By WhatToExpect.com
Baby Makes Three
Share this momentous occasion with your partner by announcing your pregnancy in oneof these five cute ways:
Secretly collect car sales brochures from local dealerships that specialize in SUVs, minivans, and/or station wagons. One evening, set the dinner table and lay the brochures on your partner’s plate along with a note that reads, “I think that we’re going to need a bigger car—I’m pregnant!” Call your partner to the table, and watch with bated breath as the news sinks in and a smile registers on his face.
Once you discover that you’re pregnant and figure out an estimated due date, sign your partner up for a myriad of pregnancy newsletters using his personal email address. Your partner may write the first one (or two) off as spam email, but when he continues to get them and becomes progressively confused andsuspicious, surprise him with the joyous announcement.
Hire a professional photographer (or implore the help of a close gal pal) to take a series of (early) first trimester maternity photos. Include poses favored by expectant moms much later into their pregnancy, like your hands cupping both your upper and lower abdomen, your two hands making a heart over your abdomen, and your waist adorned with a decorative ribbon. Create a photo book of the images and present it to your partner as a gift.
Before heading out to work one morning, make coffee for your partner to enjoy and place a custom spoon engraved with the word “Daddy” in his filled mug. Sit down together and contain your excitement as he reaches in and removes the spoon to reveal the hidden message.
Purchase your partner a gift certificate to a locally offered wood-working class and place it in an envelope. When the right time strikes, hand him the envelope and explain that you’d love for him to build something for the baby’s nursery. If at first he doesn’t respond, give him ideas of small furniture items that he can build for his son or daughter to enjoy.
Baby Makes Four (or More)
Announcing a second, third, or even fourth pregnancy can be just as exciting as the first, so here are five clever ways to spill the beans:
Create a gift basket filled with foods that contain the word “Dad” or “Pop” in the name—Pop Tarts, Sugar Daddies, Pop Rocks, and popcorn to name a few—and wrap it up tight with tissue paper to hide the basket ingredients. Ask your firstborn to hand it to your partner when he walks through the door, saying “Surprise!!” Depending on the age of your child, you may choose to have him or her elaborate about the surprise, or you may chime in, saying “You’re going to be a Dad, again!”
Give your child(ren) an envelope to present to their Dad, saying “You’ve got mail,” which will be stuffed with an invitation to your baby-to-be's birth. Fill in all of the pertinent details, including your estimated due date, the location of the hospital, and a potential baby boy and baby girl name.
Ask your partner to run to the grocery store for you, but before he leaves mention that you left a shopping list in the car with your requests—pickles, ice cream, ginger ale, saltine crackers, and Huggies Clutch ‘N’ Clean® Wipes (perfect for use at-home or on-the-go). See just how long it takes him to put two and two together, but be prepared for an enthusiastic text message anywhere from the driveway to the checkout line.
If you’re partner’s into (video and/or computer) gaming, purchase enough game controllers so that every member of your family (including the bun in the oven) has a designated controller. Unwind the cords around the extra controllers and leave them near your partner’s gaming station. When he inquires about them, explain that you want both (or all, if this will be a third or fourth child) of his children to learn how to play video/computer games from their Dad.
Take a picture of your positive pregnancy test and then slip it into the last photo slot of a newly curated photo album that showcases the unforgettable moments your family has shared thus far, including snaps of your engagement, wedding, first pregnancy, childbirth, firstborn’s first year, and a recent celebration. Ask your partner to sit down with you to flip through the pages and reminisce. As he turns to the last page, grab your camera and capture the priceless expression on his face.
Savor this special time (and secret) before sharing your joyous news with family and friends, because you know that once you let the cat out of the bag the advice, gifts, and Huggies diapers will start rolling in.
Image : Thinkstock