Hi Everyone! Well, we finally did it. We shared the sex of our little one with our parents once I hit my 6 month mark and then revealed to the rest of our friends and family the next day via my personal Facebook page with some special photos we took specifically for the reveal.
Some of you may remember that I mentioned via Facebook a few weeks ago that I put the brakes on my plans for a fun gender reveal party (which was supposed to take place this coming weekend) even though I had all the details planned out, there was just too much going on and I was feeling too overwhelmed by life to prepare for this party and then clean up afterwards all on my own. I knew I could spend my time, energy and budget in a better way than a party that would last just a couple hours. We still wanted to do something creative and fun to document this time and decided to head to one of our favorite hotels which has a nice architectural backdrop for our photos that would mark the occasion and use the balloon color to announce our news.
Hubby and I are overjoyed to announce that we our expecting a baby GIRL!! We had both been praying for a healthy baby and would have been happy either way but the Lord is giving us both our true heart's desire, a daughter to love. :) Without further ado, here are a few photos from my 24-Week pregnancy belly shoot.
Over the weekend my in-laws hosted a family reunion get together of sorts to bring all of the extended family together since we hadn't seen each other in a while. We thought it was the perfect time to pull Paul's mom and dad aside privately and give them a special gift to open in another room together so they could learn the baby's gender first and then we let them share the news with everyone else at their party. It was such a fun evening and everyone was so sweet, supportive and excited for us. Since all of my husband's cousins began their families many years ago, we will be the only ones with a baby.
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For their gift, I took our favorite sonogram photo of the bunch (our little jellybean with her hands clasped and close to her mouth) and had a duplicate made of the photo then added a cute little pink bow on the head and slipped it into a pretty cream frame for them to keep. It was really easy to do and I plan to make one for each of my parents as well as a keepsake for us which will likely live in the nursery until she arrives!
My Mother-in-law has graciously offered to host my baby shower along with the help of my husband's two Aunts since my closest friends and family live miles away back home in Toronto. They asked for my ideas on a theme and the date, so we've penciled in the date of July.13th and the overall decor will be a color theme of pale pink, white and gold. I'm thinking soft, feminine, elegant and chic. I look forward to seeing what they come up with!
{Fun Facts}
What I craved the most this month: Everything sweet! Fruit (still eating watermelon almost daily), smoothies, sweet tea, desserts, you name it and my baby wants it! I was already a bit of a sweet tooth beforehand so not too much has changed. What they say about girls craving sweets is true!
Something new I tried this month: My midwife recommended Hypnobirthing and I have read so many great personal experiences about how it can shorten the length of labor and delivery as well as make for such a peaceful birthing experience-some women experienced no pain at all! I have attended my first private class so far and since she is also a Doula, we have chosen her to be present and support me during the birth as well. Has anyone else used the hypnobirthing technique? I figure it's not only good for pregnancy but also beyond, it helps you use the pain in your life and transform it into a powerful tool with the right visualization tools.
Weight gain from 20-24 weeks: A whopping half of a pound although my bi-weekly photos would have you believe otherwise! I've gained 11 lbs total as of my 24-week check up and am feeling really good which is most important to me.
When I started wearing maternity clothes: While I'm still in 95% regular clothes, I finally grabbed a couple pairs of maternity pants, a few tops and a pair of shorts and they are really comfortable! I'm trying to creatively work my own wardrobe and new pieces that are a size larger or my own size into my existing wardrobe for now so I can wear the items after the birth and beyond without investing a lot of money into a maternity-specific wardrobe.
New Development this month: Itchy tummy! No matter how much cocoa butter, belly oil or natural lotions I use, my bump is stretching and letting me know about it. If someone has a good home remedy, please let me know!
Did you find out and share the gender of your first baby? If you did, what was the most memorable moment about revealing it to family and friends? Maybe you had a creative way of sharing the news? I'd love to hear about it!
As always, thanks for reading!
XO
*All other images my own, except these: (1), (2)
