Is it a Boy or a Girl?

“Just pee on this stick and you can find out in minutes!”

So, I bought into the idea that there is this stick out there, that if you just pee on it, it can tell you if you are having a boy or a girl. A friend here swore that two of her friends used the stick. One was told she was having a girl by the stick. The other was told she was having a boy. Both predictions were correct. My mom said she even knew someone who used it and had success with it.

So, I purchased the stick for $20 off Amazon.com. Was I flushing the money down the toilet? Caleb seemed to think so. He thought it was the stupidest idea he had ever heard of….so I vowed to find out what I was having and NOT tell him since he wouldn’t believe it anyway.

When I went to the doctor’s office for my second antenatal appointment, I decided to share what I was waiting on with the nurse. I said, “So, did you know that there is a stick out there that will tell me whether a boy or a girl just by peeing on it?”

“Really?” said the nurse. “Interesting. Do you know what percentage accuracy it claims?”

“No,” I said, “I didn’t really look at that. I know it is over 50%, though. Better than a coin toss. I have heard from a few people who have used it and it was right!”

“Wow,” said the nurse, “I have never heard of something like that! Do you know what the test is looking for/testing?”

“Well,” I replied, starting to feel really dumb now for not knowing any of this, “I have to admit I didn’t look at that, either.”

The nurse mercifully changed the subject.

As soon as I got home, I ran to the computer in search for more information….
I looked up the test (again, it was already purchased and in route). I found out that it claims a 70% accuracy rate….again, better than a coin toss, so I was right on that one. I also found out that it tests certain hormones in the urine that are produced…..these hormones are different for a girl and a boy. But, get this! The patent is “pending” so they can’t tell which hormones they are testing, etc, etc. Uh oh…..money down the toilet?? Possibly.

I decided to check reviews to see what others were saying about the result. Turns out, a few comments said it had been right, but most of the comments said that the test comes out PURPLE. Not pink for a girl. Not blue for a boy. PURPLE. But, have no fear….this is where it gets good! Supposedly, there is a 1-800 number that you can call when you get purple. The person who answers the phone will then interpret your results WITHOUT EVER LOOKING AT YOUR PEE STICK. Hahahahahahaha!

That’s not good! I am almost positive that at that point, that customer service representative is literally just tossing a coin. How could they know without even seeing it? HA!

So, I just assured myself that I was taking this test for fun. I like all these silly tests, the old wives’ tales, the on-line quizzes that tell you what you are having. I buy into them all the time. This test sounded fun….and if nothing else, I would get a blog post out of it, right??

I remember when I was pregnant with Ben, there was this test on the computer that was supposed to tell you if you were having a boy or a girl. I clicked the button (thinking that questions would follow that I would have to answer). Instead, the words, “Sit very still”, came up on the screen. Then, the computer proceeded to “scan” me. Hahahahahahaha…..it said I was having a boy, but I still laugh at how silly I would have looked if my boss had come into my office. I was sitting VERY still!

So, the test arrived….I decided to wait until the next morning to take it…..I remember jumping out of bed as soon as I woke up that morning. I followed the instructions very carefully……and the results told me that I am having a…….

(I have to go out now, I’ll get back to you on the results later)….

You have to promise NOT to tell Caleb what I found out.....it could very wrong, anyway, you know??