Myths, old wives tales, superstitions, legends…they are all kinds of fun to read about even if they turn out not to be true.

We are 20 weeks in to the 40 weeks it will take to have our very first grandchild come into this world. Since the moment we found out our daughter-in-law was pregnant I have been waiting, not-so-patiently, to find out what the gender of this baby will be so I can finally start SHOPPING for baby stuff.

I was reading up on parenting.com and they shared a few ways that some people believe a person can predict the baby’s gender. A few of them include:

*If the mother is carrying the baby high it’s likely a girl.  Whereas if she’s carrying the baby low its likely a boy.

*Listen to the baby’s heartbeat – if it’s 140 beats per minute or higher is likely a girl. If it’s below 140 beats per minute is likely a boy.

*Mom’s craving ice cream a lot is believed to indicate a girl. Mom’s craving salty or sour indicates it’s a boy.

*Chinese birth chart uses the mother’s age at conception and the month when the baby was conceived to predict the sex.

*Have the mom pee in a cup. Mix a tablespoon of Drano in. If it’s green it’s a girl. If it’s blue it’s a boy.

*Place a key on the ground in front of the mom-to-be and ask her to pick it up. If she grabs it by the narrow part it’s a girl. If she grabs it by the round part it’s a boy.

*If the mother-to-be is breaking out really bad during the pregnancy it is believed to be a girl.

*Take off the mom-to-be’s wedding ring and tie it to a string. Have her hold it hanging in front of her belly. If it swings in a circle it’s a boy. If it goes back and forth it’s a girl.

So the real question is – do these ways of predicting the baby’s sex work? Unfortunately the experts say no – they say these are all old wives tales…the stuff of myths and legends…but hey, the good news is that even if these ways of predicting the sex of a baby are inaccurate, they still have a 50% chance of actually being right! So what the heck…you may as well try ‘em just for the fun of it!

Well tonight my waiting is over because I am happy to say that they went for the ultrasound today and we found out – IT’S A BOY!!! YEE HAW!  I’m going SHOPPING!!!!

There is something to be said for enjoying the myths, the legends, and even the old wives tales…have fun with them!

Have a great day everyone!  (and thanks for letting me share my fun news!)

~Amy Rees Anderson