Gender Myths

I am at 20 weeks! Which means yes, I could know by now whether I'm having a boy or girl, but I'm waiting for my husband to come home so we can be there together. Our big appointment is next Monday! I cannot wait. I figured I'd use this week to go over some of the "gender myths" to see if I'm still leaning towards one gender over the other. Plus, it'll be fun to see how accurate the outcome is.

Myth #1: If your legs get bigger, it's a boy. If they stay lean, it's a girl. My legs have gotten a little bit chunky, but not to the point that I need to go up a pant size. I'm still fitting a size 4. All signs point to, GIRL.

Myth #2: If you refuse to eat the ends of bread, you're having a girl.  If stumps are all that's left, I'll eat them. BOY. 

Myth #3: If you are moody during your pregnancy, you are having a girl. If you are smiley throughout pregnancy, you are having a boy. I'm sure if you ask my husband, he'd say we're having a girl (rude) however, I don't think I've been moody nor overly smiley. I call this a draw. 

Myth #4: The Chinese chart shows accuracy based on the date of conception. We were given the due date Sept 12 by our doctor, but when we were referred out to the American sonogram place, they gave us the date Sept 6. Going back to the Chinese chart, if our baby was conceived Dec 5, it's a girl, however if it was conceived Nov 30, it's a boy. Another draw. 

Myth #5: If the mother's looks have been drained during pregnancy, it's a girl. If she's been prettier than ever, it's a boy. I went through a stage of frustration because I felt like my skin looked old and tired. I don't think I have that "pregnancy glow" without a good tinted moisturizer and some blush. Props-girl. 

Myth #6: If you have a dream about which gender you have, you will have the opposite. Last week, I got really excited about my dream that we had a boy. Winner, Girl. 

Myth #7: If the mother has been graceful throughout her pregnancy, she's having a girl. If she's been clumsy, it's a boy. I don't think I've been clumsy at all. GIRL. 

Myth #8: If a toddler shows interest in the baby, you're having a girl. If a toddler doesn't show interest, it's a boy. Did I mention my now four-year-old nephew named our baby the Donut Baby and asks about him/her all the time? GIRL. 

Myth #9: If the mother tends to lay on her left side, she's having a boy. If she lays more on her right side, it's a girl. Of all my favorite places to lay, I'm usually propped on my right side. Another sign it's a girl. 

Myth #10: If the dad gains weight, you're having a girl. If he doesn't, it's a boy. I've also read this the other way, if he gains, it's a boy. Either way, I think it's a draw. My husband will be coming home from training for a month- I'm sure he'll be skinnier than I am. I define this as inapplicable to military husbands. 

Myth #11: If the mother's left breast is bigger than her right, she's having a girl.  My left is definitely bigger, although I think it always has been? GIRL. 

Myth #12: If you place a necklace over your hand and it swings back and forth, it's a boy. If it swings in a circle, it's a girl. I tried this, and although my hand holding the necklace was shaking the more I tried to stay still, it looked like it went back and forth. BOY. 

Myth #13: If you had no morning sickness, you're having a boy. If you had morning sickness or nausea, it will be a girl. I maybe had 2 weeks of nausea, but nothing too terrible. Not sure which side this counts as. I'll go with GIRL even though it was brief. 

Myth #14: If your areolae darkened during pregnancy, you're having a boy. Nope. GIRL. 

Myth #15: If you're craving meat and cheese, it's a boy. Early on, I went through three weeks of cravings. What did I want most? Burgers and fries. BOY. 

Myth #16: If the mother's feet got colder during pregnancy, it's a boy. If your feet stayed the same, you're having a girl. I'm sure my husband will tell you that I constantly have icy cold feet. They have remained the same at icy cold. If anything, they may have warmed up a little bit. GIRL. 

Myth #17: If you leg hair grows extremely quickly, it's a boy. No need to explain. BOY. 

Myth #18: If your hands are very dry, it's a boy. It may have something to do with the fact that's it's been extremely dry outside, but I've been slathering on lotion the past couple weeks nonstop. BOY oh BOY. 

Myth #19: If your pee is bright yellow, you're having a boy. If it's dull yellow, it's a girl. I'm not really sure how to respond to this one. I think it depends on my hydration levels. But I must say, when I'm hydrated, my pee does have a neon shine to it. BOY?

Myth #20: If the mothers nose is growing bigger and wider, it's a boy. No thank you, my nose is big enough already. GIRL. 

Myth #21: If you've experienced headaches during pregnancy, it's a boy. So grateful that this one points to GIRL. 

Myth #22: If the heart rate is over 140, it's a girl. If is lower than 140, it's a boy. This is the main myth I'm basing my inference on. Started at 170 and went down to 160 at the last appt. GIRL. 

Myth #23: If you're carrying big and high, it's a girl. If you're carrying low and small, it's a boy. I don't think I'm carrying high or low. I'm not big enough to tell. Since I'm on the small side, I'll say BOY. 

Myth #24: When you place a string around your wedding ring and hold it over your pregnant belly, it'll go back and forth if it's a girl and in a circle if it's a boy. This myth I've also read with the opposite results. Not sure which is accurate, but mine moved in a circle. 

Myth #25: If the mother's face grows fuller and rounder, it's a girl. If it's long and narrow, it's a boy. I wouldn't say my face is long and narrow, but I haven't gained weight in my face if that's what this means. BOY. 

Myth #26: According to Mayan myth, when you add the age of conception with the year of conception, if the answer is an even number, it's a girl. If it's odd, it's a boy. Again, this is another one that I've seen flipped answers to. My number is odd, so take that as you will. 

Myth #27: If the mother has acne, it's a girl. GIRL. Ugh..

Myth #28: If you are craving salty and sour foods, it's a boy. If you are craving sweets, fruits, and orange juice, it's a girl. This one is hard. I craved potato chips and fries only for a few weeks at the beginning. I drink a lot of juice and eat a lot of fruit, but that doesn't mean I crave it. I am a sugar addict, and that hasn't changed since before pregnancy. If anything, I'm craving grains. Where does that put me?

Myth #29: If you gain weight out front, it's a boy. If you gain weight in the hips and rear, it's a girl. I definitely grew wider before growing outward. Love handles and badonkadonk indicate GIRL. 

Myth #30: If you belly looks like a basketball, it's a boy. If it looks like a watermelon, it's a girl. I think I'm carrying more oblong than round. GIRL. 

Results:
Some of these concepts seem totally wacky, but it's fun to go through them. Overall, 16 of my answers have indicated that I'm having  a girl. 8 say it's a boy and 6 answers can go either way. It'll be interesting to see if I do have a girl. One more week and I will be able to tell which myths were right and which were phony.

If you know any more myths or if my neutral answers point more towards one side than the other, let me know! Also, keep the guesses coming. Only 7 more days :)

Almost Halfway

On Friday, I'll be at the halfway point! I'm currently at 19 weeks and getting bigger by the day. The baby is kicking like crazy, but still little flutters-no limbs popping out of my side yet. 

My husband has been off training for the past two weeks and still has a couple more to go, so a lot of the housework has been left to me. I haven't over-done anything, however I do have trouble trying to remember to sit down and get off of my feet. Some days, I feel like I'm constantly moving, so it's a goal for me to find more "me" time during the day.

19 weeks

Over the weekend, I went to a baby and toddler expo. It was really small and not so thrilling, but I picked up some cards for photographers to do a photo shoot once the baby is born. Dang, that stuff is expensive. Already, every day, I feel like I hardly have enough money to pay all of our bills along with stuff that I need. For example, the snow is almost all melted and the weather has been beautiful all week. I need shoes that I can slip on and off that aren't boots nor flip flops. I have maybe one pair of Toms that have already seen better days. I feel so guilty investing in a second pair, but know I should to get me through summer. When I can't spend $60 on something I need and will last me through summer, how do I justify spending a few hundred dollars on a photo shoot when I have a camera, or better yet, instagram? It's something I'm going to have to consider. For now, I take deep breaths and take each day financially one at a time. 

We have our appointment set for finding out our babies gender! May 5th!! I cannot be any more excited. In fact, I'm ready for next weekend to be here already. I have a 5k with my dog that Saturday, my hubby comes home that Sunday, then our appt the next morning. 

I have NO idea if it's a boy or a girl. Women always tell me they had a feeling or "just knew" and were right. I have no clue. I don't even know how you can tell. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a girl because her heartbeat has always been up in the 160s, which people say is usually a girl (although, I know people who had boys with faster heart beats). I also did a lot of those myths when my bff came into town and the majority pointed towards girl. Less than two weeks and we'll know. I'd be very okay having a boy; in fact,  I'm leaning more towards that way at this point (and of course, my husband wants a boy) but I really don't care what we have. I want one of each at one point so I'm thrilled to find out where we'll start. There will be more pressure for child #2 ;p

I found this tank top for $6 at the expo (and learned about a new store with awesome re-sale maternity clothes) and turned it into a dress for Easter. It was perfect!

Other than that, pregnancy is kinda boring. I keep waiting to look really pregnant. I'm starting to, but I still feel like there are certain things I can wear that make me just look like I've put on some pounds. I keep waiting for more movement-the kind where I can put my hand on and feel a foot kick me. I'm only (almost) halfway done and I'm ready for my third trimester! That sounds terrible, because that's when misery starts to kick in. I'm impatient. What can I say? Things are getting harder. Bending forward is uncomfortable, and trying to clip my toe nails is getting difficult. I guess that's a sign that I'm progressing. 

Feel free to start guessing: boy or girl! But tell me why!!! People keep throwing genders at me but I want to know if it's an educated guess or at random. Help a girl out here :)

Spring has Sprung! And that's not the only thing..My Belly!

I am at 17 weeks! I cannot believe how much time has been flying by. I went home to Chicago this past week and had an amazing time with friends and family. While there, my mom invited extended family over for lunch and we surprised everyone with the exciting news. When you live so far away from people, the thought of posting big news on Facebook is just irritating, so I was glad to tell family in person. (Although, once the news was out, we did put up a little something something to tell the rest of our Facebook "friends.")

My husbands genius idea: our Facebook announcement.

I was spoiled all week! I ate so much food, I didn't even know what to do with myself. I tried my best to keep fruits and veggies a part of my everyday diet, however lots of desserts and eating at restaurants dragged me down. Yesterday, I started getting back on track health-wise and I already feel relieved. I tried a recipe for Baked Fries from the What to Expect book, and they were yummy! I'll post the recipe below.  Eating empty calories these days is just a stress factor that I don't need-and neither does our donut baby. 

At home, I did LOTS of fun shopping with my mom. I got a lot of maternity pants!!! Exactly what I needed because buttons just aren't cutting it around my gut-or rather, I should say they are cutting it, which is why I need more give. Elastic feels magical every time I sit down. I'm still not really "big" enough to rock out many maternity shirts. I just look like I've been putting on winter weight and need to do ab work-I still don't look pregnant. I'll hold off until I really start to pop. However, the week that I was home, I felt like my tummy grew with each and every day! Things that fit when I went there were not fitting as I was packing to go home. Another reason why I am grateful for maternity clothes (and the new bras I bought). 

We still don't have a nursery since we're supposed to move in June, but I did find a gender-neutral canvas that is going up once we have some walls. I also went around Babies R Us and Target and got some good ideas so that once G and I go in to register, I won't be completely overwhelmed by stuff. 

Our Eric Carle ABC poster for the nursery

At my next appointment, we find out the gender of the baby!!! I'm waiting for G to come back from training in May so we can find out together. I cannot wait. Once we know, then we'll really go out and start buying/registering for stuff. There are so many cute things I wanted to buy but had to hold off simply because I didn't know if we were having a boy or girl, and I'm definitely making the nursery oriented towards one side over the other-no neutrality for me. I want pink or blue. 

The baby has barely been kicking. I think G got to feel it last night. He left today for a month, so I'm kind of excited for him to see me a little bit bigger when he gets back! I hope there's more activity around that point so we won't have to wonder if it's our own pulse, my dinner, or the baby that we're feeling. Not too much news at this point, but as they say, no news is good news. 




Baked Fries (from What to Expect When You're Expecting)
A Healthier Alternative to French Fries
Makes 2 servings

1 1/2 tsp canola oil
2 large baking potatoes
2 large egg whites
Kosher salt and pepper to taste (we used sea salt)

Preheat oven to 425. Grease a nonstick baking sheet with the canola oil

Scrub the potatoes thoroughly under running water; pat dry. Slice them lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices, then cut into fries of the desired length and pat dry again

Place the egg whites in a medium size bowl and beat with a whisk until foamy. Add the potatoes and toss until coated with the egg whites. 

Arrange the fires in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Leave some space between them so they don't stick together. Bake until crisp and lightly brown on the outside and tender on the inside, about 30 to 35 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and paper, and serve immediately.