Every week at Kelly's Korner, she posts a different topic under the title of Show Us Your Life...this week's topic is "how did you tell your spouse and family about your pregnancy?!"
Craig and I found out that we were pregnant with Natalie on July 4th of 2010 which I talked about here a few days ago. Both of us obviously wanted to tell our parents in person and since we live so close to them both I wanted to do something pretty special and creative. We came up with lots of different plans which involved a sonogram picture, but I knew that since our first appointment was still WEEKS away...I wasn't going to be able to last that long NOT telling my mother.
So I got broke out the markers and started coloring.
For my parents I made a series of four signs, taped them to a big book and placed the book and sign in a little stand. Since my dog Angie is so close to my parents I figured she should be the one to announce to them that they would be grandparents to an actual human and not just a beautiful four legged fur baby.
I downloaded these pictures from my iPhone...not sure why they are turned sideways and why I can't get them to be horizontal.
Each of these pictures of the sign and Angie together was placed in one of those big, long and clear glass frames from Target. I cut out a piece of construction paper and taped it over each picture and then labeled them one through four in the order that they needed to read the signs.
Picture #1: "Grandaddy and Nonna, A message to you from Angie"
Picture #2: "You are the BEST grandparents a puppy dog could EVER ask for. So...that's why..."
Picture #3: "I don't mind SHARING you both with..."
Now picture my mother getting very curious and anxious. I think she WANTS it to be the announcement of a new grandbaby (my eldest brother has two boys) but she also didn't really want to get her hopes up.
Picture #4: "Baby Nelson coming to you: March 2011" The funny thing about this last picture was Angie. For the first three photographs she sat diligently next to the sign with her held held high and looking right at me...but with this last sign she had gotten tired and laid down with her head across her paws as if she had already resigned herself to playing second fiddle in our house to the new baby that was on the way.
Now the response from my mother was this: "No way. Are you joking? Is this a joke? No way. You're kidding. You're kidding, right?" I told her that if this was a joke, what a cruel joke it would be. Of course there were lots of tears and my parents were super excited for us...but I think it was a different feeling for them having their only daughter - the baby girl of the family - expecting her own little baby. I know that it was very emotional for my daddy because I have always been and will always be HIS little baby girl.
And obviously Natalie is my first child...because I had enough time and energy to make these signs, corral and position the dog next to the signs, develop the pictures of the signs, place pictures in frame, cover each pictures up with a piece of construction paper labeled #1 - #4 and then wrap the whole frame to give to my parents.
For Craig's mother, sister, grandmother and aunt I figured that we could give it to his mother as a birthday present since her birthday was coming up in the next week. I got a diaper from one of my friends and wrapped it in tissue paper in a box with a note on the top that read:
"We have something ordered for you but it is being specially made and you won't be receiving it for a little while. In the meantime, here is a little hint at what we have gotten you for your birthday."
I announced it to the rest of the world via a t-shirt on Angie that read "I'm going to be the Big Sister" and posted a picture of her wearing it on Facebook.
I'm not sure if the next time around will be so elaborate since I will most likely be chasing around a two to three year old and might not have the same determination, creativity, time or energy on my hands. But nonetheless...the second baby will be just as special.
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