Up until 5 minutes ago I didn’t believe in pregnancy cravings. I didn’t have them with my first pregnancy and made it 20 weeks through this one before they hit me. Or should I say, before I gave in. Sometimes I think some women use pregnancy as a “free for all” when it comes to food. Luckily for them, most of the free-for-all-preggos I know made it back to their pre-pregnancy weight just a few short months after giving birth. Darn them! Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of body, metabolism, or luck, so I would always talk myself out of “cravings”. But even after talking myself out of free-for-alling I still gain too much weight with my pregnancies and can’t lose it post-birth. Darn me!

(Fast forward…weight gain…blah…during pregnancy…blah…fat mom…blah blah blah.) Anyway, call me crazy, but I think I just had a true pregnancy craving. AND I gave in. The End.

Sorry to end so abruptly but I’m cutting this post short so I can enjoy my pickles, carrots, and ranch dressing. Mmmm. Makes my mouth water just typing it.

-Victoria

Only one short week from today we have to decide if we want to know the gender of baby #2. I am still torn. My heart says “You don’t need to know” and my mind says “Yes, why wouldn’t you!”. All this back and forth in my mind and heart got me thinking about past generations. Our parents and grandparents didn’t have any way to tell what they were having. They did it the old fashioned way and waited it out…AND (this is a big AND) they came up with their own theories on how to tell the gender of the baby.

So this past weekend I began my own research, just like they did in the good-ole-days. Below are some of my favorite “Old Wives Tales” on how to tell the gender of your baby, and the results of my studies. Drum roll please….

If your face looks rounder, the baby will be a girl.  If you gain weight on your rear end, the baby will be a boy. Result: I am having 2 girls AND a boy! I estimate my face has more than doubled in size and my rear end (mainly hip area that now spills over into the rear end area) has expanded. Therefore, I have concluded that based on the actual size and spillage area I am having not 1, but 3 babies.

Tie a red string to the mother’s wedding band and suspend it above her belly. If the ring goes around in circles, the baby will be a girl. If it sways from side to side, the baby will be a boy. Results: It’s a he-she! First the ring swayed from side to side. Then it abruptly stopped swaying from side to side and started going in a circle. Eek!

If your linea nigra is straight, the baby will be a boy. If the linea nigra is curvy, the baby will be a girl. Results: Inconclusive. I don’t have a linea nigra yet so I have to wait this one out a little. If you are pregnant or know someone who is, PLEASE ask them about their linea nigra for me and don’t forget to post the results. This is one “Old Wives Tale” that I am itching to know more about.

-Victoria