Filed under: Kid Corner by Chelsea

Is it just me, or does EVERYONE seem to be getting pregnant lately? There’s babies everywhere! It doesn’t really make sense, considering that we’re still caught up in a recession and baby booms usually come after recessions (when people feel confident to start investing in their families again), but my theory is that everyone is cutting back on entertainment expenditures and finding other ways to entertain themselves at home…

Anyway, the sudden onslaught of infants has unveiled a whole new world that I was previously unaware of. A world of onesies, diaper genies, baby showers and something called a “Hooter Hider.” Always one to make a party out of anything, I was delighted when one of my friends invited me to a baby-related event called the Gender Reveal. The mysterious and very exciting gender reveal is when the expecting parents find out what gender their baby is going to be, and then reveal it to the world in clever and inventive ways.

My favorite gender reveal is the “baby cakes” method. The ultrasound-stick wielding doctor (you can read all about THAT invasive process over at All Bower Power) gives the parents a sealed envelope with the gender written inside. The parents then hand the sealed envelope over to a baker (or trusted friend) and have a cake made with white frosting and either blue or pink layers, depending on the baby’s gender. A big party takes place where everyone finds out the baby’s gender via cake-slicing, and all the family and friends party, eat cake, and drink champagne in celebration while the pregnant mom sips something non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated, and – of course – non-shellfish.

A slightly-less public method of revealing the gender is to send a simple card to friends and family. When choosing this route, the expecting parents have the doctor tell them the gender, and then they create a card or photo card with the announcement. A really nice and simple touch is to tie a blue or pink ribbon around the mother’s stomach and use that as the announcement photo.

For close family who can’t make it to a gender reveal party or who you just want to do something extra-special for, a nice gesture is to send either blue or pink flowers with a simple “It’s a Boy” or “It’s a Girl” card. A similar idea is to send a single helium balloon in the appropriate color.

While we’re on the subject…many of my friends have asked when Nate and I plan on jumping aboard the baby wagon, so I’ll go ahead and share what I’ve told all of them: I refuse to even think about it until after the wedding. I have quite enough crammed into my head at the moment (bridesmaids, bouquets, caterers, chair covers) without adding in distant future concerns about nurseries, booties, formula, and diapers.