The ultrasound says: It's a girl!

For a long time, before we were even expecting Jacob, Olivia has told us she had a baby sister coming. When we were expecting Jacob, she was so insistent that this was the baby sister she knew she would have. But Jacob was very much a boy, no matter how much she pouted and wanted us to change him to a girl. She told us "No, it's a girl! I prayed to Heavenly Father and asked him for a baby sister and he said 'Yes.'" Thank goodness she loved her brother and didn't want to trade him after he got here. She even got defensive when Great Grandma tried to trade him for a girl at the grocery store. But she has continued to ask when her sister was coming. We told her that she wasn't going to have a sister, that she would be the only Princess for us. We were pretty satisfied with our four kids. But apparently Heavenly Father does have plans of his own because despite our birth control efforts, I found myself with very familiar feelings and sickness. Jacob was only nine months old! We were the infertile couple, eight years of not being able to get pregnant. How could this happen using birth control?! Olivia smiled and told us that this was her baby sister. I reminded her over and over again that it probably was a brother (and we love our boys! They are just so much FUN!), that's just the way things seem to go. But she insisted, and I hoped for her. On the day of our ultrasound, I tried not to get her hopes up. I reminded her again as she left for school that it might be a boy, but she was confident saying "But... it MIGHT be a girl." In truth, as I left to meet John at the doctor's office, I realized that it didn't matter what we have, we love them all, and we really just hoped for a healthy baby. But the ultrasound tech smiled and told us "You are going to have a very happy little daughter. It's definately a baby girl!" I was so excited! "Are you sure?" I asked, I don't think Olivia would forgive me if we told her one thing and brought home another. The tech pointed out the reasons for his conclusion from several different views, and we left with a fistful of ultrasound pictures and the reassurance that this was a very healthy little girl. I bought a pink balloon, originally figuring that a balloon would ease the fact that it was blue, and went to pick Olivia up from kindergarten. She smiled as she came to greet me and said "Thanks for the balloon." "What color is it?" I asked her and she looked at it and then at me and squealed "It's a baby sister, it's a baby sister!" and then ran to tell her teacher the news. Mrs. Allen was so excited for her and said that the balloon was such a fun way to tell her. We tied the balloon to the porch for Spencer to see as he came home from school, and he did exactly as I figured, walked right passed it. When I asked him if he saw it, he said "Yes". Olivia in exaspertion blurted out "It's a baby girl!". Spencer smiled and said "It's a girl!?" and then turned and began watching Matthew's cartoons. Boys! Oh well, I guess Spencer figures he's been through the boys and the girls. What's another either way? We are all excited though. Even John who is finally okay with the idea of being the father of 5 kids! As has been said before, 'Children are a poor man's riches'. We are wealthy beyond measure!