Firstly, thank-you for all the well wishes, comments and congratulations sent our way on the announcement of our pregnancy. I have been overwhelmed with the response, especially from people I have never met but seem like old friends through the blogging community! Thank-you. I was feeling quite unwell for the first 12 weeks with morning sickness, which was so difficult to hide when you’re feeling so miserable, but am now feeling fantastic as I am 16 weeks, due June 19th.
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Despite the looooooong wait – we really wanted to tell our families at Christmas that we were expecting a baby. Initially I thought it would work well, I should be about 12 weeks bang on Christmas…I did not factor in those two weeks at the beginning which you actually ‘aren’t pregnant’ for…so I was more like 14 weeks. Oops. Hence it seemed like I was pregnant forever before we told anyone!
After the eight hour drive on the day before Christmas Eve we arrived at my mum’s house at 2am. Unfortunately my sister and her family were down with gastro so hadn’t arrived yet as was the plan, so Christmas Eve morning I avoided my mum a bit and wore a flowy top as I wanted everyone there to announce! My sister, her husband, their three daughters, my other sister and her partner arrived for the festivities (whilst I kept a wide berth trying to avoid gastro!) With most of my family gathered, I wanted to give mum an early Christmas present…
I decorated a simple white box with linen, ribbon and a glittered rose, stuffed the box with tissue paper and popped a Christmas bauble inside (which I bought from here). The bauble opened up to reveal a scrolled message: Congratulations Grandi – grandchild #6 can’t wait to meet you in June! Merry Christmas, love Emma and Matt (and Baby too) xxx
Alongside the bauble was our Christmas card – a very belated Christmas card this year as obviously we had to send them out actually after Christmas!
After lunch on Christmas Day we headed down to Inverloch to be with Matt’s family. For his parents we bought a sweet children’s book: Guess How Much I Love You: In The Winter (seeing as though our baby will be a Winter babe). Matt’s mum has MS and is in a wheelchair, which obviously limits her with how involved she can be with their three grandchildren, although not much stops her and she is a very hands on ‘Mumma’. She especially loves reading to Laura, Ethan and Madeleine and it’s a very special ‘Mumma’ time. Guess How Much I Love You has always been a favourite of hers. We wrote a message on the inside cover of the book: “To dear Mumma and Opa, Please read this to me when I arrive in Winter, and for lots more Winters and Summers and Autumns and Springs… Love Grandchild #4”
To a lot of our extended family and friends who we didn’t personally tell, their Christmas card in their mailbox was the way they found out.ย And of course, the way all my blogging friends here found out was through our video (watch that here). All four ways we announced our pregnancy were perfect for each situation, and I’m so glad we waited and did what we had originally planned, despite the temptation to scream it from the rooftops in, oh, about the first week of October!
How did you announce you were expecting?
Bruna says
Love your imagination and creativity. Congratulations and enjoy this time.
Katie says
Congratulations – hope you have a smooth pregnancy. I know your child will have a beautifully decorated nursery!
Alex says
Such a beautiful and thoughtful way to share the news! I have not had any such news to share yet but my best friend had her baby just before Christmas. About six months ago they did their Facebook announcement, a picture of the two of them holding a wrapped Christmas present with a tag that said ‘Baby will be here for Christmas!’ So lovely.
Krisztina says
Congratulations on your Baby news!
With No.1. and No.3. I asked my Mum casually on the phone, if she was free around my birthday to help me with a baby (I was born on 12 March, my firstborn son on 13 March, and my daughter on 11 March – guees who doesn’t get her own birthday cake since 1999? ๐ ), and with No.2. I was at my Mum’s when I did the pregnancy test, so I just blurted out the news ๐
I loved your announcement, though it took me some time to watch the video due to some mysterious technical difficulty. But it was worth the wait ๐
Take care,
Kristina from Hungary
Helen says
Lovely announcements, all of them!
Reannon says
I always just blurt it out! i can’t keep it in for long so my family & very close friends always find out before 12 weeks. Its just too exciting!
Allison says
Such cute pregnancy announcements! We were not that creative and just told people. I can’t imagine keeping it a secret for 14 weeks, you did a great job of hiding it x
Lisa says
I am still giddy just thinking about it! I just love how you shared the news, so beautifully creative and thoughtful. I can’t wait to plot away at something creative when the time comes for us to start our family! xo
Prue says
Ohh you’re due on my husband’s birthday! I love the thought and effort that you put into breaking the news x
Anne says
It is so exciting for you and your family and I love the inventiveness. It is a lot easier to hide when your family doesn’t see you all that often and I am sure I would have been wanting to scream from the rooftops as well.
Kathy says
All those,ways were inventive and beautifully done with love and excitement. We told my Mum and my in laws as soon as we were pregnant but didn’t tell anyone else Neil after the 12 weeks. It is indeed a very exciting time particularly the first. It is hard keeping such an exciting secret for what seems like an eternity. Glad you are feeling better.
Alli @ Ducks on the dam says
Way too inventive for me. I love what you did – but 8urs was just a phone call! Gorgeous ornament. And that video!!!! You will need to blog a “how to” for making cool videos. Xxx
sharon says
we sent a funny little fax (back in the day when email/texting was so new) to family at the same time, and waited for the phone calls ๐
Number 2 I was about the same as you around Christmas so I gave them a little picture frame with “watch this space” and no 3, we just told em. (can you tell the inventiveness was well and truly exhausted!)
Emma says
Haha so true, all our family were like oh god you won’t do this for future pregnancies! so true