Keepin' it Jill: 5-years-old, 34 weeks, and Baby Gender Predictions

August, you did not disappoint! My last entry has a few pictures from the first half of the month, but the second half was just as fun (and tiring)! ;) The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind starting with the annual NICU reunion, my mom coming to visit for a week, enjoying a baby "sprinkle"/shower (with a baby still in my belly this time around), my first Women of Faith conference in Indy and, last but certainly not least, my baby turned 5-years-old (pictures below)!!

And now it's September (crazy!) and I am 34 weeks along (even crazier!) ... and the countdown to meeting our newest family member is on (Praise God)!! Since we still don't know whether this baby will be a boy or girl, I thought I would share some gender predictions, which have been quite entertaining over the last few months:

1.) The Chinese Evergreen: My mom made the first prediction very early on in my pregnancy, based solely on a single bloom from a plant in our living room. Apparently, this single bloom on the Chinese Evergreen plant indicates that a male child is coming! Who knew?!

2.) The Big Sister: Ever since we broke the news to Whitney at our 17-week ultrasound, she has been convinced that she has a sister on the way! Her reasoning--"Boys are boring!" I've tried to tell her that Uncle Brad (my brother) was anything but boring! But she always refers to the baby as "she" or "her" and when I have a doctor's appt, she so gently asks, "Are they going to pull her out today?!" Even our little niece, Lucy, claimed last week that "it's a girl one" in my belly! I am beginning to put some weight into this kid intuition thing!

3.) The MOPS Bag: Upon making a pregnancy announcement at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), you reach into a mystery bag and pull out something pink or blue, in which I happened to pull out a bottle of Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo with blue footprint stickers on it. Hmmm ....

4.) The Nose: My co-worker, Kristin, has been on nose-patrol for weeks! She claims that my nose would have gotten bigger if I was pregnant with a girl, so she is certain I am having a boy! Her story of how she discovered this in one of her own pregnancies is hilarious. She has the whole department watching to see if I turn into Pinocchio!

5.) The Girls Steal Your Beauty Theory: This one was new to me and so nice of my friend, Kathy, to brighten my day with her prediction that I am having a boy since girl babies apparently steal the mother's beauty. Mind you, I am pretty sure she caught me on a good hair/concealer, well-rested day, but a nice prediction, none-the-less.

6.) The Random Lady at Big Lots: So I was looking at inner tubes at Big Lots a few weeks ago before we went to Michigan and a lady, probably in her late 60's/early 70's, startled me from behind and said confidently, "You're having a boy, aren't you?" When I told her that we hadn't found out, she said, "Honey, you don't need an ultrasound, I am telling you that you're having a boy! I've raised four of 'em!" Ha! She saw me on my way out of the store and snickered, "Good luck with that boy!" Made me laugh!!

7.) The Dreams: I have had one boy dream and two girl dreams more recently. The girl dream I had last night seemed so vivid and real .....

So the plot thickens!!! Thankful for a loooong pregnancy to wonder and anticipate!!!

And here Whitney is on Sunday, August 25, before church. Five years old! So proud of her and so thankful for the gift from God that she is. Even on days when her sweet "sugar" turns into sassy "spice!" Gotta love 5-year-old independence, huh?!