Boy or Girl: Old Wives’ Tales

Starting on week two of our pregnancy, both my husband and I were sure we were going to have a boy… we both wanted a surprise, so it was a long 9 months of waiting to see if we were right.

My mum uses a crystal on the end of a string to check the sex of chicken eggs, so she tried that on me. She couldn’t remember if “boy” was round and round in circles or back and forth in a straight line, so she did it once over my belly and once over mind head. The chicken sexing string said I would have a boy!

The old wives’ tale says that light morning sickness is a sign of a boy, so that was another vote for boy.

Baby girls are supposed to make husbands beef up, but my husband was staying the same weight… so we had three votes for a boy and my husband also had a dream about talking to our son.

Low and behold, we now have a little baby boy who is laying here happily on my lap while I type. Now I’m really curious to see if these old wives tales hold true for our next baby… whenever that may be.

Did you wait to find out the gender of your child? How well did all of the old wives tales work for you?

Happy White Rabbits!

I grew up in a superstitious household. To this day I still don’t walk under ladders, put my shoes on the table, break mirrors or open an umbrella inside. I’m guessing many of these superstitions were invented to discourage you from doing certain behaviors, but it’s hard for me to separate out the reason from the superstition. I still vividly remember breaking a lipstick tube mirror and worrying more about the seven years of bad luck than the broken glass.

I never realized how superstitious my family was until I met my husband. He comes from a much more scientific family — but I have still managed to get him to say “White Rabbits” on the first of the month.

In case you didn’t know, if the first words you say on the first of the month are “White Rabbits”, then you’ll have good luck for the rest of the month. There are lots of variations… some people think you can say “white rabbits” as early 12:01pm… some people count whispers… some people think it’s fine as long as you say it after waking up (even if you wake up in the middle of the night). I say it all of those times just to be safe, but my husband likes to say it as the first thing in his normal voice when he would normally wake up — that’s the most common variation I’ve ever come across.

So happy White Rabbits to you! May you have a month of good luck.

How superstitious was your family growing up? Did you become more or less superstitious with age?

Theme Parks versus National Parks

Last time we visited Florida, we thought about going to a theme park in Orlando, but the prices were through the roof so we checked out a near by national park instead.

We were thrilled to learn that they were conducting guided canoe tours of the river… and thankfully enough other people signed up, so down the river we went. The guide lead us under groves of mossy trees and I got to see my first alligator in the wild. (I learned my husband is nuts as he tried to get us closer — but thankfully the person in the back of the canoe got to steer!).

After the tour, we relaxed on the bank of the river with a snack. The lazy sun darted between the foliage, leaving beautiful reflections on the water. There was no doubt in my mind that we made the right decision. The magic and adventure of nature could never be re-created in a concrete theme park. I’m still amazed that America never tries to sell itself as a nature destination because there are so many gorgeous parks!

What was the last park you toured?

Swaddling a bear is different than a baby

When I was pregnant, my husband and I learned how to swaddle a baby by practicing on our teddy bear. It was funny to stumble across this cozy bear in different rooms… sleeping happily… just like our baby would be before too long.

However, within 12 hours of returning home with our son we quickly realized swaddling a teddy bear is nothing like a baby. Our son could squirm, kick his legs and wiggle like nobody’s business. I think it took us three days of practicing before we learned how to do it. (Making sure the swaddle was over his shoulder helped… and it also stayed on better when he wore a onesie — baby skin is so soft that the swaddle just slid around next to his skin).

So if you have learned how to swaddle on a doll, don’t get too cocky…. I don’t think there is anything you can do to guarantee a good night’s sleep the first few days :)

NASA: How I learned about dreaming

As a kid I dreamed about being an astronaut. I wanted to see the Earth from space. I wanted to experience all those photographs of stars and the moon first hand. But all of that changed when my brother told me it took a lot of maths to be an astronaut… and I changed my mind. (Suddenly space didn’t seem as appealing when it looked a lot more like homework.)

Touring NASA as an adult, I realized how right my brother was: astronauts were extremely smart (and surprisingly fit to endure the extremes of space travel). But it also made me think about dreaming. My dream changed so quickly based on one, tiny harmless comment from a family member. How many other dreams did I give up on just as easily? I never realized how much of an impact comments (or the approval/disapproval) of friends and family had on my life. Whose opinions do you listen to? What dreams did you give up on?

So thanks to all of my friends, family members (and husband!) that believe in my dreams and help me accomplish things that seemed impossible five years ago. A generation ago, we couldn’t comprehend space and now Sir Richard Branson is offering tourists a chance to visit space like you visit London…. someday I may be taking my son into orbit with me on a family vacation!

Smile like a Baby

Evidently kids smile 400 times a day and adults only 20 — something along those lines isn’t hard to believe.

My baby recently learned how to smile and that’s all he wants to do. It’s so strange to have someone stare happily at you for ages and want nothing in return but a smile back. I feel like I’m the sun in his sky and wonder what I have done to deserve such special treatment.

But when I think about my husband and I, we never smile that frequently and we’re both very happy people. It seems natural and I think it could be helpful to smile more. It can help attract the perfect mate, move up the ladder at work or make a new friend. Plus, it’s so simple to do: just take the corners of your mouth and move them up. Then repeat. :)

Real versus Fake Christmas Tree

As a kid, I couldn’t imagine anything more magical than picking out a real Christmas tree with my parents. I loved everything about it from watching them try to fit it on the roof of our car to sweeping up the pine needles at home.

Now, as an adult I just think about the tremendous amount of work a real pine tree brings with it. I don’t want to pick up the tree, dispose of it, water it or sweep its needles. Part of me feels guilty for putting up a plastic tree — am I depriving my kid of a time honored tradition?

After thinking about this for a few years, I think I’m okay with our plastic tree. The magic of Christmas isn’t with the tree — it’s about sharing the holiday with loved ones. There’s no shame in spending an afternoon putting up decorations, singing Christmas carols (and yes, eating a few cookies :) with your husband and son!

How about you…. have you come to terms with your fake tree or do you still make the trip down to the tree lot?

Ode to Baby Bargins

Courtesy of BabyBargains.com

Being a first time parent is confusing. You want to be safe, but you don’t always have the money to buy the most expensive option. (Who knew a baby needed so many things!)

Thankfully, a friend recommended Baby Bargins, which helped me get my feet on the ground. I was surprised to learn that the government sets a lot of minimum safety levels, so the $100 option is just as safe as the $400 one — you’re just paying for the label. Knowing that fact allows you to choose when you want to pay more and when you don’t care. Marketers no longer play tricks with your brain like convincing you to pay more because you think your child will be safer.

Another great tip we learned is to always get breathable fabrics for the crib. We bought the Aden and Anais swaddles and they have been our new best friend. When our son was first born, we swaddled him in them and now they are great as light blankets, propping him up in the boppy or a make-shift pillow for when I’m too tired to get out of the chair to nap in my bed!

If you feel overwhelmed and worried about your baby’s safety (in another words, you’re a normal parent), this book’s comprehensive research will help put your mind at ease. I particularly love that they never accept money from companies, so their advice is as objective as you can probably get.

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