It’s official: the bean is a GIRL! And we couldn’t be more excited.
Well, actually, Burger’s a bit oblivious to it all.
We found out on the day before Christmas Eve (December 23rd) thanks to some Oscar-worthy pleading to the doc (she wanted us to come in on the 30th but we were dying to tell our families in time for the holidays).
Best. Christmas. Gift. Ever.
And lucky for us, baby beanette wasn’t shy and we got the most obvious shot of “the goods” that you can get. Woo hoo! (or should I say woo hoo-ha?). We originally thought we wanted the tech to write down boy or girl in an envelope and then go directly out to a special one-on-one Merry Christmas dinner afterwards to rip it open (before heading off to spend the next four days with family).
But when we thought about having to avert our eyes during that part of her scan (so as not to ruin the envelope surprise later) we both realized that we didn’t want to miss a moment of gazing at the bean while she did her cute womb thing. We literally didn’t think we were capable of turning our heads away for a second (especially since it might be the last ultrasound of Sherry’s entire pregnancy) so we decided to heck with the envelope- let’s find out right then and there. So that’s how Sherry (with goo on her belly) and I (on the edge of my seat) learned that we were going to have a daughter. And yes I kissed my beaming wife right there on the table in front of the tech. It was such an exciting moment.
But the plot thickens. Since we love surprises, we hadn’t told any of our family members that we’d scored that last-minute pre-Christmas appointment. They all thought we were finding out around the 30th when Sherry truly hit the 20 week mark. So after a romantic celebratory dinner full of name chatter and nursery brainstorming, we hit the grocery store for gingerbread cookie mix and pink icing to prepare for our big family reveal on Christmas Eve the very next day.
While the gingerbread girls that we made won’t win any cookie-decorating awards, they did the trick when it came to breaking the news to our family. As soon as we showed up to my parents’ house in Northern Virginia on Christmas Eve (after tiling the bathroom all day we were able to conveniently time our arrival right for dessert) I announced that we’d brought a special treat: “Surprise! We made gingerbread cookies in honor of the bean…” Sherry continued: “…and we learned yesterday that we should make them ALL PINK!!!!”
Shouting, jumping, and general merriment/pandemonium ensued. We had officially surprised the heck out of everyone and they were all thrilled. The entire crowd – especially our niece Olivia – was extremely excited to be adding a baby girl to the pair of baby boys that my sisters brought into the world in 2009. So naturally, everyone expressed their excitement by gobbling down the cookies in record time. Which was festive and fun- as long as that’s not the reaction our little lady elicits when she comes into the world next Spring.
And since I know we’re bound to get showered with girl-specific advice and/or questions, we should say upfront that (1) yes, this makes the name brainstorming much easier but we’re not planning to settle on anything (or share our contenders) ’til we meet our little bundle of baby in May and (2) despite all the pink themes in this post, we’re leaning toward a less gender specific color scheme for the nursery (think greens, blues, and yellows with a dash of pink here and there). Although now it’s really fun to think through some feminine accents and DIY details to make the room feel sweet and baby girl specific (but those with baby boys shouldn’t discount our nursery project completely since there will be lots of boy or girl adaptable ideas).
Enough about Baby P- we’d love to hear your stories about your big exciting boy/girl reveal (whether via ultrasound or via birth). Heck a super close family friend of ours just welcomed two beautiful twin girls into the world after believing there was only one in there for nine whole months (she didn’t want to find out beforehand or even have an ultrasound so it was a huuuuge surprise!). Oh and feel free to divulge your “it’s a girl!’ or “it’s a boy!” reveals as well – it’s so much fun to picture how such a major moment was shared with family and friends.
VéroniQC says
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! A mini-Sherry: awesome! :)
Candice Matthews says
AWWWW! How sweet! Congrats! Hopefully she’ll be a little do it yourself diva!
Amanda says
Congrats! I’m so happy for you and can’t wait to see what her nursery will look like!
Becki says
Congratulations!!!
Beth Fuston says
Yea!!! I am so excited for you guy’s! She is going to be gorgeous! I found out what I was having with my two boys! I am too much of a planner not to! :) Congrats!
angela says
yay! i was hoping it would be a girl since kate bower is having a little boy!!
Sloane says
Congrats!! So exciting. Can’t wait to see what ya’ll do with Baby P’s room :-)
Jessica @ How Sweet says
YEAH!!! CONGRATS!!! :)
Tara says
Congrats! A little girl! Enjoy her!
Stephanie says
Congratulations!!!!
We have had 3 girls so far and they are loads of fun!! (although we do have lots of drama!)We waited with all 3 to find out “via birth” and love the suspense!! We are pregnant with #4 and are hoping for a boy but with our record, we aren’t counting on it! ;)
Congratulations again!
Janell Beals says
Oh, how wonderful. I was so excited when I found out my first baby was a girl! (didn’t have to return all the pink stuff I had bought already!!) Boys are great too…but loved having a girl first! All the best! Janell
Jessie (Vegan-minded) says
Congrats you guys! I can’t wait to see how you decorate the nursery.:)Wishing you the best in 2010!
ESBlondie says
CONGRATS!!! Very exciting! Thanks for sharing your wonderful news.
Lauryn Galloway says
YAYYYYYYYY This is so sweet! I was getting online this morning thinking, “YHL had better have posted about the babys gender today or Im going to be crazy with anticipation.” Im so happy for you guys!
Katie says
CONGRATS!!! So happy for you both :)
Vicki says
yeah! Baby girls are fabulous! My husband and I often look at each other and say how “stinkin’ cute” she is (she is 21 mos now). Our gender surprise came when she was born – she was a 34 week preemie and I honestly forgot that I wanted to know if she was a boy or girl (labor w/o epidural – nuff said) until my husband shouted it was a girl! What a wonderful moment!
Julie says
Welcome baby girl Petersik! I found out during my ultrasound as well and honestly it was still a huge surprise when she arrived, looking at her adorable face for the very first time was surprise enough:)
Reese Elisabeth and Kate Ellie are my two sweetpeas. Each day is truly a surprise with them, you just never know what they will say or do.
micaela @ hishouse;herhelp. says
one request – no pink and brown please! that is sooo overdone & a lil clique. congrats! :)
Rebekah @ Shell says
congrats!!!! so exciting!!! this week we find out how many we’re having after going through in vitro. can’t wait!!!
homedotmade says
Here’s how my mom found out that firstborn was a boy. We didn’t find out ahead of time as we wanted it to be a surprise. So the 40 weeks comes and baby is arriving.
Long story short, she is pacing the hall and the delivery nurse comes out of my room (immediately post-birth) and my mom asks, “Is everything okay?” The nurses response was, “He’s just perfect.” Then she knew baby was a boy.
Yep, still gets me every time. :-)
logan says
Congratulations!!! A sweet baby girl!
Can’t wait to see what you do with the nursery. We couldn’t wait to find out the sex of our bean either. We got to our appointment and the ultrasound was so dang cool we didn’t want to look away either.
Nicole says
Congrats!!
Rosie says
Congratulations on little Beanette!
Sorry to break it to you John, but good thing you now have experience with renovating bathrooms.
Perhaps another new bathroom will be in the future or you will be banished to the half bath…just like my Dad.
The balance in our house shifted dramatically with 4 girls to 1 guy…poor Dad..what he had to put up with! hahaha
Good luck and enjoy every moment!
Catie says
Congrats! So exciting! I’m currently 41 weeks pregnant and we don’t know the sex of our little bun, so we’re reaaally looking forward to getting this show on the road. So happy for you both!
Katie says
Congrats! What great news to bring in the New Year! Cannot wait to see the nursery.
Katie G says
Congrats! I am so happy for you two! For some reason, finding out the gender always makes it seem more real! And a girl is perfect because you can arrange a little romance with Katie Bower’s little boy!
We found out we were having a boy at our ultrasound. Waiting is too hard!
YoungHouseLove says
Katie G & Angela,
So true! As we walked out of the doc’s I said “oh good, now she can marry Katie’s baby boy.” They’re already betrothed to one another!
xo,
s
sarah says
Yay! Wonderful news! I completely agree–we couldn’t stop watching the ultrasound for even a moment either with both of our girls. So happy for you both.
Abby says
YAY! CONGRATS!!
I had a baby boy in May 2008 and we had the tech write what we were having in an envelope so we could open it on Christmas morning. It was soooo hard staring at that little package under the tree (I mean the wrapped gift) We just wanted to tear into it! But I’m with you- it is the best Christmas gift ever and you will feel like it is Christmas every day once she is born. Cheers!
Mallory says
Congratulations John and Sherry! Glad to hear you have a healthy baby girl just waiting to make her appearance :)
Peggy says
SO cute! Congratulations!
I have three kids now and if you can believe this we did not find out the gender of #1 until he was born! I still can’t believe I was able to wait nine long months!
Our other two are girls and we found out asap…but we never told anyone (except my sister! Shhh!) too funny!
Love your blog and wishing you a happy healthy pregnancy!
Peggy
ChaChi says
Thats wonderful! I LOVE the baby pink paint card photo. Tell Burger congrats too!
Rebecca Millner says
Congrats to both of you!! I am due mid-April (I guess about a month before you) with my first and we too could not wait and found out at the ultrasound…we are having a boy…along with everyone else i know, except you guys! Glad another girl will be in the world of all these boys i know! Best wishes!!
Jill says
Yay! I thought it might be a girl with Sherry being sick. We were able to schedule our appt. on the morning of our 3rd wedding anniversary and then spent the rest of the day shopping and discussing all things boy. Perfect way to spend the day:)
Adam says
Congrats on the news!
Some gender-color trivia that could excuse you from making the room looking like a cotton candy machine exploded: apparently back in the day (can’t remember if its the late 1800s or early 1900s) boys tended to wear more pinks and other pastels than girls. In fact, the colors basically flipped fairly drastically. My wife works at the Valentine Richmond History Center (we’re post-college Richmonders ourselves) and has said you can see the sudden shift in their costume and textiles collection. Just tell everyone you’re going gender-neutral/retro.
Sally says
Great news – we’re having a baby too in May and we just found out we are having a boy. Out little 7 year old son is very happy to be having a baby brother…..
Can’t wait to see the all the pink!
Jen says
Congrats! We waited and found out at the birth. It was tough, but I wanted to hold out for the surprise.
Tracie@ Gurtler + Home says
Congratulations! That’s so exciting. I don’t think that I would be able to wait either. I would probably peak and then ruin the surprise.
Katharine says
Congratulations! A little girl will be a wonderful addition :) Looking forward to more updates!
Carmen says
Congrats! Girls are wonderful. We have two, so I may be a bit biased:) Mom loves to do all the girly things with them and they are just tomboy enough to play sports and fish with daddy. He’s been wrapped around their little fingers since day one.
chacha says
Yay! You with a girl and Katie with a boy – good combo. We get to see both gender nursery designs :o)
MaryAZ says
Congrats! We have 2 little boys…for our 1st my hubby decided he wanted to wait for delivery day to find out. We got to the hospital & to the “check & see if you are really in labor” room, & the nurse was checking my vitals & looked at the computer & said “sooo…. are we going to circumcise this little guy?” I thought my husband was going to pass out right there! He finally said “Well… if it’s a BOY we will” The nurse quickly had something she had to check on in the hallway & left the room. Luckly we can laugh about it now & honestly at the time I just wanted to deliver the baby. Would have been nice to be surprised but,it makes for a good story!
Mary Anne says
Congratulations! If she’s even a quarter as witty and beautiful as her mother, she’ll be a knockout!
Jen H. says
Congratulations John and Sherry! So very exciting!! I love your story of finding out and going out for dinner and making cookies. So sweet.
I will be finding out the gender of mine on Friday. This is my third and I have two boys, so I will be tickled pink (!) if I find out I’m having a girl. It will be hard not to come up with a completely new nursery scheme if that’s the case, after having a pretty neutral red and white scheme thus far.
I always find it silly when first-time parents buy very gender-specific items (pink stroller/car seat, or all-pink and frilly decor, for example) for their first kid. Unless you are only going to have one, you should definitely keep the larger, pricier items neutral so they can be used for subsequent kidlets as well. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Ann Marie says
Congrats! What a fun way to find out. I just had twin boys 6 weeks ago. I found out via envelope. I had an emergency ultrasound around 19 weeks and my husband was unable to be there. Since I didn’t want to find out the gender without him there, my tech wrote the genders on an envelope. I had a friend with me who wanted to make the “reveal” special for us. She wrapped 2 presents and filled each with “boy” things. My husband and I were so excited to unwrap each gift. And then we went to dinner and then surprised our families. Such a fun, special memory!!!
Crystal G. says
Congratulations! My husband and I welcomed our baby girl into the world just a year and a half ago and I have to say there is truly no greater joy than to hold your baby in your arms. Life becomes sweeter and even though raising a baby has it’s challenges, the triumph you’ll feel when that baby smiles at you makes it all worth it. It’s exquisite!
We found out we were having a girl right before Christmas also. We printed out a picture from the ultrasound and framed it in a sweet pink baby frame. Then we wrapped the frames and presented the gifts to our parents at both respective Christmas celebrations. It was so fun!
Can’t wait to see your nursery! I used beige with white stenciling and pink accents for ours and it’s still very, very feminine without being too girly.
Rachel says
Girl, oh girl! Isn’t pregnancy a wonderful thing? We also found out gender during the ultrasound because I reasoned that it would be a surprise no matter when we found out!
Jessica says
Congrats! We found out the sex of our daughter around 18 weeks (she’s now 13 months old) and we loved knowing. I’m a planner and I really wanted to know how to decorate her nursery. We didn’t do the pink/purple thing. She has an aqua-ish room with lots of yellow and pink accents but it doesn’t scream “baby girl” at all. Plus, we just found out we’re pregnant again (7weeks!) so if we have a boy the aqua room will still work for him when we move Charlotte out to her own room. I know it’s not in everyone’s budget, but the 3D/4D ultrasound is AMAZING and I highly recommend it! We got ours around 28 weeks and it was really one of the most awesome things ever (next to actually meeting her in the flesh). Congratulations again!
Catherine says
Congratulations!!! We find out the sex of our baby at an ultrasound this Friday. Can’t wait!
Katie A says
Congrats John and Sherry! There is nothing more exciting than experiencing all this for the very first time! We are due with our secon in June and will find out on the 26th, can’t wait!
Tiffini S. says
Congrats! That’s so awesome. I’m jealous, living in a household with a male dog, cat, baby, and husband. Ergh. Somedays I’m simply swimming in testosterone.
When we found out the sex of our little peanut (a nickname he retains to this day), our usually reserved doctor busted out some off color jokes. Apparently the little fella is, er, gifted (or was back in the womb, I haven’t compared his baby gear to other boys, so I assume it’s averaged out) and the doc started making tripod jokes. Then he said “Well, you don’t need to send this one to college. He’ll make plenty of money in the right film industry.” YIKES! We started a college fund the day we got his social security number anyway. We’ll be proud no matter what career track he takes, but I’m still crossing my fingers that it’s one he can perform with clothes on.
As for names, go with something personal. My husbands name is James, so we went with Jameson (because my husband didn’t fancy saddling our son with a ‘junior’ status). And his stage name is King (he plays the sax, it’s a reference to a famous sax player) so we thought that sounded pretty good for a middle name. Jameson King. The right name is out there, in fact there is no wrong. Even if you choose the celebrity route and go with fruit or planets…