Jennifer’s

Today is the day of reckoning: at 3:30 this afternoon we will find out the baby’s gender.¬† I am one part excited and two parts nervous about the news.¬† It’s no secret I am a girl’s girl and have thoroughly enjoyed every. single. moment of raising a girl (thus far- get back to me when she turns thirteen!).¬† I know nothing of the world of trucks, toads, punches, broken limbs, and rumble tumble boys.¬† And, to be honest I really don’t want to.

Ultimately, I want what every parent wants: a healthy, intelligent, well-adjusted child.  Beyond that I am crossing my fingers and sending prayers heavenwards that we get all of that in another girl!

This time around we turned to the internets to see if we could do a little self-diagnosing and determine the baby’s sex ahead of time.¬† The Old Wives Tales to predict gender are vast, bizarre, and well, ¬†just plain hokey, but nonetheless very, very entertaining and, as you will see from the results, fairly accurate.

Test 1:  Pick up a key.  I picked it up by the round part.  The baby will be a boy.

Test 2: Coughing, numbers, letters, and names.¬† I coughed while eating, chose the number 25 which corresponds to Y, and picked a girl’s name.¬† The baby will be a girl.

Test 3: Previous child’s first word. Isabella said Daddy first (punk).¬† The baby will be a boy.

Test 4: Mother-to-be’s age and year of conception. Both were odd (31 and 2009).¬† The baby will be a girl.

Test 5: Salts vs. Sweets. I don’t really have cravings during pregnancy (no vats of cookie dough or fries for me), but in general I prefer salty things to sweets.¬† The baby will be a boy.

Test 6:  Tree trunks vs. Trim and Fit. My legs are far more trim and fit (thanks to running and spinning and genetics) than to tree trunks.  The baby will be a girl.

Test 7: Crabby vs. Cordial. I don’t really have major mood swings, pregnant or otherwise.¬† I do think I was fairly crabby towards many students during my first trimester; it is hard to say if that was due to pregnancy or dealing with immature freshmen all day.¬† The baby will be a boy.

Test 8: Heel vs. Middle. Again, another test about cravings.¬† I don’t like the heels of bread, so I had to choose the middle.¬† The baby will be a girl.

Test 9: Dry vs. Chapped. My hands are ALWAYS dry (despite obsessively slathering them in every hand lotion known to man).  The baby will be a boy.

Test 10: Eating vs. Throwing Up.  I have not had so much as a hint of morning sickness through both pregnancies.  The baby will be a boy.

Test 11: Pregnant all over vs. Pregnant in the front. During my first pregnancy, and thus far with the second, you cannot tell I am pregnant from behind.  The baby will be a boy.

Test 12:  Ring test. The ring swung around in circles.  The baby will be a boy.

Test 13: Clumsy vs. Graceful.¬† I don’t know if I would ever be described as graceful, but I’m not exactly falling all over myself, so I went with graceful.¬† The baby will be a girl.

Test 14: Heartbeat. Isabella’s heart rate was always in the 140’s.¬† So far Baby Woolsey #2’s heartbeat has been 145.¬† The baby will be a girl.

Test 15:¬† Interest Amongst the Toddler Set. The boys at Isabella’s school love to talk to me and vie for my attention whenever I arrive to pick her up.¬† The baby will be a girl.

Test 16:  Ask your current child. Isabella says we are going to have a baby sister and then we are going to have a treat.  The baby will be a girl.

The results: 16 very scientific tests later it’s a virtual tie.¬† Eight tests say the baby will be a boy and eight tests say the baby will be a girl. 16 tests later we know what we knew when we¬†started: we have a 50/50 chance of having a boy or girl!

Your challenge: In the comment section tell us your prediction for Baby Woolsey’s gender.¬† We will contact you with the joyous news ¬†in the order in which you comment!

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