Bow Ties and Chuck Taylors

            The cat was finally out of the bag and thanks to social media, the world finally knew our big secret. We were expecting. Just before Christmas, Adam and I went in for our sixteen-week appointment. Adam and I had already discussed whether or not we wanted to find out the gender of our little human and thought that if we could do it before the holidays, it would be the perfect little gift to share with our families. Our obstetrician was out of town and had another doctor covering for her, though, so we weren’t sure if she would be willing to take a peek. After the nurse took my vitals and the doctor did her measurements to make sure everything still looked great, I anxiously shot Adam a ‘should I ask?’ look. His smile told me exactly what I needed to know before I found myself stuttering out a sentence that neither of us even remember due to the emotions of that moment. She said she would be willing to look but couldn’t guarantee anything since most babies have a mind of their own and don’t always cooperate. My heart raced as we made small talk with the doctor whilst we waited for the nurse to bring in the ultrasound machine. The doctor asked us if we wanted a boy or a girl. We both said that we didn’t care as long as he or she was healthy. She then said, “So as long as the baby doesn’t come out a Jayhawk, you will be good with it?” If the MD behind her name didn’t already signify her intelligence, that statement surely did.

            Of course our little human didn’t want to cooperate at first, but the doctor was able to get a pretty good look once the baby woke up a bit. It’s a BOY! That's right, there would be no pigtails or tutus in our near future but instead bow ties and Chuck Taylors. We were both ecstatic and couldn’t wait to share the news with our families. Before we left town to spend Christmas Eve with my family, we stopped by Adam’s parents' house to share the exciting news with them. When my best friend Chelsea found out I was pregnant, she gave me two pairs of Converse baby socks: a blue pair and a pink pair. I wrapped up the blue pair along with the sonogram picture and gave it to Adam’s parents. I will never forget their reaction. Jamil was so excited that his first grandbaby would be carrying on the family name that he was practically jumping up and down in the kitchen.

            After telling Adam’s family, we headed to Atchison to share the same exciting news with my family. My mom had been begging me to tell her as soon as we found out and claimed that she NEEDED to know in order to buy a certain gift for the baby, so I let her in on the secret a little early. But of course she was sworn to secrecy. I rewrapped the blue socks and sonogram picture up for my dad to open. My parents were just as excited to be helping welcome a little boy into this world, but there was a little less jumping around involved.

            My mom hosted Christmas Eve dinner, which gave us the perfect opportunity to share the news with the rest of my family. Adam and I had purchased bottles of blue silly string and had covered the outside label to conceal the color. Almost everyone in my family arrived at my parents house meaning it was go time. My aunt Facetimed my cousins in Tennessee so they could join in on the fun. Gwynn and Grant, my cousin Bart’s children, waited until the count of three before showering everyone in blue silly string. Lots of cheers, hugs, and congratulations followed. My Grandpa started laughing and informed us that the gender reveal process was a lot different back in his day. He said that you just sat in the waiting room during the delivery and waited for the doctor to come down the hall and tell you whether you had a son or daughter. How boring is that?

            We did the exact same thing with Adam’s family on Christmas day. His mom hosted Christmas dinner at her house in which almost all of his family attended. We went around and had everyone guess what they thought we were having before we revealed the gender. It was definitely a very mixed group. I know that some were secretly hoping for a little girl since the last three little ones in the family were boys. One, two, three! Carter, Maddox, and Hudson sprayed the blue silly string for everyone. 

            Finding out the gender of our little one right before the holidays was a nice little gift, but it paled in comparison to the amazing gift we had already received back in October when we found out we were pregnant. Instead of just Baby Bakri, we had Baby BOY Bakri. Now to find the perfect name for our perfect little boy.