The Reveal

The days leading up to this event were a bit stressful. For weeks I had been thinking about how I wanted to reveal the gender of our baby.  I spent hours on Pinterest looking at ideas.  Some involved a surprise for everyone..colored cake, confetti lanterns, boxes of balloons.  Others required that the couple or another very lucky person know ahead of time.  I knew I wanted to experience the surprise outside of the doctor's office and I wanted to capture the moment for the future.  With the promise of a beautiful back drop from the changing season, I wanted to be outside.  All these factors in mind, the box of balloons, although not an original idea in the least, was my choice.  I went over and over it in my head.  I put a lot of pressure on "the moment."  It just had to be perfect

With all of the back and forth between everyone trying to figure out time, place, balloon box, decor, food, etc. I got really overwhelmed and considered calling it off and Will and I doing something on our own. But I am so glad that I did not let my emotions get the best of me and we surged ahead.  More on that soon...

But first, we have to have the information to be able to reveal it.  :) My ultrasound was scheduled for 8:45 am Thursday.  We were hoping for a cooperative baby so that all of the stress over the reveal wouldn't be for not.  Having heard that orange juice makes babies active, I drank a glass on the drive over just to cover our bases.  We were called back immediately.  The ultrasound tech was really good and our request for her to not tell us the gender, but to instead write it on a card and seal it, did not seem to phase her. 

Thankfully we had a very cooperative, and healthy, baby. We were able to see the baby's four heart chambers, pumping strongly, at a rate of 166 bpm.  We saw the stomach and kidneys.  We also saw two eyes, a little turned up nose, and a mouth.  I don't know for sure if it was the orange juice, but activity wasn't an issue.  The little legs were peddling and we saw several different arm positions, one of which was very reminiscent of one of Daddy's sleeping positions.  We got several good pictures in 2D and 3D. 

At the very end of the ultrasound, the tech had us look away while she checked the gender.  The secret was then sealed in an envelope along with the accompanying pictures.  Will was so anxious about the whole thing he was afraid he might be able to figure it out by the number of pen strokes she made when she wrote the information of the card.  :) Whoo. We made it through the first step without finding out.  Well, mostly. Will told me after we left that he had seen something pop up on the screen just before the technician told us to turn away, but he wasn't sure if it was real or just a default that comes up when it is time to enter that information.  I was then trying to judge his reaction to the potential information, but I really couldn't.  He just said he was excited. So really we still were in the clear.

Next I had bloodwork, yuck, and a check in with my OB.  I gained a couple pounds and the baby's heart rate was a similar 165 bpm.  He had the details of our ultrasound report that showed good fluid levels and measuring a little ahead, at 20 weeks and 2 days, shifting my due date to March 26, but we'll leave the official date at March 30.  Dr. D was also successful in keeping the secret to himself.  Another one down.

The "event" didn't come until the next day, Friday. To avoid the risk of the secret escaping in the final steps,  Mom handled the balloon order and purchase.  I'm told she threatened the party store employees within an inch of their lives if they messed this up.  :) Thankfully no party store employees were harmed in the process and Mom also remained blissfully unaware of the secret.

Friday afternoon was hairied, frought with wardrobe crisies, and
The family, Mom, Jules, Zach, David and Jenny, gathered in an open lot around the corner from the Bishops' house.  We had planned to be in the Bishops' backyard, but I wasn't happy with it and made a last minute change of plans to a more open, colorful area in their neighborhood.  We got set up and started taking some "pre" pictures of us, us with the box, us with blue and pink balloons, us with the "BOY," "GIRL" banners, etc.  One thing I had not counted on or planned was the wind.  It was a bit breezy and the balloon bouquets, and my hair, were therefore not quite cooperating.  What can you do?

It was finally time to open the box.  Will and I got one on each side of the box and Mom cut the securing tape while we held it down (popping one of the balloons in the process).  With cameras poised and ready we counted down and opened the box to reveal.....

It's a GIRL! 

The balloons didn't quite fly out of the box as I had hoped.  One balloon was free, but the rest were tied together and got a little stuck in the box.  A little tugging, I wanted those things out of there, and they were on their way.  Being tied together did allow them to float away in a nice little clump and give us a minute to watch them climb higher and higher, never to go back in the box. 

To be honest, I was in total shock and maybe had a twinge of let down in my spirit.  Don't get me wrong, I am very happy, but I have felt for years that I was going to be a momma to boys.  So to see pink inside the box was not the image I had put in my head.  My sister, on the other hand, couldn't have been happier.  You can hear for yourself in the video she shot.  She and my soon-to-be brother in-law were both thinking girl.

After a few tears, Will processing the reality that one day he would walk our little girl down the aisle, (yeah, he has big thoughts), and a quick check of the card from the ultrasound to be sure that the right color balloons got put in the box, we took some "post" pink pictures.

The card from the ultrasound tech

Daddy and his girls...boy is he in trouble.

Julie and me with one of the many outfits she had already bought for the baby. 

And yes, we match.  That's what happens when you have to borrow clothes from your sister's closet because you don't like anything that you packed. 

We then went to the David and Jenny's for BBQ from the Commissary and cupcakes from Muddy's. 
We also played a quick game of hangman, although I don't think we ever actually drew any of the body, to tell the name we had chosen.

We had a great time and I'm so thankful everything worked out for us to be with our family.