I had to do it: I was waiting to use yarn as a size comparison. 🙂 Baby Kiel is finally the length of a skein of yarn! Or 11.5″ long (8″ from crown to rump). He or she also weighs about 1.25 lbs now.

It took me awhile to find something the right size for this week, haha! One website said that the baby was the size of a small doll, so I decided to measure some stuffed animals I still have. Does anyone even know what this brand of stuffed animal is? 🙂 I’ve had it for as long as I can remember if that gives you a hint.

Anyway… Baby Kiel is about 11″ long from head to heel and weighs about 1 pound!

How far along: 22 weeks

Gender: We don’t know

Weight gain: 6 lbs
Symptoms: Back pain, headaches, & nasal congestion are the main ones. I still haven’t decided if the congestion is pregnancy-related or just a cold.

Maternity clothes: Yep!

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: in

Sleep: So-so… I fall asleep pretty easily, but I wake up really congested. Several kids at work have had very runny noses, so I’m not surprised if I caught a bug. I’m also getting used to sleeping with my Snoogle. I’m starting to think that I’m so much a creature of habit who hates change, that I had to get myself accustomed to sleeping with an extra pillow! If I don’t use the Snoogle, I tuck a small pillow between my knees when I sleep to help with my hip pain.

Best moments this week: Hearing Baby Kiel at my appointment on Tuesday! Heartbeat was 147 again. The doctor said Baby is more on the right side of my uterus, so I hope I don’t look lopsided, haha. That’s where Baby was hanging out at my ultrasound too. My other best moment was Andrew feeling the baby move!
Miss anything: Not really
Movement: Yes, although I’m still impatiently waiting for Andrew to feel it! Update: Andrew finally felt the baby moving! Just a little bit, but he did feel something. 🙂
Cravings: Carbs all the time! Pasta, muffins, doughnuts, bagels…I’m amazed I haven’t gained a ton lately. Still loving frozen fruit bars too.
Looking forward to: Scotland next week!

Baby & me at 22 weeks:

Now that we’re past the point when most people find out the gender of their baby, people are always asking what we’re having. And most people are pretty surprised that we are choosing not to find out. But we still get plenty of people making guesses for us! I haven’t been keeping track, but I think people are pretty split 50/50 on their predictions so far.

Just for fun, I thought I would do a post on gender predictions from old wives’ tales. Some people swear that some of these are accurate, but I guess we’ll see how many are true for me come November!

1. Chinese Gender Predictor
This one looks at how old the mother is at conception as well as the month that the baby is conceived. According to this:

2. Mayan Gender Predictor
According to this one, if the mother’s age at conception and the year of conception are both odd or even, it’s a girl. If one is odd and one is even, it’s a boy. I was 28 at conception and the year was 2014, so this says:

3. Morning Sickness
This one says that if you are sick in the first trimester of pregnancy, that you are having a girl. Supposedly, the additional female hormones upset Mommy’s tummy! So for this one:

4. Heartbeat Theory
Some people really do swear by this one! The theory states that if your baby’s heartbeat is above 140, you are having a girl, and if it’s below 140, it’s a boy. So far the heartbeat theory says:

5. Baking Soda Test
I’m not really sure the “science” behind this one, but if the mother’s urine fizzes when mixed with baking soda, it’s a boy. No fizzing? It’s a girl. According to this one:

6. Salt or Sweet?
Apparently, if the mother-to-be craves sweet things, she’s having a girl. And if she’s craving more salty or sour things, it will be a boy. I’d say I haven’t deviated from normal much: I still don’t have much of a sweet tooth.

7. Wedding Ring Test
I actually talked Andrew into doing this one with me, haha! So you tie your wedding ring on a strand of hair (or string) and hold it over the pregnant belly. If it moves side to side, it’s a girl, and if it moves in a circle, it’s a boy. Although my ring did a little of both, it finally settled on side to side:

8. Extra Weight Theory
According to this theory, if you are carrying all the extra weight in the belly area, it’s a boy. But if you’ve expanded in the hips/thighs as well, it’s a girl. We’re only halfway through, but so far:

9. Leg Hair Theory
So if your leg hair is growing faster, you’re having a boy. It’s a girl if it’s the same as before pregnancy. In my opinion:

10. Carrying High or Low
This seems to be one of the most common old wives’ tales I’ve heard: if you are carrying the baby high, it will be a girl. A lower belly means it’s a boy. I honestly can’t tell if I’m carrying high or low, but a few people have said I look like I’m carrying high:

I stuck with 10 since it was a nice easy number. But according to a few old wives’ tales and ancient calendars… Baby Kiel will be a girl! Unless you ask Andrew, of course. 🙂

I will have to come back and see if anything changes (like how I’m carrying or the weight gain one) further on in pregnancy. Have any of you found certain old wives’ tales to be accurate in predicting your child’s gender?

So what do YOU think? 🙂