Let's Talk About Sex Baby

I've been hinting around for quite some time about publishing a post regarding gender prediction.  It has been awhile in coming as I've been off on vacation and slow to get back into the swing of things upon my return.  But finally, after much hemming and hawing (it's a Southern thing), here it is!  But first your video of the blog!

Had to go old school Salt-N-Pepa for this one!

I have spent a good many days throughout my pregnancy wondering about the sex of my unborn child.  I am pretty much 100% positive that every mother-to-be goes through the exact same thing.  Eventually, of course, gender is finally determined via ultrasound (or sometimes genetic testing), but this is usually around the 18 to 20 week mark.  In other words, you have plenty of time to drive yourself mad with trying to predict the sex by way of old wives tales, Chinese gender calendars, internet quizzes, and at-home chemistry tests!  Yes, there are oh so many different ways to ponder the gender genetics of your little bundle.  And yes, I went through most of them and the results are about to be revealed (along with the results of my ultrasound)! So sit back, relax, and get ready for some free entertainment!

I should preface the following little tidbits of information with that while absolutely none of these methods are scientific nor foolproof, they are amusing and fun to play around with.  What else do you have to do while waiting around for the most ultimately exciting ultrasound in the entire world?

1) The Chinese Gender Predictor 

There is an age-old legend that a ancient Chinese chart, one which predicts a baby's gender based on the mother's Chinese lunar age at conception and the Chinese lunar month in which she conceived,.was found in a royal tomb some 700 years ago.  Now that chart is all over the net for anyone to amuse themselves with.  I am one of those people and here are the results of all that gibberish.

Step one was to enter in my date of birth so my Chinese lunar age could be determined.  Just an FYI, the Chinese begin counting your age the day you are conceived.  So basically you are already 9 months old when born.
Step two was to enter the date of conception.  This step was quite easy for me since I knew exactly when that happened thanks to the wonderful world of IUI.

Drum role please...

Step three was the easy part, getting the results.

Am I really having a boy?  Keep reading to find out!

Chines chart method = BOY

2) Ring around the belly time!

This method of sex determination is one of the simplest and oldest out there.  All you have to do is dangle your wedding ring if you've got one (whatever!) on a string above your pregnant stomach.  Of course, with the modern times of single parenting, a wedding ring is no longer required.  You can use a threaded needle, another ring, a pendulum, or other such object that is able to be looped by thread (or stand of hair in some discussed methodologies).  Some say you can also hold the ring or other object above the wrist, but I think that just sounds odd, so I went with the old-fashioned belly dangle.

Once you have the ring or other object dangling (I just love that word!), then you slowly wait for it to move.  If it starts swinging back and forth, then you are supposed to have a boy.  If it swings in a circular motion, that indicates you are toting around a precious little girl.

As for me, I used my college graduation ring at one time and a pendulum from my mom's altar (my mom is Wiccan) another time.  Both times the ring swung back and forth.

My class ring dangled by a strand of hair!

Ring method = BOY

3) The Baking Soda Test

Now this test is one that I had not heard of until last weekend.  For this test you simply place 1TBS o f baking soda into a cup.  Then you pee in another cup.  You then add the pee to the baking soda.  If the mixtures fizzes you're having a boy.  If it just sits there and does nothing you're having a girl.

Yep, that's my fizzy pee!

So I know that's kind of a gross pic, but it's kind of a gross test!  Anyway, the results were all fizzy for me meaning I'm predicted to have a boy.

Baking soda & pee test = BOY

4) The Comet Test

This uber scientific and slightly toxic test requires yet another sample of, you guessed it, pee!  For this method you basically follow the same guidelines as above except this time you use Comet cleanser (the blue-green kind) instead of baking soda.  Now there is another similar test out there using either Drano crystals or Ajax, but those items were not amongst my cleaning supplies and the Comet was readily available.  Upon mixing the pee and Comet (be careful to do this in a well ventilated area and try not to breathe any of the fumes), if the pee stays the color of the Comet (sort of light green) you are having a girl.  If it turns a tropical blue color, then expect a boy.

I'll refrain from another pee pic here!

My results? The uber lovely scented mixture of Comet and urine remained the lightish green color of the Comet.

Comet test = GIRL

5) Random Simple Questions

A. Did you have morning sickness?  Not even a hucklebuck!  Supposedly girls cause morning sickness and boys don't.  No morning sickness = BOY

I say have a big cup of better you than me!

B.  Are you carrying high or low?  I think low right now.  Supposedly boys sit low and girls are on the up     and up.  Sitting low = BOY

C. Is your skin clearer or more broken out right now?  Definitely more broken out!  I feel like I'm back in junior high.  Supposedly girls steal your beauty while boys make you even more beautiful.  (I even had a spell  of extremely dry hair, ugh!)  Beauty succubus = GIRL

I sometimes feel like the Death Star is on my face!

D. Are you carrying all in the front or have you expanded all around?  I hate to admit it but at first I was expanding all around due to the water weight gain brought on by the pre-pregnancy fertility meds.  I've pretty much started losing that and am now carrying in the front.  Now my hips have kept on a bit more weight than normal but not enough to tell I'm preggers from behind...well not until I walk cause my brother says I'm already waddling!  Supposedly if you're carrying a girl you'll become a wide load.  With a boy it's all in the front.  Didn't move into a double wide = BOY

Thank goodness I don't have to fool with beeping when I back up!

E.  Is the baby's heart beat above or below 140?  My little one's has been around 155 the whole time.  Supposedly a heart rate below 140 is a boy and above 140 is a girl.  Be still my beating heart = GIRL

Oh, SNAP!

F.  Craving sweets or salty/sour goodies?  The first trimester I was all about the sugar.  Now I'm more in between (in other words all food is great!).  Supposedly all that is sweet means you're toting a sweet little princess.  All salty and sour means a rambunctious little prince is on the way.  More on the sweet side = GIRL

Candy is good in the mouth! (play the video!)

  
G.  If you pick a key up off the ground do you grab the round or the straight part?  Technically I have't had this one puuled on me, but I usually always pick up by the round part.  Supposedly if you grab for the round end you're having a boy.  Grab for the straight and you're having a girl.  Key to my heart (just a guess) = BOY

H.  Which of your boobs is bigger?  I'm going with the right one on this.  Supposedly left boob expansion means a girl and right means a boy.  Right Boobiliciousness = BOY

I.  Is your pee bright or light yellow?  Yes, another pee test!  Mine is definitely lighter in hue.  Supposedly bright is for boys and light is for girls.  Pee break = GIRL

J.  Are you're nipples dark or light?  Definitely not dark.  Supposedly if they turn dark you're having a son.  If they remain light you are having a daghter.  Tune in Tokyo = GIRL

K.  Do you have more hair on your legs now?  Nope, thank goodness!!!  Supposedly if you turn into Chewbacca then expect a boy.  If you remain not so werewolfy, then it's a girl!  Not hairy like Wookie = GIRL

Wookies need love too!

 L.  Has your face swollen up?  Nope, but my ankles sure have!  Supposedly a girl will make your head big and round and a boy will let it remain somewhat normal.  No Moon Pie head = BOY

I rock at homemade picture art!

M.  Are you getting clumsier?  Another thank goodness no answer for me!  Supposedly if you start tripping over your own shadow you are destined to birth a boy.  If you remain steady expect a girl.  Maintaining composure rather than going head over heels = GIRL

Just kidding!

    
So now that we've covered a ton of tests and questions, let's add up the results and see where my odds lie.

BOY = 9                                  GIRL = 8

Well there you go!  As per the remarkably scientific methods of the old wives tale universe I should be having a boy, just barely.  If you've been keeping up with the blog or my Facebook page then you know I've been predicting I'm carrying a boy all along.  I've always thought I'd have boys and I have just always known baby boys were in my future.  Well, I went this past Wednesday on Nov. 7th for my 17 week follow-up ultrasound with the high-risk doctor.  By the way, my tests came back so perfect that I went from a 1 in 81 chance of having a Down Syndrome baby to a 1 in 10,000 chance!  The doc was uber pleased at how spectacular my little one is at this point (yeah, I'm a proud mama!).  But I'll save all that for another entry,  cause right now I know you are dying to know what he said about the baby's sex....aren't you?

I took my mom and dad to the appointment with me.  My mom has been to every one, but this was my dads first experience.  He had never seen an in-utero ultrasound before.  Don't forget, when my parents were pushing out pups there was no such thing.  My dad was ecstatic and amazed by the technology and the results.  When he found out the baby's gender he teared up...as did we all.  It was the most wonderfully, exciting, spectacular moment of my life.  And here are the results!!!!

IT'S A GIRL!

Are you having trouble distinguishing what you're looking at?  I read somewhere on the net that with a girl on an ultrasound you look for the "hamburger."  Now you see it?  Yep, that's the girly goods!  My little princess tried her best to hide those goods during the entire ultrasound.  The doc had to jab her with the ultrasound wand quite a bit to get her to open her legs.  She finally did and she better never open them again until she's at least 30!

All in all, the ultrasound results for sex were quite a surprise to say the least.  I honestly have to admit, even though I was excited when I thought I was having a boy, I am over the moon about having a little girl.  Being a single mom I'm sure a little girl will be easier.  Besides that, I was once a professional ballet dancer and I would love for her to enjoy dancing as much as I did.  I will of course put her in ballet lessons, but if she absolutely hates it then I definitely won't push her.  But oh how I hope she adores the music, the movement, the lights, the costumes...everything my world revolved around until my early 20s.  And if she does I hope she is talented and doesn't have two left feet, although I'd let her dance even if she did, hahahaha!

SQUEE!!!

What a remarkable thing, knowing now the gender of my child.  It somehow makes everything even that much better.  Now I get to call her by her name Piper Amelia, start planning the nursery, start shopping for tutus, and I just love how people's faces light up when I tell them I'm having a girl.  People seem to have a stronger reaction to me carrying a girl over a boy...aren't we just the luckiest sex!

I'll wrap things up this time around with a few pics from the ultrasound.  I know they are not the greatest pics in the world, but I have no scanner and had to take pics of them with my phone.  Some are better than others but all I think are breathtaking in their own right.  I think little Piper is just beautiful as can be already, even if she still looks a little alien!

Full body view

Sweetest face ever!

Another face shot

Waving hello!

Girly goods!

Crossed hands

Face closer up

Little tootsie!

I hope you all have enjoyed this little foray into gender prediction.  I hope you enjoyed even more my new baby pics!  Isn't she a doll?  I can't wait to meet her in person!

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You Are My Sunshine

After my niece Larkin was born, I used to help babysit her while her parents were at work.  My favorite song to sing her was "You Are My Sunshine."  I imagine it will be the song I most often sing to my little bundle.  With that said, it seemed appropriate to set my 9 week photo shoot (thanks mom!) to that special tune...and it fits with my continuing need to drop a music video into the beginning of every entry.

So, I have a lot to catch everyone up on.  Since the last post about the baby daddy, I have had two ultrasounds and my first prenatal visit.  I know, I know!  I should have posted sooner, but honestly I just got a bit lazy...well, I actually was spending all my free time reading instead of writing.  It's really hard to put down a good Stephen King book, you know?

I'll start by going back in time to Thursday, August 30th.  This is the day I had my 8 week ultrasound.  And what a delight that was.  My little bean had turned into what finally looked like a little human!  Amazing how much the little one changed in just two weeks.

Isn't he/she the cutest thing ever?!?!

As you can see, the ultrasound pic turned out fantastic!  The nurse was very pleasantly surprised that the wee-one decided to put on such a good show.  All of my immediate family members are hams and love the camera.  The baby's daddy is working on his acting career.  Those two things combined...well let's just say I think this one has a personality on him, too.

On a side note, you may notice me calling the little one he a bit.  While it is still too early to know the sex of the baby, I have this feeling that the little one is a boy.  I've always wanted a little boy, but would be absolutely delighted with either sex, but I really do think I'm carrying in my womb what will hopefully one day be an upstanding young gentleman.  Six more weeks and I should know for sure.

So back to the 8-week ultrasound.  It went great.  The little one was measuring at 1.7 cm and had a heart rate of 167bpm.  Doc said he looked terrific and was growing at the expected rate.  Needless to say, I was all smiles and so was my mom.  And the pic we got (seen above) couldn't have been better.

That visit was my official last visit to Arkansas Fertility & Gynecology Associates.  That is until I decide to have another kid...which I'm considering doing before I turn 40.  The next part of my journey was officially here, time for my first prenatal visit.  After much deliberation, I decided to go with Ashley Deed as my OBGYN.  She delivered my niece Haven, and I had talked to several women who absolutely adored her.  I'm very glad I went with her because she totally rocks!

My frst prenatal appointment was Monday, September 10th.  I was anxious and excited as I really didn't know what to expect...I've never been pregnant before so who could blame me?  Anyway, my mom was supposed to join me that morning as usual but she had an early morning dizzy spell and missed her ride (me) cause I could not run late for my first appointment...impressions and all.  However, Dr. Deed was so wonderfully nice that she waited to do my first abdominal ultrasound until my mom could get there.  This was totally unexpected.  I simply stated on the way to the ultrasound room that my mom was going to be so disappointed that she was missing it.  Well that was all it took.  Dr. Deed said she didn't mind waiting at all.  She just took me back to my exam room and let me browse magazines until mom got there.  What doctor does that?  Not one I have ever met.

She really deserves one of these!

I'm getting ahead of myself again, so I'll back up a but.  When I first got called back for my appointment I went through the usual rigmarole.  I was weighed (we won't even go there on the weight I have already gained due to the progesterone and now baby weight and boob increase), had my blood pressure checked, and we went briefly over my due date to make sure we were all on the same page.  After that, I was taken to my exam room...this is where I met Dr. Deed for the first time and admittedly knew nothing of what was to come.  I had no idea that I would be getting another ultrasound that day...and my first abdominal one to boot.  That is why I was so grateful that Dr. Deed was willing to wait until my mom arrived.  She was already on her way cause she wanted to be there for as much of the appointment as possible, so the wait wasn't terribly long.  Regardless, I was over joyed and thankful.

As I waited for mom, Dr. Deed and I discussed some basics.  First off she asked if I was having any problems, which of course I haven't had any of those.  Next we discussed sending me in for specialized blood work and another ultrasound, since I'm over 35, to check for Down Syndrome and other such genetic/chromosomal disorders....the stuff they typically test for with an amniocentesis.  Luckily amniocentesis is no longer the first step in testing for these disorders.  As the process is so invasive and carries a risk of miscarrying the fetus, I would not have opted for such a test.

I don't think so!

But blood work and an ultrasound, that I can handle.  If they find anything that raises a red flag in these procedures, then they move on to other methods of testing.  I imagine I'll have no scares here, but I will still probably be anxious until I hear the results.  I'm scheduled to go in for those tests on September 26th, so everyone keep your fingers crossed that it all comes out fine.

During my ultrasound at this appointment they will also be checking my cervix for any unusual scarring that could affect me carrying to term.  They are checking it because I had a LEEP procedure done to remove abnormal cells that were pre-cancerous back in the early 2000s.  This procedure can cause several different types of changes to the cervix, so it is necessary to have an expert examine mine to make sure nothing unusual is going on down there.  Good news is that after my pap-smear that Dr. Deed performed, she stated I had a perfect cervix and she would never have guessed I had had a LEEP performed if I hadn't told her.  But I still need an expert to check just to make sure.

After Dr. Deed's and my discussion, my mom finally arrived and we went back to the ultrasound room.  And once again, it was magical.  Unfortunately for us my little one was not performing as much as the previous ultrasound.

He's getting bigger!

As you can see from the pic, he's not splayed out to the camera giving it his best ham sandwich!  I honestly believe he was sleeping soundly and was all cozied and didn't want to be woken up.  I'm not much of a morning person either, so I really can't blame him.  Dr. Deed kept harassing him to move around, and he did a bit, but for the most part he just chillaxed, which is cool by me.

So how much bigger was he you ask?   Well he/she had grown to 3.2cm and the heart rate was at 160bpm. Dr. Deed said he/she was perfect in all aspects of the word.  Growing like a weed, had all the appropriate limbs, and she expects he/she will be a big, healthy baby when born.  She also said birth-weight usually corresponds to how big you were at birth.  I was 7lbs 6oz, so if she's right that would be a great size.  I am predicting an 8-9lb baby, though.  Besides being just a perfect specimen of a fetus, she also said it was quite unusual to be able to see the umbilical cord so vividly at such an early stage.  As you can see from the pic, the cord is quite noticeable.  She said this means it is a nice strong, thick cord and that is a terrific thing to have.  I hate to brag about it, but it made me feel so damned proud to being doing such a remarkable job creating this little one.  Everything she said was like getting a giant gold star sticker for my hard work!

I so rock at creating life!

After my ultrasound, we headed back to the exam room for the pap-smear.  It was just the typical exam...pressed on my boobs, shoved some fingers up my hoo-hoo and pressed on my goods, took some swab samples to go to the lab...same ole, same ole.  Everything looked just as it should, so nothing really much to talk about there.  Oh, I forgot to mention that I did have to give a urine sample after the ultrasound...I just love peeing in a cup!

Okay, this one I just threw in for my dad!

Following the pap-smear I made my appointment for my special tests on September 26th and then gave a blood sample.  It was a terribly long wait for the blood-letting, but it was smooth and painless which is always a plus.  Upon leaving I was given a packet of goodies all wrapped together with a camo ribbon...I took this as a sign, of course, that I am indeed carrying a boy.  I'm sure it was random, but I am a believer of signs and so I'll just leave it at that.  The bundle of goodies included a very informative book about pregnancy and infancy, a guide to breastfeeding, information on mommy courses offered including water aerobics and infant CPR, two magazines (one called Loving Your Grandbaby and the other As Your Baby Grows), a tote bag, and my preadmission form to fill out so I can go ahead and get myself registered at the hospital and prepared for the big day.

As you can see, a lot has happened over the past several weeks.  And a lot is on the schedule for the weeks to come.  To refresh on upcoming events...I have my specialized blood work and ultrasound scheduled for September 26th and my next prenatal visit on the books for October 8th.  After that I'm off on vacation at the beach for a couple of weeks.  Upon my return it should be time to finally prove my intuition is correct and  find out the sex of this little bundle.

It seems just yesterday I was peeing on an HPT and wow, now I'm on my 10th week.  It all moves so fast!  I am glad to finally be moving into the growing and showing phase.  My bump, as you can tell from the photo shoot video, is definitely not hiding.  Every day it seems to be growing just a little bit more.  Maybe so slight no one else notices, but it is easy for me to spot.  This is when all the fun really begins!  I even got to park in one of those special spots at the grocery store for new and/or expecting mothers and that was way cool!

AWESOME!

Well that about covers everything for now.  If you would do me a few favors if you get the notion, i would be much obliged.

First, I am entered into the Baby Gaga 9 week pregnancy calendar girl competition.  So if you don't mind, please vote for me by clicking this link Is Ashley Calendar Girl Material? (yes my real name is Ashley). I am currently in the #2 spot, so any help to break into #1 would be much appreciated!

Second, please vote for my blog at Top Baby Blogs.  Thanks to my readers I have moved from in the 500s to #168.  You can get there by clicking here.



Finally, if you would please follow my page on Facebook that would also rock!  Just simply click here Single Modern Mom on Facebook.

I haven't mentioned this in awhile, but if there are any questions or topics any of you would like answered/covered, I would be more than happy to address these.  Either email me at ashley@singlemodernmom.com or you can always message me on Facebook or comment below.

Until next time, everyone take care and make sure to smile at a random stranger.  Smiles are contagious and I think there needs to be more of them in the world!

See, you smiled didn't you?