Amongst the chaos of the last month and a half, God has given us something to laugh about. While we have been stressed and are mourning for our brother and friend, Myron West, as he battles for life, God has provided some humor. So here we go…. the big reveal.

We had an appointment scheduled in the states for a gender scan with my 20 weeks ultrasound, but our schedules changed and Chase would still be in Uganda during that time. We wanted to find out the gender of our baby together so we left early one morning and went to a clinic in Gulu town that our teammate, Holly, had taken a friend before and we knew they got the gender correct. With Myron’s advice, I drank a coke to make doubly sure the baby was moving to be able to see all parts.

We arrived at the packed clinic and entered the one room waiting area. I went to the reception desk and paid the whopping 8 USD to have the scan done. She directed us to wait outside around the back of the clinic in front of a small building because the ultrasound tech was not at work yet. We waited for about 30 minutes for the tech to arrive on a boda-boda (motorcycle). He called us into a room the size of a closet that barely fit a bed and a table for the ultrasound machine. He instructed me to lay down and began the scan. The ultra sound screen was smaller than the size of a standard tablet and was stationary for only the tech and Chase to see the baby. Chase said the coke worked because the baby was moving everywhere! It did not take long and the tech said, “Well I do not know if this is a good thing, but it is a boy.” I shot up off the table and asked, are you sure? He said yes, I am 100% sure!

Well, Chase and I were a definitely skeptical because we have learned over our years in Uganda, no one in Uganda is ever 100% sure of anything medical. So we decided to go somewhere else.

Next stop, the best hospital in town. We paid a little bit more at this clinic, a total of 12 USD. Again we paid and waited. This hospital is a lot bigger and has a lot more room. We were called into the room. This ultrasound machine was even older and the screen even smaller. But, still stationary to were I could not see the baby. Chase said the coke was still working because the baby was bouncing all over the screen. The tech began the scan and kept looking and looking, what seemed like forever and finally said “I am not sure, but I think it is a girl. Come back in a few weeks and we will check again.” WHAT?! haha… I could not make eye contact with Chase or I would have died laughing. I asked the tech to check the size of the baby, but he kept getting distracted and moving back to check the gender.

Chase and I left there laughing so hard. What in the world?! We wanted so bad to find out the gender together, but it looked like this just was not going to happen. We went to go eat at some of our friends restaurant in town, Elephante, and basically gave up on the quest. I told our friend about the hilariousness and she actually knew of another place that actually had a newer ultrasound machine. So we said what the heck. Might as well get a tie breaker. We ate lunch and headed to the clinic.

This clinic is in the middle of downtown Gulu. We went and told them what we needed. We were told there was a wait, but we did not care. So we waited in an ally for about 3 hours. To the point Myron calls us because he started to get worried because we had been gone all day in town.

Finally, we were called into the small room. The equipment looked so much better! The ultrasound screen was bigger than a standard laptop screen. The tech was extremely knowledgable and told us he would not tell us the gender unless he was almost certain. So we begin the third scan and I could finally see the baby! At this point the little bit was still a busy bee moving everywhere! He checked the health and growth of the baby first. Then he took a screen shots and asked us what we were looking at. Chase and I both were able to point to something that looked to us like male anatomy. We said, “a boy?!” And he told us yes, it is a boy! He did tell us there is no 100% until the baby comes out, but that he was almost certain it was a boy!

So we where 80% sure the baby was a boy. Started using his name, Deacon Chase Barbrey. We were even able to share with our family that we were 80% sure it was a boy. Once I returned to the states, I even registered at the pediatrician that we were having a boy. And also at Initially Yours and Kids Korner in Enterprise.

Then it was the time for our US ultrasound. I went in to the ultrasound somewhat confident, after all we pointed at something! It took the ultrasound tech not even 2 minutes to blow my confidence. She said, “they told you it was a boy? Well I am not that far into this, but I am pretty sure it is a girl.” What?! A girl. My mind was blown. We are at 2-2, my mom was with me and we laughed so hard. The tech told me things can be swollen and made to look like anything. She assured me it is not uncommon for someone like Chase and myself to miss point at something.

I then had to FaceTime Chase and let him know officially what we were having, a little girl! It has taken weeks for it sink-in. And he says he will not be convinced until the baby gets here. Haha… But, we are moving forward in the most permanent commitment to a child’s gender… monograming! We are registered for a girl with her name being Piper Eleanor Barbrey. Eleanor is Chases late Maw-Maw’s middle name. Bless it! As my mother said, “your life will never be dull even if you try!” There is so much truth in that statement!

SO Ladies and Gentlemen meet our little girl, Piper Eleanor! Due October 3rd.