Cathy had an ultrasound today, and it’s official: we’re having a girl! It’s my birthday wish come true! (Although I’m still holding out for a bathroom scale, a 300-CD holder/booklet, and Cathy’s allowing me to get a fourth tattoo.)
We’re particularly psyched because girls are very, very rare in our family. Cathy’s the only girl in her family, we have no girls in ours, and all Nathan’s cousins are boys save one (the daughter of a half-brother of mine).
Earlier today, Cathy had a bit of a scare, with blood present in her latest phlegmy cough. We went to Olivarez Hospital, where her very capable ob-gyne Dr. Lea Loteyro practices, and got a clean bill of health from Dr. Loteyro. Turns out Cathy scratched her throat. The doctor prescribed some antacids to deal with her achy-breaky stomach, then we went to get an ultrasound.
Not soon after, the doctor found the ‘hamburger,’ which verified my second child is going to be a girl! I KNEW IT!
As a postscript, we also have a name for our soon-to-be-born daughter. As soon as the doctor told Cathy she was having a girl, a name popped into Cathy’s head. She told me afterward, explaining why that name was what flashed in her mind, and I, thoroughly touched, approved of it.
Pending further revision, our daughter’s name is Nicola Jean (pronounced NI-kuhluh, not ni-KOE-luh, then JEEN, not jhawn). It means “victorious and gracious.”
Why Nicola Jean? Nicola, in honor of my father, Nicholas; Jean, in honor of both our mothers (Jean and Jane).
My father managed to reach Nathan, but he passed away before he met his second granddaughter. I think he would’ve been proud.
