It's a.....

GIRL!!!

And after the initial Carter comment of "I wanted it to be a boy....I'm gonna throw her in the trash can" (YIKES), we are all (including Carter) feel very blessed are very excited!!  I had started having an inkling, when the heartbeat rates at my doc appointments were quite a bit lower than I remember them being for Carter, that we might have a little soon to be girly-girl on our hands.  And honestly, after 9 months of trying, the frustration of nothing happening, not being able to find the heart beat for a solid 10 minutes at my 2nd doctor's appointment, and personally being quite a bit more "moody" than usual, I should have known right off the bat that only a female would cause so much trouble already - haha! ;) (Bless her!) 

A while back we decided that if it was a girl her middle name, no matter what, would be Grace.  However, we'd thrown around quite a few first names, not really thinking that Carter was picking up on such conversations and discussions.  However, the day we found out he was going to be an awesome big brother to a precious little sister, he immediately starting calling her Piper.  Well then we started calling her Piper not really even thinking about it....like it was just second nature and what we were suppose to call her.  That then led to Rob and Carter, per their usual, creating random nicknames for her (i.e. Pipey, the Pipes, Pipenator, etc.).  So needless to say, our little baby girl bundle of joy is Miss PIPER GRACE!

We have rearranged beds upstairs and are getting things squared away and ready to start decorating her room.  As we started moving furniture around and sweet Carter noticed there wasn't a "real bed" in her room he said, "Mom...where am I suppose to sleep when I come to take care of her when she's crying?" (can we say precious?) So, needless to say, there is now a twin bed in her room for big brother to borrow "when he's taking care of her"! :)  I'm now anxiously awaiting her crib bedding's arrival.... I can't wait to get her shabby chic, vintage bedroom all nice and pretty and ready for her!

(Time for Personal Confession 101): I must admit that (not to my surprise) I have already fallen into the "I have a shopping addiction of baby girl clothes" trap!  Rob doesn't "get it"....but I don't care, I love it!  It's so much fun!!! :) I have been going a little crazy rading the summer clearance racks...but I would like to take a moment in my confession to give myself a little bit of credit; I have made a pact with myself that if it's not on clearance and under $5, I'm not buying it!  Never did I realize I'd be able to find SO MANY cute things under $5 :/ whoops!  Let's just hope that friends and family feel inclined to buy her some cute winter clothes; otherwise, the poor girl is gonna be naked and quite chilly come December - haha!

So in closing, Rob and I will both admit that we both obviously did not "care" either way, but agreed that another boy would be nice and definitely a lot cheaper and easier. But after finding out and really thinking about how our new family dynamic will be, it's quite nice. Whether or not we choose to have more than 2 children, we'll definitely have the wonderful experience of knowing what it's like to have and raise a son and a daughter.  Carter will be taught and learn how to treat little ladies with love and respect.  Carter and baby sister will not compete against each other in sports, etc. and worry about one being better than the other (even though Carter says she can't be a cheerleader...he's teaching her how to throw a ball!).  And so forth and so on....so, again, we are very excited about our little blessing (obviously) and thankful that the Lord always knows best and knows exactly when and what our family needs! :)

I hope to become better (again) at posting to this blog, as it really is a good "journal" for such precious moments and experiences in life. I have enjoyed lately being able to go back to posts I made back when I was pregant with Carter and compare the experiences, remember those moments, and get giddy about doing it all over again!

We really are all so so excited (did I mention that? ha) and already getting anxious and counting down the months/days until sweet little Piper makes her debut.  Until then, I'm savoring the tumbles she's doing in my stomach, the sweet kisses Carter gives my belly each morning and before we go to bed, and Daddy's random stops by my belly to say hello and chat with "The Pipes".    

"Each new child brings the message that God is not yet discouraged"

We're Expanding....

....our family and my waistline :)

Baby Beck #2 will be joining our family this Christmas (December 27th is my due date)!!  Needless to say (after the not so easy baby making journey this round...going on 10 months to be exact) we're very excited!!!  I've heard of some parents say they were scared or anxious to tell their first born about another baby for fear of jealousy, etc.; however, our crazy, wild and vocal 3 year old, Mr. Carter Hudson himself, could not be more thrilled!!!  When we told him he immediatly asked how long until baby gets here?  I tried to put it in terms that would make sense; instead of saying 'around December 27th', I told him that the baby would come around Christmas time.  His response (after a huge, excited gasp) - "IT'S GONNA BE CHRISTMAS AGAIN?!?".  So cute!  And while Carter says (and Daddy agrees) that "we need a boy b/c we already have "Snuggles" to love on (girl cousin Eva)" he also says "it's okay though if we have a little girl, we'll just have to teach her how to throw ball".  He also asks us daily "when's MY baby coming?", "is MY baby growing?", "what size is MY baby now?" (we've gone from baby being a Dino Snack (C's version of gummy bear) to a Teddy Graham...can't wait to see what other size comparisons him and Dad come up with along the way!) and "how big does your belly have to get Mommy for me to know that MY baby is going to be here soon? Will your belly get as big as 'Pop's' (Rob's dad)?" - haha. It's so precious to watch his excitement grow and see his sweet little sensative side come out as he pats my belly and wants to snuggle baby (my belly) each night.  He's going to make the best big brother and I'm so excited for the next phase for our little family.  We are so, so blessed and again so thankful that God has given us the opportunity to be parents to another little "bundle of joy".  

(I'll try to be better at posting updates along the Baby Beck #2 journey)