Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find out your baby's sex in the delivery room instead of on an ultrasound screen? Many couples can't wait to find out whether they will have a boy or girl so they can begin decorating the baby's nursery in pink or blue, but here are six reasons to keep the gender a surprise and go team green!

The wait to find out my baby's sex has been exciting, but it also exercises my patience, as I am just dying to find out if Liana will have a baby brother or baby sister to tease (ahem.. I mean, "play with"). Personally, gender doesn't matter to me. I could buy all neutral colored items and me and my baby would be just as happy as buying everything in shades of pink or blue. Society will pave a different path for my little one in the future, but for now I'll proudly wave the "team green" flag.

1. Pure bond
The bond between my baby and I is that of pure love for the life I helped to create and for this period of coexistence. We don't know much about each other right now, but we're both dependent on each other, and helping each other to thrive. By not knowing whether my baby is a boy or girl, I am eliminating all expectations based on gender from our current bond. I am not bonding with my baby's sex, I am bonding with the life inside of me.

2. Relieving gender stereotypes before birth
Will my child be a famous athlete? A dancer? A lawyer? A nurse? An accountant? A social worker? A police officer? A computer technician? These are all equal possibilities, but by knowing whether my baby is a boy or girl, people will create subconscious expectations based on gender. We all do it, I am guilty as well. When I was pregnant with Liana, I imagined her wearing lots of bows and wondered if she would like playing with dolls or taking dance lessons. With our new little bundle, I imagine a different array of moments. The first swimming lesson, which sporting events or extracurricular programs I will attend, and the art pieces I will get to hang on my fridge following each Mother's Day. See the "team green" difference?


3. Functional gifts
By not knowing the baby's sex, you are more likely to receive gifts that you will actually use. There are many functional items than can be gifted without having gender in mind (diapers, baby toiletries, carrier, high chair, stroller, car seat, bottles, pacifiers, baby-proofing supplies, possibly nursery decor, and even some clothing!). Without even thinking about it, most people want to buy "cute" gifts, which usually involve the pink or blue categorization.

4. Inclusive planning
Many people think they have to know their baby's sex in order to decorate the nursery (which will undoubtedly include pink or blue as the base color), but what about an animal theme? A storybook theme? Or classic but neutral color schemes (gray or white can be paired with pretty much any color)? Liana's nursery was a Studio Ghibli theme and although we knew we were expecting a girl, it would have been perfect for either a boy or a girl. The same mentality goes for picking out your child's first toys or clothing. Their world will be crowded with pink or blue as soon as the word gets out, so why not provide them with other stimulating colors from the start?

5. Maintaining one surprise for BTDT parents
All pregnancies are different, and each has the possibility to surprise you when you least expect it. But as a "been there done that" (BDTD) mum who has only been through one pregnancy, I am still finding the whole process a bit "stale". I feel very prepared for the changes my body is going through and I know what to expect at each prenatal appointment. My baby's sex is the main aspect that is still a surprise (other than the birthing experience, because who really knows when that will be or what will happen!). To maintain the excitement of my tiny soon-to-be addition to the family, I am letting the "boy or girl?" question remain a mystery for now.


6. Endless possibilities
We are currently taking a time out with the baby naming game. I have written many little lists of [girl and boy] names that I like, but I know it is hard for Ashton to comment on them because he knows the baby's sex and doesn't want to ruin the surprise for me. However, I have been having a quite a bit of fun creating inclusive lists of names, since I don't have the limit of imagining our little one with a specific gender just yet. We could be having a little 'Marlow' or a tiny 'Charlotte'. In my mind, the possibilities are endless!

Maintaining the surprise until birth isn't for everyone. I honestly don't think I could have gone team green during my first pregnancy. I REALLY wanted a daughter, so I elected to find out whether we'd have a boy or girl as soon as I possible. But this time, I don't have as strong of a preference. I'd love for Liana to have a sister that she can share all of her secrets with. I'd also love to have the experience of mothering a son. I can't say for sure if I will definitely wait until delivery to find out, but as for family and friends, they'll have to wait until they visit in the hospital to see whether baby's first hat is pink or blue!

Good morning! Liana is eating a snack so I thought I throw together another blog post before she's up running around again.

I am twenty weeks pregnant today, and already half way to labor and delivery! My pregnancy seems to be flying by because we've only recently gone public, but it also seems like such a long time until we get to meet our new little one. I am both scared and excited. Will I enjoy being a mother of two (under two)? It will be hard, but I know I will get the hang of it. Liana was a pretty chill newborn, so maybe this baby will be too. And eventually they will play together and I will watch as Liana teaches her new sibling everything she knows. I'll watch them play, laugh, fight, and cry together. And I will love the heck out of them along the way. Will I be able to focus my attention equally among them? Realistically, probably not. I can try my hardest, but it might not be necessary. Newborns sleep quite a bit so I imagine I'll have plenty of time to spend with Liana at that stage. I also imagine Liana pulling her rank as diva and demanding the attention be on her at times. I'm not exactly looking forward to that stage, but I won't fight the inevitable.
I have had such an odd array of cravings this time around. Last time my first craving was [bread and butter] pickles and lots of cake and ice cream. This time it's been completely random. And when a craving comes on, I desperately want the taste in my mouth as soon as possible. I went through a 'no chocolate' phase, and didn't want a single thing that had chocolate in it. Right now it is the complete opposite. I wake up every morning wishing I can a chocolate bar to munch on for breakfast! I've made chocolate muffins, a 'brownie in a mug', hot chocolate in the morning to bring to work, chocolate milk, and dark chocolate chip waffles. As I type this I'm remembering that I've used all of the cocoa powder and am contemplating a trip to the supermarket later. Besides chocolate, I've also craved homefries, cake, starbursts, french fries, cake, hummus, berries, peanut butter, cake..... well you get the picture.


When I was pregnant with Liana, I had gained 8 1/2 pounds by 20 weeks. As of today, I've gained about 3 pounds. However, after having Liana, I never returned to my pre-pregnancy weight; I kept about 10 pounds on me. And just because I've only gained 3 pounds, that doesn't mean I don't have the roundest little belly already. It is much bigger than it was at 20 weeks last time, and the baby is already measuring bigger as well. I'm expecting to gain about the same amount as last time (I'm really trying to to go overboard with the cake!).

I've had a few other pesky symptoms, my first being food aversions. I had been having a grilled veggie wrap almost daily for lunch at work for over a week straight. Then one day I just couldn't eat it. I took a bite and had to force myself to swallow it. It was the exact same wrap I had been enjoying all along, but suddenly the smell made me want to vomit.

Next, some sneaky acne decided to pop up in clusters around my chin and jaw line. That was lovely.

I've also had fairly awful round ligament pains. There was a week where I couldn't walk without limping, and I couldn't carry Liana without wincing in pain. I had to sit down to put on pants and shoes. I felt like something underneath my belly was tearing a part. I talked to my doctor about it and eventually (and thankfully) it subsided. Now I only get little twinges once in a while.

I never had allergies until I was pregnant with Liana. I never realized how good I had it. And they're ten times worse during pregnancy. I've been taking allergy pills almost every single day since I became pregnant. And I still have a terrible stuffy nose, sneezing fits, and itchy and watery eyes. Gross!

And a good night's sleep... what's that? I wake almost nightly to move my belly every time I want to roll over. I tend to fall asleep while Ashton is watching tv or playing a video game, and if I happen to wake up in the night and the tv is off I usually have a difficult time falling back asleep.

Yes, we did find out the sex of the baby... or should I say, Ashton found out. He really wanted to know (he says he has 'planning' to do), but I wasn't sure I wanted to know just yet. This will probably be my last child, and the last time I find out the sex of a baby I am carrying. I'm just not ready to give that moment up so easily.

However, I will admit that with only one of us knowing the baby's sex, it really throws off our name game. I am constantly searching for names and making lists, but Ashton doesn't quite like many (or any) of the names that I have chosen. He is also having a hard time coming up with and suggesting names because he knows whether to look for only boy or only girl names, and doesn't want to reveal the secret (although I do have my suspicions!).


Stay tuned for my 5 month pregnancy update in two weeks!

You can read my 20 week update from my pregnancy with Liana by clicking [here].

 
Liana had her six month birthday last week! Her growth and development have been absolutely incredible. Baby girl is sporting her two front bottom teeth like it's no ones business, and a THIRD tooth just broke through as well! (Am I the only one who finds it weird that she has three bottom teeth but no top teeth?) We've been experimenting with solid foods and so far she seems to enjoy avocado, peas, strawberries, and apples. I gave her a black bean once as well and she gobbled that right up. This weekend I decided to give her some veggie rice rusks and she took to them in seconds. Although it was her first food that she had to "chew" to eat, she put it in her mouth and bit it straight away! She hasn't liked banana the first 3-4 times she tried it, but we're going to try again before ruling it out.


Liana is has been sitting up completely unassisted for several weeks now and occasionally lifts herself up to her hands and knees for a few seconds, but has yet to get the hang of crawling. In fact, when she tries really hard, she only moves herself backwards. A few times she has gripped the floor and pulled herself forward (with the rest of her body lying flat on the floor) to move. She still sleeps well through the night and occasionally tells herself a story and puts herself to sleep at night if we lay her down when she shows signs of being tired. She's reacts to her feet, spine and back of her neck being tickled. She smiles and kicks when she sees Ashton or I walk into the room. Her overall mood is generally very happy and bouncy. She laughs, kicks, squeals and blows bubbles all day long. She is obsessed with all technology and anything that lights up. Her Taggie Puppy is her new favorite toy when I add in the sound effects.


I have been waiting to post this update until Liana had her six month appointment with her pediatrician so I can include her weight and other info. Little one is now a whopping 16.3 pounds! I checked out her growth chart and she is right on the 50th percentile with her weight, slightly under the average with her length (25 1/4 inches) and slightly over average with her head circumference (16 inches). So I've been joking saying she is a shorty with a big head!


After playing with Liana for a few moments (having her stand up holding her hands and observing the way she grasps objects), our pediatrician said not to be surprised if Liana starts grabbing furniture to pull herself up onto her feet and developing her "pincer" grasp (picking things up with just her fingers instead of her whole hand) very soon. My little sprout is just growing up so fast!!

Today I would like to share with my fellow bloggers a unique opportunity for your blog this holiday season. I have got myself all signed up and invite you to join me in participating in the 2014 Holiday Gift Guide!

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