boy or girl?

we went in for our "big" gender reveal ultrasound today.. 
and i'm excited to announce we're having a............................................ ? 
you see, baby decided to be shy and not reveal his/her gender. boo! it was like waking up on christmas without presents. okay so i'm being a bit dramatic. our baby is-so far-completely healthy, and really, that's what matters! 


so since science can't tell me what i'm having, i've decided to look into every old wives tale there is (pretty much equivalent to scientific evidence, right?) all of the italian women have said they think i'm having a boy, because, according to an italian old wives tale, if the woman is having a girl she isn't pretty during the pregnancy- as she is passing on the beauty to her daughter. interesting, but how do you tell a pregnant woman it looks as if she's having a girl, especially now, since it seems my feelings are currently made of glass, i would be totally insulted...


so let's see what we're having...

Sleep Position

Pay attention to which way you lay down in bed tonight. If you prefer sleeping on your left side, you’ll have a boy. Right side? You’re pregnant with a girl.

boy

Upset Stomach

Little girls aren’t always sweet. Extreme nausea means you are having a daughter.

girl

Soft or Dry Hands

If your hands are dry during pregnancy, you are having a boy; soft—expect a girl.

girl

Food Cravings

Your favorite pregnancy foods may tell you what sex the baby is. If you’re craving citrus while pregnant, you’re having a girl.

girl

Adult Acne
If altering hormones makes your skin break out, expect a girl.
boy

Graceful or Clumsy PregnancyIf you feel as though you’re gliding through they day, you’ll have a girl. Stumbling? It’s a boy.

boy

Face Weight Gain

If your face gets fuller, it means you’re having a girl.

boy

Sugar and Spice Food Cravings

Craving salt during pregnancy? Potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn means a boy is on the way. Need a little something sweet? Ice cream, chocolate, and candy means you’re having a girl.

boy

Mood Changes

If you’re experiencing pregnant mood-swings, expect a baby girl to arrive soon.

girl

High or Low Pregnant Belly

If you’re carrying the baby low on your stomach, expect a boy. If it’s high, you’re having a girl.

girl

Baby Weight

If you’re carrying baby in front, it’s a boy. Is the baby weight spaced all around your middle? It’s a girl.

boy

Model Your Hands

“Show me your hands.” If you would hold your hands palms up it’s a girl. Down? You’re having a boy.

girl

Key to PregnancyIf you pick up a key by the round end, you’re having a boy. If it’s by the long end? A girl. 

girl

Even and Odd NumbersIf your age and year of conception are both even or odd, it’s girl. One even, one odd means a boy.
boy

Baby’s HeartbeatIf the baby’s heart beats more than 150 times per minute, you’re pregnant with a girl. Less than 150, it’s a boy.
boy

Stress Test

A child tends to be of the same sex as the parent who is less stressed at the time of conception

boy

Dream MeaningsIf you dream about having a girl while pregnant, you will wind up having a boy and vice versa.

boy

totals...

Boy-10

Girl-7

well we've another month until our next ultrasound to confirm or negate the mythological evidence.. 


can't wait to find out what our little papaya is!!

what i'm loving this week (nyc edition)

visitors! one of the few pics i got of my parents visit. (little bro not included)

andy and i stumbled upon the pigeon headquarters in chinatown... score.

ground zero memorial, it's so well done. 

 chinese dragon seat, for point 2 seconds, until andy pointed out it was probably insulting chinese people... womp womp

candle (pack) of the week. i swear this blog has turned into 80% candle reviews ever since i've gotten pregnant.

husband of the year

for our 2nd anniversary andy gave me this locket that he picked out from one of our favorite shops in williamsburg, BK called brooklyn charm. the charms he picked out to go with the locket (the little new york state and the number 2) are just perfect. i love having sentimental pieces that he's given me... remember this?

using rit dye

every time i'm at the craft store, the rit fabric dye catches my eye. i even started a pile of clothing that could use a color change. i have to say, i love it! using different combinations you can create almost any color. i kept it simple, using one color since this was my first use. 

check out my before and after. on the left, are a pair of american apparel nude leggings, someone gave them to me because they "made them look naked," turns out, they make everyone look naked. i would have tossed them, but i love the thickness/feel of them. on the right is a white button down that had light stains on it. 

i used the colors black and fuchsia and tried my best to decipher the directions... here's my interpretation:

i then washed each item on separate cycles in the washing machine on cold. i can't wait to use this on other items in my closet, provided the dye actually stays on the garments... i'll keep you posted!

a laugh for your Thursday

if you haven't already seen this, it's an oldie but a goodie, honey boo boo child. 

thrift store haul

i've had an itch for some serious bargain hunting recently, and in nyc there aren't a ton of options. although i'm not denying there's a ton of shopping, the best bargain stores aren't here. i've blogged about crossroads trading before, and sure there's buffalo trading, but they're overpriced. even the thrift stores are completely picked over from people buying for themselves, or to re-sell at ridiculous prices.

so i'm sharing my little secret with you. i found this chain of thrift stores in long island that i'm in love with. if you have a car, you have to go! there are 2 within a few miles of each other and it was the best shopping haul i've had in a while.

check out a handful of the goods i snagged...

1.old navy beaded cardigan- $4.99

2.banana republic polka dot pleated button down- $6.99

3.banana republic crew neck sweater- $4.99

4.forever 21 blouse- $5.99

5.loft sweater- $4.99

6.gap tank top-$3.99

btw if you live in the nyc area and know of some good bargain stores, hook a sista up.

my first applique

growing up, my mom would give personalized name/initial towels as gifts for every occasion. the initial prototype was made of puff paint, but eventually it progressed to applique. seriously, if you knew me between the ages of 7-18 and i was at your birthday party or graduation party, you probably possess one of these treasures,

my mom even embroidered all of our wedding registry towels. so, when i hung newly purchased towels on our towel rack, sans any initials, i knew i had to take matters into my own hands. 

i present to you my first applique attempt, i made an "A" one for andy too, but it's not pictured.

what's on my kindle?

i love a good book recommendation, so if you have one please share the wealth!

just finished: 

the help- the book was so much better than the movie!

blue like jazz- in the process of becoming a movie, an honest and funny memoir of one man's christian journey

hunger games- #obsessed, like most people who start the series

where is God when it hurts- a good book that covers all the different aspects of pain in our lives from the scientific to the theological. a good "holy hour" or prayer time book.

currently reading: 

hunger games sequel catching fire- obviously, nervous though, everyone's said the third book doesn't end the series well :-/

the ragamuffin gospel- my prayer time read, you won't get through a page before your highlighter comes out. no matter where you are in your relationship with God, this book is a little gold nugget. if you think you have everything together, this book isn't for you. "my deepest awareness of myself is that i am deeply loved by Jesus Christ, and i have done nothing to earn or deserve it."- manning

catholicism- funny story about this book, i love father robert barron! i think it's because i see a ton of resemblances between him and my favorite priest ever, bishop fulton sheen. andy knows this, and happened to go to daily mass at st. patrick's cathedral in the city when fr. barron was celebrating mass. so he bought a copy of his book in the bookstore and had him sign it for me... le sigh. i was equal parts jealous and thrilled when he gave it to me. annnnnywwaay this book is excerpts from the catholicism project. although i haven't seen the series yet i can't wait to get my hand on a copy! check out  trailer i linked up if you have no idea what i'm talking about.

on deck:

kite runner

a thousand splendid suns

bringing up bebe

belly laughs

ethnically confused

every once and a while andy asks me what i am (nationality wise), recently he suggested we need the full breakdown "so that our kids know what they are." i finally settled the issue by calling my parents and getting the breakdown. he loves to boast that he's only 3 things,.. it's the curse/blessing of growing up in the midwest, we're mostly mutts. it's not like growing up on the east coast, where immigrants settled in areas with other ethnically similar people, and then coincidently had kids with people of the same nationality. new york is still that way today (to an extent). i don't think, before living here, i'd asked anyone what their nationality was, and they'd answered with one word.

source

so here's the breakdown of what our kids will be, it's only 9 things to memorize. it looks like a complicated recipe, but isn't it that the best recipes have more ingredients?

from my dad:

15/64 french

1/64 cree indian

1/16 german

1/16 bohemian (czech)

from my mom:

1/8 swedish

1/16 irish

1/16 polish

from andy's mom:

1/8 german

1/8 finnish

from andy's dad:

1/4 slovakian

what i'm loving this week

a round up of a few things i'm loving this week..

barbie pink toes from sinful colors. i'm obviously daydreaming of summer, i can't wait for the beach!

magazine holders from the dollar bin at target

no i'm not loving pictures of andy at our computer, pretending like he doesn't know i'm there, while i take a picture. i'm loving the fact that my balloon from valentine's day is still afloat. 

 nathan's cheese fries, and homemade stackable bracelets, that actually fit my freakishly skinny wrists. (beads are 50% off at michael's this week)

 chevron!- in particular this necklace from f21

 hair chalking! have you been inspired by those pics floating around of lauren conrad's multi-colored ends? well let me just tell you, crazy hair colors fade SO quickly, you'd be lucky to keep the vibrancy for a week (depending on how much you wash your hair). if you've wanted to try some different colors, without any permanency, try hair chalking! kandee johnson has an awesome video tutorial.

kony 2012

no matter your political stance we must all agree, kony 2012

watch this video!and then support the kony 2012 cause, trust me, you'll want to.

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

DIY shamrock garland

girl, you know i love a holiday theme garland. so when i saw this tutorial for a shamrock garland i decided to do my own little version. the best part about this DIY? you've another use for that heart punch from valentine's day!

what you need:

glue gun

heart shaped hole punch

directions:

each shamrock needs 3 hearts and a stem. because my heart punch was so small, i decided to glue the shamrock together (rather than use brads which is what the original DIY called for).  bending the leaves vertically in the center helps to add a bid of dimension to the garland. finally, i sewed the shamrocks together. (if you want a no sew tutorial, check out the link from the beginning of this post)

i've never looked forward to st. patrick's day as much as i do this year. probably because: 1. my parents and little brother are visiting little old me. 2. we managed to snag tickets to the broadway show "how to succeed in business without really trying."joe jonas, the teenage heartthrob himself, is the lead now. maybe i'll bring a copy of my tiger beat for him to sign..

wishing you shamrock shakes and no pinches this march 17th.

overdue DIY

for christmas, andy and i decided that our gifts to each other would be, in part, homemade. i knew after seeing this DIY here that i had to make him his very own set of animal mason jars. (yes, i'm just getting around to blogging about christmas)

supplies:

mason jars- local produce store (or thrift store)

animal figurines- dollar store

gold spray paint

hot glue gun

i love the way they turned out, and the total cost was under $10!

if you aren't crazy about the gold covered animals, check out this different twist on the same DIY.

what i'm loving this week

banana-berry smoothies a la andy. 

boom baby... it's official! hide your kids, hide your wife

since the beginning of pregnancy i've developed an aversion to most smells. i can't even stand the smell of most foods... and smells that i didn't like pre-pregnancy make me livid now (andy's running clothes, feet, etc)

the only way i've been able to combat this nausea inducing symptom is to carry oil diffusers or lit candles with me from room to room. i then pretend like i'm living in a time period pre-electricity and shout things like- "the british are coming, the british are coming!"

after trying out a few different candle brands i have to say the home scents brand from target (with large candles for only $7.99) has made me happiest

 i miss quik trip.

for anyone who doesn't know what quik trip is, quick trip is like the cadillac of gas stations where patrons, in the summer, can purchase 32 oz. soft drinks for $.49, in an environment that is clean and friendly. chock it up to nostalgia, but i love drinking my beverage from a straw.

i'd been on the look out for a reusable tumbler for my daily water intake(no joke i went to 3 gas stations, no trip victorious) which is why when i saw this little guy at starbucks i knew he had to be my new bff.

if you've been following TOJ for a while, you know my husband works with inner-city kids. while hanging out with them one afternoon in the youth center i was offered a piece of this gum... it's my new fav. i guess this makes me cool now. 

bringing you the latest in trendy teenage gum...