Bollito or Bollita?
Our family and friends know it now. It was impossible to keep the suspense too long before we started receiving calls from our moms, dads, and sisters. They all wanted to know: Is it a boy or girl?…
Well, and I don’t blame them. Joey and I were so ready to know!… Up until now I had refused to think seriously of names, colors, clothes, decor, or anything baby until I knew. We kept counting the days to the big ultrasound with great anticipation. Except, yesterday morning (the morning of the ultrasound), of all possible days, Joey woke up with a bad stomach virus. Although he tried to get on the car with bed-hair and an emergency bucket (to catch any surprise puke), he was moaning so much, and looking so sick, that we decided it was best for him to stay at home. What a bummer!
So I was the first and only one to know for an hour. Although I hadn’t had any big premonitions of what it could be, I found myself thinking days earlier that if it was a girl I would be surprised, because for some reason, every time I thought of the baby recently, I thought of it as a boy. I didn’t know how to feel about that. I mean, I would be equally happy with either, but remembered that when I was younger, I always had thought I wanted boys. My family is very heavy on females, and I just think that boys are adorable, and would love to be a boy’s mama… But then I also thought of all the cons… how boys can be called to fight in war, how they like doing stupid things like racing on motorcycles, how they get married, and (unless they marry someone like me) end up spending way more time with their wife’s family than with their own… And so, I knew I also wanted a girl.
Maybe the reason why I kept thinking of the baby as a boy was because Joey had made such a huge fuss about it being a boy. For weeks, he acted so certain, and told me of all his dreams and how he would introduce the little Stultz to his father, like this big thing, such manly pride in having an heir who will pass on the family name to the next generation. Those that know Joey know how good he is with little girls, so it was obvious to me that he would be happy with either, but still: He kept talking about a boy. So I wondered if I was possibly biased by that. After all, when I first realized I was pregnant I was completely certain that it was a girl. It was only later, when the measurements of the baby suggested that it had been conceived one week earlier than I thought, that I conceded it *could* possibly be a boy.
So here it is: We’re expecting a boy.
I probably shoud’ve been more certain since I’ve seen my son before, in a few trips to my future.
Though both families would’ve also loved a girl, I know that many of them were secretly hoping for a boy. Our baby will be the third grandchild (first boy) in Joey’s family, and the first grandchild in mine. Second boy within his generation in both extended families… He’s suddenly become so much more real to me. Though we still need to check for more name options, the more I think and talk about it, the more it sounds like I already have a perfect name for him… Just be kind to mama when you finally come into this world, little bollo.