Hey, did you hear  ANNA is having a BABY? Their FIRST!! Well, she found out if it it will be a boy or a girl! Now, there are just a few of us lucky ones that know already…but most of her friends do NOT know…until today. Right HERE on the blog she is sharing the big announcement!! We all wanted to know more about her journey with this baby and her dreams for after the baby arrived…so we asked her some questions. So I am going to hand this over to Anna and let her fill you on HOW they found out in AND tell you if it is a BOY or GIRL!!

Here’s Anna…

A

My husband, Dema, and I found out in February that we were expecting our first child. He cried (in a good way) and I honestly didn’t know what to think. It was the happiest and scariest news I’ve ever received in my life. Since then it has been a roller coaster of feelings and thoughts. The excitement of sharing the news with our friends, the difficulty of morning sickness (all day sickness was more like it), the fun of reading baby name books and dreaming of our child, the overwhelming anxiety of what my body was going to go through in just a short nine months and the indescribable joy of feeling a little baby moving inside of me. It’s a journey I wouldn’t trade for anything and I feel so blessed that God has chosen us to be the parents of this child.

The only damper on this really happy time was the heightened awareness that my family lives ten hours away and would not be able to play as much of a role as I would like in this process and in the years to come. Of course, there are the frequent phone calls and occasional visits but nothing replaces that sense of just being together, walking the journey side by side. So we decided to make the best of it and just fully enjoy the moments that we could share together. One such moment came in the form of a gender reveal party. We had planned a trip home to celebrate the 4th of July and my 30th birthday with my family and realized that the ultrasound was scheduled for just a week and a half prior to the trip. We decided to exercise some self-control and for 12 days we carried a sealed envelope with the gender of our baby inside, just waiting for the moment when we would all be together. On the way home we stopped in West Virginia and bought two large boxes of fireworks – one blue and one pink. When the time came we would hand the sealed envelope off to my uncle and allow him the pleasure of setting off the correct fireworks. The day turned out better than I had even hoped. We had a wonderful 4th of July picnic together, full of food, swimming, deep conversations and lots of laughter.  As it got dark we gathered around a fire in the backyard where my aunt shared some old wives tales about gender and we tallied up how many signs pointed toward a girl and how many toward a boy. The odds were in favor of a boy. Each person was then asked to share what their guess was for the gender and a name they would suggest for the baby. Once again, the odds were strong in favor of a boy. After everyone had a chance to share, we headed up to the driveway where the fireworks were waiting to be set off. I handed the envelope over to my uncle and sat down nervously waiting for the first explosion. I felt in my heart that it was a boy but I have to admit, I was still shocked when I saw the blue light up the sky. After the fireworks died down (there was quite a show), my family gathered around us, read Psalm 139 and my dad prayed over us and the baby. It was a moment in time that I will always remember and I look forward to sharing with my little boy all the details of the day when his daddy and I found out he was a boy.

Karen….

1.What qualities do you see in your husband that you hope your son will possess?




Honestly, there are so many things but the ones that come to mind immediately would be having a kind spirit, a servant’s heart, a quickness to forgive, a security in who he is, an unshakeable faith and a deep contentedness with life. 



2. Describe what you loved about growing up in your family that you hope to repeat with your family?




I loved the freedom and frequency of affection that was given in our home, the hours my dad spent telling us stories of his childhood, the Saturdays we spent working all day (didn’t love it at the time but it taught me how to work hard), the meals spent together around the table and the fact that we had no TV or video games and had to spend our time exploring the outdoors and playing with each other (I know it sounds like I came from the Stone Age but I wouldn’t have it any other way).

Margot…

1. What baby trends/articles of clothing are you excited to get to try on your little man?


I have to admit, I’m more excited about dressing my boy when he’s four and older than dressing a baby. Strange, I know, but I just can’t wait to put him in a pair of skinny jeans cuffed with short leather boots, and a pair of suspenders. I also love a very classic look – seersucker shorts, boat shoes, polo shirts.


3. What will he call your parents?


My mom’s nickname is ‘Z’ so all the grandkids call her Grandma Z. My dad’s name is a little more unique. Somewhere along the way Grandpa morphed into Bopi and it’s stuck.

Grace…

1. What color are you going to paint your nursery? Do you have a style you are going for?

I plan to paint the nursery cream and probably add in some elements of beige. I love neutral colors and enjoy a clean refreshing feel to a room. I haven’t decided how to decorate things yet but I do think I would like somewhat of a vintage feel.

3.What was a good tip that your sister gave you about being pregnant or having a baby?

I’ve learned more from her example parenting her four little ones than I have from anything she has told me. I’ve learned that there are some serious sacrifices involved with raising children but if you’re willing to make them, you will reap what you sow a hundred fold.

Char…
1.What are you most excited about as you think of a little person becoming part of your life?

I think I most look forward to experiencing the intense love that a mother has for a child. I’ve heard about it all my life but you just don’t know what it is until you are there. I think any kind of love enriches life and changes who you are in a good way so I can’t even imagine what a mother’s love will do to me.

3. As a first time mommy, the unknowns and first times are HUGE…what unknown/first times feel the BIGGEST to you?

Wow, so many things. I guess there are two huge unknowns that weigh on me the most. The first is, of course, labor and delivery. I think every first time mom is scared of the experience because they don’t know what to expect (although maybe it’s worse for those who do know what to expect). The second one is the thought of bringing home a helpless fragile baby and my husband and I being solely responsible for his well being. That seems completely overwhelming but it gives me comfort to know that every other mother started out where I am and just learned along the way.

Justine...

What made you decide to find out the gender of the baby?

My husband wanted to know because he felt he could bond with the baby by knowing more about him and being able to dream of a more specific future with him. I wanted to know because I’m cheap and wanted to get a bargain on all the baby stuff during summer yard sales (and maybe some of the first reason too :)

What was your favorite childhood tradition that you plan to do with your child?


My dad took us kids on fairly regular dates and spent time just getting to know us as individuals and asking us questions about life. Sometimes I think we are too busy to hear what’s on the mind of a child but there’s some pretty profound things going on in their little brains. I want to allow my boy freedom to express his thoughts and to take the time to really get to know him.

A

Thanks Anna!! Now we count down the days until this little fellow arrives!! :)