Exciting Upcoming Baby Things

We have two really exciting baby-related things coming up next week:

1. Tuesday is our anatomy ultrasound where we will learn if we are having a girl or a boy!
2. Wednesday is our first Centering Class at the Cooley Dickinson Midwifery Center!

We are super excited about both.

For the ultrasound we've decided that we are going to ask the technician to write the gender down on a piece of paper & put it in an envelope. Husband and I will then go out for lunch where we will open the envelope and finally know which name we can call this little one (Yes! We have the names picked out and have for years now!).

For anyone who does not know what a Centering class is (we didn't), it's prenatal care in a group setting. Because we haven't started yet, my understanding might be off here and there, but this is how I understand this to be:

The origin of these groups were created by the March of Dimes (so I was told) and geared toward lower socio-economical groups to encourage both physical care as well as the sharing and discussion of parenting tips, interests and know-how.

A Centering class group consists of several (7? 8?) expecting couples/singles and will be group led, with one of the Midwives facilitating discussion. That is, we will be often dictating the topics of discussion. The classes take the place of our prenatal office visits right now, so we will also learn to take and record our weight and blood pressure, and we will have a few minutes of private time with the Midwife, and then joing the group discussion. (We can always make a separate appointment for a private, "regular" prenatal appointment if we need to.)

These classes seem like a great way to meet other expecting people (especially since we are new to the area and don't know many people), and learn about new things that might not otherwise come up in a regular visit.

Do you know about Centering classes? I'd love other people's feedback or experiences!