It's a....

We'll see who's right and who's wrong!

1. Chinese Gender Prediction Calendar: It's a girl!

2. Craving salty and sour foods: It's a boy!

3. Craving sweets and fruits: It's a girl!

4. I add my age at the time of conception and the number for the month we conceived and the sum is an odd number...26+9=35...It's a girl!

5. Old Wive's Tale Boy or Girl Quiz: It's a girl!

6. Based on my age, it's more likely I'm having a boy!

7. I prefer sleeping on my right side: It's a girl!

8. My hands are soft: It's a girl!

9. Necklace swung in a circle over my palm: It's a girl!

10. Thoughts from Mom on Thanksgiving weekend...I'm getting wider: It's a girl!

I guess we'll see!

Week 14 -- Start of the 2nd Trimester!

I've made it; we've made it. It's the second trimester and I am relieved to finally be over the feelings of the 'what if' scenarios that plague possible miscarriages that occur in the first trimester. I am feeling good, but I have been since about week 9 1/2 so I have no reason to complain. Here are some pictures from yesterday, which was 14 weeks:

How baby is growing this week: Baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his or her thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, facial muscles are getting a workout as tiny features form one expression after another. The kidneys are producing urine, which is released into the amniotic fluid. Baby's stretching out -- from head to bottom, he or she measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon — and weighs 1 1/2 ounces. Baby's body is growing faster than his or her head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of the body. (Although the legs still have some lengthening to do.) Baby's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his or her body. Baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and the spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though I can't feel the tiny punches and kicks yet, our little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active. Hopefully I will be able to feel baby moving soon!

To humor all you out there who 'can't tell' yet, I found this cartoon. Although I think you can really tell this week...can't you?

Voting ends in a few days, so be sure to get your last ones in there on if Baby Boyle will be a boy or girl. Our next appointment is in a week and hopefully there, we'll get to schedule our ultrasound! -- and we'll definitely get to hear baby's heartbeat!

We also visited an Amish friend in Smicksburg on Black Friday who we've hired to make our nursery furniture. Chris and I are very excited about that! We ordered a crib, bookcase and double dresser. We'll have to wait until March to get it, but I'm sure it'll be well worth the wait.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Halloween Costume

My mom and sister were shopping in Delaware this weekend and picked baby up his/her first Halloween costume. Isn't it so cute!?!?!?! Chris and I just love it -- and we know baby will too! It seems very warm, which is good for Halloween's in Pittsburgh, and the hat is just too adorable. In less than a year, you'll see this costume again...but with a baby wearing it :-)

Week 13

I apologize for the delay in posting, but these are yesterday's pictures....or 13 weeks.

Developmental facts: Fingerprints have formed on baby's tiny fingertips, the veins and organs are clearly visible through the still-thin skin, and baby's body is starting to catch up with the head — which makes up just a third of baby's body size now. If I'm having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries (who thinks girl? leave a comment!). Baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

It's my last week of the first trimester...I'm looking forward to feeling normal again. I've started to purchase a few maternity items because my selection of pants is dropping off one-by-one!

It's Fall

Now that we have trees, we get to enjoy all the wonderful things that come along with them...like raking the leaves in the fall. We took some time this morning before the Steeler game to clean up our front yard so we could make a new slate for all the leaves still on the tree to land. We had quite a lot, filling up 5 contractor sized garbage bags. It wasn't so bad and it was good exercise. Perhaps we'll feel differently after raking for several weekends in a row! Here are a few pictures of our front yard before and after....

Week 12 -- Happy Veteran's Day!

Well, I know that some day this baby is going to show itself, and boy, do I feel bigger and bigger every day....but for some reason on Sundays, baby seems to hide so well you can't even see him or her! So, here are the pics of me today...

Developmental Tidbits: Baby is just over two inches long, about the size of a lime, and weighs half an ounce. The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, eye muscles will clench, and mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, baby will squirm in response to prodding on my abdomen, although obviously I can't feel it just yet. The intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into the abdominal cavity about now, and the kidneys will begin excreting urine into the bladder. Fun Stuff!!!

In other baby news, since I am finally feeling a lot better and the food aversions aren't terribly bad (I even ate pizza today...with red sauce!), we went out to browse some baby items. We found furniture that we love, but are going to shop around to make sure we see everything. At the mall, we even strolled through BabyGap and picked up a onesie that was on clearance...Chris picked it out and I agreed that we just had to buy it.

Happy Veterans Day to all you veterans out there!!!!!!!! And happy anniversary to Maggie and Mark!!

11 Weeks

Today is 11 weeks and instead of just showing you the boring, yet-to-be-expanding stomach of mine, I decided to throw in some developmental tidbits of what's going on 'in there'. You know, in case some of you women forget and men never knew. This information is coming from a site that emails me progress each week to tell me how baby is growing. At this point, baby is just over 1 1/2 inches long, about the size of a fig, and is now almost fully formed. The hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under the gums, and some of the bones are beginning to harden. Baby is already busy kicking and stretching, and the tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. Exciting stuff!!

First Baby Gift

On Saturday we received a package in the mail from Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Nick in Florida. It was unexpected...and when I unwrapped the brown outer packaging and saw the baby wrapping paper, I got excited for the contents. Inside was 2 "just born"-size t-shirts with the cutest teddy bears embroidered on them and a gorgeous white blanket that says, "Shhhh Baby Sleeping." (Of course Aunt Carolyn and her crafty self made all 3 just for us!) The shirts are so tiny that, at this point, I cannot even imagine having a baby that would fit into them! These things are the first baby items we have in the house and we are so excited for what is to come!