Uninvited Bed Guest

I found the baby's heartbeat today!  All the children were gathered on my bed, except for Eva (2), who couldn't be bothered to leave her toys.  Obviously, she doesn't yet get why staring at my belly could be exciting, but I give her a few months and she'll be very interested in my growing belly.  I am almost 13 weeks pregnant and have been anxiously waiting for some confirmation that all the misery I've been feeling isn't for nothing.  After two miscarriages, you don't take for granted that a pregnancy will result in a baby, but we are all ecstatic that all is going well with this one.

My wonderful Marshallese helper, Atrina, says I'm having a girl.  I found the baby's heartbeat on the lower right side with what sounded like the placenta above it and apparently according to the Marshallese, babies carried on the right side are girls.  Who knew?  She must be correct, because she was spot on with the Baby Lizard Theory.

About a month before I got pregnant, I woke up with a baby lizard on the pillow between my legs.  Needless to say, I freaked out and threw the pillow on the floor.  When I retold my tale, Rachel (4) was enchanted until I got to the throwing the pillow part.  Her mouth gaped open as she gasped, "That could hurt it!"  Yes, she is my lover of lizards and is always bringing me sweet little surprises.  My favorite has to be beginning my day with a lizard in my face.  Nothing compares to waking to a quiet, but persistent voice whispering, "Mom, look at my lizard," then opening sleepy eyes and finding one 2 inches from your face.  Delightful.

Well, back to the lizard that got in my bed without any help from a little girl.  I found out that a baby lizard in your bed is a good sign in the Marshall Islands.  Atrina told me it means that I am pregnant.  When I told her I knew I wasn't pregnant, she quickly added, "Well, you'll be pregnant soon...or someone in your family is pregnant...or will get pregnant soon."  Yes, old wive's tales must have a contingency plan.

Ebeye has an exceptionally high birth rate, which is not surprising since some of their versions of birth control are...well, I'll just share my favorite, so far, and you can judge for yourself.

Water to prevent pregnancy

I don't mean a douche, which isn't a good pregnancy preventer, either.  I mean, literally, water.  All you have to do is drink water after sex, go pee, and TA DA no baby!  I had it explained over and over again to make sure nothing was getting lost in translation.  After picking my jaw up off the floor, I gently informed her that anyone using this method may be well-hydrated and have less chance of a UTI, but there would be no protection from getting pregnant.  I couldn't resist pulling out my white board and giving an anatomy lesson and a brief overview of a woman's cycle.  No wonder a lizard in your bed points to pregnancy in your imminent future.  With this type of birth control, I'd think anything and everything could be a sign of that.

UPDATE April 2013:  

Guess who "unexpectedly" became pregnant?  That's right! The user of the water method.  My only surprise in this news is that it didn't happen sooner.

UPDATE August 2013:
Guess who had a boy and not a girl?  Me!