Parental Reveal

I pictured this moment for years. I had thought of all the ways I could share the news that we were expecting. When we began fertility treatments though, I felt as though the “surprise” of it was stolen from me and I would never get to have that special moment. Our little miracle made this possible and I will treasure these memories forever.

We invited my parents over for dinner. As soon as they came, we went down stairs to let the dogs out to run and said that we wanted to show them our newly finished room. I had hung a little baby banner and streamers with some baby socks, hats, and layettes attached. I also was holding a onesie that said, “Only the best parents get promoted to grandparents.” My dad walked in first and just stared at me for a moment, then smiled and said, “You’re kidding!” and turned to the right and teared up. My mom then came in a few seconds later. She too stood like a deer in the headlights for a moment, kept repeating “What?!”, then began sobbing and ran to hug me. We held each other for at least 30 seconds and cried. While we did this, I saw my dad shake Michael’s hand and pull him into a hug.

I knew I was standing in this room with my parents giving them the best news I could ever give them- that I have been waiting so long to give them- and it felt like I was watching a movie or something. It still doesn’t feel real, not only that I am pregnant, but that things are going well and that I was able to have this experience. We didn’t record it because we wanted to be in the moment, but it’s not necessary. I will remember it for as long as I live. We did take a picture after and everyone’s face shows pure joy.

Sharing the news with Michael’s mom took a bit more planning. I sent a onesie that said “hi grandma, I can’t wait to meet you” in the mail to her sister. I had asked her sister to set it aside until I called. Thankfully it was delivered today so we could share the news with her just a couple hours after my parents. We did a FaceTime call and she was cooking dinner. We told her to open the package and the phone was jostled around between her, her sister, and what I think was the kitchen counter. She opened it and flipped the onesie over to read the words and burst into tears as well. I’m not sure of the first words she said, but I distinctly remember “Now I’ll never finish making dinner!” Through the tears, she told us how she has had a Christmas ornament hidden in her glove box for years and has been saving it all this time. After “I love yous,” she said she needed to go because she couldn’t stop crying happy tears.

This little miracle of ours is already SO loved. Only 5 people in this world know of him or her (aside from medical staff), but the love and joy we feel towards him/her is already so immense. I hope our little miracle is ready to be bombarded with this amount love.