Our pitter-pattering little feet...

will be clad in black patent leather Mary Janes!

The doc was 90% sure about our little one being a girl.  I'm going to try to finagle another peek down the road, but the absence of "outdoor plumbing" and the presence of two little lines seemed pretty convincing.

Most importantly, Baby had two hands, two feet, an excellent spine, and a strong heartbeat.  She looks perfect and we can't wait to meet her this spring.  God is good and we are blessed!

Is there truth to the tale?

There's been a lot of talk and speculation surrounding whether or not we have Baby Boy or Baby Girl on the way.  We've got less than two weeks till we find out, provided he or she is feeling cooperative.  (Here's hoping!)

There are so many old wives' tales about how to tell if it's a boy or girl.  The one I am most familiar with is the heart rate.  I asked the doc today when she checked, and she said "it's 154 -- but that doesn't mean anything!"  We'll see...

Did the heart rate thing hold true for you?  What other tricks did you try?

Update:
Myra suggested I take some quizzes, so I've busied myself with that task.  Here are the results...
- 58% it's a girl according to Just Mommies
- 63% chance of a girl according to Childbirth
- it was a toss up at Parents
- the ancient Chinese birth chart says boy
- 53% it's a girl at Baby Gender Prediction

pop!

In case you were wondering, yes, I'm pregnant.  And no, it's not multiples.  But thanks for being shocked at how gargantuan I am already.  Really, it does wonders for my self-esteem. 

Just three weeks till we learn the answer to the boy/girl question.  I have no idea how to even try to guess whether we've got a he or she since I can't compare pregnancies and such.  But cast your vote in the poll for funsies!

Sometimes my little pregnancy ticker thing at the top of the page gets behind.  That frustrates me, as I don't want to be any less pregnant than I am.  I want to move ahead, move forward, keep going. 

That's probably why, when my doctor decided to put April 16th as my EDD on my chart at our last visit even though my EDD is really April 14th -- because the 14th is based on my ovulation date and the 16th is based on the date of my last P -- I smiled sweetly and said okay.  But as soon as we left the office, I told Mark in no uncertain terms that I am due April 14th and I am going to continue counting my pregnancy weeks as renewing on Wednesdays rather than Fridays (today puts me at 15 weeks, thanks).  I don't know why I'm so sensitive and unrelenting on this.  It'll serve me right if he or she holds out on being born till April 16th, huh?

In other Baby B news, we're scheduled for the big ultrasound on November 24th.  Stay tuned to find out whether you'll be aunts or uncles!

why we won't be surprised if I get gestational diabetes

My friend Jill and I were talking the other day about how I've not gained any weight yet with this pregnancy.  She marveled at my ability to make good food choices.  Pride goeth before the fall, people.  Monday afternoon, I ate an entire 3-serving bag of gummy worms over the course of 2 hours.  Yeah...

Last Thursday, we had an ultrasound done as part of the neural tube defect and Downs screening.  Baby was perfectly compliant while the sonographer worked on all the measurements and such.  At one point, it appeared that Baby might be praying with his/her hands placed together.  Afterward, Baby had a ball flipping, turning, and even giving a nice wave to Mom and Dad.

I realize I've not posted any preggo pics of me.  They're not great.  Let's face it, pregnancy has an overwhelming ability to make a girl feel utterly exhausted and incapable of functioning.  The second trimester glory days are before me, though, and I'm hoping to make full use of them!

no answers, lots of questions

I'm pretty sure the title of this post will sum up the next 18+ years of our lives now that we're in the family way.  Here are just a few of the questions that have popped into mind lately....

- Does your hair really not dye evenly in the 1st trimester or is that a scare tactic?
- I keep hearing that diapers fit differently.  Who can tell me the "makes and models" of this?
- That "itzben" thingy looks handy.  Is it really, or does it just prey upon the insecurity of first-time parents?
- What would you consider as your must-have items?
- What do you wish you'd not wasted the money on getting?

Mark wants to take preggo pics of me on Sunday mornings as I'm rushing out the door, late for work after a hard morning and overwhelming exhaustion.  He's only been successful once.  If not for the aforementioned exhaustion, I might take the time to find the camera and upload the pic.  Better luck next time, dear reader!

Well...

This little person should be making an appearance around April 14th!  We love him or her already and are so thankful everything seems to indicate health and good development.  YAY!

And maybe now that I'm not having to conceal what's really going on in our lives, I'll attempt to be better about blog updates.  Then again, a nap sure does sound good right about now....

Mark has told me for months -- maybe even a year -- that he thinks I'd look good in purple. I hadn't found anything I liked in a shade that I liked, but I kept his comment in mind. So over the weekend, I bought a purple shirt and just knew he'd be excited about this wardrobe addition. I trotted it out today and do you know what he said to me? "Hey, Barney...." I feel totally duped.

O-o-o-o-oklahoma

The wind didn't seem to sweep down the plain too much whilst I was enjoying my Girls Reunion this past weekend. Too bad, or I might've tried to use that as an excuse when the nice police officer pulled me over for speeding.

I've only received 2 tickets in my life, and both have happened in Edmond. The first was at 15th & Bryant during finals week my junior year in college. The other was this past Friday at 15th & Santa Fe as I was on my way to Mandy's so we could leave for dinner. My excuse? I REALLY had to pee. Surprisingly, the officer wasn't the least bit interested in my explanation. Alas and alack....

And yeah, I was thinking I might need to avoid 15th in the future, too. Dara and Mandy, any interest in moving? :)

hmmm...

I know I haven't updated my blog in a month, but it kind of puts me out that Blogger goes around telling everyone so matter-of-factly: "Variety is the Spice of Life - 4 weeks." Not much variety, eh?

Here's a recap of some of our latest and greatest:

- How many Blankinship kin can you fit under one roof at the same time? Here's a hint: roughly the same number of clowns can be packed into a circa 1964 VW Bug.

-We've done lots around the house lately. Replacing the carpet has rivaled the interior paint job as "the most dramatic rose ceremony...er, home updating project...yet."

- I took a great group to Camp Impact! This was definitely the busiest I've ever been at camp, so please accept my apologies if you were hurt/offended/etc. by my not getting to see you. I was hurt/offended/etc. by it too!

- I had the deluxe edition of a stomach virus last week. I was wanting a vacation, but a week stuck on the couch and/or toilet isn't exactly the luxury retreat I was after. I'm just keeping it real, folks. And no, "stomach virus" was not code for "morning sickness." There is no bun in this oven. But thanks for asking.