Gladdest Hours

Mathilde's Visit

We had a lovely, wonderful, fun, talented and very helpful visitor this August!  Her name was Mathilde, and she traveled across "l'Atlantique" from Rennes, France to spend a month with us---to improve her English, experience a little corner of the United States and help me with the girls.  I was able to focus on some yearly school planning and projects before that slower-third-trimester hits.  It was everything we could have hoped for and more! 

Here we are after Mass on her last Sunday with us~

The girls ADORED her:

They are staying AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE as she checks in her luggage at the airport last Wednesday.  Moments later, they were all just a puddle of tears as we said, "Adieu."   :-(

 

By the way, Mathilde is the oldest of five children.  Her parents had FIVE GIRLS and the SIXTH (Charles) is a BOY, who is 1 year old.  Coincidence???? I think not!  So, we'll have "un petit correspondant" for our little boy too. 

It's a.........

BOY!!!!!!!

There is a little Baby BOY in my tummy!    

 

We really never thought we'd see the day. LOL!  

And, it was so QUICK! So easy to see boy-parts!  I was on that table for two minutes and the technician said, "Well, it looks like you have the other variety this time!"

"What?" I asked.  

"You've got the other variety this time!" 

"Really? You're kidding!"  I said.

"No...I saw it right away, actually, but we were chatting!" she responded.

Pete, who had apparently not yet settled his very large quadriceps and gigantic shoulders into the tiny little chair provided for him, wasn't even paying attention yet.  I think he was dreaming of firing his new gun in the mountains the next day.....but he denies it, of course. 

"What?  Huh?  What are you talking about?" he stammered.

"Pete....it's a BOY!  She said it's a boy! Can you believe it?"

"No way!  It's not a boy! It can't be a boy!"

"Yes.....it's a boy!

"Are you SURE?  Where? Show it to me! Can we see?" 

And, yep....there it was....REALLY OBVIOUS!  As opposed to the past when we've waited 45 minutes and  the ultrasound-tech says, "Well....we think it's a girl, but we're not sure."  I always wanted to just give a gigantic eye roll and shake my head and say, "Really?  Could you check AGAIN?  I've been here for over an hour and provided your student-ultrasound-program with a real live pregnant body and you've rolled over every single inch of my belly and you STILL CAN'T TELL?  REALLY?  Did you quadruple-check?" 

I think it's especially funny that God chose to send my 49-year-old-husband a boy NOW.  So much for teaching that child how to play LaCrosse and climb mountains!   LOL! 

Above is a 21 week photo from last Sunday....but the ultrasound "says" the baby is measuring more around a due date of Dec. 15 (instead of Dec. 29) which would be 2 weeks early.....so maybe this is a 23 week photo.