That we feel the need to make grand announcements heralding our pregnancies is, I have to say, a bit amusing. You’re growing a human! An egg and a sperm collided on exactly right day and this little microscopic organism did exactly the right things at exactly the right time to sustain life. A pregnancy is a big enough deal all by itself!

Alas, in the age of updates and likes, we are expected to announce.

So announce we did.

How I Told Myself:

Without giving you TMI, I’m pretty in tune with changes in my body. As soon as a gal can know she’s pregnant, I know. In the middle of a complete snowstorm, I drug myself and Carson out to buy a pregnancy test from our neighborhood Dollar General. Very unceremonious.

We returned home and I sat down to pray before taking the test. My prayer was simple, “I surrender all.” I surrender my will to the Lord. Whether He put a baby inside of me, or not. I honestly felt at peace either way. With our first pregnancy being met with resentment on my end, that I felt so at peace with the potential of a second baby was a confirmation that God had healed my heart.

Hands shaking, I administered the test. Waited for two minutes, then crept back into our bathroom.

It was blank.

Blank!

I waited again for the recommended ten minutes (!?!?!?!?) to retest.

Finally, the results were in.

POSITIVE!

I grabbed my iPhone and took a quick selfie, just so I could remember the joy of the moment.

Then I swept Carson into the biggest hug and told her she was going to be a big sister. She laughed and said, “Blah bler blub blub.” Which I think means she was elated as well 🙂

How I Told My Husband:

Ben was at work when I took the home pregnancy test. And it would be 5 agonizing hours before he came home so I could share the good news! “Hey! Guess what? I’m pregnant!” Isn’t exactly a text you should send to your husband. To pass the time, and out of sheer nervous excitement jitters, I cleaned our house from top to bottom. Then hatched a fun way to tell Ben Baby #2 is on the way!

I decided to display the pregnancy test on our freshly made bed with a little note from the baby. It was simple, but totally worked. I played it SO COOL, Y’ALL. He walked into the house, then into our bedroom, and stopped in his tracks when he saw the display. Melted my hormonal, pregnant heart!

How We Told Family:

We had a really fabulous plan to tell our family, but it got slightly thwarted. My MIL suspected the pregnancy weeks before our planned reveal date. And, let’s be honest, when you resemble a Walking Dead cast member, it’s kind of hard to conceal your bundle of joy.

Exhaustion + Nausea + Toddler Raising = Zombie Status

So we decided to confirm her suspicions. We quickly made a little note from Carson to Granny + Grandpa, announcing that she’s a big sister. They opened the note and giggled at each other. “We knew,” they crooned, smiling at each other. (Okay, so that pregnancy announcement was a bit of a bomb. But, hey, the truth remains: you don’t have to get all fancy sharing pregnancy news.)

How We Told Friends:

Ben and I have taken Easter family photos on a bench outside my in-laws house for four years in a row. We decided to make a compilation of those pictures and share the news that way. Though the announcement happened a few weeks shy of the second trimester mark, I really see no problem announcing pregnancies early. The picture got tons of great feedback. I love that the announcement was a nod to the Easter holiday, a day so important for Christians, and my maiden name.

But there were tons of  pregnancy announcement ideas I didn’t get a chance to whip up.

Pregnancy Announcement Ideas We Didn’t Use

• Opps, I Did It Again Parody Great vial potential with this one! Ben and I would be wired with Britney Spears mics and prance around our house singing, “Opps, We Did It Again! We Made Another Baby!” We would dress Carson up as a backup dancer and teach her how to chew bubble gum. Foolproof, really.
• No Announcement Imagine the surprise of dear friends and family when we post a picture of a wonderfully squishy newborn in one of those ubiquitous hospital blankets. “Announcing our new arrival!” Can’t imagine this would offend or throw off anyone. Though it could get difficult to mask a growing basketball stomach for nine months.
• Chain Mail Letter With The Positive Pregnancy Test Pros: Everyone would find out the happy news…eventually. Cons: Postage. Also the thought of my urine sample traveling in USPS trucks.
• A La Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes Blow up our ultrasound picture the size of a PCH check. Stock up on balloons, confetti, and air horns. Spend a Saturday knocking on doors and scaring the bejeezers out of our loved ones.
• Your Baby Is Fruit You know how pregnancy apps always compare your baby to the size of a piece of obscure fruit? Post a picture of the corresponding fruit each week for the 40 weeks of your picture. Say nothing. Respond to no comments or questions. Finish with a picture of your baby.

What are your thoughts on pregnancy announcements? Do you have any crazy pregnancy announcement ideas? I’d love to hear them!