It's a GIRL!

Well, it took us long enough because this little one would not cooperate at previous sonograms, but at long last, we have confirmation... 

Luke is going to have a baby SISTER!!! 

So I don't know if this makes Jeremy and me good, bad, or just honest, but this is what we wanted, so we are just so excited! Now of course we would have been thrilled to have another little boy running around our house, but we are very happy, as I like to say, to "complete our set." Since finding out and letting it all sink in, we are starting to realize that we are in for a WHOLE NEW WORLD. I got a taste of this world as I headed to Carter's* after my appointment.

*Yes, I know there are cuter and "girlier" places to go than Carter's, but I also know that after 4.25 years, I was and am ready to buy some pink, and this was the closest place between my doctor's office and my parents', where I needed to pick up the Big Brother.

It took GREAT restraint to stop after just a few pieces, but somehow, I pulled it off. Here's what I left with...

Though it isn't pink, I think this one is my favorite:

And the biggest difference in my first girl shopping excursion? I shop for Luke, I choose shirts and pants. Girls? Dresses, cardis, tops, pants, booties... oh my! Cha-ching! (Jeremy contends we'll maintain a budget for this. Any bets on how that will work out?)

Once we spread the news with our immediate families, we made the news "FBO" (Facebook Official) and got lots of love. I had to snag this screen shot of Jeremy's post:

Awwww... do you think he'll make a great daddy for his little girl or what? I do. :D

For those who have wondered: Luke doesn't really get this yet. Given his autism and just how abstract of a concept it is, he may not get it until SHE gets HERE! But we are working on small things. We'll ask, "Where's Mommy's baby?" and he'll pull up my shirt and pat my ever-growing stomach. When he does, we're getting him to say, "Hi sissy!" It's basically the cutest thing ever. We have high hopes for what having a sibling can do to get Luke out of his shell. More than anything, though, we are just giddy as my due date approaches and the prospect of our family adding a member becomes more real. I definitely think I am more sentimental this pregnancy than the first. I look at Luke, and then I think about how someone I'm going to love just as deeply is growing inside of me right now. It's too miraculous and wonderful for words! 

Stay tuned for more updates! (Like a name... though we may wait until the last minute like we did with Luke. We're finding coming up with girl names a much more challenging process!)