It’s a…

Boy! Thirty-five percent of you were right. And, who knows, with Drew and me as parents, those of you who guessed “squirrel” may prove to be right as well.

Anyway, here’s my little secret: we’ve “known” it was a boy for over two months, if you can believe that. Way back in the first week of April when I was only about 11 or 12 weeks pregnant, I had a sonogram where, for the first time, we saw what looked like an actual baby (as opposed to the blob it looked like at the first sonogram). As soon as we saw him, we both had a feeling it was a boy. But that’s not how we “knew.” No, it was the mouthy tech person who said she could pretty well tell what we were having if we wanted to know. We hadn’t decided yet if we wanted to know, so that was a bittersweet moment for us. Because when a medical professional tells you when you’re only 11 weeks pregnant that she can tell the sex of your baby, that means there has to actually be SOMETHING there for her to see, right? Even if we had told her, “Don’t tell us!” we already had a pretty big clue. So, Drew asked if it was a boy and she said, “I think so.”

Even then, though, I wasn’t convinced she was right. I mean, 11 weeks! Most professionals won’t try to guess — at least not out loud — until a woman is at least 16 weeks along. And I did my research, too. I learned that boy and girl genitalia look identical until at least 12 weeks gestation, at which point a girl’s little nub shrinks and a boy’s grows. So how could someone make an educated guess so early? Well, the difference at, say, 11 or 12 weeks, is the “angle of the dangle” as they say. If it’s a boy, the nub sort of angles up at 30 degrees and if it’s a girl it doesn’t. Or something like that. It’s not exactly hardcore science. So, if you’ve found this post by Googling “angle of the dangle” or “gender prediction” or any of the other number of phrases I have been obsessively Googling over the last two months, do not feel like someone’s guess at 11 or 12 weeks into your pregnancy is confirmation of anything. …But! It sure seems like an educated guess at that point has a good chance of being correct.

Anyway, I bought one baby outfit when we were in Paris last month (I couldn’t resist). It’s blue. I can’t wait to see my little boy in it.

80 Comments

  1. SpaceySteph says:

    Aw yay, congrats!
    Story about baby genders: My dad is an OB-GYN, he was in internship when they got pregnant with me. My parents hadn’t even decided for sure that they wanted to know what I was going to be, but when they got an early ultrasound (pre-16 weeks, but I don’t think it was as early as 11) my dad could tell immediately because he knows what to look for. Mom said she kinda wanted to be surprised but couldn’t take him knowing and her not knowing, so he told her. After that, they never really tried to be surprised by my little sister and brother… it just wasn’t gonna happen.

    I really hope someone out there is googling “angle of the dangle” though, because thats awesome.

    Congrats again Wendy!!! 🙂

  2. melikeycheesecake says:

    Yay! I guessed right! 🙂 So happy for you and Drew! A precious baby boy!!!!

  3. silver_dragon_girl says:

    Congratulations!!!! I’m so happy for you 🙂 Which is kind of ridiculous, considering when my facebook friends announce pregnancies I’m usually pretty “meh” about it. That’s the internet for you.

  4. This is so exciting, even though you already had an inkling. Now it’s official, and you can try out saying things like “my little boy.” Eeeeeee!

  5. Congratulations, Wendy! You have one lucky little boy 🙂

  6. So now you’ll have to really buckle down and pick some boy’s names! Congratulations!

  7. Congratulations!

    You’re going to have so much fun! Your toilets might be a bit messier (although, trust me, it’s not like little girls are pristine in their bathroom habits…), and you might face a little more destruction (again… not night-and-day – my youngest lit paper on fire on the stove when she was 18 months old, sprayed a whole bottle of WD-40 down some stairs when she was 2, and so on). But… the drama is far less. Like *this* (holds two fingers very close together) compared to *that* (points at Jupiter).

    And you’re much likelier to be able to buy toy robots that they’ll actually be excited to play with. However, that might be less of a concern for you than it was for me.

    1. SpaceySteph says:

      Haha I always said I want boys. So much easier. Illustration:
      When I was younger my cousin had her big fancy Bat Mitzvah (my cousins are richer and fancier and way more into status than my family so it was a rather lavish event) and my mom, sister, and I went shopping for dresses. After about 6 hours at the mall, 2/3 of us had dresses we were ok about, my sister still couldn’t find one that worked. Then my mom went to the boys section, bought a suit for my brother, the end. His suit fit perfectly, my dress had to be taken up and taken in around the boobs, and my sister ended up wearing one of my old dresses because she never found one.
      Boys are just… easier. I wouldn’t wish a teenage girl on my worst enemy.

      1. Let me know if your opinion changes or if your enemies worsen. In seven years and a week, I’ll have two teenage girls. I’d be willing to lease them out for very low rates, but you’d be responsible for any damage caused.

      2. SpaceySteph says:

        Are we talking about psychological damage or the physical kind? Cuz I might have someone to target, as long as emotional scars are ok. When I give them back, they won’t have a scratch on them!

      3. Just to be clear: I meant damage caused by my hormonally-rampaging teenage daughters. I’m not concerned about damage to them unless your enemies are polar bear packs. And then, only a little.

        Remember, the one almost set the house on fire when she was a year and a half old. She was actually putting after some had started to burn. And this was when I’d done nothing other than walked over to let the dog back in. Less than a minute. I’m not worried about her, at least, getting hurt.

      4. Skyblossom says:

        So funny! Toddlers can get themselves into trouble in the blink of an eye. I have so many friends who have had to put deadbolts on their doors just to keep their toddler sons in the house so they don’t get lost outside.

        When my son was two we were baking dinner and the kitchen was filling with smoke. Everything in the oven was fine and we couldn’t find a fire and were ready to call the fire department thinking we had a fire in the wall when our son asked if it could be the ball in the broiler. Why yes it could be! We opened the broiler (under the oven) and there was a half melted rubber ball smoking. At least he saved us an embarrassing call to the fire department. Then he was upset because we couldn’t fix the ball.

      5. honeybeenicki says:

        My stepdaughter is a teenager already, but up until it hasn’t really shown. There was a bit here and there, but now its full blown teenage terror.

    2. Well, I have to admit: I’ve always wanted a little girl (still do!), but I’m well aware that boys (usually) come with much less drama. And they love their mamas! The toy robots may take more getting used to than, say, Raggedy Ann dolls, but I’m totally up for it and very, very excited about it all.

      1. I could not possibly adore my girls any more. They’re the joy of my life. Unless you stop at one – totally fine if you do – you still could have a girl (or a few of them) as well!

        That said, Great Deities, my ten-year-old is already getting moody. They’re five years apart, and that means I’ll have a nice continuous decade of hormonal moodiness. That’s just awesome.

        I’m going to be buying a toy robot for myself soon, just to have something to play with in the treehouse I’m going to build in the top of the 100′ tree in my back yard. I’ll head up there this summer and come back down in 2025 or so. I’ll have WiFi, though, so I’ll still post.

        Girls are amazing. But they’re also a bit scary. I’m so glad they tend to love their daddies, because that might be the only thing that causes my life to be spared some days.

      2. RoyalEagle0408 says:

        I wanted you to know I missed my stop on the bus and had to get off at a later stop in a thunderstorm without an umbrella (forgot it this morning) because I was too busy laughing to myself about the thought of you sitting in a treehouse with a toy robot and a laptop.

      3. Coming from the mother of two boys, boys are LOVE BUGS! I get kisses & hugs all day long! They are definitely crazy, but I’m reminded each day what blessings they are. Congratulations to you & Drew :o)

      4. I have both sexes, Wendy, and they each have their own sets of rewards and challenges!!!

        Congratulations on your baby boy!!

      5. Skyblossom says:

        I have both and although they are different they’re both wonderful. The thing that makes them special is that they’re yours and look like you and your husband and soemtimes you even see your personality and it can all take your breath away. Sometimes my daughter has looked so much like me that when I looked at her it was like looking in a mirror and I would be stunned. Sometimes she does something with her mouth that looks exactly like my grandmother whom she never met so she couldn’t just be imitating her. She has her dad’s personality and sometimes it makes us giggle because she is so like him. Our son looks like me and yet he looks like his paternal grandfather did at the same age. It is so cool that he could look like both families at the same time. He has my personality and that can sometimes make us giggle too.

    3. Painted_lady says:

      Eh, I think it depends on the kid. My mom says I was so laid-back (even as a teen, though I was an overachiever so there was some major stress), and then with my brother it was like living in a soap opera. He had a new girlfriend every other week he was SO IN LOVE WITH and friends who were SO MEAN TO HIM and there were tears and sackcloth and gnashing of teeth and NO ONE UNDERSTANDS WHAT I’M GOING THROUGH.

      But then my boyfriend’s mom says when she found out she was having a third boy (him), she was terrified because the living room furniture could not handle any more fires, beatings by large toys, or wrestling matches. And then he ended up being pretty similiar to me – laid-back, good-natured, more into reading and drawing than cars and trucks (or Barbies in my case).

      So I think it just depends on the kid. Maybe you’ll get another little writer, Wendy!

      1. Maybe! I’d be happy if he takes after Drew who, by all accounts, was a very good-natured, shy, creative type who spent his time drawing pictures and making up stories. I, on the other hand, was a bit of an attention-hound who had a tendency to be overly dramatic. Obviously, he and I have swapped places as adults…

    4. My sister (that has 2 girls and one boy) swore by the “Wee Man” when toilet training my nephew, I’ve got 2 daughters and we’ve closed the baby factory, so I haven’t had experience. I know the ping pong ball in the toilet helps, too!!!
      (for those interested)

  8. Congrats! That’s so exciting! I don’t think I would have been able to resist buying tons of adorable French baby outfits (heck, my boyfriend has a baby nephew and a 1 year old goddaughter, and every time we’re in a Target or Gap store, I drag him around the baby section and make him buy them cute outfits, so I can’t imagine what I’ll be like once I’m pregnant myself).

  9. Congrats Wendy and Drew! Wish all three of you all the best!!!

  10. CONGRATS!!! I chose boy too! I had a feeling. So happy for you guys!

  11. Yayyyy! Wendy I’m so happy for you!!! Congratulations! I guessed boy, even though I was hoping it would be a girl… but no matter! Your boy will be absolutely precious! I can’t wait til you tell us his name!

  12. Elizabeth says:

    Yay! Congrats. Oo Ooo now can we start the name game?

    On a slightly funny/creepy note: when my mom was looking for baby names, she and her sister would visit graveyards and write down all the interesting ones they came across.

    1. silver_dragon_girl says:

      I love that! I don’t think it’s creepy at all. I would love knowing that someone was looking at my headstone after I was long forgotten by everyone 🙂

      1. Elizabeth says:

        they made some rubbings on the old limestone ones to try and see what they said. I thought it was pretty cool, but that could be just me because I’m not really weirded out by cemeteries. We (honest to goodness) used to picnic in old country ones (not ON the graves of course, we had some respect).

      2. Britannia says:

        I think it’s a really cool way to find a good name… a lot of really cool, old-school names have slipped out of the public conscious… I’m hoping to go the traditional route when I have a baby, with a name no one hears anymore, like Henry 🙂

    2. I did that in college when I lived across the street from a cemetery. My favorite name was “Levi Funk.” Yes, Levi is a name contender…

      1. You’d never be able to dress him up. All of his pants would be Levi’s.

      2. Wah-wah.

      3. I work with a guy name Levis… but it’s pronounced like Levey.

      4. Elizabeth says:

        hahah that’s awesome. Levi Funk.

        Britannia, i like “henry.” I want to name my future daughter Amelia, which is a family name. my sister has an old school name: margaret beatrice. both family names. I also like the name theodore. and eleanor. i used to babysit some kids ith those names. too precious

      5. Elizabeth says:

        hahah that’s awesome. Levi Funk.

        Britannia, i like “henry.” I want to name my future daughter Amelia, which is a family name. my sister has an old school name: margaret beatrice. both family names. I also like the name theodore. and eleanor. i used to babysit some kids ith those names. too precious

  13. Rachelgrace53 says:

    Awww yay! I knew it was a boy!! Though I barely resisted voting squirrel…

  14. WatersEdge says:

    Ah. I voted girl. Congrats and mazel tov! I want girls so badly, but a psychic whose predictions about everything else have come true so far says my first two will definitely be boys… if I decide to have a 3rd, that one has a chance of being a girl. Boo.

  15. Congratulatioooons!!!! n_n

  16. LolaBeans says:

    awwww Congratulations Wendy!!!
    I am so so so happy for you and Drew!!!!!

  17. Wow. Congrats! All I can say is I hope he gets your hair and your snark… he’ll be perfectly fine with everything else!

  18. ReginaRey says:

    YAYY!!! I knew there was no way you’d be having a girl!! So happy for you guys.

    P.S. I made a list yesterday of all my celebrity baby predictions, since I’ve been right about a bunch lately (and Wendy!), so we’ll see how psychic I turn out to be 😉

    1. LOL what did you guess for Natalie Portman and January Jones? I’m borderline in love with both of them :/

      1. ReginaRey says:

        Natalie Portman – Absolutely a boy. January Jones – Boy as well. Kate Hudson is having a girl.

      2. Those are my guesses too!

      3. ReginaRey says:

        No way! I’ll be sure to share my whole list after they all give birth…if we’re both scarily right, maybe a trip to Vegas is in order…:-)

      4. Addie Pray says:

        I have a skill for guessing wrong each time, but not being clever enough to voice the opposite of what I predict so I’ll get it right. Basically, I’m not going to Vegas with you.

      5. SpaceySteph says:

        I have this same (lack of) skill with lines. For checkout at the grocery store or to get movie tickets or whatever… I always pick the line where the lady at the front is trying to buy $300 in groceries with nickels or something ridiculous. Yesterday I was behind a girl who forgot the PIN to her check card and started rifling through her bag for enough cash to buy her stuff. These things only happen in front of me.
        But I am paralyzed by indecision. My gut sends me to one line and if I were to say “ok I know this is the wrong line” I can’t choose from the other 5 open lanes which new one to go stand in. So I just stay and wait.

      6. Addie Pray says:

        Me too! If I’m in a line, it will be the long one. Also – but this is not really related – if I’m in a cab, we will hit every single red light. But I found a way to ensure you get all green lights: I put make-up on in the cab. The cab will NEVER hit a red light that way, so I’ll never have an opportunity to put on that eyeliner/mascara/etc., and I’ll show up to work without any make-up on. Sometimes when I’m in a cab but don’t need to re-apply make-up, I’ll pull out a mascara just to make sure the lights all stay green. … Works every time.

      7. Lexington says:

        Definitely my guess. I totally guessed right for Wendy too 😀

  19. Thanks, everyone! So fun to share the news with you. Drew and I are both very excited.

  20. Congrats!!! 11 weeks really is amazingly early, with my 1st we didn’t know it was a girl until 26 weeks (no doctor wanted to guess), with my 2nd we were told girl at 15 weeks, and everyone was sayin to wait a bit more just to be sure!!!!
    The shopping is the best part, make sure to buy several different sizes, just in case! Neither of my daughters fit into newborn clothes (and better to be safe than sorry!)

  21. GertietheDino says:

    Congrats! A sweet baby boy. Oh. So. Cute!

  22. Painted_lady says:

    Congrats! I guessed girl, but then, if there are psychics, I’m whatever the opposite of psychics are.

    Seriously, actually – I have two friends who are really into the occult, and they drag me along because, according to them, if psychic energy were like electricity, I would be like concrete.

  23. Congrats! My mom is convinced I’m having a boy. At our 14 week ultrasound, the doctor got a “good look” and was confident it’s going to be a girl (so an early guess doesn’t always mean the guess is boy). My mom is still convinced it’s a boy, so we will see. I have my official ultrasound in another 3-4 weeks, so we will see if it agrees with the last doctor.

  24. Congratulations! I have two little boys myself. You will love being the mother of a baby boy!

  25. Lexington says:

    Congrats! I’m so excited for you! 😀

  26. Oh, hooray, a boy! Congratulations to you all. He’ll be swell. Now, I’d like to see you all adorably pregnant, please!

  27. Congrats, Wendy! My friend, who just had triplets, didn’t want to know the sex of her babies either. But the ultra-sound technician let it slip when she said something like she couldn’t believe it. My friend was like, can’t believe what?! Thinking that something might be wrong. The technician then had to tell her she was having three of the same, which is really rare. My friend waited a week or so before breaking down and asking what the gender was – how could you not?! The response – three girls! So I guess it was good that they found out in advance or at least one of the babies would be stuck wearing blue for a while. 🙂

  28. Congratulations!! I love ginger boys. I think they’re the cutest little lovables in the world.

  29. Wendy – one other thing I’ve been meaning to ask is does Drew have red-headed genes on his side of the family? Both my husband and I have red hair and are quite excited about having a (small) army of red-headed kids :).

    1. Aw, so cute! Redheaded couples are such a rare thing.
      To my knowledge, Drew doesn’t have red hair in his genes, but if he lets his facial stubble grow a little, there’s usually a bit of red in it, so who knows! Both my parents were/are (with help now) dark-brown brunettes and they had two redheads, so you really never know what you’re gonna get.

      1. I was a complete surprise to my family (both dark brown brunettes as well). But, my parents were able to trace it back once I came out. It was my great grand-father on one side and great-great grandmother on the other side. I apparently have a distant cousin somewhere with red hair as well, but it had to travel down many generations to show up in me. Does Drew have any relatives (that he knows of) with red hair? You need it to be on both sides of the family, but because it’s recessive, it can be passed down over many generations without showing up. I didn’t specificially choose my husband for his red hair, but I have always wanted red-headed kids….

        When I was little everyone used to ask “where does she get her red hair from” and as a joke my dad would say “from the single red-headed guy who lives across the street.” Now, it’s true that kids will repeat everything you don’t want them to (and at inappropriate times), so when I started telling people this (which I actually believed – I didn’t know better) we had to have a talk…

      2. Funny! I got asked the same question all the time as a kid too. I told people I got my red hair at the store…

      3. hah! dads can be so funny

      4. Hey, speaking of Red Hair. And prince harry. and his paternity. Whats that about? Its funny people barely talk about it but prince harry looks, um an awful lot like the red haired man princess diana was supposedly having an affair with. Is there red hair in the windsor family? Am I the only person who cares about this?

      5. Britannia says:

        I really hope you two have a red head! A sweet little red headed baby boy in a blue outfit?? The Squee! world would never recover.

      6. Elizabeth says:

        my aunt is a redhead as was my great aunt. my boyfriend swears i have red hair, although really its’ a lighter brown with red undertones. his beard has red in it though…sounds like i’ve got a good shot at getting some ginger kids!

      7. Wendy's Dad says:

        Wait a second, Wendy. Don’t include me in that “with help” business. Any dark hair that I still have amid the gray is natural. No “help” on this side of your parentage. As far as your mom’s hair goes, well, I’m not getting into that one!

      8. Welcome, Wendy’s Dad!

        On behalf of all of us (or at least most of us), thank you for all you did to help raise Wendy to turn out as she has. Whatever you and your wife did worked, and we appreciate it.

        However, the extra hours per day spent here by so many of us are likely having a significant negative effect on the global economy, so you probably should also feel a bit guilty for that.

  30. Britannia says:

    Congratulations! This is wonderful news, though I did vote ‘Girl’ because I was imagining of you having a mini-me, and thought that sounded pretty awesome. I hope that he is healthy, happy, and a sound sleeper! 🙂

  31. RoyalEagle0408 says:

    Congratulations! I voted squirrel yesterday. I’m not giving up hope. I played a squirrel in a play when I was 11, so you never know…

    Also, I admittedly don’t get on as often as I’d like because the site is blocked at work, so maybe I missed it, but I’d really like to read what Miles thinks of all this.

  32. Quakergirl says:

    Congratulations!!!! So exciting!

  33. fast eddie says:

    don’t start painting the kids room blue yet. A friend “knew beyond a doubt” that she was going to have a boy but it came out a wonderful little GIRL.

    1. Painted_lady says:

      Ha! My mom’s OB-GYN flat-out refused to tell her what I was going to be because of something similar happening with another patient. Apparently the lady threw an epic tantrum on the delivery table – my mom was like, “Um, if the baby’s healthy and you’re healthy, why the dramatics?” She was pretty okay with going unisex, though. My nursery had blue walls and white clouds, which everyone assumed meant she wanted a boy, and my mom had to point out to everyone that, well, the sky *is* blue and the sky theme was just one she liked.

  34. Congrats on the boy! They are fun (after four of ’em, I should know!). They are rough on clothes. Don’t expect to save any from age 5-10 because they will wear the knees out of all the pants they own. Just cut them off at the knees and use ’em for summer shorts if they haven’t grown out of them at the waist yet. Saves money and cut-offs are almost always in fashion.

    When boys hit teens though: What you save on female wardrobes, make-up and accessories you end up paying for in vehicle insurance and the vehicle itself. My 11 year old is already trying to “work” to save up for his first car. Funny thing is… his money burns a hole in his pocket and he spends spends spends. Poor kid is like my sister. Can’t keep a hold of a penny. He’ll learn eventually, or he’ll just be broke and have no car when he can finally drive. And he’ll have to fix his first one. I’m buying a NON-RUNNING vehicle and he can FIX it. Teaches him the value of good mechanics, how to take care of his vehicle, vehicles/mechanics in general, etc. Plus, if he is sinking all of his money into his vehicle, he certainly isn’t out drinking and getting stoned!

  35. I am soooo happy for you wendy!! Like someone else said before, even people I am actually friends with who are having kids I am sometimes like meh… but just you and drew are like, exactly in the place of your lives where I think its perfect to start a family. In my family my there are 2 kids, older brother & younger sister (me) so I am a big fan of older brothers. I think its so cute how they are protective of their younger siblings. And I hope you put up nursery pictures! I love nursery themes. I want to do dinosaurs for my (future imaginary) son.

    Also, I would like the number for your psychic please. lol

Leave a Reply to melikeycheesecake Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *