20 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #3!

It's been a while! But let's not talk about that. Instead...

I'm pregnant!!!! If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram (@littlegunnellfamily) you already know this, but it's worth saying, just in case.

I'm 20 weeks pregnant with a sweet little mystery babe who we got to look at today! It's wonderfully exciting and I love this darling little one so much, boy or girl. This wiggly babe whose every little kick reminds me of what a miracle he or she is. I'm so excited to meet this baby! And for our doctor to say those words, "It's a...?!?" I think it will make the birth experience that much more exciting. If you know anything about me I've said that giving birth gives me like a crazy adrenaline rush so maybe this is my tiny way of trying to increase that.

That still doesn't stop me from guessing though. Oh no. At the start I said girl and Dalin said boy. Then I wasn't sure for a while. Now, I'm still leaning toward a girl only because of the subtle differences in my past two pregnancies. I thought they were pretty much the same the last two times (and they weren't all that different) but there have been a few things I've noticed.

For fun, I thought I'd do a few gender prediction tests, just to mess with you. Just a little. ;)

The Mayan Predictor

Year of conception and age of conception. Both even or odd = girl. One odd, one even = boy.

2016 and age 24. Girl.

Heart Rate

Typically only useful before 20 weeks, a heart rate above 140 indicates girl, heart rate below 140 indicates boy.

Our baby had a heart rate of 140 (right in the middle! ahh!) at 18 weeks or so, and a heart rate of 146 at the ultrasound. This could indicate girl, but if anything, I feel like the baby's heart rate might increase during an ultrasound because of the stress of being probed...So I have to classify this one as Indeterminable (though I personally lean toward Boy here).

Ring on a String Test

Ring hung over belly or wrist. Circular movement indicates girl. Back and forth indicates boy. (Apparently some families argue the opposite of what I've stated indicates each sex, so who really knows with this one??)

I didn't tell Dalin which result meant what beforehand so he wouldn't be influenced. The ring swung slightly back and forth. Boy.

Chinese Calendar

My birthday (August 9) and my due date (February 9, 2017) come out as:
4th lunar month, 13th lunar day.
Lunar age at time of conception: 26.
Girl.

Acne.

Girls are supposed to "steal their mother's beauty." This is the test that especially seemed accurate to me with Tenley. My skin was awful for much of the pregnancy (especially the first half) and my doctor even let me use a special solution to help, which it did.
Whether the skin problems were from the hormones or from my diet as a result of my cravings (resulting from the hormones...) I certainly might have guessed girl. And this time around, this is the one thing in particular that points me at girl. My skin is just disastrous. So according to this test, I have to say: Girl.

Linea Negra.

If the line stops at the belly button, it's a girl. If it goes north of your belly button, it's a boy.

Mysteriously, I haven't gotten one to speak of! I had a very distinct (and crooked) line with Tenley, but it was mostly faded when Declan came around and now it is completely gone. Invisible. I guess if we're following patterns here, I could be having a boy since I did not have it (or at least it didn't darken again) with Declan. Conclusion: Indefinite, but maybe Boy.

Cravings. 

Girls often make you crave fruits, chocolate, and sugar (which probably is what causes all that acne we just talked about). Boys tend to make you crave salty or sour snacks.

While I haven't had as many cravings this time so far (with Tenley and Declan I craved hot chocolate and sausage with both, and also grapefruit with Declan), I have definitely been craving grapefruit juice again. Fruits and sweets generally indicate girl, but I very clearly recall craving grapefruit with Declan. So another: Indefinite.

Feet. 

Warm feet indicates girl, cold indicate boy.

I had never heard of this until now, but interestingly enough, I typically have very cold feet but my feet have been unusually warm lately. On the other hand, it's also been summer.

Extremity test says: Girl.

Urine.

Bright or yellow may indicate girl. Light or clear indicates boy.

Here's a bit of TMI for you. This test says girl for me for sure...up until the last couple of days when I've been pounding down our water bottles.

Conclusion: Girl? Indefinite.

Glow or No Glow.

No glow means girl, glow means boy.

Um, well I'm certainly not feeling that glow at the moment. Not at all. I just look tired a lot of the time (though having two crazy toddlers contributes to that). So my lack of a glow points to: Girl.

Carrying High or Low.

High says girl, low says boy.

I cannot decide yet. But I will say my belly felt distinctly flat in the front with Declan. And I do think it feels higher this time than it did with him. My inclination on this one is: Girl.

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My overall feeling with this pregnancy? The subtle signs (and I'm not talking about most of these silly tests) remind me more of my pregnancy with Tenley. But I'm perfectly excited regardless of what we have!

If the baby is a girl, we pretty much have a name chosen. If the baby is a boy, we have three or four contenders still. Either way, we have baby clothes and blankets ready.

Now we just need to count down the next 140 days (tops!) until this little one is finally laid in my arms!