Boy or girl?

I thought it would be interesting to look at some old wives' tales and see what gender Baby W. appeared to be based on them. I got a lot of these from pregnancy-info.net and others from various searches. I didn't do all of the tests, and I didn't include everything here - just wanted to offer a general sampling. And remember, only three more days to vote/change your vote in the gender poll at the right of the blog! We'll find out on Tuesday, although I will likely not share the news with the blogosphere until Wednesday or Thursday, as we'll probably tell family first, and I think I'll make a gender cake (or maybe cupcakes) to take to work to share the news.

I kept some of the really weird wives tales out of this mix, but here's a sampling of what we're looking at (and remember, each one has a 50% chance of being right):

The Chinese Gender Calendar, which bases the gender on the age of the mother at conception (28) and the month the baby was conceived (November) says Baby W. is a boy.

The general story goes that, if you're carrying low, you're having a boy. If you are carrying high, then you must be having a girl. I'm not really carrying all that much yet, and I'm getting differing opinions on if it's high or low. I think low, but I don't really know. Here's a photo of moi - you be the judge:

(17 weeks, 3 days, taken after working my part-time job - excuse the uniform!)

If you're having a girl, then the fetal heart rate will be above 140. A boy will have a heart rate below 140. At our last appointment, baby's heart rate was 153.

So, if you can't get enough chocolate, you could be having a girl. Does the idea of drinking straight lemon juice sound delicious to you? Then those sour cravings are a result of the little boy inside of you. My cravings had been a mix of sweet (my need for cake) and sour (my intense yearning for lemon). I'd say more recently and more consistently, they've been for sweet stuff.

The belief is that, if your husband puts on weight during your pregnancy, then you will be having a girl. If he doesn't put on a pound, then you're carrying a boy. Despite the fact that he's been working out a lot and eating well, he's been a little disappointed with the scale. This week, he's been sick, so he hasn't been to the gym at all. In general, he's put on a bit of weight, although you can't really tell unless you're looking at the scale.

Hold a pendant over your hand. If the necklace swings back and forth, you're having a boy. If it is more of a circular motion, then it's a girl. This can also be done by suspending a ring on a string above your belly. I used the necklace, and it swung back and forth.

Do you have acne? Some believe that getting acne during your pregnancy indicates you're carrying a girl. Maybe the acne is caused by twice the amount of female hormones? My skin actually hasn't been any worse than it was before.

Pick up a key. If you've picked it up by the thinner end, you're having a girl. Picking it up by the bottom, rounder part means a boy is on the way. Did you pick it up by the middle? Then congratulations! You're having twins! I picked it up by the bottom, rounder part.

Ask yourself what you think you're having. In a study that asked women with no previous knowledge about their baby's sex, the moms-to-be correctly guessed the sex of their baby 71% of the time. I feel that it's a girl.