Dear Hop Hop,

Well little one we have finally reached a point in the pregnancy that I have been waiting for! This week we find out whether you are a boy or a girl!! I can’t believe we are here! I have thought and dreamt about you for so long. Even before you actually were in my belly and I always wondered what would come next for our family. Would I have a son or a daughter? Now, after all this time I finally get to know. No pressure though little one….just kidding. There is A LOT of pressure for you to cooperate at the appointment! But I know you won’t let us down.

If I could give a grade to your big brother at this point he would get an A. He talks to you every day and asks each morning if Hop Hop is going to come out today. I tell him that you have a lot of growing to do, and that we have a long while before you get to meet him. In the meantime I hope you get to learn the sound of his voice while you are inside. He loves you already.

There is going to be a big party in your honor this week! Instead of finding out your gender with the sono tech we decided to wait to find out with many of our family and friends. It’s called a “gender reveal party”, and we wanted to have one so that we can celebrate you! Everyone is coming over to find out what you are. We will be having cupcakes made filled with either pink or blue, and when the moment comes we will have everyone bite into the cupcake and find out what you are! It will be very hard for me to make it through the sono appointment and not find out what you are. But what’s a few hours right?

I am feeling your little kicks more and more in there and I love the reminder that you are in such a special place growing big and strong. I feel like it’s our special little secret right now since no one else can feel you. It’s something I cherish about being pregnant. I love the times that I can just sit still, hold my belly and just feel you moving inside.

Your baby’s sensory development is exploding! Her brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that she may be able to hear your voice now, so don’t be shy about reading aloud, talking to her, or singing a happy tune if the mood strikes you.

Hop Hop: 19 Weeks

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of an heirloom tomato. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on her skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.