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.
Kelsey says
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SarahV says
My kid had a boner during the ultrasound. So it was pretty obvious he was a boy.
Yay for babies!
jbhat says
I’m thrilled for you. You two are such great people, and I can tell already that you are going to be amazing parents.
I am glad you found out what gender you are expecting, mainly because I am not patient at all, and would not have been able to wait until May to find out. For my two pregnancies, I also found out via ultrasounds. I figured I would eventually be surprised–why not be surprised early, and be able to plan and anticipate?
Also, I am glad that you are not planning to discuss or share names with us. People have WAY too many associations with names, and it will be best for you to not have to hear anyone’s memory of how NAME X was the troublesome first boyfriend, or how NAME Y sounds like a “paste eater.”
Finally, I too cannot wait to see how your little one’s room comes together. It sounds like it will be just perfect.
Erika says
Congratulations! I wish you and baby bean many years of health and happiness!
p.s. Please give Burger a sloppy kiss for me. I adore him!
LauraC says
Yeah!!!! Little girls are so much fun!!! We didn’t want to find out the gender of our first, so I spent the whole nine months assuming it was a boy, from the way I carried the baby and the fact that my husband’s side of the family is extremely boy-heavy. So when Sophia was born, it sure was a surprise – and a most excellent one at that! For baby #2, we decided to find out, and we are having a boy the second time around! Due exactly one month before you, Apr 19!
I’m with the others who said unless you’re planning on an only child it’s not very practical to have a very gender-specific nursery. Because we didn’t know, I went with green and yellow (with a little bit of blue) and I love it. Although once our daughter was born, pink (in the form of stuffed animals, baskets, etc) sure got added quickly (and not from us – from friends and family!) I’m working on adding some masculinity to her room now (at least toning down the pinky, girly accents), as she and her baby brother will share, initially.
MissCaron says
Woo-Hoo-Ha. HAHA. Too funny. CONGRATS!!!
Stefani says
oh YAY! Congratulations! What a fun Christmas present surprise.
So maybe my dream about you guys painting your whole house pink was psychic!
Very happy and excited for you both!
Live a Colorful Life says
I don’t have a gender-revealing story, but my son and daughter-in-law did the coolest thing when they were pregnant with their first. They took pictures of different signs in and around the Portland area that contained a number, and posted a countdown picture each day of the final month: street signs, stores, restaurants, aisle signs at the supermarket, etc., they each made into a very clever countdown. It was so fun to open up their blog each morning and see what number they had found for the day.
Kristi says
Congrats!! I am currently only a few weeks behind you and have my first (and -actually- hopefully last) ultrasound of this, my second, pregnancy in a week & 1/2. This time around is the same as my first one in that my hubby (who is in the Army) will be away at a school during the ultrasound) Last time we wanted to be surprised at the birth & I had a minor complication in that pregnancy that resulted in my having an ultrasound every month from 20 weeks on….it was TOUGH to keep looking away haha! But because we didn’t know and I was in the midst of pushing at a shift change for the nurses I had literally 20+ nurses in the room SO excited to see the *surprise* baby (a boy)! Apparently it’s not common to not find out before hand anymore.
Needless to say we are finding out this time (because my patience is much shorter now & because if it’s a girl this time there are so many new projects I want to take on that are gender specific & I already have a toddler that takes up a lot of time so I want to start early!) BUT we are NOT telling anyone b/c we had so much more fun last time at the baby shower & at the hospital with the surprise! Not to mention I pushed harder & faster just so I could find out quicker ;)
Emily says
Hurray!!! This is so exciting! We had our first little girl last March and will hopefully find out in 4.5 weeks (but who’s counting?) whether we’re expecting a boy or girl in June!
julie. says
Aw, great story!!!!! Congratulations!
I didn’t find out the gender with either one of mine…my husband and I are really into surprises! I did natural birth both times, so luckily I was lucid enough to be excited when everyone said “it’s a girl!!!” (8 months ago!) and “…a boy!!” (4 years ago). so I got one of each- yay.
Julie says
CONGRATULATIONS! As the mother of two little girls (almost 4, and almost 2), I can imagine your excitement.
And the best part is…now your little girl and Katie Bower’s little boy can get married ;-) (No, I didn’t read through the other 200+ posts to see if someone already suggested it!)
Enjoy your little one, and all the planning that she entails before she makes her debut!
Anna says
CONGRATS on the baby girl! We just celebrated our daughter’s first birthday two days after Christmas. We LOVE having a girl (even though I was afraid of a girl for fear she would be exactly like me and I wouldn’t be able to handle her!!)– she brings so much joy to our lives. You will be amazing parents. Treasure every moment!
We shared the big news on Father’s Day of 2008. We wrapped up little baby bibs with the words “I Love Grandpa” embroidered on them (with green thread since we didn’t know the gender at the time). And to make our hint a little clearer, we also included a home-made card with little baby footprints on it that said “We’re adding a couple of feet to our house” — feel free to steal that one for the next baby. It fits right in with your house decor vibe!
http://annakins17.blogspot.com/2008/07/we-have-good-news.html
Jen says
With our first (we have 3 boys), the ultrasound tech was good enough to go across that area diagonally and he knew but we didn’t and we didn’t have to “not look” for any part of it. It was so good to find out at the birth.
For #2, we found out – we wanted to have some girly clothes if he was a girl (no such luck). It was so hard knowing he was a boy and not getting to meet him, having gone the other route the first time.
For #3 we just averted our eyes. No big deal. We found out when he was born and that, really, was the best way for us.
Janet says
Too much information . . . congratulations.
Colleen says
My parents were very excited 19 years ago when they found out they’d be having their 4th girl. They didn’t have to redecorate or even buy new baby clothes. All the ultrasounds confirmed it.
When my baby sister was born, the doctor let us in on her little surprise – SHE was actually a HE – through and through. Guess they missed SOMETHING on the ultrasounds.
So dad and I headed to to the store to buy everything blue in sight (and a baseball glove, for good measure) to bring my little brother home to his pink nursery.
Nerd Girl says
Congratulations – girls rock! And yes, I’m biased – I am one and so is my daughter :)
We didn’t find out what we were having – I wanted to wait. My husband didn’t but since I was the one gestating, I won! We had several names of each gender picked out – we tried out a few different names on her when she was born and chose the one we thought suited her best.
maura says
Congrats on the big “pink” news. Girls are a lot of fun but then so are boys. It does make it a lot easier decorating when you know that it is a girl!
Becky says
Congrats! I just found out on NYE that I am going to be having a girl myself! Due June 2nd. It feels great to be able to call the growing baby inside of me “Baby Girl”. Now to decorate a nursery! Its all I think about!
Elaine K says
Congrats! You are going to have so much fun with your little girl!
I didn’t want to know the sex of my first and was surprised because everyone told me I was carrying a girl. He was born on my mom’s birthday so I got to call her and say “Happy Birthday Grandma, it’s a boy!” The second time I really wanted a girl so asked at the ultrasound, but tried not to get too excited in case there was a mistake.
Amanda L says
Congrats on the baby girl!
My hubby and I often have this discussion. If and when we do make our own bean…will we find out the sex at the ultrasound, do the envelope thing, or wait until birth. Its a hard choice.
Happy Nursery Decorating! Can’t wait to see all the fun things you guys dream up for a bitty person’s room.
Rachel H. says
Congrats on the baby girl. Our little girl is due April 21st! :)
Our gender story is really similar to yours. I was dying to find out and we got a pretty good shot of the goods, so we’re decorating it up. Not a lot of pink though!
Monica says
CONGRATULATIONS!
No baby stories, because we are not there yet (soon, but not yet).
And like you when we are, gender specific rooms are so old school! I love that you are NOT going that route and cannot wait for what you guys are coming up with.
Abigail says
Yay, baby girls!
Our daughter is the first girl in 47 years on my husband’s side, so they were over the moon.
We told them by taking all of the grandparents to lunch, and handing each set (there are 3) a note from the baby.
I’m a cheese ball, so I wrote a little poem, and signed the note using the name we’d decided on–each part of her name is a family name, so we wanted to tell them:)
Joshua says
That is Awesome….now just picture in a year or two your little one in the front yard chasing bugs with burger ;), okay maybe not bugs, but still little one running around with burger in the house that you three love so much…..its gotta be a great feeling…….We have no children just our dogs but a few more years…… anyways…I hope everything goes smoothly for you and you two have a great experience……oh and Happy 2010!
Handy Man, Crafty Woman says
We soooo wanted to find out with our baby, but he kept crossing his legs and turning away when the tech tried to look! and she kept trying to look, but she couldn’t see ANYTHING! we were glad to see and hear from the tech that the bean looked healthy and all, just couldn’t figure out the sex!
Everyone HOUNDED us to death about having a very specific “THEME” for the nursery, but we didn’t want to go that way. we left the nursery a pale yellow (it was like that when we moved in), and added white & blue accents. cute for either sex. so we had a BOY, but it was kind of fun finding out at the birth. but we REALLY wanted to know at the ultrasound! have fun!
Kim at Yellow Brick Home says
Whoo! Team Girl!
My best friend used food in a similar way to announce to their families it was a boy. They baked cupcakes and used pink and blue frosting on the top, then they filled the middles of each of them with blue cream! From the outside, no one knew, but with the first bite, the truth be told.
The poor family – they made them sit through a whole dinner wondering before they got their cupcake dessert!
Ruth B says
Congratulations on the baby girl! What an exciting time for you both!
megan @ a life's design says
Congratulations on your baby girl! I have no babies stories, but I do have a 2.5 year old niece who can definitely be a little diva!
Lisa says
Congratulations!! I don’t have any kids of my own yet but I am very excited for you. Our niece is 13-months old and I buy more clothes for her than I buy for myself. I know you’re trying to keep the blog mostly home-related but I love any baby posts, so keep them coming. :)
Also, one of my resolutions is to comment more. I’ve been reading you guys for a long time (started in 2008 in Germany!) so just wanted to say thanks and I appreciate all you guys do.
Christa says
Congrats to you both!
Molly says
Yay for babies… especially for baby girl P! I had a feeling it was a girl!!!!
I have two little girls myself and I absolutely LOVE IT!!! It’s is sooooo much fun! I can’t wait to see how you decorate the nursery. It’s going to look fantastic, I just know it. Congrats again!!!
Rachie says
My brother in law and sister in law just had their first baby Thursday, December 31 at 7:38 in the morning. They had decided that they didn’t want to know the sex of the baby until it popped out but they did have the ultrasound results in an envelope at their house. So if they ever did change their minds they wouldn’t have to call the doctors office or anything, they’d just have to go and open it up. They stuck to their guns tho and we were all surprised and excited to learn that it was a boy. It adds a new level of anticipation and joy that way. In fact my husband and I are thinking of doing the same thing….whenever that may be ;P
Congrats on learning your bean is really a beannette! I can’t wait to see what you two come up with for the nursery!!
Dylan says
YAY! A GIRL! Congrats!
I don’t have kids, but as a twin I did cause some my drama for my parents. They found out my sis was a girl, but I swung myself around so they couldn’t see anything, so they chose to give me a unisex name- the least unisex name on the planet, might I add. I try to ask my mom if she had a feeling about if I was a girl, but she always just whines that she didn’t knowwww, she couldn’t even moveeee!
Congrats again!!!
hayley says
congrats!!
Erin says
Congratulations on Baby Girl!!! I had kind of suspected in the back of my mind that maybe it was a girl – based on Sherry’s daily morning sickness and that old wives tale! (not that I believe in those or anything…)
I’m exactly one month behind you – due June 19! We’ve decided not to find out the sex, although sometimes it’s hard to stay on “Team Green.” We have our big ultrasound on February 1st, and I will be squirming not to take a peek!
Anna See says
Woooohoooo! This is so darn exciting!
I found out the gender of my kids (boy, then girl!. It took me a while to wrap my mind around having a boy. As if girls have girls and boys have boys. Yeah, weird, I know.
Amanda Z. says
Congratulations! It is almost impossible to prepare without knowing. After much poking and prodding at our 20 week ultrasound we found out we were having a boy. BUT, the technician never wrote it on our chart! Our doctor snuck us in for a second ultrasound just to make sure that was a “weiner.” And this Friday is our 36 week ultrasound to confirm he is head down. Good luck with the remainder of your pregnancy! Can’t wait to see the nursery!
A says
Congratulations! What a sweet idea!
Jan's camera says
Thanks for sharing that story. I am so thrilled for you both (I mean all of you, sorry Burger). Congrats.
Stephanie G says
Sherry + John!
CONGRATS! I’m so happy to share this adventure with you, and our baby GIRL is due in March!!! Can’t wait to see what you do to the nursery! Show us FAST ;) Haha… (pretty please?)
Mrs. Money says
AWWW CONGRATS. Little girls are so sweet. You could name her Jerri, a combo of John and Sherry. I know- that is kinda cheesy and not too cute. ;)
Sarah B says
YEA team pink! As the mother of two girls (22 months and 8 weeks) I can appreciate not wanting to go over the top girly with the nursery so I chose yellow and green for the walls and bedding. The bedding actually had some black and white check piping on the edges which I loved but couldn’t find fabric for curtains until I stumbled upon black curtains with white polka dots – STUNNING.
Sara says
Congratulations on your little girl! Isn’t it exciting finding out?
With my first, I knew from day one that he was a boy. I always had a feeling I’d have only boys, so this was no surprise, and I would’ve been shocked if he didn’t turn out to be a he (although I honestly didn’t have a strong preference one way or the other). Well, he’s definitely a he, a complete boy in every sense of the word.
With this pregnancy (I’m due in mid-April), though, I had absolutely no feeling one way or another. I had this nagging little feeling that it could be a girl, but didn’t really believe it. A few weeks before we found out, I was driving home from the store and Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” came on the radio. I immediately teared up because I knew, truly and for the first time, that this one was a girl. Cheesy but true. And I found out three weeks later old Stevie was right. . . Our daughter will join our son in a few short months!
Amy says
Congrats guys!
Im sure she will have John wrapped around her little finger in no time.
Jenny says
Awe, congratulations on lil’ Miss Beannette! I could not WAIT to log on here during our lil’ man’s naptime to check in & see ~ I totally called it! I told my hubby (who thinks I’m weird that I talk about people I don’t know, haha) that you’d be having a beannette and it would totally grow up & marry the Bower Baby Boy Will, and they’d have the best DIY house ever! ;)
When we found out our little man was in fact a little man, I totally had a Rachel from Friends moment ~ my mom & hubby both saw right away and couldn’t stop chattering/smiling/gushing, but there I was, all gooed up as well, wondering what they heck they saw?! Finally the technician took mercy on me and showed me what exactly I was looking at. Our last name starts with a W, and we saw his “goods” on the sonogram bottom up, shaped like a W…boy will that sonogram picture embarrass him sometime down the road ;) Haha! Again, congrats this is such an exciting time in your lives, treasure every minute as I know you will. Between you and the Bowers, I am totally feeling baby fever! :) Thanks for sharing!
OH, P.S. ~ we totally did not tell our names either, the gender was enough to share ~ you gotta have one surprise! ;)
Maggie says
OH yeah!! Congrats!
We found out once Miss Mia was born that she was a girl. Truthfully, it was so painful to look away from that ultrasound but once we walked out, we were so overwhelmed after seeing a healthy brain, heart, arms and legs that it totally didn’t matter if it was a boy or girl!!
Strangers on the street told me it was a boy. EVERYONE (including myself) thought boy. On my last day of being pregnant (I think I was in labor but didn’t realize it) I checked the Chinese Calendar and it said girl…..the first sign of a girl! What do you know, the Chinese calendar was right….was it right for you? I now swear by it!
Any baby that is yours is the best in the whole wide world! I love my little one to serious pieces!
Congrats again!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Maggie,
Well, the funny thing about Chinese gender calendars is that one said girl and another one said boy… so we can’t really say that they’re always accurate, it really depends on the site!
xo,
s
Tina says
Congrats on baby girl. Having a daughter is so fun!
I found out I was pregnant at 3 weeks & found out it was twins at 7 weeks. It certainly made for a long pregnancy. We had one of each to join their older (by almost 8 years) brother. They are 8 now & its just more & more fun each day!
Amanda Sevall says
Congratulations to you both!! What a cute way to share the news with your family. :) Looking forward to seeing what you do with your nursery! Did you see the new hgtv show on New Years Day — Sarah’s House? She did a super cute nursery with a similar color scheme. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Amanda,
Oh man we missed it! And we love Sarah. She has THE BEST eye! Right up there with Candice Olson. We’ll have to try to catch a rerun.
xo,
s
Tran says
Big congrats! Burger will make a great big brother to your little bean! Until she outgrows him. Then I guess he’ll be the little big brother :)