Five more sleeps . . .

until we find out the gender! I'm so excited that I've been waking up at night and not able to fall back to sleep because I keep thinking about it. I know there are only two options, and that it's pretty much a 50/50 chance of one over the other, but it's just overwhelming at times to think that soon we will know one more thing about the baby we didn't know before. Of course, the larger point of next week's ultrasound is to confirm that everything is OK, anatomically speaking. All its fingers and toes, no cleft palate, brain and heart growing without issue, etc. I'm not worried in the least about those things. I just want to be able to see the baby again and give it a name.

This week has been great. Here's how the belly's doing! My hair wasn't did so I though it best to spare you from my face:

Saturday night we had out first date night since our honeymoon, going out to dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in the city to celebrate my birthday and enjoying every last bite of our butter-drenched $40 filets. We had gotten a very generous gift card to there from Bill and Joanne for Jay's 30th birthday last May and had yet to spend it, so it was a real treat. We kept looking at the menu saying, "Maybe we'll try that next time we come." But who are we kidding! There won't be a next time! Too much of a treat for our wallet to handle regularly, but it was so wonderful to get dressed up and be out.

We had a lovely Easter on Sunday with Jay's family, complete with very generous birthday gifts for me and an ice cream cake -- my favorite! By the end of the day my hands and feet were swollen from all the salty foods, but it was totally worth it.

Then on Tuesday, my birthday, these arrived to the office first thing in the morning:

I have the best husband in the world for many reasons, but sending me flowers just took the cake. And my favorite flowers, no less! The ones we had at our wedding! And, he had already gotten me the shoes I've been dying for for years and a new dress! He really has been a saint this entire pregnancy, making me dinner every night, getting up to get me things when he's all situated and comfy on the couch, rubbing my feet and my back when they get sore, asking me if I'm OK when I get up in the middle of the night to pee or blow my nose. He's going to be such a good dad, I just can't wait for the baby to be born to meet him.

Last night I got to go shopping and get some new maternity clothes with some of birthday gifts I got, and it was so nice to get a good bit of clothes that fit that will take me through the whole pregnancy. It's amazing what a difference it makes to me to be in clothes that fit properly, especially when you're pregnant. It makes you feel less like a blob and more like a person who still has a semi-regular body underneath all the belly. I know I'm only going to get bigger, so it's good to be armed with the right clothes now.

We'll update everyone on Tuesday when we get back from the doctor's. Cross your fingers that the bean will cooperate and not try to hide the goods from us. I can't imagine, give its parents, that it will be a shy baby, but we may have a rebel on our hands.