I find this statement so odd.

lindsay.lou

It bugs me when people say they're team green b/c "it's one of the only real surprises you'll ever get in your life."

People say this to me all the time now. I find it such an odd (and untrue) statement. 

I mean, I'm totally cool with people staying team green....but it's not the only "true" surprise you'll ever get in your life. 

kilissa

How big of a surprise is it really?  It's either a boy or a girl.  Now if it came out something different - that would be a surprise.

Sonadora

I still don't understand how it's not a surprise at the u/s just as much as it is at the birth.

 

And really, it's a 50/50 shot.

celestej619

kilissa:

How big of a surprise is it really?  It's either a boy or a girl.  Now if it came out something different - that would be a surprise.

LOL

lauralizabee

I like my sister's response...that it's a surprise no matter when you find out.

I haven't decided if we will find out at our anatomy scan next month or not. I thought I really wanted to, but I don't care that much, and DH really doesn't want to find out...so...his opinion outweighs mine there and that's fine. My sister definitely warned me to NEVER use the excuse that "There are no real surprises in life anymore" ...it's such bs.

I think if we don't, I will tell people I didn't find out because I refuse to let them tell me what to name LO.

Scout05

My issue with that statment is that it's just as much a surprise at 20 weeks as it would be 40. You didn't know and now you do! Surprise! It's one or the other.

It's fine if people want to be Team Green, but yeah. I don't quite get that logic. (And we were always planning to beTeam Green before this pregnancy).

Mrs.EmmaLouise

Before I went in for my anatomy scan people asked if we were going to find out the sex, and when I said yes they asked "but don't you want to be surprised?".  I told them all "I will be just as surprised at the u/s."  Seemed to get them to shut up.

vlewis515

I wanted to be team green for a completely different reason...but I just couldn't not find out. Plus my sister was "sooooo sure" that I was having a girl (I was convinced he was a boy) that she bought me a little girls romper the night before the anatomy scan and it ticked me off a little. Yes she did it in kind of an "in your face, you won't get to be the one to have the first grandson" sort of half teasing/half-serious way. The call to her after the scan was awesome though..."Yeah I hope you kept the receipt, because you're getting a nephew!" So I just kept it a secret and told everyone (aside from immediate family and The Bump) we didn't know.

The reason you ask? Completely selfish...I have a unique sense of style and I didn't want people buying the baby clothes. I don't think I'd have been able to hide my horror if someone bought my son a sailor suit... 

goalieamy24

We are team green, and I do say that I wanted to be team green to be surprised.  Truthfully, I don't really think that's a very good reason, but it quiets most people down! haha Honestly I don't think I have a reason, other than I just have always said I wouldn't find out.  But even if you do find out, isn't it a surprise the day of the anatomy scan?  

circe811

I agree. It was just as much a surprise to me to find out at the anatomy scan as to wait another 20 some weeks. Waiting doesn't make it any more of a surprise...it just means you waited longer.

spincat9

I am team green but not necessarily for the "surprise factor" b/c I agree w/you that it's a surprise no matter when you find out.  But our rationale is that we wanted to prepare for either so that when we have #2 (if we are so blessed) we can re-use all of the gender neutral stuff and not need new everything.  I knew if I found out it was a girl for example, the mothers would go ape drowning me in a sea of pink.  I personally think girls can wear other colors too, so I'm trying to prolong the gender classification as long as I can...and admittedly we would like also to be surprised in delivery.  To each his own I guess!

But what I don't get is why people say, when they find out we're not learning gender sooner, that "oooh, you're brave".  What do you mean I'm brave?  That's ridiculous to me.  It's going to be one of two choices, and we'll have names, lots of love, and a bed for either.  So on the flip side, I just don't get why it's so important for people to know ahead of time.

But like I said, to each his own!

kbel424

kilissa:

How big of a surprise is it really?  It's either a boy or a girl.  Now if it came out something different - that would be a surprise.

This made me LOL... And I completely agree with everyone...it was just as much of a "surprise" to find out at the ultrasound. I've never understood the statement either.

damabo80

Agree with the PPs. It will be a much a surprise when we find out as it would have been at the birth.

For myself, I know I'm going to be too focused on "is it healthy" at both the anatomy scan and the birth to let myself do the squeee! of finding out the sex.

For that reason, I actually want to keep the "squee it's a XXXXX!" suprise completely separate from the "OMG it's actually healthy!!!" surprise. Or, I don't want the joy of finding out "squee it's a XXXXX!" to be tampered with the heartbreak of "Oh, and it's not going to survive."

For that reason, DH and I are going to do the elective gender u/s at one of those foo-foo places around 15-16 weeks where they don't tell you anything about the health of the baby...instead they just tell you the gender and give you a few cool photos to share with the grandparents. That way, if a bomb does get dropped on us at the anatomy u/s, we still had a few weeks of ignorant bliss revealing in the "squeee it's a xxxxx!" afterglow.

We're going to have the tech write the sex on on a piece of paper, go out to a nice dinner that night, and have the waiter write the gender in chocolate on the dessert plate (the restaurant we have in mind does messages on dessert plates such as "happy anniversary/birthday" etc). That way, the day can be completely happy and not tempered with anything bad.