Gender Prediction Tests

Time to try out some old wive's tales!  I scoured the Internet for gender prediction tests to see if this next baby is supposed to be a boy or a girl.  I didn't do number one for reasons I will elaborate on, but I'll share the results of the rest of the tests I found. 

1. The Acid/Base Tests
There are a number of tests which are meant to test the acidity of your pee.  Either put enough baking soda into a cup to cover the bottom, then pee into the cup. If the baking soda fizzes, you’re having a boy, if it doesn’t react, a girl.  Or you could pee into a cup of red cabbage juice, and if it turns purple, it's a girl, but if it turns pink/red, it's a boy.  And the last one in this category is the Drano test, where you add a tablespoon of Drano to your pee, and if it turns blue it's a boy, if it turns brown it's a girl.  Supposedly boys are alkaline and girls are acidic, but that doesn't make sense with what the results are supposed to be saying.  Since this test would be entirely dependent on how much you've had to drink and of what, and what time of day it is, and I don't really feel like testing my pee, I'll leave this test alone.  On to the next one. 

2. Hairline Gender Test
If this is your second child, check your son or daughters neck hairline. If the hairline comes to a point, the baby you are pregnant with will be the opposite gender. If the hairline goes straight across, it will be the same gender.
GIRL - Nate's hairline comes to a point

3. Chinese Gender Chart
Consult the Chinese gender chart using your chinese age to see if you’re having a boy or a girl.
GIRL

4.  Baby's Heart Rate
If your baby's heartbeat is lower than 140 beats per minute, it's a boy; if it's higher, it's a girl.
GIRL - so far the heart beat has been around 150 bpm for both ultrasounds and midwife appointments.

5.  Wedding Ring Test
Thread your wedding ring onto a piece of hair. Hold the dangling ring over the pregnant belly of mum-to-be while she is lying down. If the ring swings back and forth like a pendulum, she is carrying a boy. If the ring swings in a strong circular motion, she is carrying a girl.
GIRL - Well, it'll be a difficult girl who makes me pull my hair out.  The ring would only spin, not swing.

6.  Carrying High or Low
If you are carrying high, it's a girl; if you're carrying low, it's a boy
GIRL - I'm kind of guessing on this one, but since I can still wear my normal pants with a belt, I'll say I'm carrying high.

7.  Carrying In Front or Around
If you are carrying the baby all out front, it's a boy; if you are carrying all around, it's a girl. 
BOY - I'll say it's all out front for now, but that will probably change.

8.  Morning Sickness
Morning sickness is supposedly worse when you are expecting a girl because your body is flooded with extra girl hormones which make you feel extra sick as your body adjusts to them.
GIRL - I didn't have morning sickness with any other pregnancy, but this time I was nauseous for weeks and I'm still taking Diclectin. 

9.  Baby Weight
When you are pregnant with a girl, you hold your extra baby weight on your bum and hips (something to do with these being the parts of the body being where women usually stack on the weight). If, however, you're pregnant with a boy, all your extra baby weight will be at the front on your belly.
GIRL - I'll blame the extra weight on the baby (and the last three)

10.  Guessing Competition
When there are only two possible outcomes of any gender prediction test - boy or girl - simply taking a guess seems like a reasonable thing to do. After all, that still gives you a 50% chance of being correct. However, a study that asked pregnant women to predict the sex of their own baby showed that mums-to-be have a success rate far better than 50%! In fact, they correctly predicted the sex of their baby 71% of the time.
GIRL - What are the chances of another boy in the family? 

11.  Cravings
People believe that if you are craving salty foods while pregnant, you can count on having a boy. If you crave sweets, fruit, and orange juice, you are having a little girl.
GIRL - I've been drinking a lot of orange juice.

12.  Skin under Left Eye
The eye test is when a “V” or “branches” appear when you pull down the skin under your left eye. If you see a “V” or “branches” in the white part, you’re having a girl.
BOY - I don't understand what I'm looking for, so by default this test says it's a boy. 

13.  Mom's Beauty
You are having a girl if your beauty disappears during pregnancy. It is said that the girl “steals” the mother’s beauty. If you think that pregnancy has never made you look more beautiful, a little boy it is.
GIRL - I certainly don't feel radiant!

14.  Dream of Sex of Baby
If you have dreams that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy. Dreams show the opposite of what you are having.
BOY - I've had a few dreams that the baby is a little girl with curly red hair

15.   Clumsy vs. Graceful
If the pregnant woman is graceful throughout her pregnancy, she’s having a girl. If she becomes clumsy, she’s having a boy.
BOY - Although I think I'm always a little bit clumsy, so I don't know if pregnancy has really made clumsyness worse.  It hasn't made me any more graceful, and I'm definitely more awkward.  

16.  Protein
When a pregnant woman craves meat and cheese, count on a boy.
GIRL - I love cheese but I'm having a hard time with the smell for some reason.

17.  Feet
Are your feet colder now that you are pregnant? If so, you just might be having a boy. If your feet have stayed the same before pregnancy and during, you’re having a little girl.
BOY - Most of the time I'm either wearing or looking for my slippers. 

18.  Which way are you sleeping?
Believe it or not, the direction you place your head when you sleep is meant to signify whether a girl or boy is coming. If you lie on your left side then prepare for a boy. If you’re more of a rightie then break out the pink clothing.
BOY - I usually fall asleep on my left side, but there's a lot of flip flopping during the night. 

19  Key Test
If you pick up a key by its long end then a boy is on his way. Grab it by the short end then a girl is coming.
GIRL - This depends on if the key is on its own or on a key ring.  I'm assuming it's a lone key, in which case I would probably pick it up by the short end.

20.  Toddler Test
Hang out with a toddler boy. If he shows interest in your belly, you are pregnant with a girl.
GIRL - My kids are definitely interested in the baby, and often come to give it hugs, kisses, and conversation.  Of course, I only hang out with toddler boys so this test is a little bit skewed!

21.  Skin Test
If you have dry skin it's a boy, but if your skin is soft, it's a girl.
BOY - My hands are dry all the time in the winter but my legs are super dry the last few months.  Blame it on the baby I guess.   

22.  Hand Test
If you are asked to show someone your hands and you present them palms down, it's a boy.  The other way around and it's a girl.
GIRL

23.  Acne
If you have acne while pregnant, it's a girl.  It's thought that acne during pregnancy is caused by the extra hormones.
BOY

24. Leg Hair Test
If the hair on your legs grows quickly during pregnancy then you are expecting a boy, if it grows more slowly than usual you are expecting a girl.  
GIRL - It's hard to shave your legs when there's a belly in the way, so I'll just say that it's growing slowly, haha.

25.  Calendar Test
Similar to the Chinese fertility calendar, this test says  you should add the age you were and the number of the month when you conceived.  If the sum that you get when adding the numbers is odd, then you are said to be having a girl. If it is an even number, it's a boy.
BOY

And the results are:
GIRL= 15  (62.5%)
BOY = 9    (37.5%)
The answer will be revealed in four months.
Blog post number 400!

Halfway Day!

Baby Vander Deen 2013 is 20 weeks old today!  We're halfway to meeting our newest little blessing!

February First

If I write a post this evening, I figure I can squeak in two posts within a month's time!  Either that, or I can consider February's post completed and I'm good until the end of March. 
Things here are plugging along, without too much new to report.  I thought I could rely on some pictures to boost up the post, but it turns out I only took 16 pictures in January, which must be some kind of all-time low for me.  I'll post a bunch, but they won't exactly be the "cream of the crop". 
The kids have been doing well, keeping busy in between fighting with each other and having hilarious amounts of fun.  We've been happy to avoid any major sickness so far, besides the way-too-long cold that I finally got over after the middle of January or so.  Aaron had quite a grumpy morning this week.  The reason for his grumpiness?  God hasn't given him a wife yet.  Slow down, my dear, you are THREE!  I think he's a little jealous of his older brother, who has had his wife all picked out for a little while now.  They've had a few Sunday afternoon visits at our place, and he even gets to go to her birthday party in two weeks!  Funny kids.
I've been forgetting things left right and center.  I don't know if it's because I'm tired, losing brain cells, or just getting old.  Of course, I can't remember all the things I have forgotten recently, but two things stick out in my head (only because I wrote them down, so I guess they don't really stick out in my head after all).  The other day Mike was wondering why I needed so much cream in the fridge.  Apparently, I had found it necessary to purchase THREE litres of coffee cream over a few shopping trips.  Good thing the stuff has a pretty long expiration date!  Won't have to buy it for a while.  And poor Nate has been the recipient of my other new forgetful tendency.  In the last month or so, I have put him to bed and forgotten to turn out his overhead light... four times.  The first time he was up talking for quite a long time, and I could hear him from the living room and was wondering why he wouldn't settle down.  He wasn't upset or anything, just very chatty and singing songs like "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" and "Holy, Holy, Holy" to himself. Finally at 10:00 I went in there to find the lights on, and him cheerfully sitting up looking at a book.  "Hi Mommy!"  You think I'd learn after one time, but I've done it three times since then.  It seems that a young child can quickly get used to falling asleep at night with the lights on.
I'm not feeling very literary this evening, so I think I'll wrap it up here.  On to some mediocre pictures! 

He sure likes doing puzzles, but he's not too good at them.  Or we could  just say that he likes to be creative with them perhaps?  

All three boys love playing Lego.  It usually stays downstairs at the Lego table but occasionally pieces migrate upstairs to threaten our feet in the middle of the night and take their chances with the vacuum cleaner. 

 Temporary preaching station.  Whenever these boys get a hold of our little psalter hymnals, they love to play church and sing at the top of their lungs - an interesting mix between heart-warming and ear-piercing.

 Cuties!

First robin of the spring?  I think we can claim that all year round.  The robins have stuck around every winter we've lived in this neighbourhood.  Sure is strange to see this guy picking at the crab apples in our front yard on a -14°C day! 

Mike brought Peter to school on Wednesday morning, and had to leave for opening staff devotions.  He left Peter with permission to write or draw whatever he wanted on the whiteboard.  Peter was pleased as punch to meet Dad in the hall on his way back, letting him know there was a surprise waiting for him!  

"Dad I love you, he is my Dad".  Sweet kid!  

He wrote a somewhat-less-spontaneous note for me the next day (hey, I needed something new for my fridge :)  )  when I was helping him turn a cardboard box into a snowplow.  

"I love Mom, You're my Mom, Best Mom in the world"

It's exciting to see him learning how to read and write!