boy/girl heartbeat

Dear Chicken Nugget,

This afternoon I came home to find Amanda, a friend from Chicago, and Miriam, the midwife, visiting your mom. 

Amanda is here for a wedding this weekend and happened to arrive at our apartment around the same time as the midwife.

Miriam, our midwife, is the lady who will help you come into this world if all goes as planned.  She's an incredibly smart lady, no nonsense, very sweet, with a very comfortable intensity.  We picked her as our midwife because we trust that she'll work hard to make sure that when you come, all will be good and healthy for you and your mom.

I got lucky and arrived halfway through the appointment and was able to hear your heartbeat for the second time ever.  Your heart rate was about 141bpm, which is where my heart rate goes when I run sometimes, but for a baby in the womb, it's perfect.

There are rumors that you can tell if it's going to be a boy or a girl based on how fast the heart rate is.  Yours was kind of in the middle, so you're not giving us any hints.   And that's OK, nugget.

We will love you no matter how fast your heart beats.

Eternally yours,

Your papa