My Pregnancy: The Gender Reveal Party

A few of you have mentioned wanting to know the details of my gender reveal party. I don’t want to disappoint, but there aren’t many details to share, except that if it wasn’t for my in-laws showing up early, I wouldn’t have been able to put this party together.  I had a few games planned and other cute things I wanted to do.  But Brad and I ended up spending the entire day at the vet and then driving to another vet where Rascal received two x-rays and an ultrasound to find out why he had been vomiting for the past week.

We finally got home at 3 pm and just had enough time to throw ourselves together and work with Brad’s parents to prepare our make-your-own taco bar.

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On the menu:

– Chicken*
– Steak*
– Soft flour tortillas
– Soft corn tortillas
– Crunchy corn tortillas
– Black bean and corn salsa*
– Mango salsa*
– Guacamole*
– Cilantro lime rice*
– Mexican cheeses
– Sour cream and Greek yogurt
– Medium and mild salsa
– Sauteed onions and bell peppers*
– Iceburg lettuce
– Spicy chipotle sauce*

*homemade/prepared in-house

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My aunt made this adorable coconut cake, which had both a pink and blue layer in the center.  People chose a piece of cake based on whether they thought I was having a boy or girl.  People who chose boy got a blue Peep and those who chose pink received a pink Peep.

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I must be missing that sixth sense that some soon-to-be-mommies have because I was on the fence about whether I was a boy or girl until we found out.  I took whatever piece came next in the line-up.

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My mom also made this delicious chocolate cake.

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Despite us spending the entire day at the vet because of Rascal’s stomach issues, he still felt the need to beg for food.  See his shaven sides?  The vet had to shave the hair off the area where he received an ultrasound.

Someone claimed that Rascal was trying to upstage my ultrasound.

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I’m so glad I chose to do a taco bar because it allowed people to make exactly what they wanted.  I have a few picky eaters in my family so this meal was perfect for everyone.

After dinner, we headed outside before the sun went down to do the actual gender reveal.

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I had originally planned to make my own gender reveal balloon box.  I figured that I could explain what to do to the people at Party City and they could stuff the box I gave them with balloons while I ran an errand, so as not to see the contents of the box.

But my good friend Jes said that I shouldn’t have to do my own gender reveal box, and offered to do it for me.

She did an amazing job and made a prettier box than any of the boxes I saw on Pinterest, which is where I got the original idea.

And in retrospect, I never would have had time to make the box the day of the party.  After the day I had, I’m sure I would have resorted to opening the envelope that held the note written by the ultrasound tech revealing the gender in front of my family instead of what I ultimately wanted to do, which was open a box full of blue or pink balloons.

Jes is a godsend.

So, here’s are reaction to the contents of the box…

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It’s a boy!

(The bag I’m holding contained the ultrasound photos which clearly showed that Baby E is a boy. They were taped to the inside flap of the box.)

Celebrating the gender reveal of Baby E was an incredible experience.  Even though I ran out of time and didn’t get to do everything I had originally planned, I wouldn’t have changed a thing about this party.

I loved that we were able to share this moment of surprise with the people closest to us and I feel so grateful that they wanted to be a part of this experience.

22 Responses to My Pregnancy: The Gender Reveal Party

  1. Lee

    Those pictures of you and Brad opening the box are great! Definitely something to show Baby E when he is older. (And I’m assuming you have a name since your last name does not start with an E!)

    • Yes, we do. But according to Brad, it’s a secret until the baby is born. We’re providing the initials because I love monograms and don’t want to discourage anyone monogramming a gift. 🙂

  2. jes

    Yay!!!!! Pictures turned out great. I am so glad it worked and that you liked the box! I’m so excited for you guys! 🙂

  3. Cute!! I kinda wish gender reveal parties were a thing when I was pregnant with B/L. That would have been fun 🙂

    Hope everything is OK with Rascal!!

    • Yeah, I love the idea (obviously) of gender reveal parties. It made finding out the gender so special.

      Thanks for your concern. Rascal has been perfectly fine since we took him to the vet, even though they never found out what was wrong with him. He’s on meds for the next week, which he surprisingly acts like he loves to take. I have to shove my whole hand in his mouth to push the pill down his throat and he acts like I’m giving him a treat. Strangest dog ever. 🙂

  4. Amy on Food

    Love the photos of the big reveal!

  5. lauren

    I hope your pup is okay! And nice seeing Jeff in a photo – congrats to y’all, you look great! 🙂

    • Aw, thanks girl! I’m so glad Jeff could be there. He always makes getting together with family more fun. Rascal is doing great. He’s on meds and they seem to be helping. He’s just as rascally as ever. 🙂

  6. That is such a great idea. I love that you also didn’t know the gender. I haven’t heard about any gender reveal parties where the parents didn’t know. Congrats again on your baby. I am due at the end of May and I am loving that so many healthy bloggers are also pregnant. 🙂 We should start a bump club!

    • Thanks! Not knowing made this party so much more special I think. I love being able to read about so many others pregnancy journeys too. It does make me feel like I’m in a bump club. 🙂

  7. Congratulations! I love that you got to experience the surprise along with your family. How fun! Did you happen to notice that you and Brad were both wearing blue at the party though? Maybe your intuition is better than you think! 😉

  8. Jen

    I teared up when I saw the balloon pictures and your reactions! And baby E?! Is he named? Two of my favorite boy names begin with E so I’m rooting for one of them 🙂

    • Aw, I was definitely surprised! That makes three baby boys born in my family this year between my cousin, brother, and I. We’ve never had so many boys at one time in our family. E is named, but we’re keeping it a secret (per Brad’s request). I insisted on giving out the initials because I’m a big fan of monogramming. 🙂

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  10. CONGRATS! So happy for yall!

  11. Danielle

    We were able to find out the gender yesterday!!! Must be the year of the boys ;);)

  12. SO EXCITING – congrats 😀 And that box is stunning, your friend did a fabulous job!

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