It's a... ~ Gender Reveal Party | Getting Personal

 

So most of our close friends and family know about the fun little surprise we're expecting at the end of August, but I thought it was time to let my clients know too. We are very excited to welcome another blessing to our family!

The Details:

     We decided to do something different to find out the gender of this baby. When Josh and I went to the ultrasound on April 3, we didn't have my doctor tell us what we were having. In fact, it took quite awhile for her to see as the umbilical cord was between the baby's legs. My doctor then emailed Erin at Zoey's Attic, who has a custom t-shirt design business. Erin was awesome to work with. I had ordered Little J's "Big Brother" Tractor t-shirt in February when we told the kids we were having a baby. When searching for something special for him online, I found Erin's Etsy Shop. This little t-shirt was perfect, and so fitting as he loves tractors.

     We had also made arrangements to have a onesie made when we found out what we were having. I ended up ordering the girls t-shirts also, which I'm so glad I did. It will be fun to get a photo of all four of them once "she" arrives. I decided instead of some of the popular ideas of cutting into a "boy" or "girl" colored cake, or opening a box of colored balloons, we would have the kids open up a package with the onesie to tell us the baby's gender. It was such a fun way to get them involved too.

The Decor:

     I asked my sister-in-law, Stephanie, to be in charge of decorations and details. She's a wonderful party planner, and I knew I had plenty on my plate to think about. I decided I wanted to go with a black and white color scheme versus the traditional pink and blue. I guess I just love the classic combination. She went above my expectations with what she put together. She even sewed a table runner and two adorable buntings out of the cool fabric she found. I'm so excited because with a little tweaking, these pieces will work as valances and a crib bumper for the nursery. And with the left over fabric, I'll be able to make a quilt and other bedding pieces too. Yay! Can't wait to get it all put together. She even came up with the little diaper party favors stuffed with mints. (It was one of the triangle pieces of fabric, folded and glued to look like a diaper. Adorable!

The Food:

     Spicy Pop Pulled Pork Sliders

     Ham and Swiss Sliders

     Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Salad

     Mixed Fruit (strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, grapes, apples)

     Veggies and Homemade Ranch Dip

     Chips and Salsa

     Cheese and Crackers

     Summertime Fruit Tea

     Black and White Parfaits (This was a quick and easy layered dessert served in individual clear plastic cups. I layered crushed chocolate sandwich cookies, white chocolate pudding, chocolate pudding and whipped cream. These were a huge hit with the kids and adults at the party.)

The Reaction:

     On the invitations, I had told guests to wear black if they thought the baby was a boy and white if they thought it was a girl. Most showed up wearing black. Josh has four brothers and only one sister, so there are a lot of boys in the family already. I wore both colors! Up until a few days beforehand, I really thought it was a boy. I know several families who have two girls and two boys, and I thought we would be another one of them. But, then a day or so before, I just had the feeling I should prepare myself to be having another girl. And I did remember thinking a few years ago when getting rid of all the newborn girl clothes after we had Little J that it would be fun to have just one more girl. Ha! Little did I know...

     I'm not very good at surprises either, so it was a feat for me not to peek or somehow find out beforehand. But, I'm so glad I didn't. It was fun and exciting at the same time to watch as the kids unwrapped the onesie. 

     Special thanks again to Stephanie for taking the photos from the day. She even made little "boy" and "girl" signs to have our kids and guests hold up to show what they thought the baby was. 

     The most priceless comment was Little J. He looked right at me after we saw the shirt and exclaimed, "It's a girl!" and with big crocodile tears said, "But, Momma, it's supposed to be a boy!" Oh, it about broke my heart. It was sad and sweet all at the same time. He has since decided having a baby sister is going to be just fine. Either way, bringing a new baby to the family will be a little of an adjustment for him. But, I know he'll make a great big brother. And the girls are quite excited to meet their little sister as well.

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     In a recent post about my summer photography session schedule, I mentioned not taking any sessions in late August and September. Now you know why! Maintaining balance in my personal and work life is not only beneficial to me and my family, but also to my clients. I take a limited number of sessions already because there is a lot of investment of time and resources in "Your Story" sessions. Be assured, when I do schedule a session with a client, I am fully devoted to them and telling their story. Creating an amazing photographic experience from first consult to delivering of the finished albums and prints is my number one priority. 

     There are also some changes coming to my business that will be announced this fall, and I am excited to be working on them now. If you love my work, and want me to tell "your story", please contact me as soon as possible to discuss scheduling options. I am currently booking maternity, newborn, baby, child, senior and family sessions for June and July 2012.