19 weeks

Happy Halloween!

what did you guess?

I think the next baby item I buy will have to be this:

Because...

girl? boy? will we find out tomorrow?

Tomorrow is the big ultrasound day. We are really hoping the wee one cooperates and isn't shy about showing off the business. Send us good vibes around 10 a.m. on Friday (EST time).

EDIT: Friday, 12:00 pm. We know! We know! I have a few more people in the 3-dimensional world that I have to tell first and then we will let you all know. Stay tuned and place your bets now.

almost half way there

Friday was my most recent checkup. Things seem to be progressing well. I'm definately gaining weight and my belly (fundal height) measured 21 inches from my pelvic bone to my ribcage. The AFP test came back normal—Yay! Baby's heartbeat sounded steady and strong and measured in the 150's. This coming Friday, Josh and I go in for my second ultrasound. Unfortunately I have to drink 32 ounces of water one hour before the appointment and keep my bladder full until it's over. Wish me luck on that one—it's seems like a form of torture if you ask me. The main purpose of this ultrasound is to check out organ development and size versus date estimates but we are hoping to find out the gender too. It's all dependant on the cooperation of the Wee One. Send us good vibes that day.

Here's a lovely aerial shot of me Josh took yesterday—18 weeks and counting.

17 weeks and growing

It seems like I've had an explosion of baby belly appear in just the last week. I'm at the highest weight I've ever been in my entire life and it all seems to be hanging out right in the baby belly. Which is okay. I like finally looking pregnant—and oh buddy do I look pregnant now. Not as much from the front, but when I turn to the side there is no doubt about it.

See what I mean?

16 weeks

Here are some new pictures taken yesterday of me and my ever growing baby belly. You can check out the progression by clicking here, here, and here for pre-baby, 10 weeks, and 13 weeks respectively.

The Buddha belly.

Here's one of Josh. Think he's growing too?

old wives tales

Not including the 4 dreams—actually 5 because Josh had another dream and this time the baby was a girl ("A cute one.", he said)—the votes stand at 6 for boy & 4 for girl. In light of the debate, here are some old wives tales regarding gender prediction in pregnancy. It still could go either way. We'll just have to wait until the next ultrasound and hope that the Wee One cooperates in showing us it's business.

If you're having a girl, then the fetal heart rate will be above 140. A boy will have a heart rate below 140. (158 at first ultrasound, 140's at next appointment via the doppler)

If you can't get enough chocolate, you could be having a girl. Those sour cravings are a result of the little boy inside of you. (umm...just food in general)

The belief is that, if your husband puts on weight during your pregnancy, then you will be having a girl. If he doesn't put on a pound, then you're carrying a boy. (I tease him that he is, but face it, Josh is blessed with a fabulous metabolism)

Hold a pendant over your hand. If the necklace swings back and forth, you're having a boy. If it is more of a circular motion, then it's a girl. This can also be done by suspending a ring on a string above your belly.

Some believe that getting acne during your pregnancy indicates you're carrying a girl. Maybe the acne is caused by twice the amount of female hormones?

If you get moody during pregnancy you are more likely to have a girl. This is because all women are moody, and when carrying a girl you become doubly so. (moody is just a fact)

If you carry the baby out front (others can’t see your pregnancy from behind) then you will have a boy. If others can tell that you are pregnant when looking at you from behind, then you will have a girl. (anyone want to look at my bum and let me know?)

If the mother's age at conception and the year of conception are both even or both odd, the baby is a girl. If one is even and one is odd, the baby is a boy. (29 in 2006)

If the mum-to-be was the more aggressive partner when the baby was conceived, it will be a boy. If the father was the more aggressive, the baby will be a girl.

Ask the mum-to-be to show you her hands. If she shows them palms up, it's a girl; palms down, a boy.

If you dream of girls, you will have a boy. If you dream of boys, you will have a girl. (you know where I stand here)

Ask yourself what you think you're having. In a study that asked women with no previous knowledge about their baby's sex, the moms-to-be correctly guessed the sex of their baby 71% of the time.