A Kodak Moment... or Two!

    Have you ever watched someone win an Olympic Gold Medal? Watched a child brim with excitement as they meet Mickey Mouse or Cinderella for the first time? Captured that ultimate "Kodak Moment" that is a cross between overwhelming joy, excitement, and awe?

    This Friday, I experienced just that as I watched my husband react to the most joyous event in pregnancy (prior to the birth of the child) for expectant parents... we met our third child via sonogram.

    For me, I've experienced "validation" of the pregnancy for over three months now with all the typical symptoms, morning sickness being most notable, but my husband was desperately eager for something a little more tangible, and definitely more worthy of excitement than a constantly-ill wife.

    On Friday, the moment came! We listened to the heartbeat, we watched happily as the sonographer reported that each aspect of development was "just as it should be and looking perfect".... and then, the golden moment - the moment when we learn whether it is a boy or girl... the moment when my husband begins seriously discussing baby names (my favorite part of pregnancy after hearing heartbeats, feeling movements, and experiencing delightful signs of life)...

    Now, I know for some families there is great joy in the surprise. I remember distinctly asking my husband with our first, "Do you want to find out if we're having a boy or girl?" To which he responded as if I had asked, "Would you like to continue inhaling and exhaling in order to sustain your life?".... "OF COURSE! The technology is there isn't it? It's legal and moral... why on earth wouldn't you want to know?" And so, the decision was made... we find out. As he explains it, "It's still a surprise; we just get the surprise 6 months faster than those who wait."

    And so with great surprise (okay, I had a hunch as I compared my pregnancies past and present).... we were told that we will be welcoming a third princess to our family. And with that, I watched my Kodak Moment as Ron excitedly reacted as if handed a million bucks and almost ran from the doctor's office to start making calls and announcing the joyous news!

    The Kodak Moment that inspired Daddy's Kodak Moment (she looks just like her sisters <g>):