The Reaction

Thank you for the great words of advice and congratulations that y'all shared upon the announcement of our Baby Girl arriving in April. My mother-in-law, Jeanie's, reaction was as expected--pure joy! We arrived at the lake house Wednesday evening for the Thanksgiving Holiday. After our greetings J asked, "Nate, what's inside Mommy's belly?" Nate yells, "A SISter!" (high, squeaky emphasis on "sis"). Jeanie was caught off-guard and asked him to say it again. "A sister," he repeated (this time a little hesitantly...like he thought he might've gotten it wrong the first time). It was cute. Nate performed his "trick" perfectly. (We practiced it throughout the 4-hour car trip with mixed results. We initially asked, "Nate are you going to have a brother or a sister?" And he kept answering "brother." I think he thought we were asking are you a brother or a sister?" He seemed quite confused when we corrected him; so we just changed the wording.) Hugs and stories ensued after they realized they were actually going to have a little baby girl in the family after two generations of boys (including the story of Jason's purple newborn dress.) Later that evening, the family watched Baby Girl's ultrasound on DVD--including her tiny heartbeat, a couple of kicks and the finale when she blinks her eyes then sticks out her tongue for the "camera."

And, yes, we do realize that there's the possibility that this "girl" could arrive in this world as a boy (i.e., the ultrasounds could be wrong)! Like I said, there's something about the second technician's confidence and pointing out of the labial folds (instead of just saying, "there's no winky, so it must be a girl") that we feel like putting a little emotional investment in the color pink. If it is a boy, we'll deal with that when God drops it in our lap; but, in that case, we're set! We have blue clothes, plenty o'cars and even a boy's name. We're in a good position!

Here's something fun--let's see what the wives' tales say about the possible sex of our baby:
* The Chinese birth calendar says GIRL (my sister thinks there's really something to this).
* If you're carrying just in front, it's a boy; wide, it's a girl. I'm carrying in front = BOY.
* A heart rate of 140 or higher means a girl; lower, a boy. Her last measurement was in the 150s (but Nate's was always a little higher, too) = GIRL.
* With a boy, you'll crave salty foods and meats; with a girl, you'll want sweets. I craved a lot of cake and donuts during my first-trimester nausea; while with Nate I had an intense craving for salami in the later stages = GIRL.
* If you get hair on your belly, it's a boy. Well, unfortunately, I'm a little fuzzier = BOY.
* Bad morning sickness means you're having a girl. Well, it wasn't bad compared to a lot of my girlfriends' stories, but this pregnancy was worse than with Nate = GIRL.
* If your skin is chapped, it's a boy; if you break out, girl. Arghhhhh...another zit?! GIRL.
* If you prefer to lie on your right side when resting, it's a girl; left, boy. I definitely prefer right (despite the recommendation to lie on your left while pregnant) = GIRL.
* If your hair has reddish highlights, you're having a girl. In fact just today my neighbor said, "your hair is looking more red. Did you color it?" GIRL.
* If you're carrying high it's a girl; low, boy. I've been told several times I'm carrying high and she's definitely is easier to find (higher) on the ultrasound than Nate was = GIRL.

Wow. 80%, huh? Perhaps there is something to these theories!