Yesterday, 60 people convened at my house for a confetti cannon launch like I've never seen. It was incredible. I reconnected with old friends I hadn't seen in awhile, and many of them got to meet my daughter Alexis and my family members. I'm grateful to my sisters, mom, and in-laws for driving all the way to Austin to be here for such a special moment! But that's not all. The response on Facebook from friends and family who couldn't be in attendance was overwhelming. So many people tuned in live for the grand reveal and commented with well-wishes. I went back later that evening and read and liked every single comment, thankful that so many are sharing this journey with us. The blog posts, the videos, the bumpie pics...I love how so many people are IN this thing with us. I tear up just thinking about it.
Prepping for yesterday was no small task. We had to purchase 56 confetti cannons and even then, we were afraid it wouldn't be enough. Making sure enough food was provided was a top priority to me and some of my friends brought fruit and veggie trays to help me out. So many thanks. As usual, my amazing husband helped me to clean and prep the house, as did my mom and sisters, which was such a huge load off.
Then people started arriving and the pictures started. Cynthia, a dear friend, brought her fancy camera and photography skills and took lots of lovely pics, many of which are attached to the end of this post. She did that out of the kindness of her heart, and I'm blown away. People grabbed blue or pink necklaces to adorn, even though many came dressed in blue or pink to show off their vote! People took their comfy lawn chairs into our clean and shaded backyard and set up in a circle; the weather was sunny and perfect!
We played two games and the prizes were dinosaur succulent planters. Game #1 was coming up with the top 10 boy and girl names of 2018, without looking at your phone. My sister Crystal won that game, which turned out to be harder for the guests than they thought! The second game was the Old Wives Tales game where people had to guess which ones were true for me. Many people were shocked that I was not craving sweets (exception: some watermelon and chocolate caramels) and some had never heard of the Chinese Gender Prediction Calendar. There was a tie for that game, and Alli won the rock-paper-scissors for succulent #2.
There was a little time to kill before 3:33 pm so many guests grazed on fruit, some played Corn Hole or Ladder Ball in the backyard, and most chatted and caught up with friends and family. Finally it came time to pass out the biodegradable confetti cannons along with strong warnings for people not to twist them until the countdown. Everyone gathered at one end of the yard while I set up my phone and went live on Facebook. Music played and people got impatient waiting, but I was insistent on 3:33! 33 is my lucky number and multiples are angel numbers, so I'll take any good juju I can get!
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-BOOM! 54 cannons filled with blue confetti shot off in the sky and it was glorious! People screamed, cheered, hugged, laughed, were shocked, and Erik and I danced around like little kids. Those who predicted boy walked around with know-it-all prideful looks on their faces and those who predicted girl couldn't believe the sea of blue snow on the ground. SO. MUCH. CONFETTI. We even made snow angels in it!
We then confessed to everyone that we knew we were carrying a boy for almost 3 weeks and offered to show everyone the video of what it was like when we found out. Magical. Pure magic. People said their goodbyes, hugged us, and left. Many stayed and sang karaoke in the backyard. All-in-all, at the end of the day, I was oh so pooped, but oh so elated. I imagine that sums up motherhood: exhausting, yet rewarding.
I'll leave you with pics from the party, again taken by the lovely Cynthia Ludwig. As always, thank you for reading and sharing so much kindness and encouragement with the two of us. Hearts are full.
Love always,
Michelle & Erik
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| The countdown |
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| Add caption |
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| Happy Daddy! |
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