Not finding out.

We have decided, once and for all, that we are not finding out if this baby is a boy or a girl. We're tired of being pestered about it, of the rest of the world caring a whole lot more about it than we do, and of having to report that we have no new news on it nearly every day. It simplifies our life a lot to simply not find out. It's an easy answer. People can stop waiting for a big announcement. There won't be one until summer, when the baby is born. Then you can find out the gender along with the birth date, weight, and all the juicy labor details. There will be ONE announcement. That will be all.

There are too many signs that show us that we're just not supposed to find out this time. The fact that the crib bedding set we absolutely fell in love with is gender-neutral, the fact that when we tried to find out what the baby is, we couldn't, the fact that we already have a whole stash of gender-neutral diapers, baby gear, and clothes for both genders.... Plus, most importantly, the fact that neither of us really cares at all about finding out. We realized that we were just going along with what people expected us to do, and honestly, we'd come to resent the people who more or less pushed us into it, and are glad that the baby did not cooperate last time. We're just meant to have a surprise baby this time, and that's ok.

Thak thought for a little while that it made more financial sense to find out, but when he realized that it really didn't, he definitely didn't want to either. Sure, we do lack girl clothes in sizes up to 12 months, but those are easy to buy afterward. We'll buy a few gender-neutral newborn outfits, and save enough money in an envelope to buy a year's worth of girl clothes should it be necessary, and go from there. It's not any cheaper to find out than it is to wait, especially when you consider that we seriously have next to nothing to buy, no matter what the baby is. We have absolutely nothing to buy if it's a boy, and a few clothes if it's a girl. That's hardly starting from scratch.

So there you have it. We aren't finding out! It's a baby! Team Green! You'll find out this summer.... and so will we! It's as if a giant weight has been lifted.