We told her when I was about 8 1/2 weeks after my second official ultrasound. I kept thinking up fun ways to tell her but nothing just really seemed to stick with me. Finally I just wanted to tell her and I didn't care how we did it.
I bought two little sleepers (gender neutral because we didn't know yet...hard to find!) and wrapped them up. Lonnie and I sat down with her and told her we had a really big surprise for her. She opened them up and immediately thought they were for her baby dolls. We said yes they could wear them but who else could wear them? She said real babies. Then we asked her if she wanted to have real babies come live with us. She thought that sounded real fun. I said, "you know how Mommy hasn't been able to pick you up and my tummy hurt a little while ago"? She said yes and asked if my tummy was better now. I said that it was but the reason for all of that was because there are two little babies growing in my tummy. I swear the look on her face was exactly like in the picture below. She was literally so surprised. This surprised Lonnie because he didn't really expect to get such a reaction out of her. It was so adorable and I, of course, cried! She said she wanted to hold them and I told her they have to grow really big and strong and then when they are ready to come out she can hold them. She said she wanted to see them so I showed her and ultrasound picture which meant nothing to her...ha! We talked to her about my tummy getting big and then she could feel the babies. She was really interested and really excited. She said she would help me change their diapers and give them bottles. It was seriously one of the best moments ever. I soaked it all in. We were all sitting on the couch snuggling and talking about the new babies. A moment I didn't think would ever happen and I was living it. I am so lucky.
I figured she would tell everyone immediately and she did at first. She told my mom (who knew but acted like she didn't) and the same with my mother in law. I thought she would tell her teachers at school but it took her about a week to do that. I picked her up one day last week and the director pulled me to the side. She said during lunch Blakely had told her something. At first I was like OMG did Blakely get in trouble? Because she never does at school. Then she said Blakely told her there were 2 babies in my tummy and she was going to be a big sister. I said it was true and she figured it was just one and I said oh it is 2! They were all super excited. It was pretty fun :)
I knew I was going to officially announce last weekend. Lonnie and I knew the genders since my 8 1/2 week checkup. I asked my nurse in Denver when I could find out and she said right now! It was so crazy to know. Lonnie and I decided to keep that a secret for a little bit. We never got the have the secret of me being pregnant like most couples do so it was nice for just the two of us to know this and no one else for a while.
Lonnie didn't know that I was going to ask the nurse so he had no clue that I knew. I left a few notes for him around the house that led to Blakely's room and the reveal. I made up a little poem that ended with something like "we are going to need to buy a few new toys because you are going to be the Daddy of another girl and a boy". I wasn't home when he read them so he called me and it was really exciting and special. Love that man of mine.
I started trying to think of ways to announce and then I found this shirt on E.tsy. I thought it would be a great way to announce the pregnancy to those who didn't know but also to announce the genders to everyone.
It took my mom and mother in law a good 10 minutes to figure it out when they came over and B had the shirt on. It was pretty funny.
So there ya go. I am pregnant with a boy and a girl. Life couldn't be more perfect right now. I have to pinch myself often. I don't know how I got to be so lucky! Sometimes the negative creeps up in my mind or the superstitious side of me starts to take over. I really have to force myself not to be this way. I am trying to enjoy the moments and not think about all of the bad things that can happen. That is really hard for me but I am doing better.
A couple of notes...
Blakely doesn't care a thing about it being a brother and a sister. She just wants "babies".
The clinic knows the gender of the babies because of the chromosome testing we had done when they were day 5 embryos. More on that here.
