Ben's Family Shower

My mother-in-law and Ben's aunt hosted a very nice shower with Ben's side of the family. We had fun looking at old family pictures and talking about what Ben was like as a baby. (It turns out he was pretty good. Hopefully our baby will inherit some of his laid back ways, instead of my anxiety.) My mother-in-law also had everyone write down parenting tips on notecards. I thought I would list them here, because I am bound to lose the notecards. I have been in a fit of cleaning the baby's room, including throwing things away. For about an hour one night last week we thought our passports had gone out with the trash. Just when I was ready to call the federal government and let them know that I am loser, I remembered where they were: inside a travel wallet, which was stuffed inside a Sephora shopping bag, which was stuffed in the back of a closet. You know, where everyone stores their passports. ANYWAY...on to the advice from the women in Ben's family:

1. It is okay to let the baby cry for a minute while you go to the bathroom.

2. Don't forget your husband.

3. Keep clothing light in the summer.

4. Get a walker chair - babies love them.

5. Call your sister to come down and babysit. (My sister actually wrote this, and I am holding her to it.)

6. Make Ben watch the baby and call your sister to go out for a cocktail. (This sounds like and even better plan.)

7. Take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.

8. Enjoy every minute - write down all the memorable moments and set aside some time to baby yourself and your husband

My first shower

Three courses. Ralph Lauren plates. Three different desserts. Plenty of wine. (For the non-Moms to be). I wouldn't expect anything less from my dear friend Cindi. My first shower was wonderful. My college girls. My Lillie friends. My sister. Some of my most favorite people in the world. We ate, and talked and talked and talked. Cindi, thank you for an amazing shower. It was a really special day for me.

The Old Wives Tales

We decided not to find out if Peanut is a boy or a girl. This was difficult for me at first. I am a planner. (Don't get me wrong, I am flexible in my plans. If things change, I just promptly make a new plan to accomodate that change.) However, Ben rightly said that if we found out, I wouldn't be able to keep it a secret. And he thought it would be nice to have a surprise, something we could announce to everyone at once. I agreed to this plan, thinking I would be able to somehow decipher the sex at the ultrasound, or call back later to find out. However, when we told the tech we didn't want to know the sex of the baby, he said he wouldn't even look. And Peanut's legs were crossed, so I couldn't get a sneak peak of anything. (Not that I have any clue how to read an ultrasound anyway, so I probably wouldn't have been able to tell regardless.) Since nobody knows, I am now fine with not knowing, too. And it will be nice to have gender-neutral things, in case our hypothetical second child is a different sex than the Peanut.

One thing I have found very amusing is how many people have an opinion about whether I am carrying a boy or a girl. I have no opinion on the matter, but most people seem to think it is a boy. So I decided to do some research, and after taking a very scientifically-accurate quiz on the internet, I discovered that I am likely having a girl:

You have a 29% chance of having a boy.
And you have a 70% chance of having a girl.


And Here's Why...
You are carrying the extra weight out front, so it's a boy.
The hair on your legs is not growing any faster during your preganacy, so it's a girl.
Girls are carried high. You are going to have a girl.
Sleeping in a bed with your pillow to the north indicates that you will be having a boy.
Your feet are not colder than they were before pregnancy. You are having a girl.
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread. You are having a girl.
Dad-to-be hasn't been gaining weight along with Mom-to-be, so it will be a girl.
The maternal grandmother doesn't have gray hair (dyed or natural), so a girl will be born.
You had morning sickness early in pregnancy, so you are expecting a girl.
Your chest development has been quite dramatic during pregnancy. You should expect a girl.
Since the sum of the mother's age at conception and the number of the month of conception is an odd number, it will be a girl. (I realized I actually did this one wrong, so it indicates boy, but whatever.)
Your urine is a dull yellow color, so you will have a girl. (Probably TMI)
You have a craving for salty or sour foods, which means that it is a boy.
Your nose hasn't changed during pregnancy, which indicates a girl.
You have been craving meats or cheeses, so it is a boy.
Your baby's heart rate is 140 or more beats per minute, so it's a girl.

Of course, I realize this is all b.s., and we'll just have to wait until May to find out. It was kind of fun, though.