Girl or Boy?!

Since we will be finding out the baby's gender any day now I decided I better get to writing this Gender Guessing post ASAP!  Below are gender wives' tales and my answers for each!

Baby Rawlings: Boy or Girl?

1. Chinese Gender Chart - BOTH!  For this one, I'm a little confused because some sites say you have to convert your age and conception month to the Chinese lunar calendar or they will do it for you with their calculator.  Other sites (some of my favorites like The Bump) don't mention this at all and just use your real age and conception month.  So, with the Chinese conversions I'm having a BOY and with ones that don't convert I'm having a GIRL.
2. If baby's heart rate is > 140 it's a girl, <140 it's a boy.  Our baby's heart rate was 166 at our last appt. so one for GIRL.
3. Mix first morning urine with baking soda.  If it fizzes, it's a boy.  If nothing happens, it's a girl.  I haven't actually done this and not sure I want to so again, I'm clueless.
4. If you're craving sweets, it's a girl.  If you're craving salty / spicy foods, it's a boy.  For this one it's a BOY.
5. If you're carrying high, it's a girl.  Carrying low, it's a boy.  I'm only 11 weeks so I'm not really "carrying at all" but my itty bitty bump is more low, like my uterus area, than high so I'll say BOY.
6. If you're carrying in front, it's a girl.  All around your middle, it's a boy.  Hmm...again not carrying much of anything but what I do have is in front.  GIRL.
7. If you're moody it's a girl, if not it's a boy.  Mark thinks GIRL, ha!
8. Morning sickness it's a girl, if not it's a boy.  Oh man, I'm all GIRL.
9. If your skin looks beautiful and glowing, it's a boy.  If you get acne, it's a girl.  GIRL again.
10. If you sleep on the left, it's a boy.  On the right, it's a girl.  I switch all night long!  But I start on the left so I'll say BOY.
11. If the hair on your legs grows faster, it's a boy.  If it stays the same, it's a girl.  I haven't noticed it growing any faster so I'll say GIRL.
12. If your hair becomes thin or dull, it's a girl.  Gorgeous and glossy, it's a boy.  Hmm...well it hasn't become thin but it's always full of static lately and just never seems too look good so I'll say GIRL.
13. If your left breast is bigger, it's a girl.  If your right breast is, it's a boy.  Okay Mark just measured them like three times and they're exactly the same!  So don't know with that one.
14. If your nipples are dark it's a boy.  Nope, GIRL.
15. If you've been having headaches it's a boy.  Nope, never got headaches before I was pregnant either!  I guess I'm lucky.  GIRL.
16. If you eat garlic and smell really bad, it's a boy.  Haha!  Well I can't remember the last time I ate garlic so I'm going to pass on that one.
17. If your urine is bright yellow, it's a boy.  If it's dull, it's a girl.  I think it's been bright a couple times so I'll say BOY.
18. If you eat the ends of bread, it's a boy.  If you eat the middle of the loaf, it's a girl.  Hahaha, what the heck?  I eat the whole thing!  (Hungry mama over here!)  But I start with the middle and don't always finish the end so I'll say GIRL. (Oh I thought it was talking about like a roll or baguette or something but Mark says it's talking about a loaf of sliced bread!  HAHA, I do not eat the whole thing and who the heck eats the ends??)
19. If dad gains weight, it's a girl.  If his weight stays the same, it's a boy.  Mark has stayed the same so far but again, I'm not very far along so I don't know how accurate these are going to be (if they are even accurate to begin with ha!)  BOY.
20. If the linea nigra stops at the belly button, it's a girl.  If it goes all the way to the bottom of the rib cage, it's a boy.  Mine stops at the belly button so GIRL.
21. If you've got dry hands, it's a boy.  I do, so weird never have before in my life!  BOY.
22. If your nose gets bigger and wider, it's a boy.  Mine has not so GIRL.
23. If your nose swells, it's a girl.  Same pre-pregnancy nose, it's a boy.  What the...I thought if it got bigger and wider it's a boy?  Um, mine has stayed the same so BOY?
24. If your face swells and gets rounder, it's a girl.  Long and narrow face, it's a boy.  Mine hasn't changed so I'm going to skip this one.
25. If your legs get really big, it's a boy.  If they stay in shape and lean, it's a girl.  My body hasn't changed except for my itty bitty bump (and bigger boobs!) so I'll say GIRL.
26. If you find yourself clumsier with pregnancy, it's a boy.  If you remain grounded and still in control of your body, it's a girl.  I would say GIRL.
27. If your wedding ring swings in a back and forth motion over your belly, it's a boy.  In a circular motion, it's a girl.  Just did this, it's a GIRL.
28. If a toddler shows interest in you, you are having the opposite sex of the toddler.  Hmm...well the girls in nursery love me so BOY.
29. You dream the opposite of what you're having.  I've only dreamed about the baby before becoming pregnant and I dreamed a boy once and a girl another time so no go there.
30. When you can only think of specific gender names, you will have the baby of that sex.  We have names for both but more girl names.  I'll leave this one out though.

SO the grand total is...

BOY - 9

GIRL - 16

A baby girl it is!  I'll take her! :)

Family Disney Day!

I am so behind on blogging just from the events of the past week!  We have had a crazy, busy, super fun week and the fun is just getting started!  Thanksgiving is two days away and then my birthday and then CHRISTMAS!!!  Just so much excitement in the air :)

Last week my Aunt Michelle and cousin Jenna came to stay with us so Jenna could attend some conferences to meet people in the animation world!  It's funny, we are both trying to get into the same industry but in different ways.  Some day she will be the lead storyboard artist on a show that I voice a character for, just wait :)

It's always a good time when they come... we always talk and reminisce for hours.  I wish they lived closer!!  I love being close to Mark's family but I do miss mine.  On Thursday we went to Disney all day!  We got so much in...Indiana Jones, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Winnie the Pooh, Small World, Space, Big Thunder, Mr. Toad, Snow White, and we saw the Paint the Night parade which they had never seen.  It's soooo good!!

Then we grabbed dinner at the Jolly Holiday cafe.  Aunt Michelle got the turkey sandwich, Jenna got a caprese tomato sandwich and I got a grilled cheese with tomato bisque soup.  Except the tomato soup tasted like chicken cheese chili (their other option).  I ate half of it before commenting on it and then asked Mark to take it back for me, HA!  He did and brought back another bowl of the exact same thing!  Turns out it was their tomato soup but they must have mixed the ladles or something because it did NOT taste like tomato bisque soup!  Oh well, I endured.  Oh and Mark got clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl (his favorite).

We were ready to go back for more rides when we realized the park was closed!  Mark and I never go during the middle of the week so we weren't used to it closing this early!  It was only 8:00!  We made our way towards the exit and right before we got to the trams we ran into a major traffic jam!  There were so many people just stopped and we're all so short we couldn't see what was going on.  There were tons of people coming into the park as tons of us were leaving and so no one was going anywhere.  We realized there was a special event and so the park had closed early.  Mark and I were actually invited for being annual passholders!  I don't think it would have been very fun though judging that by crowd.  We finally squeeezed our way out of there and walked to the parking structure.  Every time we passed people making their way towards the park I thought, "Turn back while you still can!"  Haha, I joked to Mark that hopefully none of them were infected. (Walking Dead reference).  Anyway, we were all beat by the time we got back.

The next day Aunt Michelle and I laid low and watched a Hallmark Christmas movie while Jenna went to her conferences.  I spent the day getting my car washed, packing and painting my nails to get ready for our anniversary trip!  We had such a great time!  More to come!

11 Week Bumpdate

WEEK 11

Baby is the size of a lime!

Look at that bump!

*Note: I realized that I have been answering each week's questions on the first day of that week so the answers have been about the previous week!  So for this one (and because of the holidays and us being out of town twice) I actually took these pictures on the last day of week 11, so this bump is two weeks bigger than Week 10!  From now on I will be writing the posts at the end of the week so they are about the right week.

How far along?  11 weeks, holy crap!!!

Total weight gain/loss?  I have finally stopped gaining weight!  I've actually lost weight!  I'm back down to 118.  Hopefully I'll stay here until I'm actually supposed to weigh that much, which is not until Week 17 if I gained 4 pounds the first trimester and a pound a week after that.  We'll see if that happens!

Maternity clothes?  Yes!  I ordered my first pair of Preggo leggings!  They have such a huge waist that I currently just fold down until I actually have a big belly to support.  I'm wondering if clothes will stop feeling tight at some point once my belly is big.  That sounds weird to say but everything feels tight on me even if it's spandex or something that has room to grow!  Everything feels like it's cutting off my circulation and adds to my nausea.  The whole way back from Vegas I had my Preggo leggings (the kind that are made for pregnancy with that huge waist) pulled all the way down off my waist as I tried to sleep.  Maybe folding them down right now makes them tighter or something and once I can wear them over my belly, with the elastic part around my ribs instead of on my stomach, they won't feel as tight?

Stretch marks?  Nope!

Best moment this week?  There were so many good ones!  Maybe when we saw the baby bounce for the first time or taking the first bite of my crepe in Paris or at the start of the Beatles' Love show or when our food arrived at the Blue Bayou restaurant for our anniversary!  I'll use that one since that actually happened this week (the rest were technically in Week 10 but I never actually wrote about Week 10 since I did that entry on the first day of the week.)

Miss anything?   Again, being able to go all day without snacking and feeling nauseous.  It really does make doing anything extremely hard!  I went to Disneyland with a friend and her daughter on Monday and I had to pack so many snacks and make sure I was constantly snacking and it's so exhausting!

Movement?  YES but nothing I can feel :)

Food cravings?  Bread and comfort foods as usual

Anything making you queasy or sick?   Yes, my cold!  I must have gotten sick in Vegas or from Disneyland last week.  The symptoms started Saturday night when I had to keep swallowing all night, usually the sign of a sore throat coming on.  Sunday I felt pretty exhausted and had to blow my nose a lot and then Sunday night I really felt awful.  Monday morning I woke up with a full-on cold, felt so feverish and dizzy and more nauseous than usual!  I think it had something to do with my ears popping a lot and not being able to breathe out of my nose.  Also, the dizziness and feverish feeling didn't help.  I took my prenatal pill per usual and promptly threw it up!  A first!  It just came straight back out with my orange juice.  No fun :(

Have you started to show yet?  If you believe it, my stomach is looking less pregnant these days!  Maybe it's because I've been sick and not eating as much (I've also lost 3 pounds) or maybe the bloating and constipation are finally on their way out...hopefully the nausea will follow suit.

Gender?  I have a feeling it's a girl...

Labor signs?  Nada

Belly Button in or out?  In...I have a very faint linea nigra from my belly button down!  It's so weird that I have it already but my pregnancy apps actually listed that as a common Week 11 symptom!

Wedding rings on or off?  On...never take them off though.

Happy or Moody most of the time?  Definitely happy this week!  Except for the being sick part.

Looking forward to?  Thanksgiving with the family!!!

My First Prenatal Appt!

The BIG DAY, the day I'd been waiting for since I got my first positive pregnancy test, came and went in a blur.  I have to admit I left feeling a little disappointed, as the appointment didn't quite live up to my expectations.  I don't know what I thought would happen...maybe that the baby would decide to come early right then and there?!  Haha!  No, that would not have been good.  Maybe it's because I thought it would be twins?  (Nope!  Just one babe in there!)  I think the biggest reason may have been the doctor and his complete lack of enthusiasm or any emotion really.  I did so much research to find the best obstetrician (my first ob-gyn!) and he had so many positive reviews and is highly experienced.  He's even the medical director at Providence St. Joseph where I'm going to have my baby and came highly recommended by the nurses there.  Now, he's probably a great doctor and extremely qualified and all that but he just wasn't that friendly!  I felt embarrassed to be excited at all and was too nervous to even ask him all my questions!  I felt like I was bothering him and he wanted to get in and out as fast as possible.  I guess that's a doctor for ya!

But the appointment actually went really great!  First, I went into his office with a nurse and she asked me some questions and explained all the different types of testing they recommend.  The first test they do is the Noninvasive Prenatal DNA test where they collect my blood and have it tested to find out lots of information about the baby (including the gender!) and whether or not other tests are going to be necessary.  I also have to give another blood sample for a mandatory state test to see if there are any signs of a problem.  Finally, I'm doing a Nuchal Translucency Ultrasound next week to check the length of baby's neck to see the risk for certain abnormalities, such as Trisomy 18 and Down Syndrome.  And then I have my next prenatal appt. on Dec. 15th, 3 days before we head down to PV for all the Christmas festivities with the Rawlings!  It's going to be an exciting couple of weeks!

So after I answered her questions, I went back to the waiting room with Mark and we waited for the doctor to see us.  I told him what I remembered about the testing but honestly all I could think about was whether baby would be a girl or boy!  I remembered reading that my doctor did the early DNA test which reveals the gender at 10 weeks but I wasn't sure if it would really happen!  I wasn't sure how soon I would know but I got so nervous!

Then the nurse called us in and weighed me.  121 pounds...still steadily gaining a pound a week over here!  The doctor came in almost right after and asked me a few questions very quickly.  The whole thing felt so quick!  He wanted to know if I had any questions and I felt so flustered.  I asked Mark for my notebook with questions but I only asked a few so as not to annoy him.  I asked him about my weight gain and he said it's normal to gain a pound a week after the first trimester but in the first trimester you usually only gain about 4 pounds.  He asked if I was sure about my starting weight and I felt under pressure so I said, "I may have been 112...I'm not sure the last time I weighed myself".  I actually did weigh 112 when I got my positive test but I was already 3 weeks by that point so I considered that pregnancy weight gain.  Anyway, he told me to cut out carbs.  Babies don't need carbs.  Just to eat protein, fruits (not the ones high in carbs though but he didn't tell me which ones) and veggies.  Great news for me, considering the only things that I can stomach these days are bread, rice and cereal!  Ha!  Don't even say the word salad to me or I'll gag.

After we sped through some of my questions, he got right down to business for my first ultrasound!  I laid down and he put the goop on my belly (I don't even remember him doing that or feeling it because I was so excited) and then said, "There's your baby" but I didn't see anything!  I think I said, "Where?" and he said, "It's really small right now," and zoomed in a couple times.  I still didn't see anything because I had never had an ultrasound in my life so I had nothing to compare it to!  What was the baby and what was just my uterus and blood or organs or whatever?  Ha!  Mark pointed it out  and the doctor said, "There's the little heart beating fast."  Again, where??  Mark pointed to the heart but all I could see was a little flickering dot.  Then the whole thing (the baby?) bounced up and he said, "See, it's already bouncing around in there."  I said, "It's so weird I can't feel it," even though I knew I wouldn't be able to feel it yet.  I don't know why I like to act dumb in the presence of authority?  He told me, "Oh no, you won't be able to feel it yet.  It's too small."  Then he took a picture for us and that was it!

Our first picture of our baby!  You can hardly even tell it's a baby!

He asked if I had any more questions and I bravely asked about exercising and sleeping on my back.  He said I shouldn't be jumping around too much and no sit-ups and I can sleep however I'm comfortable.  It's not until Week 30 you shouldn't sleep on your back...that's not what I read though so I probably will not be sleeping on my back once I hit the second trimester.

Then the nurse took my blood and told me she would call me with the results in 7-10 business days.  Because of the holiday this week, 10 business days will be December 4th!  We will know if baby is  a boy or girl before I'm 13 weeks!  So crazy!!!  We can have two surprises for everyone for Christmas!  I think we're going to make cupcakes with pink or blue frosting inside for my family.  That will be so exciting!!  Okay, next I'll be posting a Girl or Boy? guessing game post with gender wives' tales since we will know so soon!  I have to get that post done before I know the answer!

10 Week Bumpdate

WEEK 10

Baby is the size of a kumquat!

How far along?  10 WEEKS!!!!!  I made it to appointment week!!!

Total weight gain/loss?  10 POUNDS!!!  Well folks, it's a fact.  I gain a pound a week!!  I've just come to accept it and I'll find out on Wednesday if it's twins!  My boss told me she gained a pound a week for all her pregnancies, totaling 40 pounds at the end and always lost it all.  I've been researching and learning lots of women have gained this much weight by now and it's not so weird to gain this quickly.  Oh and if you are smaller, you usually gain more weight at the beginning too!  So hoping I don't blow up like a balloon!  I also think half the weight gain is in my boobs!  These things are getting huge!!!

Maternity clothes?  Nope...waiting on Al to give me hers before I see what I need to buy.  Hopefully she will have me covered!

Stretch marks?  It may be my imagination but I think I saw a silvery sheen of a mark going downwards on my left breast!  I asked Mark if he could see it and he said yes but it may have been there before?  It's not that noticeable anyway and no one will be seeing my boobs but Mark and baby...and I don't think either of them will mind :)

Best moment this week?  We went on our first double date with Adam and Chelsea and it was so much fun!  I even told her I'm pregnant...it just came up!  It was so fun to tell someone...who knows, we may even be pregnant together at some point!?  That would be so fun to have a pregnant buddy!!

Miss anything?   Not constantly needing to stuff my face to stop feeling queasy.  And sleeping through the night without peeing!  Haha, or I should say getting up to pee...I do not pee in my sleep.

Movement?  Not yet!

Food cravings?  Mostly comfort foods...we went out for Chinese on Friday night and I ate SO much it was ridiculous!  Like by the end of the night I was just eating straight out of the platter dishes, haha!  It was soooo delicious!!!

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Nothing in particular, I just always am if I haven't eaten in a few hours.

Have you started to show yet?  YES!  Especially after eating I totally have a little bump!  Don't tell me you don't see it in the pictures!

Gender?  Maybe a boy?

Labor signs?  No way

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or Moody most of the time?  Happy (but stressed) this week!

Looking forward to?  My first appointment on Wednesday!!!  It will mark the start of really feeling pregnant I think!  Mark is coming with me and then Jenna and Aunt Michelle get in later that afternoon and it's all going to be soooo exciting!!!  I don't know how I'll keep it from them, especially if we are having TWINS!!!  And then we leave for VEGAS on Friday after Mark gets home from work for our anniversary trip!  So much excitement in one week!!!

9 Week Bumpdate

WEEK 9

Baby is the size of a grape!

How far along?  9 WEEKS!!!

Total weight gain/loss?  Still about 7-8 pounds depending, thank GOODNESS!!!  I mean, I guess if I continued to gain a pound a week for my entire pregnancy that would probably be the best way to do it because the weight gain would be slow and gradual and I'd gain about 40 pounds total, only 5 pounds over the recommended 25-35 pounds.  Except I highly doubt I would only be gaining a pound a week by the time my belly really got growing so it would be a pound a week for now and then who knows how much!  So I'm glad it's hit a lull :)

Maternity clothes?  No BUT I did buy a bella band!  It came so quickly, like 2 days,  just in time for us to go to Disneyland!  I hadn't really tried wearing jeans or any of my form fitting button-up pants for a couple weeks but I was pretty sure they would not be able to button.  And since I didn't want to live in workout leggings for the rest of my pregnancy I decided to get a bella band.  So my pants DID button but after eating were incredibly uncomfortable.  The bella band is perfect because I still would love to wear my jeans for a bit longer (who knows, maybe the whole pregnancy?) and since they fit everywhere except the waist, the bella band lets you leave them unzipped and they fit great!  I have a feeling I will continue to wear this post pregnancy before eating big meals, hahaha.

Stretch marks?  Nope

Best moment this week?  We started filming our pregnancy reveal video (can't remember if I talked about it or not?)  It's going to be awesome!!!  We are having so much fun making it!

Miss anything?   Energy!  I am always tired and lazy, I hate it.

Movement?  Nope

Food cravings?  Not really cravings but I know what I can eat and what I can't for any given meal.

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Vegetables and salads unfortunately.

Have you started to show yet?  Not really, hopefully I will not start to show until Week 16 because we aren't telling anyone until Week 15!

Gender?  I'm thinking girl this week :)

Labor signs?  Haha

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  Still on...not sure if they can come off anymore!  HA!

Happy or Moody most of the time?  Happy!

Looking forward to?  Ahhhh I am looking forward to so much but at the same time I just want to freeze everything and revel in all the excitement this month!  Our first appointment, our anniversary trip, the end of morning sickness (hopefully!) and of course CHRISTMAS and announcing our pregnancy!!!  But once all that is over all there will be left to do is WAIT for 6 months for baby to get here...and of course get everything ready so hopefully that will keep us busy!  It just still seems a little unreal right now that are lives are in for a complete change!

8 Week Bumpdate

WEEK 8

Baby is the size of a raspberry!

How far along?  8 weeks!!!

Total weight gain/loss?  8 POUNDS!!! A pound a week?!  I'm pretty sure this is not normal!  I really don't feel like I've been eating any differently but maybe I've been exercising less when I should be exercising more!  I just never feel like it.  But I have lots of goals for this new month so we'll see if I can stick to them.  A 60 minute walk EVERY SINGLE DAY for the rest of my pregnancy!  Plus I'm going to check out prenatal workout DVD's from the library and do them 3 times a week and Yoga or Pilates the other 3 days.  Hopefully this will help me keep my weight down.

Maternity clothes?  I haven't bought any yet but I probably should soon.  Everything is tight and uncomfortable.  I live in workout capri's and even those feel so tight!

Stretch marks?  Nope but I've already been getting lazy about putting on cocoa butter every night.  This month's goals!

Best moment this week?  Trick or treating with my sweet nephews and hanging out at Birk and Al's and chatting (hypothetically) about the baby!  HA!  They are giving us SO much stuff, we won't have to buy much at all!  Blessings.

May the force be with you

Miss anything?  My flat tummy :(

Movement?  Haha no but I find myself putting my hand on my belly all the time!

Food cravings?  I had a craving for Panda Express this week but since Chinese is my favorite food I'm not sure you could call that a real craving.  I'm calling it one since my appetite has been so off and all my favorite foods sound awful to me lately!  Also, I am obsessed with grapes!  They are just so cold and delicious and juicy!  Basically fruit in general is delicious and also smoothies!  They are my go to in the morning when I'm so queasy but have no appetite for real food.

Anything making you queasy or sick?  Things that I've eaten most recently...this week it's instant mac and cheese, some granola bars and plain goldfish.  I forced Mark to take the goldfish bag to work because every time I opened the pantry I almost gagged!  At goldfish, one of my favorite snacks!  (Yes, I'm 3 years old.)

Have you started to show yet?  After I eat I totally have a little belly bump!  Still not brave enough to take one of those pictures for anyone else to see since I am only 8 WEEKS!!!  Man, if I don't have twins in there I'm going to feel so fat!

Gender?  Totally no idea!

Labor signs?  nada

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On and they are going to stay that way because I decided if they are getting tight I will just not take them off!  Is that a bad idea?

Happy or Moody most of the time?  I went through a couple terrible mood swings this weekend!  Just got totally pissed for no reason and took it out on poor Mark.  Sometimes I get so angry and frustrated and it comes out of nowhere!

Looking forward to?  My first doctor's appointment this month!!!  It's going to be the BEST.  DAY.  EVER!!!  Mark is taking off work to come with me and it's just going to make this all feel so much more real.  Even though I've been gaining weight like crazy and we both told our bosses already, it just doesn't feel quite set in stone yet.  I keep wondering if we will really have a baby in June!  When my boss says something like, "...in your condition"  (she's so funny!)  I remember I am actually pregnant and wonder if I really am!  Haha.  It also sucks that my doctor won't see me until 10 WEEKS!!!  How long!!  I've been reading so many blogs and pregnancy forums and stuff and people get ultrasounds at like weeks 6 and 7!!!  Ugh...at least I will have something to see in there at 10 weeks!  Maybe two somethings... ;)