It's a BOY!

When I walked into the cozy Pauche Cafe I was looking for soup.  I came out with revelation that will, I am sure, change my life forever.

After three days of 60 degree weather, the snow, today, felt even colder than normal.  After my appointment at the hospital, I decided to warm up my heart with a visit to my youngest sister, who has been working in Salt Lake this week while she has a break from school.   After chatting with her for awhile, ordering half a dozen flower shaped sugar cookies (with cream cheese frosting, oooooh yeeeeahhh!) and then ordering half a dozen more, some customers came in and I headed next door for something that would not give me instant gestational diabetes.

Decorated with mismatched tea pots and saki sets, the little bistro was empty except for the two employees and The Man Blessed With the Gift.  I asked if they still had any soup this late in the afternoon and after receiving answer in the affirmative, I started exploring the small, but cute European-esque cafe.

The Man smiled at me.  I smiled back.
"How far along are you?"  He asked.
"61/2 months" I answered.
"You are having a boy." He asked.  Sort of.  It was more of a statement.
"Oh, I don't know, we want it to be a surprise!" I love people's reaction to this statement.  Usually it goes one of two ways.  Either they say 'oooh I LOVE that!  How exciting!' or they say 'I could NEVER do that, you are a crazy lady'.  My mother is of the latter opinion.  She even offered to call the doctor, find out the gender, and then not tell me.

The Man had a different reaction.  He simply looked at me right in the eyes, smiled and repeated, resolutely:
"You are having a boy."
"Oh, you can tell?"  I couldn't wait to hear his reasoning.  I was carrying high, I ordered a cream-based soup, my breasts are uneven,  I asked for butter for my bread, my skin is splotchy,  I do love a good wive's tale, especially when they are a little insulting.  Just yesterday, a woman in my ward predicted I was having a girl because "girls are all in your butt."  Cool.

"Yes.  I am Catholic, but my LDS friend has told me that I hold the gift of discernment anyway.  I am right 95% of the time."  I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that his tea leaves didn't spell out "M-A-L-E" when I walked in but this was still interesting.
"Oh, well I will tell my husband to start thinking of boy names, he is convinced it is a girl."
"No, no.  Definitely a boy."
My soup was ready.  I went back to the cookie shop to tell Tori my big news.

So, I am having a boy.  I guess I can finally put all of those girl clothes I have been hanging on to in to the 'give-away' pile.  I can't help but feel a little bad for The Man With the Gift, however.  Why he feels that being Catholic makes him fundamentally ineligible for discernment of prenatal gender is a little sad.  And if his Mormon pal holds such authority, then why doesn't The Man just convert?  What a tortured life he must lead.  At least he can find joy in resolutely ruining other people's intended surprises.