What do old wives really know???

When it comes to gender prediction, many people have their "Old Wives Tale" tricks to figuring out if a pregnant woman will have a boy or a girl.

For the past two months, my mom has asked me to conduct one test that she believes to be conclusive. She believes in this test because she got accurate results when she was pregnant with first me and then two years later with my brother, Sean.

This test is the one and only Drano test and is not recommended for a pregnant woman to conduct on her own for reasons you are about to learn.

Yesterday, I finally agreed to conduct this gender experiment. First, I needed to purchase the Drano. Let me tell you, CRYSTAL Drano is not in many grocery stores. I went to three stores before I could find the number one ingredient to this superstitious test. Finally, in a little hardware store I hit the jackpot... and they made one too... Crystal Drano is like $10!

So, upon my arrival at my mom's house, she insisted I urinate in a plastic cup. I had already told her that I had read the fumes from the Drano can be toxic and I wanted to keep my space from the chemicals. She agreed that she would conduct the test, all she needed was the pee-pee.

So, I obliged quite willingly ( being pregnant- you have to "go" a lot.)

I handed her my "sample" and she proceeded to conduct her "old wives tale" trick in the bathroom. Only one problem....

As she poured the "sample" onto the "predictor crystals" in another plastic cup they started fizzing and smoking. Before she knew it the entire bathroom was filled with smoke-like toxic gas and the plastic cup began to melt right there in her hand. With her hand burning and lungs coughing for oxygen, we decided that we should take this show outside.



Next, my mom poured the lovely blue crystals into a blue dish. The same thing happened, lots of smoke, and in the end, because the dish was blue, we could not tell the results. Our results to round two were inconclusive, of course. Test number three came next. She returned from the kitchen with a little glass dish that was white. She poured the pee over the crystals and we waited... and waited...
The secret to this "test" is that the crystals will turn "Army Green" ( according to my mom, however I have also read that it turns brown. The old wives tale says that if Drano turns dark green or brown its a boy, if there is no change its a girl.)




It didn't look remotely green or even have a hint of brown. It remained blue, until we poured it out.That's when we saw a hint of olive green, which left us scratching our heads.

( I guess it looks a little green inthis photo-- who knows)

So, after three attempts, it was fair to say that our results remain inconclusive.


Shortly after that, we did the wedding ring on a hair over my belly test... it went in circles...
whatever that means...

Anyway, we may find out if all of the "Old Wives" out there really have the facts right around Mother's Day. I really hope to know by then!

Will we be buying pink or blue???

Inspired by a best friend who had her first baby last year, I too am going to post a quizlet to get your input.

We are 15 1/2 weeks along in our journey and in just 3 or 4 weeks our little baby bump will go from an "it" to a "he" or "she."

What do you think the baby is....

Here are some of the facts that may help you cast your vote:
* Heart rate was in the 160s
* Morning sickness from 5 weeks until 10 weeks
* Rick will not settle on a boy name
* No real cravings, some tiny aversions- plain peanut butter, vinegar ( oddly I still like pickles and certain dressings, but the plain vinegar is gross).


Cast your vote above!

15 weeks and really starting to look the part!

I know it has been a long time since I last wrote, but there hasn't been too much to report!

Since the last update, we have had just one appointment, but it was a big one. We were able to hear our baby's heart beat for the first time. I was a little nervous when it took a few minutes for the doctor to find the beat with the Doppler... but when he did, it was incredible. We tried to take a video to share that wonderful noise with everyone, but it didn't turn out because the heartbeat was so quiet at the time. Doctor Awesomness told us the heart rate was in the 160's. ( For all of you old wives tale believers out there- you have to tell me your take on it.) We were 12 1/2 weeks at our last appointment, I had been feeling a little chubby in my midsection and asked the Doctor Awesomness if that was fatty fat... he gave me my confidence back, He told me that was actually baby bump. I had already been having people rub the Buddha, and was telling them, "that's not baby, that's what the baby eats!" Well, I was wrong and was very apologetic to all of those who's hands I slapped away from my belly.

We are now 15 weeks along and yes, we are officially showing. I have no idea how I am carrying, because it all seems so foreign to me. Some say that I am carrying kind of high- I feel like it is just all across my midsection. I haven't noticed that I am carrying the baby in my butt- and thank goodness for that. I have had enough help throughout the years.

I broke down and put on maternity pants this morning. I decided I had to after I went through all of the slacks in my closet and fastening buttons was a straining activity. So, now my closet is filled with items that will expand with me and not cut off my circulation in my tummy!

This weekend I also felt the urge to detail everything!!! I started in my kitchen! Nesting has officially begun. I began with the refrigerator, which I had been putting off for the past several weeks out of fear of my lovely up-chuck reflex. But, for the last month, the urge to vomit over nasty smells has eased up on me. So with a trash can in hand, I dumped all expired science projects hidden in the back of our terrible and ergonomically incorrect fridge!

Next on the list- cabinets. It's time to make room for baby! I needed to find space in our cabinets that will one day house bottles,"pump" supplies, sippy cups, baby food, baby plates... etc.... ( the list could go on and on).

So, I emptied on tiny cabinet and combined our food items into one make-shift pantry.

Leaving plenty of room for more items like these!

(The above items are not items we have purchased already, they are leave-behinds from babies we have watched.)

Last week, a weird phenomenon happened to me... On Wednesday, I did not look pregnant. I was looking thinner, wearing normal clothes, but did feel lots of stretching and pulling in my lower abdomen. By the next day....Pop! There was a mini-baby bump and clearly, I was showing.

I think it gets a little bit bigger everyday. I took this picture this morning while getting ready.