Christmas Traditions

When you think of the holidays, you instantly think of those memories and traditions that you grew up with and remind you of home. I think of laying out cookies and milk for Santa, various Christmas mornings with presents and enjoying being the only child at home! and big family gatherings. Next Christmas, we will have a little baby to share the special day with and I am excited to see how it will bring back the magic of Christmas! Once you get to the age where you don't believe in Santa and get old enough to get practical gifts, the magic is pretty much gone. It will be wonderful to have a little kid to buy for and start our own family traditions with!

I already know I want to buy a special "Cookies for Santa" plate. I'm drawn to these when I see them at stores and definitely want one! I also would really like to do the new pajamas every year. When I was a kid, I was allowed to open one present on Christmas Eve night. This could easily be new Christmas PJ's each year! Gotta look good for those Christmas morning pictures! :)

But then there are some traditions that I've heard of lately that have me thinking. One lady at work was saying that she doesn't even introduce the idea of Santa to her children. She explained it by saying that "why should I do all of that work and let him believe in someone that didn't even do anything?" I do see her point, I really do. But on the other hand, believing in Santa and the joy that comes with it are some amazing perks of childhood. Also, what's going to stop her child from going to daycare or school and ruining it for the rest of the class?

One tradition someone mentioned recently was to take your child Christmas shopping but instead of buying gifts for friends and family, you pick from the various Angel Trees and shop for kids in need. I thought this was an awesome idea. I definitely want to teach our child how important it is to give back and to give to those in need. I want him/her growing up thinking of Christmas as a time to give and be thankful, not just about how many presents you receive.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas celebrating with family and friends! And I hope you continue or start some amazing traditions!

Playing Catch-Up!

I have to be the world's worst blogger. Ever. But here are a few random thoughts and sentences from the past few weeks to sum everything up!

1. I thought I would hate it, but I love being called "mama" by my friends. Especially Brittney who will scream it out at Junior League meetings from across the room. :)

2. Speaking of which....alot of people think Junior League ladies are stuck up and snotty. That is the furthest from the truth! I have met some of the nicest, sweetest, kindest and funniest people through Junior League and I am so thankful that I decided to join!

3. Still debating on the gender reveal party next month. Most of our family and some of our closest friends live too far away to realistically be able to come, but I still have always wanted to have one. Especially when I look online at some of the amazingly adorable ideas out there!

4. I LOVE Christmas cards! Getting them, sending them, displaying them. Every day checking the mailbox is so fun now and Jared just sits back and laughs each night as I review with him the cards we received that day. It's just about the only holiday thing we did this year. We didn't put up a tree, we didn't put up any other decorations. It's the last year we have a choice in the matter and we decided to exercise our right to choose! My boss said she did the exact same thing the year before their daughter arrived, so at least one person out there understands us!

That's just about all right now for what's happening here! We go back to the doctor in 2 weeks for our monthly check-up and then 2 weeks after that, find out if we will have sugar and spice and everything nice or snips and snails and puppy dog tails!

100% Scientific Research!

Hello, long time no blog! Things have been going really well around here! Just counting down the days until the little one gets here! We went to the doctor for a check-up and the heart rate was picked up on the Doppler, sweetest sound I've ever heard! We should find out whether Baby Simpkins is a boy or a girl in just about 5 weeks and we cannot wait!

In the meantime, I've done some totally scientific research. :) You've probably heard some of the wives tales on predicting what gender your baby is before it's time to actually find out. You know-wedding ring hanging over your belly, Drano test, heart rate. Well even though Jared tried to convince me to just be patient and let the doctor do his thing in January, I was curious and thought it would be fun to see what these things said! Hey, it's a 50/50 shot, right?

Test: Heart Rate

The studies that I've read about say that anything below 140 means a boy, anything above means girl. The rate at 7 weeks was 149, and at 12 weeks was 145. Looking at the rates, you would say girl. Our doctor said the heart rate was in a boy range, but that was so inconclusive to not think one way or another!

Result: Girl/Boy depending on who you talk to!

Test: Ring Test

You get your wedding ring, tie it to some string and hang it over your stomach. If it moves in a circle motion, it's a boy or side to side is a girl. We did this about 5 times just to be sure and every time it was a circle.

Result: Boy

Test: Drano

The idea of dealing with chemicals that would "fume up when combined" not only scared me, but made me feel like some kind of weird scientist. I opted out of this one!

Test: Intelligender

I got this test at Walgreens and the checkout guy said that it worked when he and his fiance did it, so I at least had one testimonial to justify my purchase! On their website, it seemed about as reliable as any method, and I figured it would be fun, so I went ahead and bought it! All you do is pee into the cup and if it changes to orange, it's a girl and green is a boy. After 5 minutes, I checked and it was green!

Result: Boy

Test: Chinese Gender Chart

You simply chart the month you conceived with the age you were at conception. This is one of the most talked about methods and there are some people who swear up and down by this one!

Result: Boy

Test: Random statements via internet

If you're feet are colder than before you were pregnant, it's a boy. Check! If you add up the number of the month you conceived (September) with your age at conception (27), and it's even then it's a boy. Check! If you dont' have early pregnancy morning sickness, it's a boy. Check! I had some sickness around week 11, but that was it.

Result: Boy

Test: A mother's instinct

I have felt this entire time, from the moment we found out I was pregnant, that we are having a boy. I even had a dream last week that we bought blue bottles!

Result: Boy

So it looks like all in all, the tests say boy. But as most things in life go, that probably just means it's a girl. :) Either way, all we really want is a healthy baby! As with most wives tales and things you find on the internet, you have to take everything with a grain of salt and pretty much just use for entertainment purposes. So it's not like I'm painting the nursery blue this weekend based on this! Although, I wouldn't put it past me.....