they just start low, too

well, despite grandma's "bible trick," it turns out we're having a girl! i know! it's so crazy and we can hardly believe she'll be here in 3 1/2 months.

this news, of course, has been settling in since we found out, but one of my first thoughts was  "oh crap. someday she's going to write a blog about how crazy i am."

the fear of having a girl was swift: girls get pregnant, teenage girls are horrible people, girls might love their mothers but they resent becoming them, etc., etc.

my mother, of course, could not be happier about this outcome. there was an audible shriek when i told her the news (she also went right into telling me about her sick dogs -- again) and she has since created a nickname for the baby and spends a lot of time thinking about when she'll come visit and how long she'll stay.

it's actually been very sweet to see how excited she is about all of this. despite her lecturing me on drinking while pregnant (i, um, haven't, but thanks for the note!) -- including giving me the cliff notes from my sister's school presentation on fetal alcohol syndrome -- she's been very supportive and fun.

so, i suppose, a blog 30 years from now where my daughter talks about how ridiculous i am, how i talk over her and exclusively about my dogs is inevitable. in the meantime, it should be a wild ride -- for all three of us.