The Predictions Against The Odds

When I first realized I was pregnant I had this overhwelming feeling that I was having a little boy. It looked like the odds were in our favor. If you look at Brett's family he is one of two boys and his brother has three boys. Men outnumber women on the Riggs' side so much that Brett's cousin is pregnant with her fifth boy. EVERYONE thinks or wishes that we will have a little girl and I do mean everyone. Frances, my mother in-law says she prays its a little girl. My cousins tell me they want a little girl and everyone at work predicts I am pregnant with a little girl. Brett's cousin says there is no way its a little boy.

Curiosity got the best of me in the beginning and for fun I would look at the Chinese Lunar Calendars. 80% of the time they would predict a little boy. I find myself looking at little boy stuff when I go through the baby departments but the ladies at work say I "Ooo and Ahh" over the little girl stuff. Don't get me wrong, I will love my child and be thrilled with either gender. The strange thing is, we are pretty much set on a girl name and debate on the boy name. My mother in-law's co-worker had a dream I had a little girl with a lavendar bow in her brown hair.

Now I seem to be second guessing my "overhwelming feeling" and find myself getting anxious to know the gender. The bad part is I have 7 WHOLE WEEKS to go before we find out. There is one theory that keeps me believing Tater Tot/Butterbean is a little boy... Both Lori in my office and I have been lucky enough to not have morning sickness. Lori found out she is having a little boy. We know several work associates who have been and were very sick and both were/are pregnant with girls. I have also talked to friends to see who was or was not pregnant with boys/girls and had morning sickness. Our theory is that when you are pregnant with a little boy you may not be as sick as you would be with a little girl. Now this is just a theory but I'd like some comments or experiences from any of you?

So 7 WHOLE WEEKS from now we will know if the Predictions won against the Odds... Till then Tater Tot/Butterbean will remain an "it".

My Meltdown

Well I hate to admit but I had a meltdown this morning. My clothes are beginning to not fit properly and my face is breaking out. I have never been one to have issue with my complexion or my face breaking out and now its as if at all at once my face has decided to look like the Appalachian Mountains...I'm exaggerating just a little but I feel like it does. My chest has grown dramatically and even the tops I thought I might be able to wear for a little while are now extremely snug across the chest. I have noticed that after I eat my pants seem very tight across my belly and feel very uncomfrotable. I am only 11 weeks and did not think I would have to begin my search for maternity clothes this soon but it looks like I will have to.

Confessions of a Coke & Cherry Iceeholic

Hi my name is Kayla Riggs and I am a Coke & Cherry mixed Iceeholic. Yes its true, I am addicted to the cold refreshing taste of a Large Coke & Cherry Icee. I am 10 weeks pregnant and I fear my baby may end up with a brain freeze. I crave these delicious frozen treats all day everyday.

It all began on a cold dark Tuesday night. I stopped by the mall on my way home from a long day at work never expecting a craving to hit me. As I walked by a candy store I caught a glimpse of the Icee machine's blue & red lights and that is when it all began. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved the taste of coke & cherry mixed icees but never like this.

Yesterday was the first day in over a week that I have been able to the resist the urge to stop a get icee. It was a very long a grueling night but I made it. I tried not to think about the wonderful taste or the way my throat feels as the cold frozen beverage runs down my throat.

My addiction is scary. I can tell you 5 places in town that have icee machines and I search for others. I can tell you which ones have regular cherry, wild cherry, and white cherry flavors. I can tell you which machines are out of order for the time being and the next closest machine.

Earlier this week I had to stop after work to buy groceries at Wal-Mart. As I walked in the Icee machine located in the Subway grabbed my eye. I could not wait to get all my groceries piled in my buggy, get through the check out line, and get into the Subway. When the little man behind the counter asked how he could help me I took a deep breath and requested a Large Coke & Cherry MIXED icee. (Mixed icees should have a layer of coke, a layer of cherry, a layer of coke, etc.) I watched as the little man grabbed the cup and put it under the coke dispenser. He then filled the cup up to the rim of the cup with coke icee and then moved it under the cherry disepenser and added a Drop off cherry. I am pregnant....You do not gip a pregnant woman on the cherry icee. When he sat the cup in front of me it wasn't even full to the hole opening of the lid. (A good icee conductor puts the lid on the cup before filling it so that the icee goes all the way up to the tiny hole of the lid). He gipped my of cherry and of icee which is just sooooo wrong. I looked at it, looked at him, gave an evil smile, grabbed my cup and walked out the door.

I have to say thank you to all the other knowledgable icee conductors that have served me. Thank you for filling my cup so that it runneth over for you and for know the correct way to mix an icee.

Boom...Blame it on the Economy

So there is a joke among the ladies at work about the Undeniable BABY BOOM. Apparently (according to Lori) the reason for the boom can be blamed on the Economy of all things... Everyone is trying to save money so they stay home and well, as Mojo on 104.3 likes to say, "Drinks Coffee" :) Literally, I know over a dozen couples that are expecting.

So I decided after sharing stories with one of my coworkers who is 19 weeks pregnant, hearing stories from my mother in law about one of her coworkers with who is 12 weeks, and comparing notes with a business associate who is about 25 weeks that I would share how different our pregnancies seem to be.

My coworker, Lori, and I seem to be some of the "chosen few" who have not experienced the horror of morning sickness. We both have nausea and fight our way through it but have not been SICK. Our business associate, let's call T1 and my mother in law's coworker, T2, both have had morning sickness that seemed to last all day. They both have stories that break your heart and would make anyone think twice about having a baby. I have the nausea and have to eat or feel as if I am going to be sick but never have I felt half as bad as the T's have.

My symptoms have been mild. I have to visit the little girl's room every 20 minutes, I have nausea unless I eat, I can't sleep worth a diddly right now but that's a whole 'nother posting on its own, I seem to be avoiding pastas, (Sorry Guys) my boobs seem to stay sore, and I crave Coke & Cherry Icees (yum yum)...Daily! These other ladies' symptoms are completly and totally different from mine.

Lori has just recently started visiting the little girl's room half as much as I do. She craves coffee...actual coffee not Mojo's "Coffee", that I know of. She is showing her little bump and is now wearing maternity clothes. She does not have any food that she tries to avoid. She finds out the sex of her baby next week and has not gained but a few pounds which is all baby. Her pregnancy seems even more perfect than mine.

T1's chest has filled out drastically...seriously the girl walked in our office after a few weeks and we all were like "Whoa...your boobs are huge". Her belly is poking out and is too cute. The girl is all baby too. She has started drinking milk which I can't even seem to make myself. She craves chinese food. She has entered extreme nesting faze and she and her husband are even looking at purchasing a new house.

T2 is an unsual case. When I heard her stories I couldn't help but giggle. According to my mother in law, T2 craves vanilla ice cream with A1 sauce poured over it and she satisfies this craving ALOT...ewww! She is also extremly emotional and seems to cry at the drop of a hat. I saw her a couple days ago and her belly has already started to show. T2 is only a couple weeks ahead of me. I think her symptoms are a total 180 from mine.

Now my question is... how can we all be experiencing these very different symptoms when there are only two genders? Can symptoms be a predictor of what our child will be like? If one person is sick and the other isn't does that mean one's child will be healthier than the other? How can pregnancy symptoms vary so much much from one woman from the other?

I can only pray that I continue to avoid the morning sickness and the vanilla ice cream & A1 cravings :)