"I can take her shoe shopping!"

Finding out the sex of little Kumingking turned out to be quite the event. Although Darrin and I had intended to keep little Kumingking's sex a surprise, I couldn't get used to the idea of calling our baby "it" for the next nine months and, of course, the "try-not-to-look-so-disappointed" looks of Kumingking's grandparents did not help.

So instead, we decided to find out Kumingking's sex on my birthday, October 7. Darrin and I had initially planned a nice quiet birthday weekend, but once word got out that we were also finding out Kumingking's sex, we had family flying in from San Francisco, Loma Linda, and driving 5 1/2hrs. from Maryland (Free tip: If you would like family to visit you more often, just have a baby). This made for a total of seven individuals, including Darrin and myself, setting up camp for the weekend in our snug two bedroom apartment.

I can't help but chuckle when I think of Darrin (a 6ft 2in. American) herding in six filipinos (the tallest being about 5ft. 5in.) into our physician's office. It must have been quite a comical sight but the Orillosa-Thurber clan could have cared less. We were finding out our baby's sex today! Surprisingly, we all fit into the tiny ultra-sound room and seconds later, the "oohs", "aahhs", "sniffles", and "giggles" commenced as the family met, for the first time, our precious Kumingking.

Before finding out the sex, the ultrasound tech did a full body scan of Kumingking, showing us her cute little face, her arms, her tiny toes, etc.. I chuckled as proud daddy Darrin boasted that his little girl looked so beautiful, not like the other "alien" ultrasound babies he had seen. My family commented on how thankful they were that Kumingking had a nice nose (a common worry of filipinos) and exclaimed how long Kumingking's legs were (much to the nervousness of her father). After we "oohed" and "aahed" over Kumingking's various appendages, the ultrasound tech announced that we were having a baby girl. Laughter and tears simultaneously filled the room and the first thing I remember anyone saying was my sister exclaiming "Oh good! I can take her shoe shopping"! The night before, we had gone around predicting whether we were having a boy or girl, and although my mother was the only one who had bet on a girl, there was not a disappointed soul in the room. As I looked around the cramped space, I found it amazing that this little girl, who we had yet to meet, was already loved so much. And telling the rest of the family the news and googling over Kumingking's ultrasound pictures was a different joy than I have ever experienced!

As you can imagine, the rest of the day was filled with Kumingking talk (actually, Kumingking

seems to be the center of most family conversations nowadays). What a perfect way to celebrate my birthday! And of course, it wouldn't be an Orillosa day without shopping. And who better to shop for than Kumingking... Including her first pair of shoes! ---->