Dear Baby Pacheco,

Almost 15 weeks along already! I can’t believe we’re already approaching the 4 month mark; this pregnancy has been REALLY flying by. Still feeling really good, finally starting to get some energy back now that we’re well into second trimester. And yes, after a couple of harassing phone calls to both the doctor’s office and the lab they contract with to do the blood DNA test– we FINALLY got the results back, the week after I last wrote you. WIthout further ado….

You are a BOY! 😀 The test confirmed what the ultrasound tech had predicted– she said she could clearly see on the ultrasound the “frank and beans,” as it were. Once she pointed it out, Dad & I could see it too.

I’m not gonna lie, I was shocked… and a little sad. For some reason, I’d felt so sure that you were going to be a girl. I didn’t have those sorts of feelings with Alex, I honestly didn’t have any “sense” about it one way or the other. But this time…. well, the best way to describe it is that I had to mourn the baby girl I thought was growing inside me, and get accustomed to the baby boy I found to be there instead. I just needed to some time to wrap my mind around it, is all.

Not that I’m any less excited about your impending arrival, mind you! 😉 In a lot of ways it is a bit of a relief, because we already have just about everything we need for a baby boy. I already have plenty of experience with all the special little nuances that go with little boys. Dad is insanely excited (I think the idea of a little girl makes him nervous, which of course is so silly), and proud as a peacock — when we walked out of the ultrasound, the first thing he said was “Heck yeah, this baby factory (referring to his “frank and beans,” ha) only makes BOYS!” 😉 LMAO

Above all else, I know you & Alex are going to enjoy each other SO much. More than I think you would have, honestly, if you had been a girl. Many people have asked me why we decided to have another baby so soon after Alex. In this day & age, two years is pretty close together.. mostly because the cost of babies– daycare, etc– is so high, but also because it going to be much more demanding on us as parents (both of whom work full-time) to have two kids that are both SO young. The truth of it is that we’re really doing this because we think it is the best thing for you guys. Having that partner-in-crime, best buddy, etc. to grow up with is the one of the best gifts we can give you as parents. And so, it is my greatest hope & wish that you two cherish that. I know that you won’t always– Dad & I both had siblings that were two years older, and there were MANY times where we fought with them like cats and dogs– but all in all having a sibling so close in age was a huge blessing to us throughout our childhood, and beyond. 🙂 You guys have SO much to look forward to!

Anywho, once we found out you were a boy we decided it was a good time to make our big “announcement” on the Interwebs. Because as we all know, nothing is official until you’ve posted it on Facebook. 😉 Alex helped me with the announcement…

As the “eviction notice” says, Dad & I decided that we’re going to name you Charles John Pacheco. We’ll call you Charlie for short. 🙂 I’m so glad that we finally have something more concrete to call you, besides whatever fruit you happen to be that week (this week it’s an orange, BTW). The other great thing about knowing that you’re a boy is that I’ve been able to start working more on your nursery! But I think I’ll save that for my next letter, as I’m running short on time at the moment. Until then, my littlest love! :-*

All my love,
Mom