanking the Lord for Judah and prayed for the rest of his time in the womb and who he will be when he comes.  Hearing "Judah" instead of "Baby j" just made my heart burst with joy and the tears kept flowing.  I'm so glad that Judah's dad was the first person to pray for him by name--another memory that I will cherish.  :)

To close out, here is one of my favorite pictures from the ultrasound.  At one point, Judah was giving a very solid "thumbs up."  It even made the ultrasound tech laugh when she saw--so I thought y'all would appreciate it.  Thanks to everyone who called and texted, showing their support and love of him and even his name.  Judah means "praise; thanks," so it couldn't be more fitting of how we feel during this time.