It’s official: the bean is a girl! We couldn’t be more excited.
Burger, on the other hand, seems a little oblivious to the whole thing.
We found out the day before Christmas Eve, on December 23rd, after persuading the doctor to see us early (she had suggested we come in on the 30th). We were eager to share the news with our families over the holidays, so we asked for a sooner appointment.
Best. Christmas. Gift. Ever.
Luckily, our little girl wasn’t shy. The sonographer captured a very clear view, so there was no doubt about the verdict. At first we toyed with the idea of having the technician write the result on a slip of paper and seal it in an envelope for a private reveal later that night. The plan was to have a special dinner and open the envelope together, then spend the next few days with family.
But once we were in the exam room, watching the baby move and seeing her on the screen, we realized we didn’t want to look away for even a second just to preserve a surprise. It felt important to savor every moment of that ultrasound, especially since it might be our last one during Sherry’s pregnancy. So we decided to find out right away. There, with gel on Sherry’s belly and both of us on the edge of our seats, we discovered we were having a daughter. I even kissed my beaming wife right there on the table in front of the sonographer. It was an incredibly joyful moment.
Because we love surprises, we hadn’t told our families about the last-minute appointment. They all assumed we’d learn the sex on the 30th, when Sherry reached the 20-week mark. After our celebratory dinner — full of name talk and nursery ideas — we stopped by the grocery store for gingerbread cookie mix and pink icing to prepare a fun reveal for Christmas Eve.
Our gingerbread girls may not win any decorating awards, but they served their purpose perfectly. We arrived at my parents’ home in Northern Virginia on Christmas Eve — timed to coincide with dessert after a long day of tiling the bathroom — and announced, “Surprise! We made gingerbread cookies in honor of the bean…” Sherry added, “…and we learned yesterday that we should make them ALL PINK!”
Shouting, jumping, and general merriment followed. We successfully surprised everyone and they were thrilled. The whole group — especially our niece Olivia — was excited about the idea of adding a baby girl to the family, where my sisters had welcomed two boys back in 2009. Everyone enthusiastically devoured the cookies, which made the moment even more festive.
We expect to get plenty of girl-specific advice and questions, so here are two things up front: first, knowing the sex narrows our name brainstorming, but we don’t plan to finalize or share any names until we meet our baby in May; second, despite the pink reveal, we’re leaning toward a gender-neutral palette for the nursery — think greens, blues, and yellows with subtle touches of pink. That said, it’s fun to plan feminine accents and DIY details that could make the room feel sweet and special. Many of our nursery ideas will remain adaptable so they’ll work for either a boy or a girl.
We’d love to hear your reveal stories — whether you found out during an ultrasound or at birth. A close family friend of ours recently welcomed twin girls after believing she was carrying just one for nine months — she didn’t want an ultrasound and had a truly huge surprise. Please share your “it’s a girl!” or “it’s a boy!” moments; it’s always heartwarming to imagine how those big announcements were shared with family and friends.