Make Your Predictions

As promised in a previous post, it's time to talk gender.

Boy or Girl.

Pink or Blue.

Inboard or Outboard.




Thoughts On Girls:

NEWS FLASH - I wasn't exactly great at being a little girl. Check the top 100 adjectives to describe me as a child, teenager, even young adult and, shockingly, graceful, ladylike, elegant, and refined didn't seem to make the cut. I despise[d] dresses, make-up, and hair bows. I only agreed to wear the majority of these items and to get my ears pierced in exchange for the chance to wear my super cool Jordan V's (normal girls will have to go here to see what these are).
The point is, I'm nervous about a girl. I don't know how to dance or do gymnastics or french braid. I don't really care for Barbie too much. And, the jury is still out on my feeling about the color pink.
On the other hand, even though I wasn't great at being the stereotypical girl, I am a girl and I have been a girl for my whole life. I know that girls are lovers and are wired to be caring and sympathetic. I know that girls battle insecurity and constantly compare themselves to each other. I know that the girls clothing section totally beats the boys section in every store. I know that I love crafts and I can make a pretty awesome bead necklace - what girl wouldn't love to do that? I know that Jason will be the most protective, proud, and affirming daddy of a little girl. My heart really skips a beat when I imagine him with a little girl. He will probably know how to french braid too because he'll decide it's a series of nautical knots running down his daughter's head rather than a complex hairdo. Whatever.


Thoughts On Boys:

Boys are weird. Trust me, I live with one. When they use the restroom they stand up which seems tiring and, even in full grown boys, can be messy. They like dirt and worms and bugs, all of which I could do without completely. Boys find ridiculous entertainment in burps, farts, and vomit, again, all of which I could do without. They all seem to automatically know what a catalytic converter is and what it does and where in the heck you find one. I just found out it's a catalytic converter not a Cadillac converter. Armpit hair - ewwww. Oh my gosh, and he's going to stink, like B.O. stink, and then try to cover it with way too much Axe Spray. Boys are just so different in every way.
But, then again, I did rock that pair of Jordan V's (not a ton of moms can say this). I know about sports. Boys don't like to have their hair french braided so I won't have to worry about that. Boys don't require quite as many accessories as girls. I like blue. Jason can teach him how to fish and spend the weekend camping. My heart really melts when I think about a little guy running around here. "The boys" has a nice ring to it.


Truthfully, there is just no way that I can say that I'd rather have one or the other. Before I was pregnant I always imagined my first child being a boy. Now that I am pregnant I imagine that I don't care either way. We are bound to screw up many, many, many times whether it is a boy or a girl. The bottom line is, if we guessed we'd have a 50% chance of being correct. The majority of our friends are predicting that Jangie is a boy. The Chinese Calendar predicts Jangie is a boy. Some say I'm "carrying it high" (whatever the heck that means) which is supposed to indicate Jangie is a girl. I have not been sick which means different things in different circles.


We want to know what you think? Is Jangie a boy or a girl?


We will find out the real answer on Friday (if Jangie cooperates) and see if your votes and predictions were right or wrong.










Photo Attribution

Real Simple.

About 2 weeks ago our beautiful friends Jen and Kyle gave us a gift. It was wrapped in the most elegantly simple package. I was almost sad to break it open for fear of losing part of its beauty. When I finally opened it and uncovered the contents I nearly cried. Partly because I’m pregnant and my hormones can jump from 0 to 60 in like half a second and partly because of the sweet relief and comfort that the 15 children’s blocks laid on my heart.

The blocks were colorful and natural, familiar and brand new, ornate and simple.

The idea of receiving this gift for Jangie, a small person presently morphing into full-sized-baby life in my abdomen, sends me to the brink of a mommy-to-be meltdown. Here is a sample of what this meltdown may look like in my world:

Hello?!? There is a sucking, kicking, peeing, eyebrow-having, nipple-clad, teeny, tiny person somersaulting somewhere just south of my belly button. In 4.5 months I suppose I’ll have no choice but to let the little sprout join us here in the real world. I haven’t read this far ahead but I’m pretty sure freaking out about this is not completely irrational. It makes me want to cuss Eve up one side and down the other. It was a flipping apple, Eve, not a piece of turtle cheesecake - temptation, shemptation. How long will Jason coach me through labor before he eventually passes out? We will have to name it something besides Jangie, or anything that may rhyme with a body part or cuss word (because other people’s kids are mean heads). Then we’ll have to feed it, cloth it, bathe it, repeat, repeat, repeat. All of which seems simple enough in theory but we didn’t practice with a dog – we’re going straight to the real deal. We should have gotten a dog. To be frank, just the word ‘engorged’ makes my stomach turn. Will it ever sleep? Will I? How long do we let it cry in church or at a restaurant before other people will stare and hate us for procreating? Do they really poop and it oozes out of their diapers? How will we discipline Jangie? To spank or not to spank? What if it’s a girl and I have to pick out bows daily? What if she wants to be a dancer or cheerleader? I don’t know anything about the ballet or pompons. What if it’s a boy and he pees everywhere? What if he hates sports? What if he wants to be a dancer or cheerleader? I don’t know anything about the ballet :)… We’re going to have a kid. I still act like a kid. Holy cow!

Then, just like that, the meltdown is over. I flip the strands of hair out of my face, point my belly forward, hold my head high, and feel a strange but comforting sense of control.

Blocks. They are blocks. Wooden. Alphabet. Children’s. Blocks!

I didn’t even know you could still get these things. I love that you can still get these things!

In our world of Babies R Us, Wal-Mart, and Target I get overwhelmed with the 80 gajillion different bottles and pacifiers, 67 trillion stroller reviews, 13 billion moms complaining that their baby sweats in the car seat in summer, 39 million ways to prevent your baby from ever encountering a germ, 74 thousand ways to freak out when your baby bumps it’s head, and a never-ending diaper debate. It brings me sweet relief to know that somewhere in that world we can still have wooden blocks. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy to know that not everything has been affected by marketing, technology, research, and reviews. It’s nice to know that our favorite toys, our favorite stories, our favorite games, and our pasts can be a part of our little sprout’s life.

It just takes a big cardboard box to build a princess a proper castle. A pillow case can turn any ordinary boy into a life-saving, high-flying, superhero. Daddies are so brave and strong they can hunt down and ward off any monster that lurks under the bed or in the closet. Curious George, Ferdinand the Bull, The Cat in the Hat, and The Three Little Pigs all have fame and heart and lessons that will stand the test of time. Mommies give the warmest, snuggliest hugs ever invented. And, an empty wrapping paper roll can quickly become a telescope that helps turn an ordinary night sky into a stargazer’s paradise.

See, its not so bad after all. Simply thinking. Simply doing. Simply loving.

These blocks restored my mind and I truly believe that we can count on some pieces and advice holding true and being just as reliable and adventurous and simple as they always were.

Baby update: Jangie is awesome! Moving like crazy (I can’t feel it yet but lots of kicking and arm flailing took place during our last sonogram). This week, sweat glands are beginning to form and the skeleton is changing from cartilage to bone. From head to butt, Jangie is 5 inches long and growing. We had an appointment on July 28th and it seems everything is going as it should.

As for me, well, my belly looks somewhere in between “beer gut” and “with child”. I wish I could wear a t-shirt to clarify. People want to ask but know it’s against the rules to pose such questions to a woman. Still feeling good all around.