Let's Talk About Sex

Or gender, I should say.
In just a matter of days, we have our “big”, level II ultrasound. Obviously, first and foremost, we are hoping for a healthy baby so far, and that’s why I’m most anxious about. But as a bonus, we will hopefully find out the sex.

From day 1, the minute we got the positive beta, I have said boy. Hands down, without a doubt, boy. A few weeks ago I would have been absolutely stunned if I was wrong. It was that strong a feeling. But now, and for the last couple weeks…eh, I’m not so sure. Right now, I don’t really know.

So what’s a girl to do? Turn to the Old Wive’s Tales, of course! But even those are hardly clear.

1) If you carry high, it’s a girl. Low, it’s a boy. I think it’s low, so that would be BOY
2) If the heartbeat is under 140 bpm, it’s a boy. If it is over 140 bpm, it’s a girl. Well, we’ve only had it tracked twice. Once was 150 bpm, the other time was 173bpm. So I guess, GIRL.
3) Tie your wedding ring to a string and dangle it over your belly. If it swings back and forth, it’s a boy. If it goes in circles, it’s a girl. You can also do this holding the string over your open palm. I did both and both were circles…GIRL.
4) Chinese Gender Chart (http://parenting.ivillage.com/ttc/ttcsigns/0,,j736,00.html ) Some say this is correct 90% of the time. This one is easy, BOY
5) If you have acne during pregnancy, it’s a girl. If you don’t, it’s a boy. No pimples here, BOY
6) If you have morning sickness, you’re having a girl. If you don’t, you’re having a boy. I had really mild morning sickness at night, nothing I would really even call morning sickness. So I’ll go with BOY on that one.
7) If your breasts have gotten bigger, you’re having a girl! If they’ve stayed the same, it’s a boy. Oh lordy, then it’s definitely a GIRL with the size of these things.
8) If your left breast is bigger than the right, you’re having a girl. If the right breast is bigger than the left, it’s a boy. I think they’re pretty much neck and neck (or boob and boob?) but I was just commenting this week that my left boob seems bigger…GIRL
9) If your urine is neon yellow, it’s a boy. If it’s a dull yellow, it’s a girl. Um, GIRL. And I don’t like talking about my urine.
10) If you’re hair on your legs grows faster, it’s a girl. If it stays the same, it’s a boy. I can’t stand stubble so I shave daily no matter what, but I haven’t noticed any kind of sudden overgrowth on my legs. BOY. Now, if we’re talking about the sudden development of fur on my stomach…that’s a different story.
11) If the dad to be is gaining weight with you, it’s a boy. If he stays the same, it’s a girl. I should check with Chris to be sure, but I’m going to say GIRL.
12) If you have headaches, you’re having a boy. If you don’t, it’s a girl. Huh, I would have thought this would be the other way around. BOY.
13) Girls steal your beauty. If you look better than before, it’s a boy. If you don’t, it’s a girl. All I can say is people say I look good. I however, have already noticed the Tori Spelling pregnancy fat face starting. But since my OB said I looked good and it might be a boy, we’ll say BOY.
14) If your feet are colder than usual, it’s a boy. If they’re the same, it’s a girl. GIRL.

The results? 14 questions. 7 boy. 7 girl. 50% chance of either one. Didn’t help much, did it? What do you think??

Doppler: Friend or Foe?

Up until yesterday, that was an easy question. FRIEND! All the way! BFF, in fact. Despite the horror stories about dopplers and freaking out if you can't hear the heartbeat, we've been fortunate. We've never looked more than a few seconds, and actually I got so good that I would just place the doppler on my belly where I figured Viver was hanging out and voila! woosh, woosh, woosh.

It was so predictable. I even smugly smirked at my doctor when she used the doppler the first time. She was roaming all over and I wanted to say, "He's right here." And I would be right.

But yesterday, doppler became a temporary foe.

I found the woosh, woosh, woosh right away. We smiled at each other. But then it seemed pretty slow. Like really slow, actually.

Me: "Um, does that seem slow to you?"
Chris: "Ummm, maybe a little bit!"

Neither one of us wanted to over-react but we were both clearly starting to panic on the inside.

Me: "How about you count the beats and we can figure out what the beats per minute is? I mean, it's going to be different, it's not always going to be the same rate."
Chris: "Ok, I got 84."

GULP.

Me: "Well, that must be me, I guess. It's not Viver."
Chris: silence.

I wander all around with the microphone, concentrating on the side where he always is. Nothing but me. On a whim, I try the other side. Now I'm frantically moving the doppler around, too fast to catch anything anyway. Then suddenly, Chris says "Wait, there was something there. Go back".

Low and behold, there he was. Beating away with his normal woosh, woosh, woosh rhythm. But just for a second, then he would roll away. I chased him but could only hear it for a couple seconds at a time. I think he's moving away from the doppler these days. Trouble maker.

Thankfully we were able to find it and got the reassurance we needed, so doppler went back to friend status. I just learned my lesson...I do not rule the doppler. Apparently, Viver is now ruling the doppler.

Oh, and for those of you (you know who you are) that are thinking this confirms your feelings on why we shouldn't have a doppler, don't go there. One brief moment of panic is nothing compared to how many times we've been reassured and been able to sleep because we did hear the heartbeat. I've said it a hundred times...the doppler can't make me any more crazy than I already am. Maybe it's not a good idea for sane people...but I'm not part of that group.

OK, I'll admit it.

It was time to tell my boss that I'm pregnant.

And I will now admit I probably wasn't fooling quite as many people as I thought I was.

Frankly, if I had it my way I wouldn't tell anyone until, well...I gave birth. It makes me incredibly nervous. Family and friends are one thing, but co-workers are a whole other cup of tea. I hadn't told anyone at work I was pregnant last time, and I was so glad about that when I returned after my miscarriage. So being "out" takes things to a whole new level for me, and it's one I'm not totally comfortable with. But my belly had other ideas and I couldn't hide it much longer. If I was even hiding it at all. I have a feeling some people figured it out already...despite me thinking I was so very sly with my "hunch over and run" move I used if I encountered people in the hall.