The Life of H{e}arts: August 2012

It is getting close to that time...the time when we can finally end the guessing games and start calling the bump (...which is now about 17 times the size now as it was at the same point with Olivia...I blame her big head for stretching it all out in there...) by it's proper name.

We have friends who have opted to know the sex of their unborn babies, and many friends who haven't. In this day and age, it seems almost a waste of good technology to wait. Also I am super controlling, and I NEED TO KNOW what is kicking me, so I can start with the "(insert baby's name here) Hart, if you continue kicking me in the bladder you will be grounded straightaway until your first birthday!".

OK, maybe a bit excessive, but at least I need to know if the attic full of lovely little girly clothes will be useful or if I need to pack them off to the US and England to be used by my sisters and my sister-in-law one happy day!

What do I want? Well, I have never been more diplomatic. I want a healthy baby. This will most likely be our last baby to be honest, so I just want a little angel who sleeps and eats well.

And sleeps well.

And did I mention SLEEPS WELL.

I have come to understand that travelling back and forth to visit the grandparents in the USA is not easy with one little munchkin, and now I am a bit nervous to see how it will be with TWO. And if a third comes along...well, that will be the end of the visits until they are teenagers and I think my Dad wouldn't like that one bit.

So in the run-up to the determination of the gender of our baby, let's play a fun game in super-non-scientific gender guessing. The old wives tales...

Heart Rate - According to legend, 140+ beats per minute indicates a girl, and below 140 a boy.
My result - GIRL

Cravings - Some people believe sweet cravings means it's a girl. If you have to have salty or sour stuff, then it's a boy.
My result - A sasquatch obviously, I am insatiable...sweet or salty aside.

Chinese Birth Chart - There is an ancient chart you can see HERE which is meant to be able to determine the sex of your baby by using your age and the month of conception.
My result - GIRL

Drano - the most bizarre one I have seen yet - Pee in a cup and put in a bit of Drano. If it turns green it is a girl, if it turns blue it s a boy.
My result - Sod that. I just peed in a cup last week which nearly always ends in disaster and there is no real Drano here. Sorry folks.

Even and Odd - Legend has it that the Mayans determined a baby's sex by looking at the mother's age at conception and the year of conception. If both are even or odd, it's a girl. If one's even and one's odd, it's a boy.
My result - GIRL

Keys - Puy a key in front of a preggo and if she picks it up by the narrow part it is a girl and the round part a boy.
My result - BOY

Spots - If your skin breaks out like you are mid-puberty the culprit is a girl.
My result - GIRL

Swinging Ring - Take off your wedding ring and tie it to a bit of string, if it swings in a circle it is a boy; back and forth it is a girl.
My result - GIRL

Morning sickness - Lots of sickness in the first trimester means a girl. Little or no, it's a boy.
My result - GIRL

OK, so there is an overwhelming majority of GIRL results here - but to be fair, if I would have answered a few of these whilst pregnant with Olivia they would have pointed to BOY!

Now we wait and see...I'll keep you posted folks!

xoxo sjkh

Ahh...summer. This is my official summer vacation, as I am a "teacher" of sorts, but somehow this summer seems to have been the busiest one to date. I have not really stopped working (OK, on and off, but still, I am never without a bit of work here and there...), and there are many many things in this house that we have SWORN that will finally get done during the summer break! Hubs is painting the exterior right at this very moment...he is the best (and MAN does it look nice...like a new house!).

I have been busy too, crafting and creating, hosting tea parties with a very special little girly, potty training, going for bike and scooter rides, splishing around in the paddling pool, teaching Liv to chant USA USA! during the olympics to get on daddy's nerves....the list of fun goes on.

Just a few of the things that have taken up my time...

BUNTING!!

I have found my new little hobby - now if I can get the old machine I use to perform 100% of the time, I will be golden...

Birthday bunting for Livvy's friend Samuele...

Flags ready to sew for my mum...

End of Year gifts for teachers...I cannot quite believe that Livvy will be 3 soon and starting preschool. Wasn't it just the other day that she was a TEENSY WEENSY baby going with me to that same school and teaching with me??