This picture is a good reminder to me of how incredibly small Nora still is.

Whew. We are just about settled in the new house and in our new old city.
Thanks for the patience with the blog. That we sort of abandoned for awhile there. =) But POD’s are back and we’ll see if I can whip up a post here.

So here’s the thing. I’m about to go on record for a guess of whether we are having a boy or girl. I have never, ever gone on record and been right. With anyone’s kids. I am consistent in guessing wrong. I really don’t understand it, given the supposed 50/50 odds of choosing correctly.

I think we are having a boy. There’s a few reasons. They could simply be the differences between the first and next pregnancies, or they could be the differences between expecting a girl and expecting a boy.

With my first trimester with Nora, there were times I thought I would never eat again. I would feel so sick all at once. And then the rest of the time, I felt okay. This time around, I felt mildly ill most of the first few months.

My belly seems to be a difference shape. I can’t explain it, but I feel like I look different and my clothes fit differently. My maternity shirts are already too short. (Although that could be the fact that we have been eating out a LOT during the packing/driving/unpacking process.)

We had a girl name picked out a long time again. We cannot get our act together in figuring out a boy’s name (and are accepting all suggestions.) It was the opposite with Nora. We had the boy name Noah picked out very early on that time. (We’re not using that name because I’ll never get Nora and Noah straight.) Even my OB said that if a couple can only decide on one gender’s name, they will have the opposite. So there you go- medical fact.

And finally, the most convincing reason is the Publix Deli Man (Identity Likely But Unconfirmed.) Going back two years ago- there was a barista at Starbucks who guessed I was having a girl with Nora. She actually apologized when I told her I didn’t know officially because we chose not to find out. She felt bad that she ruined the surprise because she was that convinced she was right. And, as we all know, she was. (Although I didn’t take her that seriously.)

A few weeks ago, I was walking out of Publix and a man who was walking in yelled over his shoulder, “You’re having a boy!” I called back, “You think so?” He paused and said, “I KNOW so.” and kept walking.

I told Mom and Mandy about this encounter and she said he might be the Deli Man. This man told Mandy he thought she was having a boy with James. He went on to say that he’s famous for guessing correctly and people bring their pregnant friends in all the time just so he’ll guess what they are having. He claimed to always be correct. When she described what he looks like, it matched the man I saw walking into the store. I haven’t actually seen him in the Deli, so I can’t be sure he isn’t another random person who is often in Publix and is extremely confident in his gender guessing abilities. (That seems unlikely, no? Or is there a whole culture of people who go around telling pregnant ladies what they are having?)

PLUS, I was thinking this baby was a girl until the Deli guy shared his opinion, and since I’m always wrong, then he’s probably right. (I do realize that I am hedging my bets here.)

So that’s probably the most convincing reason I have right now, even if it’s also the least founded. It seems that while I always guess incorrectly, I run into people who work in the food service industry who are experts. If not at all medically trained. So I figure if Starbucks Barista was right about Nora being a girl (who I thought was a boy) then this baby, who I thought early on was a girl, must in fact be a boy if that’s what Deli Man tells me.

While it’s fun to guess (and we will be having another guessing pool soon if anyone’s interested), we really and truly would be thrilled with a boy or a girl and don’t have our hopes on one or the other. So while I’m guessing boy (officially), it doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t be just as excited if the doctor announces that it’s a girl.

Although I really hope we decide on a boy name soon. Two months and counting.

It is such a joy to watch Nora interact with all her cousins!

See you next week with more!

We arrived in town just in time for Faith’s 2nd birthday!

Photos? Check. In the mail? Sadly, no. Next year for sure.

It snowed the day before we left Seattle! Here’s Nora enjoying it.

Finally headed west, we drove the southern route to avoid further snow storms.

Thanks for the patience as we’ve finally begun to settle into life here in Marietta.
We are loving it. Thank you all so much! Now back to our regularly scheduled Picture of the Day.