The Gender Debate

Originally written August 14, 2012

Alright, so it's been almost a month since I've written a post. With both the girls, I was much better at writing close-to-weekly posts, but I guess it gets put on the back-burner when I'm chasing Nora around and planning her birthday party. Oh well, such is life!

We had an appointment today (that's what prompted me to actually sit down and write). They did the second blood draw to check the chances of the baby having spina bifida, and checked the heart rate. It was 157 bpm this time, but the baby was also squirming around a lot!

If you believe in the folk lore of the heart rate, then we're having another girl (140 bpm and above is said to be a girl, anything below is said to be a boy). If you believe the folk lore of the necklace, then we're having a boy (followed by another girl down the road). You hold a necklace with a pendant over the mother's hand, and if it moves up and down it means a miscarriage, if it moves left and right it means a boy, and if it moves in a circle it means a girl. When my friend, Maria, did it to me after we lost Danni, but before we got pregnant with Nora, I got miscarriage, girl, boy, girl... Danni, Nora, this little one, and maybe someday down the road...

How far along?: 18 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: About 7 pounds, I think.
The Bump: Well, I think I had a food baby and a baby baby after this weekend with Nora's party & Valleyfair!
What I’m excited about/looking forward to: At this point, finding out if it's a boy or girl.
Maternity Clothes: Just depends on the clothes. I haven't busted out the tops yet, but I might have to, or at least find some longer ones soon.
Symptoms: Just being hungry more often, and not being able to eat as much.
Belly Button in or out?: Still half out.
Food Cravings/Aversions: I like mom's homemade yogurt with fruit and granola as a snack just about everyday. It's so yummy!
What I miss: I don't know at this point. I think I often forget that I'm pregnant unless it comes up or I'm doing something physical and get out of breath... maybe that's what I miss... my breath.
Milestones: The baby is sucking and swallowing.