This week marks our 29th week of pregnancy, with just 11 more to go! Time is going so fast. The topic of boy or girl comes up frequently when talking to friends and strangers alike. In this day and age, it is just customary to find out the gender of your baby. Well, we’re a bit old-fashioned in this department, and the color scheme of the nursery, outfits, diaper bag and car seat are unimportant factors in persuading us otherwise.

That said, everyone has their prediction! I’ve had my belly touched and while doing so the person had a look as if they were summoning cosmic energies. Their prediction, boy. I’ve had others tell me I look like I am carrying in a way that would indicate we are having a girl. My father thinks boy based on the ultra sound image. And others make their selection based on what THEY want!

We’ve all heard various wives tales so I decided to try out a few….

Chinese Calendar: My sister-in-law believes the Chinese Calendar is a good predictor. It predicts based on the month you conceived and your age when you conceived. I entered my data into four different websites, three revealed girl, one revealed boy. There’s a 50% chance of being right….or wrong!

How Do I Carry? If you’re all in the front and low, a boy; if your high and big, a girl. Hmm… Well, I am carrying in the belly, or so I’d like to think, and it seems to be not too high or too low.  I don’t know about this one!

My Skin:  “A little girl steals your beauty.” I have (what I try to affectionately refer to as ) “baby acne”. Normally I have pretty good skin, but during pregnancy I am getting breakouts, especially on the chin. I chalk it up to hormones, but maybe it’s a girl? On the other hand, dry skin is a predictor that it’s a boy. Dry skin? Check! So boy? Of course it is winter….

Heartrate: 140 bpm or higher, a girl, lower, a boy. Heart rate has consistently been 140 or higher from weeks 13 through present. A girl?

Cravings: Sweet, girl, salty/sour, boy. Well, early on, I went through several jars of Old Milwaukee Dill Pickle Midgets and a few boxes of sour patch kids. That has subsided. I do crave sweet, but that has been a battle all my life (I blame my father) and I don’t need or love chocolate any more than I did prior to pregnancy…..but truly, I NEED chocolate! No strange cravings for me, but Cody has spent the last three weeks craving Prime Rib, is that an indicator?

Morning Sickness: If you’re queasy, its pink, if you sail through, it’s blue. I was luckier than most, only experienced sickness for about 4-5 weeks. But I did experience it, so girl? However my cousin had sickness most of her pregnancy and she just had a boy.

Mood: If you’re moody, it’s a girl, if you’re chill, it’s a boy. I’d like to think I am pretty chill. Period.

Then there is always the mother’s instinct. Some have told me they knew what they were having or could just sense it when they were pregnant. Either I don’t have that sense or it hasn’t developed yet. I have no clue!

I do know that blue or pink, they are loved and wanted and we are excited.

What’s your prediction? 

While the NFC Championship game did not go the way we wanted, this pregnancy is going great!

This past weekend, I turned 35. I treated myself with a day off from work on Friday and asked Cody to do the same so we could spend the day together and attend an ultra sound appointment. 

This was Cody’s first ultra sound. The babe had legs and arms in front of the face, so no clear shot, but more importantly, the good news is that everything looks great. This appointment marked our last “specialist appointment” to monitor my pregnancy. To date, the concerned measurements have remained consistent and everything has gone well. We will continue to be careful, but going forward it’s on my body and God to keep this baby safe and in place for the next 17 (or so) weeks. I have faith that everything will continue to be wonderful. Pregnancy has been such a blessing and even fun. I only experienced “morning sickness” (more like “all day, and even more so in the evening sickness”) for about a month and once it subsided, I was eager for the belly to come in or to feel the movements to have confirmation that I was indeed carrying a life. Well, the belly is definitely coming in now and I feel those movements frequently, both of which, I love.

Following our doctor appointment we stopped in to see my dear friend and photographer, Rachel. (You can check out her work here, and if your in the Madison or Sun Prairie area, she’s your gal: http://www.rachelmanzke.com/) We’ve been capturing weekly belly images, but on days when I am in Madison, I let the professional capture them for me. These on this post mark our 22nd week.

My birthday: Spent the day with my eldest niece. We traveled to LaCrosse, watched a few college wrestling matches to support the University of Dubuque Wrestling team which my brother coaches, enjoyed massages, a quick trip to the food cooperative, late lunch with my brother and back home to spend a quiet evening with my loving husband. Cody wrote me the nicest note as my gift and worked on the living room project that day—a perfect present. 

Two years or so ago I read a quote: “Don’t begrudge getting older, it’s a privilege denied to many.” This resonated with me and rather than cringe at my age–or the gray hairs coming in–I am grateful for the gift of 35 amazing years. And grateful that my husband, younger by four years and 4 months, is a fan of this “ol lady!” :-))

Home update: Cody is making great progress on the new living room. Many of the walls are in place and soon we can start on the flooring and ceiling. I had hoped this would be done for Christmas, but all good things take time, and hopefully we will be close to finished around the New Year. Thereafter, we can start creating the new office space, new spare bedroom, and then of course, the nursery! Just a few shifts and updates this winter and spring for the home!

Yesterday marked 20 weeks, half way through our pregnancy. I had an appointment to check on our babe, and everything looks good, for our little one and for me.

I reminded the ultra sound tech (and anyone who came into the room) that we did not want to know the gender of the baby. She asked me not to hate her if she slipped…WHAT?!  Apparently she had in the past and accidentally told a family who did not wish to know. Fortunately for us, she did not slip yesterday. Our surprise remains just that and our family is enjoying the guessing game.

I am enjoying pregnancy. Such an amazing feeling and gift. Our baby’s movements are reminders throughout the day just how blessed we are to have created this life and for the opportunity to welcome them into this world. 

Photo credit: Rachel Manzke Photography.