… HE!
We haven’t done one of these posts since 2010, so it feels kind of strange and exciting to be sharing this kind of news with you guys again. We found out on Wednesday, and then scurried to tell our families over the last 48 hours. Of course, the most important person to tell first was Clara. We didn’t want her to learn the news from an ultrasound technician, so we scheduled a playdate for her with my dad during this particular appointment. Then when we were back together, we surprised her with a baby boy doll (which are surprisingly hard to find, we learned). It was a cute little “OK, look in the bag to see if there’s a little boy or a little girl in mommy’s belly!” moment.
And if there’s one thing she enjoys more than tearing through some tissue paper, it’s baby dolls. It was love at first sight and, more importantly, she completely connected the dots that this meant she was getting a little brother. She pretty much immediately started giving him his bottle and changing his diapers and even bragged that she knew it was a boy the whole time. When we asked her what she wanted to name the baby doll, without hesitation she shouted: “Barnacles!” After Sherry and I completely failed at stifling our laughter, Clara explained that its full name was actually Captain Barnacles (a character in one of her new favorite shows, Octonauts). So yeah, she won’t be naming her real brother… but we have called the bun “the barnacle” a few times since then.
She (okay, well all of us) originally guessed we were having a girl. But our instincts started to shift to boy when Sherry’s morning sickness wouldn’t let up (this pregnancy is pretty different than the last). Which is good because Clara started asking for a brother, probably because a few of her best friends have baby brothers. Regardless of the reason, she couldn’t have been more thrilled at the news. And so are we.
After about the sixteenth Captain Barnacle diaper change, Clara called up Nonna to tell her via FaceTime. She was really excited to deliver the news – and Nonna was just as excited to hear it!
For telling my family here in town, we decided to make a little game out of the announcement. We managed to get my parents, my sister, and her family to meet us out to dinner last night (at Panera, since we’re super fancy and all). We came armed with a bunch of blue and pink envelopes, so each person could make a final guess by picking a pink envelope if they thought it was a girl and a blue one if they thought boy.
Then we had them all tear into them at the same time to see if their baby-dar was on point or not. All of the blue ones said some iteration of “yup!” or “bingo!” or “you betcha!” and all the pink ones said “nope!” “try again!” or “wrong-o!” We had about a 50/50 split in guesses, so even though half of ’em were off-base, everyone was thrilled. It was really fun to watch their faces as they all figured it out at pretty much exactly the same moment.
Then we got to make a whole bunch of other family & friend calls to spread the news (Clara was awesome about boasting “I’m getting a baby brother!” about 100 times to various friends and relatives on the horn). And that, as they say, is history.
Sherry and I are both really excited. We’re mostly just thankful to hear there’s a healthy bun barnacle growing in there, no matter its sex. But being able to picture this child – this boy! – a bit more clearly makes the excitement that much more real. As much as two little girls would’ve been fun, we’re really looking forward to the experience of raising a son along with this great daughter of ours. Not to mention that Sherry’s already going crazy looking at nurseries on Pinterest.
It’s fun to think about the possibilities for that room now that we know better who will be occupying it. Not that we’ll fill it with “man things” or make it all blue and green (actually, come to think of it, Clara’s original nursery was blue and green) but it’s just fun to talk about potential projects and colors and art now. The funny thing is that the nursery is the only room in this entire house that had pink trim when we bought it.
Good thing it’s already painted white! Bad that the room is currently housing a bunch of random junk. Guess it’s getting time to start working on that…
We’d love to hear your stories about finding out the sex of your baby (whether halfway through with an ultrasound, one of those early blood tests, or right there in the delivery room). And feel free to share how you told your family and friends. Was it a photo on Facebook? One of those blue/pink cakes? A box full of balloons? Or did you just call or visit people and blurt out the news? Any way you play it, it’s a pretty exciting moment.
Alyssa says
I know it’s been said a million times over by now, but congratulations!! So exciting to have a boy and a girl!! Can’t wait to see the nursery:)
Brenna says
YAY! So thrilled for you! Clara is going to be an amazing older sister. That’s one lucky barnacle! <3
Alexandra says
My college roommate told me what she was having by sharing with me one at a time those paper paint color samples. The first ones were white and gray…not very revealing. But then the next four were different shades of pink! Then there was lots of shrieking and crying right in the restaurant -everyone thought we were nuts but when we shared the news, they shared in our joy as well. Natalie Elise is due in February -can’t wait to be an aunt!
YoungHouseLove says
So sweet!
xo
s
Leah says
My husband left for a 6 month deployment 2 days after finding out we were pregnant with baby #2. Knowing he wouldn’t be present for the gender reveal, and knowing we didn’t want to wait until delivery (when he would be home), I had to get creative. The day of my appointment, I took a small envelope and two index cards, one with the girls name we chose written in pink and one with the boys name we liked written in blue. I didn’t look when the ultra-sound tech checked on the gender and placed the girl or boy card inside…along with all the photos because those would give away the gender as well! The next time my husband was able to skype (5hrs after the appt) I opened up the envelope and we found out together! It was different but equally special to find out the news TOGETHER. Even if he was in a different country :) Our first born was a boy and our second was a girl, we are now pregnant with our third!
YoungHouseLove says
Such a sweet story Leah! And thanks to your husband and family for what you do for our country!
xo
s
Ashley L says
We just found out a couple of weeks ago that I am having a boy as well! This is my first pregnancy and I’m so excited…and sick. We told some family across the country immediately but for all our local friends we had a gender reveal party and got a huge black balloon at the party store and had it filled with blue confetti and tissue paper and popped it! So much fun! Can’t wait to meet my son!
Elizabeth says
YAYAYAYAYA what a happy and complete family you guys will be!!
Meredith says
Congratulations! We just found out this week that baby #2 is a girl. We didn’t have any creative announcements – but our daughter is excited to have a little sister on the way!
Jane Y. says
aww congratulations~
Holl says
So excited for you guys!!! What a wonderful surprise for the family…and a great way to announce the gender. I never thought about a doll for the sibling. Great idea! I have two girls. With our first we had changed Doctor’s, so we were late with finding out the gender. Finally when we did the ultrasound the tech said, “it’s a hamburger!”. I was SO confused :/ LOL It was a girl…(hot dog would obviously be a boy) But I had a feeling the entire pregnancy that it was a girl…I had dreams about her. My second was on our regular appt. My husband and daughter were with us, and even my Doula. I was unsure with this pregnancy, so I was beyond ecstatic when I heard it was a girl. We were over the moon. They are now 6 1/2 (7 this month) and a 4 1/2 yr old. We had a few little fun things with announcing the gender…but they were pretty low key. Can’t wait to see the new addition to the family, and all that is to come! I hope you all enjoy this short time of 3.
Megan says
I’m so glad it’s a boy!! And Clara looks so happy :)
We got to find out the sex of our baby the Monday before Thanksgiving (a few years ago) so we had the technician write it down on a card and seal it in an envelope. Then we opened the card in the presence of all our family before Thanksgiving dinner. I’ll never forget that moment- so special :)
Mary says
Yay!! Congratulations! I’m 25 weeks with a boy (our first) now. EVERYBODY knew it was a boy, but us. :-) Then about a week before the ultrasound, we were both certain, as well. By the time we found out, we would have been super surprised if he had been a girl!
Abby says
Congratulations Guys!!
I was 3 and a half when my brother was born. I stayed with Grandma and when Mom and Dad called on the phone I burst into tears and told them to “Take him back!” I really wanted a sister. Twenty two years later I wouldn’t trade him for the world :)
Abby
Wendy says
Congrats! I’ve got two little boys and they are awesome! We didn’t find out until the delivery room for both our kiddos, which had everyone else extremely anxious to find out. ????
Jyl says
Yaaaaaaay! I yelped with joy reading this! I’m so excited you’ll have a son and a daughter. Sending your family so much love. Congratulations, Petersiks! (I’m stealing that envelope idea if I’m ever lucky enough to have a second baby!)
Sabrina says
congrats petersiks! Clara is going to be an awesome big sister! My daughter and son are 2 years apart and their bond is amazing! We also got a baby to help our daughter! We found it online because it is impossible to find boy baby dolls!
Jamie J says
Yay! Congratulations! Boys are fantastic! (I have two!) Kudos to share the secret with family and friends at the same time….. we totally spilled the beans on the phone before we even left the doctors office!
Kristen says
Congratulations! That’s such wonderful news!
Karen L. says
Wow…congratulations! We have a girl (age 39) and then a boy (age 37) and it’s always been such fun. You’ll love adding a boy to your family! Our son now has five sons and one daughter so we know something about boys these days!! Enjoy getting ready and then we he’s here later on!
Bren says
Oh man! You don’t even know how AWESOME big sister’s are yet, but you willllllllllllll. All that baby energy you see her throw into that babydoll will grow exponentially over time until she sees her baby brother, then POW! Like Pinochio, a real boy? Forget it. She will be a great, big help to you both. Congratulations to all of you. Every mom and dad needs a little boy (and a girl, if you ask me) to love.
Laura K. says
Yay, so excited for you. We’re expecting our little guy in 5 weeks, eek!! We have a 10 year old daughter so we had the ultrasound tech put the picture of the gender revealing shot in an envelope. We took our daughter to dinner and let her tell us what we were having. We made a video and it is pretty classic. We called our parents and then posted on facebook for the rest of the world to see. We’re pretty stoked to have one of each!! Love how you told Clara!!
Carly says
Congratulations! I guessed boy because of the sickness. Either way, happy everything looks good.
On a totally different note, I love Clara’s hair. It gives me hope for my daughter. She’s rocking the toddler mullet since the sides take forever to grow. She looks so big!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, it took forever to come in, but now that it’s here it’s like we forgot how many years we waited for it! Haha! Slowly but surely!
xo
s
Hilary @ My So-Called Home says
Woohoo! So stinkin excited for you guys! Our daughter was a May baby so we had the ultrasound tech write down the gender in mid December and gave the envelope to the girls at Party City on Christmas Eve so they could fill our big cardboard box with either pink or blue balloons. Then Christmas Day we opened it in front of my family and the pink balloons floated out :) Longest two weeks of my life! I don’t know how some girls wait until delivery but I can imagine how amazing that moment must be!
Kat S says
So glad you guys are having a boy too so I can stalk your nursery ideas. Between you and Katie I should be set ;)
Lina says
Congratulations! My brother and sister-in-law are having a boy too! They told us with a “Wheel of Fortune” game, and the phrase was “Frogs and snails and puppy dog tails.” I guessed it, and yelled out “That’s what little boys are made of!!”
I won a bottle of port. Good times :)
Chelsea @ two twenty one says
YAY!!! So happy for you guys!!!
Monica says
Congratulations! We just recently had a little boy, Xander, and he is the light of our lives. He has a Ford Mustang themed nursery (His daddy’s favorite).
When we found out the sex of the baby, I swear this is a true story – the doc tells us it’s a boy, and is showing us his boy parts, when you see this big blob on the screen, and my doc randomly starts laughing. We couldn’t figure out what was so funny. Then he says, yup, it’s definitely a boy, he’s got his hand on his weiner! (His hand was the blob)
For the reveal we hollowed out egg shells (I found a tutorial on Martha Stewart’s website), painted them half pink and half blue, and filled the inside with a mixture of blue glitter and a small rolled up piece of paper that said “It’s a boy!”. Even made cute little half blue, half pink boxes with question marks on them. :) Made a mess, but so fun.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s hilarious! And such a fun reveal!
xo
s
Tara G. says
Hooray!!! Rejoicing with you over a healthy baby {boy!}!! We have three children and never found out, so it was a surprise each time…after 40 long weeks! But each time we had to pick out names, whatever sex we agreed upon first of the two names was the gender of that baby.
Nicole says
Yay! So excited for you guys! I’m pregnant with my second right now too, and I am still verrrry sick, just like Sherry. So, we think it’s a boy too because I was not nearly this sick with our daughter (we aren’t finding out the sex until I give birth)!
Paige says
I am thrilled for you all.
I have two boys (4 and 2) and we decided not to find out the sex of our first – however, during the ultrasound, in a moment of weakness I asked the tech to write the sex on a piece of paper so that we could find out later IF we wanted to. My husband stuffed it in his pocket and promptly LOST IT. Yes, he LOST OUR BABY’S SEX. We figured that was a sign that we should wait and be surprised.
I adore your blog – congratulations and keep up the amazing work!
YoungHouseLove says
SO FUNNY!
xo
s
Marisa says
Congratulations! Baby boys are awesome. We got the ultrasound tech to write the gender of the baby on a card and seal it in an envelope. My husband and I opened it Christmas Eve together at home (“It’s a Boy!”). Then we surprised our families by filling a huge a box with white and blue balloons to open with them on Christmas.
Marisa says
Now the Bowers need to have a girl this time around and you will have a double wedding for Will & Clara… and the new babies ;) wishful thinking I guess!!
Beth says
How exciting for you!! And how fun for us DIYers to get a fresh take on boys rooms!!! There just doesn’t seem to be a lot of creativity or variety when it comes to boys, so I am selfishly saying congrats because I am excited to see what you guys come up with.
We have 3 beautiful girls. The first never revealed herself (always had those legs shut), the second we put in an envelope to be opened after Thanksgiving dinner in front of the whole family (it was a great way to get the whole fam to our house that year), and by the third, I just cried in the office when they said she was a girl. I knew she was my last shot at having a boy, and I needed a couple of weeks to mourn that loss before I could embrace the beautiful girl inside me. Now, of course, I wouldn’t change her for the world. But finding out the sex of your baby is such a big moment that lasts for a second.
You guys are incredible parents who are partners that respect each other. You will raise an amazing boy!!! Congrats!
Joi Svezia says
Guys! Congrats! :-) Welcome to the boy club! That is fabulous news! Can’t wait to see his nursery come to life and of course see him when he gets here. Much love to all of you! xo
Haley says
Yay! Congratulations! i can’t wait to see what you do with the nursery and how Clara is with her little brother.
I found out year ago today that I was having a girl. I waited a couple days and made these ultrasound ornaments (http://halestorm23.blogspot.com/2013/01/diy-ultrasound-ornament.html) with pink ribbon to give to some family to ‘announce’ the sex. It is fun seeing them figure out what the present meant.
YoungHouseLove says
Really cute idea!
xo
s
Jana H says
Congratulations on your little Barnacle! When we were pregnant with our third baby our two boys (6 and 4) were SURE it was a girl, but nothing but boys run in my husband’s family (for like 6 generations) so we were sure it was a he. We figured that we would actually let the ultrasound tech be the “bad guy” and tell the boys that it was another boy, but SURPRISE…it was a girl! Our boys did a whole “told you so” thing and everything! We even paid to have another ultrasound done 6 weeks later because I really wanted to make *sure* and was still hesitant to let my mom start sewing things for the nursery. Our sweet daughter is now 6 months and her brothers love her so much! It will be so fun to watch Clara with her brother!
Julia [Chris Loves Julia] says
I tried to leave a comment earlier with our congratulations on your little prince, but I don’t think it ever got through with all the traffic. Petersiks! We’re so excited to watch a mini John added to the fam. When we told Greta there was a baby GIRL in mommy’s tummy last week, her only reaction was pulling up her shirt and saying that there was a baby CHICK in her tummy–and it sometimes eats all her food. Hahaha. She is now thrilled for a little sister, but I think I’ll go get her a little girl doll too so she can start practicing those diaper changes–wouldn’t that be nice?!
Seriously, so happy for you guys and for the blogger baby boom in general. We feel amongst the best company. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love that story Julia! And congrats on the little chick! Sisters are so cute too!
xo
s
Mizden says
Yeeeeeeeey! I’m gonna be one of those persons saying “I knew it”! I guessed it was a boy! :D I am sooooo happy for you guys! Can’t wait to “meet” the little fella’ at least through the internet! Haha
Luv and Kiwi says
Congratulations y’all! That’s adorable. I love the beginning nicknames…Barnacle is pretty solid. High five for your little.
Heather (Laptops to Lullabies) says
We have a son who’s just a month younger than Clara, and we had our daughter 1 1/2 years ago. I LOVE having a boy and a girl, because you really do get the best of both worlds. You get to pick out both kinds of cute clothes, you’re not stuck with only having a million Barbies or a million toy trucks, and you get the fun of two totally different types of bedroom decor. Congratulations!!!
Alexandra says
congrats you guys!!!! sending you lots of best wishing and nursery decorating fairy dust!!
Bre says
Congrats!! How sweet my 2.5 year old became an instant mother when we have her a baby doll it was so sweet. We found out we were havinga boy the minute he delivered. We wanted a surprise but we thought we saw a girl on the ultrasound so we assumed girl for half of the pregnancy. It was a very cool surprise. Our little girl adores him and she shrieks “bruder” every time she sees him, followed by a kiss. Clara will love the little guy!!
Lesley says
Yay! I was so hoping it would be a boy!
Our first ultrasound at a little under 8 weeks showed that we were having twins, so that was a shock. After that, I had sort of a feeling that we had one of each – a boy and a girl – baking in there. I was only half right! We have two beautiful boys, and even though I’m totally testosterone outnumbered in my house, I wouldn’t change a thing. Little boys are awesome!
Congratulations!
Bethany says
Congratulations!!! This is such exciting news for all of you along with all of your dedicated readers! I can’t wait to see how you decorate and what you guys decide to name the little barnacle! I have fell in love with the name Clara the moment I started reading your blog and I am trying to convince my fiancé to name out first daughter Clara! Congratulations again!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Bethany! Boy names seem to be harder for us, but we have some great family members that we’d love to honor, so that gives us a little bit of a starting point.
xo
s
Jesyka says
You know, it’s funny, my hubs and I are the programmer/designer combo, born in 82, our daughter was born in april 2010, and our son wiill be born in april 2014! It’s been fun to watch Clara be the same age as my daughter, and it will be fun watching our sons be the same age! Yay!
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Gabriella says
Congratulations! I had pretty severe all day sickness with my 3rd (and last pregnancy). We chose to wait until delivery to learn the gender to be surprised, with our 5 and 6 year old both there for the birth of their sibling. I was pretty darn sure it was a boy, as was our oldest (son) and our daughter was sure it was a girl. My husband was thinking boy too. We had a healthy boy (so we have boy, girl, boy) and all thrilled to have our third healthy child. Now our youngest is 4 and starting kindergarten next fall! They grow up so fast.
Amanda B. says
Yay, congrats Petersik family! Thanks for sharing your journey with us. I love the pink/blue cards idea!
Ashley says
Congratulations! I’m a longtime reader, rare-if-ever commenter, with two little men of my own (six and three). Boys are such a great blessing, and your life will never, ever be the same! In a good way, of course. Looking forward to “meeting” him and watching him grow. God bless your family.
Colleen says
Congrats!! We are nearing the end of my 4th pregnancy. My first three beans were all lil men and we didn’t find out their gender prior to birth. We were a little surprised by this pregnancy and decided we would find out, feeling convinced we would be the proud and happy parents to four lil boys. Shock of our life when a lady bean popped up on that ultrasound. My husband was so preoccupied with our one year old so he missed the u/s tech announcing it was a girl. I slowly called his name and when he saw my expression, he immediately looked at the screen. I squeaked out “hun, that’s your daughter”…..haha the man almost fell to the floor ;)
Lou says
Congratulations!
Oh, and I don’t have kids, but I DO work during the holiday season for a toy company called Nova Naturals based here in Vermont, and if you’re ever on the hunt again for boy dolls or other gender-neutral toys, they have some great stuff. I don’t mean to make a plug or anything here, I just have a lot of preggo friends who have similar issues finding specific items (or natural or organic items), or maybe just stuff that doesn’t involve a ton of plastic or batteries. So even though I am clearly biased (because they are awesome, nice people) I just thought it was worth mentioning.
So excited for you guys, but mostly for Clara. Siblings are awesome.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome Lou! Thanks!
xo
s
Adrianne D. says
Yay!! Congratulations!!! Baby Boy’s are awesome!
When we found out we were having a boy at the anatomy scan at 20 weeks, I tied a blue bandana around our dog, took a picture and posted it on Facebook with the cation “It’s a…”. The picture is priceless because our dog had a look of “oh great!”. ;-)
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s