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.
Andi says
Congrats! Now your little girl can marry baby Bower!
Ivy says
Congratulations on your little GIRL!
I can’t wait to see the beautiful nursery. Our story wasn’t as exciting how we found out we were having a boy. See, strangely my husband and I both just “knew” we were having a boy. From Day 1 that we found out I was pregnant. So, laying on the ultrasound table at 12 WEEKS!, yes 12 WEEKS, when the ultrasound tech said “do you want to know what you are having, because I have nice clear shot?” we said “yeah”..then she said “looks like a boy” and we said “oh yeah, we knew that.” Haha! We were very excited though, of course to have it confirmed. Enjoy knowing who is in there now, its a great feeling.
Jamie says
Yaayyyy!! Congratulations!
Katie says
What a blessing! I love how you told your family. =) Congratulations!
Kate says
Congratulations!
We’re waiting on the arrival of Surprise Baby #2 – due in 2 weeks. We chose the surprise route with first baby – now an energetic, wonderful boy of 2.5yrs – and enjoyed it so much we decided to be surprised with the gender of this one.
It’s been harder this time around, as I could look at my amnio results anytime online which would tell us definitively. But Life is full of surprises (usually of the “Surprise! You need a new water heater/front brakes/cat surgery…” variety), so it’s been great to have a GOOD surprise to look forward to!
City Chic - Jamie says
Congrats! Super exciting!! We only have furbabies at the moment, so we knew what we were getting we adopted them :) I loved Burger’s big brother T shirt, I’m going to have to get one of those for when we do have a people baby someday! Congrats again!!
Amy B. says
I kept thinking “girl” all along, but I think it’s b/c my co-workers convinced me I was having a girl for some reason. The night before or 18-week ultrasound, I had a dream that I was holding a baby boy. I woke up and told my husband, but reminded him it was only a dream. Well, later that morning it was confirmed that we were having a baby boy (quite obviously. He was all about showing his goods, too). We didn’t do anything special to let the grandparents know other than calling them. We did keep his name a surprise until he was born, though.
And, Sherry, I would highly recommend a 4D ultrasound later on if you guys want to see your girl again before she’s born. We got a pretty sweet deal that included lots of pictures and a dvd of the entire ultrasound. It was awesome.
terra says
Awwwww! Congrats you guys! I’m so happy for you!!
Jaya says
Congratulations to my favorite couple! you both will make such sweet parents-I can tell by the way you lavish Burger with all kinds of love!I can’t wait to see the Beanette- and wish her a smooth, worry free arrival!
And I know that this should probably go in the headboard area but thanks so much for your advice on that- I made it for my daughter’s room- and it’s a pink and green diamond pattern and it looks PERFECT and I highlighted it with a pink rug and green ottoman and it got SO many oohs and aahs over new year’s – I deferred all the compliments to you guys so hopefully you get some more devoted readers. Happy New Year and lots of good wishes!
Rachel says
Congrats! That’s so, so exciting!
I’m not a parent and not preggo either, but I will be a first-time aunt at the end of the month to a little boy—and that’s plenty for me right now!
Kara says
Congrats! I also found out the week of Christmas that I am expecting a baby girl. We have a gender neutral nursery already (I have a 2 year old son), so I’m excited to see what touches I can copy from you guys! Congrats on your baby girl!
jennifer says
congratulations!
i noticed you mentioned that this would probably be your only ultrasound. was that a health safety choice or a financial choice? my sister-in-law chose the same route, trying to be very conscious of the unknown harm that repeated ultrasounds can do to a baby in the womb. i was curious at how you came to your decision and/or if you had any great articles discussing the pros and cons? when my prego time comes i know i’ll have to have some factual ammo for friends and family who don’t understand my choice.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jennifer,
Happily since everything checked out well with our 20 week ultrasound the doc said I wasn’t high risk so I wouldn’t be needing another ultrasound (perhaps one at the very end to see the baby’s placement, but sometimes they can tell that from the outside in which case the gender one would be our last one). Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jennifer S. says
Congrats. Whatever you name her, will you add “Beth” at the end, a la Sherry’s name? Just kidding!
I had three girls in a row, and then my fourth baby didn’t reveal himself in the ultrasound, so when he was born a boy, I was shocked for three days. Best surprise of my life.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jennifer S,
Haha, there will be no hyphenated Beth tacked onto our little girl’s name (like my mom did to me- yes for those who don’t know, my actual first name is Sherry-Beth). I know the torture that goes along with that so I certainly wouldn’t wish it on our sweet beanette!
xo,
s
annelies says
Our little Granddaughter will be born in March….and we have used your blog LOTS to get ideas for the nursery. Sounds like you and our kids have that same “gender neutral”, keep it clean and simple philosophy. I have to share the story of the NAME.
We knew the kids had chosen the name CLARE and we love it. But they had not shared the middle name. So on Christmas our son said “would you like to know the middle name”. Of course we were ALL excited. So he proceeds to say that Jill LOVES the actress that is married to Warren Beatty, and wanted the middle name to be hers. So I jump up and say Annette….oh Clare Annette and then it hits me ( Clarinet) and of course our son starts to roll on the floor laughing. At that time I wonder if he is mature enough to become a DAD….only joking he will be the best. So NO middle name YET!!!
layersofmeaning says
I told you! I knew it was going to be a girl! How sweet, congratulations to both of you!
Fe
Sally says
YAYAYAYAY!!!!! Congratulations you guys!! Girls are definitely waaaaaaaaaaaay more fun to shop for!! Our son was born in August (although due in October, so keep it in the oven until May–the NICU is NO FUN!!!) and we HAD to find out. So we scheduled the ultrasound appointment at 9:00 AM (the earliest appointment, I knew I would not be able to wait a minute longer), arrived at our doctor’s and the nurse tells us he is in labor with another patient and my appointment had to be moved to 2:30… it was TORTURE!! Then once we got in there for the appointment, the ultrasound tech kept asking us if we were sure we wanted to know. My husband and I were like, “OF COURSE!!! JUST TELL US!!! This is all we’ve been thinking about!!” So then she said, “Okay, get ready for some blue!!” It was so exciting.
Another funny thing about the name thing… so when our son was born at 30 weeks, he had to spend 2 months (59 days, actually) in the NICU at Ohio State. Well all of the babies had white boards by their beds with their names on them, messages, etc… So there were all these super trendy names (which, being the old soul that I am), I completely loathe… then I realized that all these other parents are looking at my kid thinking, “Willard?? They named their son WILLARD?? That is TERRIBLE!” Which, undoubtedly, it is, but it’s a family name and we won’t regret it later when it remains meaningful. So go with meaning… it will last the test of time!
Congrats, again, you guys!!! So thrilled for you!
Julie says
With my first, we only had one ultrasound, and wouldn’t you know it, the baby had its feet crossed and was moving a lot. Then when I was delivering, the head came out and the dr said “looks like a boy” and then the whole body came out and he said, “whoops, nope, its a girl!” I still get mad when I think that he thought she looked like a boy. LOL. That was such a special moment, but when it came to my second pregnancy I HAD to know. This time you could definitely see that he was a boy. We told my family at my daughter’s birthday party (had the ultrasound the morning of her birthday) by putting a blue colored blanket in a gift bag and having her open it. She was disappointed, but the rest of the family was so excited. I’m expecting my third now and hope to be able to find out what we are having. With the first two I felt from the very beginning that they were the sex they ended up being…but with this one I really don’t know.
Kate says
Wow! Congratulations! Really cute story too!
liz says
A future Mrs. Bower??? Imagine the house they would live in!!
Congrats!!!!
Laura@JourneyChic says
Congratulations guys! That’s wonderful news! Well, it’s wonderful news to know your baby is healthy and on track, regardless of the gender. But as a girl, I’m super pleased another little lady is being brought into the world!
DemMom says
Congratulations! When I was pregnant the first time, I did NOT want to know the gender. I figured there are very few surprises in life, and this should be one of them. My husband wanted to know badly, though. So he found out at the ultrasound, and never told me that we were having a girl. I think it’s the only secret he’s ever kept IN HIS LIFE. I did find out the second time, because my practical planner brain took over. I needed to know if I should keep all my pink stuff. Good thing I did, for girl #2.
I’m in Richmond and we are constantly filling up bags of girly hand me downs, let me know if you’re interested!
cassandra @ coco+kelley says
a HUUUUGE congrats to you two!!! so exciting to actually know what the baby is, isn’t it?? i don’t think i’d be able to stand a full 9 months of not knowing!! can’t wait for the nursery planning to commence ;)
Jen Z. says
Congrats Sherry & John. That is great. Can’t wait to see what you do with the nursery.
Patricia says
My neice has a 6 year old son and was expecting a 2nd baby this past September. She had an ultrasound which showed she was having a boy. There was no medical reason for her to have the 2nd ultrasound, and she opted to purchase a rocker for the nursery and forgo the 2nd ultrasound which she would have had to pay for. Imagine her suprise when she had a baby girl in September. Shock, disbelief, joy, and a whole lot of other emotions. Her advise to any expectant mother, have a 2nd ultrasound (even if you have to pay for it)
Lynette says
Woohoo!Grats!!! Baby P and Will Bower- a DIY match made in heaven! :-D
Holly says
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! I’m so excited for the two of you!!! I have a 15-month-old neice who is the light of my life… you’ll have so much fun picking out cute little dresses and such! My cousin had twin boys about 3 weeks ago and did not find out their sex beforehand – they wanted it to be a surprise. I’m so glad that you’re waiting to name / reveal the name of your baby girl until she arrives… I love surprises like that! Congrats again, I’ve heard that babies totally change your life – and I’ve heard more than one parent say they never knew the true meaning of love until they had a child – they say it’s like nothing you’ve ever experienced. You have so much to look forward to!
Katelyn H. says
My sister-in-law is due in May as well and she and my brother told us the sex on Christmas Eve. My mother knits baby hats so she made a pink raspberry one and a blueberry one, and asked them to pick one. Blueberry it is! I can’t wait to meet my nephew and learn more about your little bean :)
Krista D. says
My mom and I DIYd my daughter’s crib set, curtains and other textile details in her nursery. Like you, I chose two fabrics of neutral colors – one was yellow, blue and green plaid and the other was yellow with pink and blue and white tiny flowers on it. It was perfect for our little Button! After we found out she was a girl, I added a pink lamp shade to the floor lamp we bought, and a pink changing pad cover (don’t waste your money, BTW – she’ll just poop all over it the first day you bring her home, and it will never spend enough time on the pad for anyone to ever see it! LOL), and pink toile basket liners. It proved to be a great decision on our part, because when our son was born 19 months later, we just used the same set and switched the pink lampshade for a blue one!
Many congrats and best of luck to both of you!
sedona says
I’m so happy for y’all! I’ve been quietly following you for months and I really really enjoy your blog! I’m coming out of lurkdom to tell you about when I was preggers 15 years ago. My hubby was severely injured in an accident at work on July 14, 1994. I was six month pregnant with our first child! He had broken his neck and was paralyzed from the chest down. Absorbing all of this and the surgery, well I’m sure you can imagine it was all very stressful and we were in full freakout mode!! My ultrasound appointment had been scheduled for July 15 and just happened to be in the same hospital the hubs was in. I was able to go up one floor and have it done. Unfortunately hubby was unable to be moved at all and didn’t get to come with me. He was still pretty out of it from his emergency surgery the night before. The ultrasound tech could see very obviously that my little bean was a boy! She actually typed on the picture ITS A BOY and put arrows all around the privates and printed it out for me to take to hubby! When I stood over his bed and showed him the picture a big tear rolled down his face. A boy was all he could say! The next three months in hospitals and rehab was very difficult for both of us. But he told everyone that would listen that he was having a son and needed to get home! He worked hard, everyone was amazed by his determination and drive. I wasn’t! That’s my man, tough as nails and the biggest softie you will ever meet. Hubby came home from the hospital two days before our son was born, and my hubby spent the next five months with a pillow on his lap holding that child. He finally allowed me to put him on the floor to play when he realized that others our boys age were sitting up, but our boy wasn’t on the floor long enough!! My man is an amazing father and our now 15 year old son is the light of our life and makes us proud every day!! I pray that your daughter will bring the same joy into your household that our boy has brought into ours!! :)
YoungHouseLove says
What a sweet story Sedona! You’ve got me bawling over here. I blame the hormones!
xo,
s
Lindsay @ Likely Design says
Congrats!! I LOVE having a little girl – I am so excited for you guys!! We wanted to find out just like you guys, but were a little shocked when the tech just blurted it out of nowhere in a silent room that we were having a girl. :) We thought she’d prep us a little so that we could have a little moment, but it’s obviously not special for them like it is for first time parents-to-be!
I had to have a second ultrasound and so I made sure to double-check just in case! And it was clear-as-could-be that she was a she!
Next we have to figure out to up our chances for a boy… ;)
xo, L.
thursday says
Congratulations!
I was honestly a bit disappointed when we had our ultrasound (nearly two years ago now), and discovered we were having a boy. I know, I know – I should’ve been happy either way. BUT – we were having a terrible time deciding on boy names! No such problem with girls. Oh well – I’m outnumbered now. And I’m bummed knowing that we probably won’t get to use our girl name! ;)
Ashley @ SouthMeetsSouth says
I am so excited about your Baby Girl Bean! I am 35 weeks pregnant with out little girl! Almost at the end of this pregnancy journey! She is our first and we couldn’t possibly be any more excited to welcome her to our family!
Have I told you about how we broke the pregnancy news? We told my parents and grandparents on Father’s Day with DIY Baby Onesies telling ‘Granddaddy’ and ‘Papaw’ about the upcoming arrival. It was definitely a tear jerker. – http://www.southmeetssouth.com/2009/07/happy-fathers-day.html
My husband traveled overseas to tell his family. I couldn’t make the trip, but I had an ultrasound picture framed and wrapped from me to them. Lucas had them open it via webcam so I could participate in the news sharing, too! It was crazy!
Then, we took my parents with us for a 4D ultrasound at 15 weeks to find out the gender and then went on a shopping spree! – http://www.southmeetssouth.com/2009/09/surreal-but-nice.html
Emily@remodelingthislife says
Congrats!!
the wells says
awww I am so happy for you guys. I can’t wait for all the new blog posts to come. Little girl rooms & cribs & bathrooms… it will be so great!
congrats.
xoxo
etsy.wellies.com
Tracey R. says
Congratulations, Youngsters!!! Baby girls are so precious and you are going to have such a fantastic time with the little bean-ette! :-)
Montanna says
Congrats! You two will be awesome parents! I had a high-risk pregnancy and had many ultrasounds to make sure the baby was doing ok. I had a second ultrasound at 13 weeks and went to the appointment by myself since we weren’t learning anything specific about the baby, just a little check up. Well, the tech say the gender and how could I resist finding out laying there knowing she knew. So, she told me and I went out to Target and bought the baby’s first outfit. A cute blue and white stripped onesie that said Daddy’s Little Treasure. I wrapped it in a red bow and gave it to my fiance when he got home. It took him a second to realize that the blue meant it was a boy, but boy was he excited! And even though the ultrasound was very early, and usually you can’t see anything at 13 weeks, the tech was right. And, as she said, she was a thousand percent sure. ‘Boy’ was she good at her job!
Mary says
Congratulations you two! How exciting! I can’t wait to see the nursery!
We find out later this week what we’re expecting (also due in May!), so I know just how you guys felt beforehand. Congrats again!
Nikki says
Congratulations on your baby girl! I’m looking forward to all of the nursery related posts.
I am 34 wks and we found out during the ultra-sound at 18 wks. There was no way I could wait any longer. My husband and 4 yr. old little boy were there, so it was special to be able to share it with our son. The little man of the house was really hoping for a sister and was quite sad to learn he was having a brother, but has since gotten really excited about his brother.
Thanks for the sweet comments about our nursery on FB.
Laura J says
Congrats! Welcome to “team pink.”
We found out Evelyn was a girl through amnio results. Our nerves were a wreck because my blood work showed possible trisomy 18. Imagine our happiness when we heard, “You have a perfectly healthy baby… girl.”
I, too, recommend the 4d ultrasound! I love that I have a DVD and detailed pictures that I can watch and look at when I am feeling sappy. We even caught Evie pouting on the DVD and in the pictures. In fact, it was the same pouty face she entered the world with. The detail of the pictures help you really feel like the baby is more of a person instead of bad Chinese takeout that kicks you in the ribs.
Jess says
Congrats! What are all the old wives tales? I’m about ten weeks behind you and for some reason I have a feeling its a girl too. But that may be just because “dad” refuses to believe it could be anything but a boy. And I have had only one dream about it and I had twins, one of each. A little scary :-) I ALWAYS said I would wait until the birth but I have changed my mind. I am so excited to find out now!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jess,
Well, we’ve heard that a baby’s heartbeat over 140 = girl (ours was close to 160), if you carry high = girl, and lots of morning sickness = girl. All of which were true for me! Of course they’re totally unfounded old wives tales (there’s many a mom who had all the very same “symptoms” I had and ended up with a boy)- but it’s just fun to try to figure out who’s in there until the big ultrasound!
xo,
s
sarah says
Congrats on baby girl! We’re just a few weeks behind you and are having a boy. We had wanted to do the envelope thing too (in fact, the hubs had actually wanted to have the doc put it in an envelope and then wait 3 weeks to open it Christmas morning–INSANITY!). We ended up finding out at the appointment (duh). And it was awesome…and immediate. Since we’re seeing a peri and they really know their stuff, he knew exactly how the babe was positioned and put the wand right on his goods. I was like, “Ha, I was right–it’s totally a boy!” Poor hubs was like, “Huh? What are we looking at???” Total Friends moment. :)
Amy says
We have two boys and were sure that I was pregnant with a third boy (which would have thrilled us). After a harrowing beginning to the pregnancy, we finally made it to the ultrasound. While the tech was scanning my belly, my husband was saying, “boy, boy, boy.” More of his premonition than anything. The tech said, “No, it looks like a girl.” We were so excited and surprised! It turns out that the tech was a little nervous telling us because she thought that my husband was hoping for a boy and would be disappointed with a girl. Nope! After having two sweet boys, I think we appreciate our baby girl even more. Pink has been so fun!
Jessica C. says
Congrats! We tried to find out at 20 weeks, but she was shy and crossed her legs the entire time. We had to wait another – very looooong – 3 weeks for another ultrasound. And even at that ultrasound she had her legs crossed for 90% of it. The tech saw her girly parts right at the end… whew!
Baby girls are the best!!! Our little girl is almost 5 months now.
Betty in Munich says
Love your story, very cute idea with the cookies. And no matter what you name her, the middle name should be beanette I think it’s already sorta stuck. Tee hee hee… Yaaayy for your baby girl!
Tara says
I just wanted to say CONGRATS! I’m so happy for you. Enjoy this time together.
Jacci says
Yaaaaaay! How exciting!!!!! Hooray for Beanette :)
We have such precious memories of finding out the gender of each one of our four children. We found out the same way with all of them. There I was on the table, with Sam right beside me. And then – the baby was born (!) and (since I couldn’t always get the best view) Sam hollered out whether we had a boy or a girl. We had nary a clue before we actually met our newest little one. I love it that way, but it *does* drive family nuts when they can’t shop throughout the pregnancy :)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!
~Sam and Jacci + kiddos
Karrie says
Congratulations! I can’t imagine waiting to find out the sex either–I reason it’s a surprise either way, so why wait! I’m sure your families were so happy and excited when you told them.
Michelle says
Congratulations! I love little baby girls :) I can’t wait for the nursery project!
Teresa says
my husband and i were told that our first, now 2, was a girl. granted this was by an ob; we had not had an ultrasound yet, so i am still not sure to this day what this guess was based on. needless to say, the ultrasound revealed a little boy. though happy, i felt a bit sad, as i had started bonding with a girl that clearly did not exist. but no harm done, i have the most wonderful little boy that lights up my life.
with our second, now 4 months, i did not even venture a guess as i did not want a repeat episode of the first time. as usual, everyone around me took joy in guessing and placing bets even! the ultrasound revealed a little girl. i named her Noa, which was the name that i had picked when i thought Isaac was a girl.
congrats Younsters!!! having a little girl is the most heartwarming gift.
BTW, i know you are probably trying to tune out everyone’s 5 cents, but i must take this opportunity…consider your birth options…the experience is so important. i had my son traditionally (drugs, hospital bed, etc) and my daughter via waterbirth. Such a difference. I could go on and on, but consider the environment that you choose to bring little beanette into. cheers!
EngineerMom says
Lovely to hear!
Our ultrasound tech did the envelope thing, and we decided not to open the envelope until after the birth. Turned out to be a good thing – the tech had predicted “girl” for our SON!