And the Envelope Says…

So it’s almost that time in my pregnancy when my hubby and I can find out whether we are having a girl or a boy.  It such a big, exciting decision for couples deciding whether they want to find out or not and if they do how.  I am a big believer in doing whatever makes you feel like the experience of pregnancy and becoming a parent is even more special.  For some that is leaving finding out what you are having till your wee one is born and for others it’s finding out in advance.

For me, I like to find out as soon as I possibly can.  For some reason it makes me feel more connected to the babe growing inside of me and as it usually happens approximately half way through the pregnancy it is a wonderful surprise to keep me going until the wonderful day when I finally get to meet my new baby.

Many people find out during the anatomical ultrasound at 20 weeks and if that feels right for you go for it.  I do like to encourage people though if you are finding out to think of a really special way to do so.  It is such a momentous thing to discover that it should be special.

For my husband and me, we take a card and an envelope to our appointment and we ask the ultrasound technician to write down sex of the baby on the card and slip it into an envelope.  The evening of the ultrasound we go to the place we first met in New York City, a roof top bar no less (well we met in the elevator on the way up but is a little bit of a short ride to open such a special envelope!).  My hubby gets a drink and I get a mocktail and then we put the envelope on the table and then open it!

It is so exciting looking at the envelope not knowing what it’s going to say and then opening it in the same special place that our relationship and thus our family begun.  We then go to dinner nearby and talk about names, the new baby, our family, the future.  It is truly a magical evening.  Though  I don’t yet know what my envelope says, I can hardly wait!

There are so many creative ways to find out the gender these days whether you are religious and would rather do it at your church, or throw a cake party and have the icing inside be pink for girl and blue for boy, many bakers will do this if you ask a friend to call in with the results of the ultrasound.

If you are finding out you should think about what is important to you.  Is it important to have privacy and just be with your partner when you learn the news?  Or do you want to find out immediately at your doctor’s appointment or perhaps you want to share with friends and family with a get together.

Basically get on the same page with your partner, because this is a moment worth planning, savoring and enjoying every last second.  I’d love to hear from all of you on why you did or didn’t find out and if you did find out how you did it.