It's a boy!

Well we officially found out yesterday that we're having a little boy!  We had a smooth check-up yesterday. We were eager to confirm the sex of the baby.  Over here, it's actually against the law for Chinese families to find out whether they're having a boy or a girl.  Since so many people want boys, the law is put into place to prevent abortions and abandoned babies.  So most people really don't know what they're having and spend the pregnancy guessing, looking at bump angles and asking what foods they've especially been craving in order to scientifically determine the baby's gender:)  I've been hearing "since your bump is quite round... you must be having a boy," and then someone else will come up to me and say, "wouldn't it be just perfect for you to have a little girl.  I really think you should have a girl."  Apparently they it's rightly balanced to have a girl and boy and not have two of one sex.  I know this because pefect strangers have been informing me of this for the last few weeks.

So the doctor asked me if I wanted to know and I said yes (the law doesn't apply to us).  She asked me to guess, so I said, "I think we're having a boy."  She confirmed that and showed me the screen.  Everyone was looking on.  There were about 5-6 nurses in the room, the doctor, Luke, me and our friend.  At one point, I counted 10 people surrounding the bed / screen.  I think everyone was quite interested to have a look with us. 

This pregnancy feels quite similar to my last one and boys genes seem to run quite strong in the family.  So I had thought it was a boy.  Nice to confirm it though.  We're excited and think it'll be quite fun to have two little boys running around.

I wrapped up the day making dinner and treats for some friends. 

As for cooking, back to the drawing board.  I made a friend's daughter a cake a couple of weeks ago and asked her how it was.  She said, "It was quite sweet. If it would have had less sugar it would have been better."  Love is expressed in this culture with critisism.  So I guess that was a "thanks for the effort, we loved the cake," kind of response. 

Yesterday I made banana bread and put in quite a bit less sugar than my recipe called for.  The same woman's response, "It's much better when it's sweeter.  Like this, it doesn't really have much taste." 

I also asked her what she thought of my dinner.  She said, "I think stir-fried dishes taste a lot better. Your food lacks salt."  Generosly translated to: "thanks for making dinner and dessert.  It tastes good and here are a few tips to make it taste better." ? ?

Ohh well.  Maybe I should stick to savory desserts and order in Chinese food next time!  I won't even mention the other woman pinching my arm telling me I have more meat on me and that I must like eating, yes, she actually said that!  Love it!