So, honey, if you got the “BIG NEWS”, we’ve got an easy or extravagant idea amongst this compilation from the divas and our awesome readers {thx!} on how to announce you’ve got a….. BABY ON BOARD!
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Doesn’t his face say it all?! If you’re like so many of us who test every single time we’re “late”, there’s a good chance that you’re gonna know before Daddy does. So what better raw shock than the test itself?! Our very own diva, Kristen, suggests making a whole date night out of it! You can watch a movie like Babies (released 2010) or Father of the Bride 2, Knocked up, etc. and surprise your man with your baby proof decorated with this darling printable tag!
You can download yours for free here. Thanks, Kristen! Okay, take a deep breath and dive in! There’s a perfect idea in here for every couple!
Plan to have family pictures (extended family works best) taken together. After the first couple takes, have the photographer say, “Okay, everybody, on the count of three say “Kari’s pregnant!!” Then they will take the picture just in time to capture the surprised reaction on everyone’s faces! Take your husband out to dinner, but prearrange with the restaurant to have your waiter bring a gift to your table. The waiter can just explain that he was asked to deliver the gift while you act completely unaware… Then inside the gift can be a small baby stuffed animal with a printed collar announcing your due date or any significant baby item that will give the secret away! Or instead of a gift, you can have the waiter slip an envelope with a picture inside of you holding your positive pregnancy test towards the camera underneath his ticket when the bill comes.
Fill the living room or your bedroom with pink and blue helium balloons. Let the person you’re surprising find them on their own. Write “Girl?” and “Boy?” in marker on some of the balloons as well as “Coming [due date]” and “Congratulations”! Mail a copy of some mini architectural blue prints with a poem about how you plan to remodel your household by 2 feet and expect it to be complete by [due date]. You can include a picture of your ultrasound… awww!
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Take a picture of your kids’ cute feet together or for a first child, of you & your husbands feet (cute socks could even be fun!) and add a caption or note that says, “Our family will be growing by “2 feet” this coming [due date month]. Write and mail a letter from the “baby” announcing her excitement to meet you on [due date] and all the great things she’s heard about each person you’re surprising! Send out an humorous announcement with the “priceless” theme like this:
Caption says: Photo paper $5, Postage $0.44, Envelope $.05, the look on your face when you realize there are three of us in this photo… PRICELESS!! Arriving [due date]. I know!!! CUTE! Right?
Put one of your ultrasound photos near the front of a photo album and purposely show your surprisee something on the same page in the album. Get a Rubbermaid or other storage container and put a “Congratulations, it’s a Boy/Girl!” helium mylar balloon inside so when they open it, the surprise message pops right out! Stage a game of scrabble and spell out YOU, ME, BABY or a game of Pictionary and draw it out. Make or order some customized fortune cookies with the fortune reading “You will become a daddy/grandma/etc. by [due date]. Hang an extra picture frame amongst your other pictures on the wall with an inserted paper that says “Reserved for Baby! [due date]. Make and give your husband an award certificate (even framed if you want!) that says, “You are hereby awarded this certificate of achievement for becoming a daddy [again]. The date awarded can be your due date.
MOST Suggested Idea: Make and have one of your other children wear a shirt that gives it away! From “Proud big brother/sister as of [due date]” to “Now I gotta share mommy and daddy” it’s fun to see how long it takes for people to catch on. Create your own any way you’d like! For family farther away you can take a picture of your child to text or email.
Write a the same type of Big bro/sis message on the outside bum of your toddler’s diaper, then conveniently need your husband or other “surprisee” to take a turn on diaper duty. Get a Hershey’s candy bar and cover up the “r” and the “ys” with stickers or paper. Write the word OR where the “r” was, and now the candy bar reads “He OR she?” Give the candy bar with a blue and pink balloon as your surprise! Get a delicious chocolate cake or a box of donuts to share. As your husband (or everyone you’re surprising) takes a bite, just say, “I just thought it wouldn’t hurt for you to gain a few pounds with me since that’s my plan over the next 9 months!” Tell your husband that you happened to see his horoscope that day and it was so accurate that you had to print it out (or write it down) for him. Hand him the following “horoscope”: Today you will find joy beyond your wildest expectations. Be generous with hugs and kisses to those you love. Plan carefully for an upcoming change that involves 10 little fingers and 10 little toes that will look a lot like YOU! Your lucky day is [due date]. Send out invitations for an upcoming birthday party! Example: Who: Johnson Family, When: on or around [due date] Thrown by: Mommy & Daddy or Big Brothers/Sisters
HOTTEST New Idea: Host a Gender Revealing Party!This is a such a FUN idea if Mommy & Daddy want to be surprised along with the rest of the crew! You ask your doctor to seal the answer of boy or girl inside an envelope, which you then deliver to a bakery or to a trusted family member who can make a cake with either pink or blue filling depending on the answer! Then at the party, you are in just as much suspense (times 50!) as everyone else as you cut into the cake. Check out this seriously AWESOME example from our fellow blogger, Martha, over at solovelycreations! She used a colored M&M inside cupcakes for the same effect! She invited friends and family to come dressed for the “Team” they were rooting for. So fun!
Martha also created some darling decorations using a hand print stamp and some creativity.
You can see ALL of her party’s babylicious details here!
Fill a baby bottle with formula and attach a tag that says, “Baby’s breakfast for {due date}.” Either give it as a gift or just leave it out on the counter for your “surprisee” to find! Slip the exciting news into your blog posts in one way or another… Say your new favorite word is one you recently heard from the 18th century – “infanticipation” [Get it!?] Then elaborate after they scroll down to see your ultrasound pictures and smiling faces of mommy/daddy. (My sister just used this on us!) Invite the ones you want to surprise over for dinner. Once everyone is seated, say to your husband, “I think you left something in the oven.” Then he’ll get up and pull out a pan from the oven with a cinnamon roll on it and say, “Yep, we have a bun in the oven!”
Take a picture of yourself in a cute little apron next to the open oven with a bun in it. Have a caption for the picture that says, “We’ve got a bun in our oven! It should be done baking this fall!” Email the photo to friends and family then save or jot down all the fun email replies. Deliver a box of gender colored and decorated treats to the unsuspecting person. Simply say, “I brought you some goodies!” then wait for the reaction!
(Photo courtesy of Tiffany D.)
Create a onsie or that says, “I’m the #1 baby” or “Grandchild #___” and give them as a gift or purposely leave them out on top of the laundry to be noticed. Remember that classic idea from a Full House episode (like my fav. childhood show!) where Rebecca makes a special dinner where each food was “baby”? Baby potatoes, baby corn, baby back ribs, etc. Ask if they taste a theme with dinner. 🙂 Tape a picture of your ultrasound to your belly covered by a paper with an adorable smiley face on it. Walk into the room without saying a word and wait for him to check it out! Go to morphthing.com and “morph” your face with your husband’s face. Print out the picture and ask your in-laws (or whoever you’re surprising) who the picture reminds them of… Of course you’ll answer it’s an idea of what your baby might look like! Use washable blue and pink markers to write Baby On Board across your belly. To surprise your husband, you could just wait until he find the message at bedtime or for family – if you have another child – you could arrange to have him/her “accidentally” lift up your shirt. Give them this darling book and say, “It’s time to brush up on your tickling skills! There’s gonna be lots of opportunity soon!”
Depending on how far along you are, use this page to look up about what size your little baby is at that moment (i.e. poppyseed for 3-4 weeks along or a green pea for 6 weeks along.) Place an item that size in the hands of the person you’re surprising and say, “It’s incredible how something this size can change our lives so much… this is how big our baby is right now!!” Order some personalized M&Ms that say “Baby” or “Baby on Board” and simply put them into a candy bowl and set them on the table for surprisees to grab some! See how long it takes before they really look at them and get the message! If it happens to be near Halloween, have an X-ray shirt made. Or use a skeleton costume and add your own baby skeleton on the belly. Here’s a peek at an example of this memorable costume!
(If you’d like more info on how to get a shirt like this or even for twins, just leave a comment.)
If it’s near the Christmas holidays, wrap up some generic baby items like a bottle, a rattle, etc. and place them under the tree in one pile so you can hand them out all at once to each member of the family you want to surprise. Create a poem to read to your family that gives it away. One reader did this at Christmas with a twist on a classic. She wrote “T’was the night before Christmas and all through the house not creature was stirring, not even a mouse. All the stockings were hung by the chimney with care… one for [first child] and[second child], but mine was not there. [1st child] was first, wild and free. [2nd child] was next, sweet as could be. I’m warm in mom’s tummy – though she doesn’t show. Who will I be?? In June we will know!!” Send out a Christmas card in the form of a mock newspaper. Have different sections including the home, sports, travel, and health sections. Cleverly include your “bout with nausea” and slow but consistent weight gain. Mention you’re expecting a hospital stay on or around [due date.] Posting on FB is definitely the way to spread the word the fastest… and the ways to say it are endless! Update your status cleverly like “I’m sure craving mustard and ice cream these days!” or “Can everyone save their coupons for Babies R Us for me?” or ask your husband in your status “How should we decorate the nursery?” You’re sure to get a LOT of comments on that post!
Last, but certainly not least {cuz this is sooo dang cute!} is the animated video idea! Create a video you can post to everyone all at once on Facebook and send via email. One example I’ve seen is a video of a family putting a bun in the oven and all turning to the camera to give an exaggerated wink. Ha! This other beautiful example was done by a friend of the divas from the perspective of the big-sister-to-be. It’s daaaarling! Take a look:
Thank you to all our readers who contributed your great ideas! If you have an idea you’d like to share, feel free to leave it in the comments! We would L.O.V.E to hear it! PS!! Dont miss out on preparation for the baby shower! We have you all set!!!
