The Gender Reveal was one of many other exciting memories I will forever cherish along with this beautiful pregnancy. Jonathan and I have always talked about having kids one day and we always talked about having one of each. In a perfect world we might get lucky enough to have one of each and stop after that if we choose but at the time we were just focused on finding out which one we would be having first. Using the same ultrasound place that Bobbie had taken us to for the heartbeat I made an appointment for June 14th to find out the gender. I was 13 weeks and 2 days which was the earliest we could tell via ultrasound. We had contemplated using a blood test to get an earlier result but it just didn’t pan out.
With lots of anticipation and planning Bobbie, my mother-in-law Cecy, and I started putting together the details of the reveal. My bump was barely starting to show and there was only a few weeks to plan the whole thing. I think it is safe to say that most events or gatherings we put together happen this way and they always turn out amazing! We arranged for Bobbie and Adrian to find out the gender and keep it a secret. I was pretty sure that I would be able to read Bobbie’s reaction but she was one tough little cookie.
Jonathan and I had said it would be a girl but as soon as we had to look away when the ultrasound technician was revealing the gender I started having second thoughts. Adrian said he knew what it was when he got a glimpse and Bobbie seemed sure she knew the gender too. After a few more moments of seeing the baby on the screen and still having no clue what the gender was Jonathan and I had to leave the room so the technician could confirm the gender with Bobbie and Adrian. It seemed like forever and I started to think the gender would turn out to be opposite of my original thought.
Before the ultrasound we of course had to try a few old wives tales. The Chinese calendar said we would have a girl, the spoon and fork under the couch cushion also determined a girl, and I then pulled a paper from a cup with the words boy or girl in it and picked boy. The other test that seemed the most logical to me was the ring and thread test. I had always heard how that test was more accurate because of something to do with magnetic fields…yeah, yeah, yeah I know it could also be just another mystical way to get a mommy to be like me anxious but I was more reliant on that result. I did it one day with Bobbie after reading through some symptom checkers online that could also supposedly give away the gender.
I laid down and tied a thread to my wedding band. Bobbie placed it completely still over my belly and after a few seconds it started to move in a circular motion. That too, like majority of the other tests, meant it would be a girl. With all of this said you can imagine how anxious I actually was to find out that following Saturday of the ultrasound. We planned to do the reveal by using colored powder we ordered in an exhaust pipe of one of the vehicles and starting the engine. Originally we wanted to do a burnout with colored tires but let’s be real some of us can’t afford to waste tires like that. When we were at the ultrasound we picked up a few confetti poppers that the technician gave us containing whatever color the gender was inside.
We scrambled around all morning to get everything into place and thank goodness for my amazing broskie and sis in law for hosting it at their humble abode. We were able to set up decorations and food and get ready just in time before our guests started arriving. We all are and waited for some to show up and even had games ready but after some time passed the consensus seemed to be that we should skip the games and do the reveal. Adrian was stealthy enough to put the powder in the exhaust of one of his cars without spilling any powder or letting anyone see. Jonathan and I had done some tests a few days prior and agreed that we would put a lot of whichever color to get the best powder cloud possible.
All of our friends and family gathered outside and we took a few pictures. When the poppers were passed out we selected a few of our guests to do the honors while others watched or recorded. One popper had a bit of a malfunction and when Jonathan went to check it out before the big reveal he of course saw what the color was. After laughing a bit he confirmed with Bobbie very quietly what he believed the gender was and it seemed he was right. He kept it secret and we decided to go ahead and do the big reveal. I will add as a side note that my dear husband is great at ruining surprises either by mistake or by super ninja intuition. He always seems to know what the big secret is or what’s going on while I am usually oblivious to what’s going on. I was upset for a moments but decided either way it would still be great because I didn’t know yet.
Jonathan and I stepped forward and Adrian got ready to start the car. Bobbie did a count down prompting Adrian to start the car. I remember thinking “It’s going to be blue, it has to be after all because I originally thought pink.” Either way I wouldn’t be disappointed I would love this little baby just the same regardless of the sex. With Jonathan standing behind me and our friends and family watching the countdown started. THREE…TWO……ONE! A huge pink cloud and pink confetti filled the air and I immediately started jumping up and down and crying like the emotional lady I am! I could not believe my eyes and even better the excitement that filled my heart.
This was HUGE for us and I will tell you why. When Jonathan and I started dating and talking about a possible future together back in 2011 we always said if we had a girl we would name her Layla Jasmine Luna. We had a few names for a boy but always went back to the main idea of having a daughter named Layla. It just seemed perfect and we both loved the idea. When we started trying we still had the same idea in mind 5 years later and of course when we found out we were pregnant that was all I could picture for a little girl. I’ve been so in love with that name and the thought of her that as soon as I saw that pink cloud it all felt like it was really meant to be. It felt like all of the time waiting for her to actually be a reality had paid off.
I remember turning to Jonathan and telling him were having a daughter! He just laughed and gave me a huge bear hug. One of the best moments ever. After the excitement calmed down and people started leaving we posted the reveal and got to share it with those who couldn’t make it. I think I was in shock for a few weeks after even and still kind of have that feeling deep down. I can’t help but to think about how I will get to show her how to be strong and independent, how I will build her up to not only know her own worth and strength but to encourage that same worth of others, and how my daughter will know what it is like to have an amazing father and a crazy mother that will go any length to protect her and make her dreams come true.
Layla Jasmine Luna you will truly be loved by those around you because I will make sure to bring you up in a healthy environment full of the support and love that you deserve. I will never let anyone degrade you or make you feel ashamed for being whoever it is you want to be. We will support you in all that you do and make sure that you thrive in a happy home. Your grandparents will love you and spoil you just like your aunties and uncles and your godparents that have already done so much for you. You will grow up big and strong next to your amazing cousins and will create many memories that I hope fill your childhood with endless happiness. And I promise that your dad and I will do our best to show you just how strong and independent you can be as the fierce woman I know you will be later on in life even when at the end of the day we will still see you as our baby girl.
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