Baby Bracci Gender Reveal and The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Chapter Three: December 2018

Five weeks flew by and crawled, all at the same time.  It was Dec 7^th and we had officially made it to 14 weeks! This was the weekend we would find out if Baby Bracci was a boy or a girl!

Up until this point, multiple times a week, Ashley and I would discuss her cravings and whether or not those cravings meant Baby Bracci was a boy or a girl. From the very beginning, Ashley was certain the baby growing inside her was a boy. She would tell me constantly, “Y’all can be excited to find out the gender at the party, but I already know it’s a boy.” She stood by this prediction all the way up until 12 weeks. Then, the morning sickness didn’t subside, and the sweets cravings grew stronger. At that point, she contemplated the chances of this baby being a girl. Now how we would know? We had to wait until 14 weeks to be certain. 

Several weeks earlier, I bought the “SneakPeek” at home gender reveal test. However, due to slow delivery and other unforeseen hurdles, Ashley wasn’t able to send off the blood sample until just a week before our planned trip.  This turned out perfectly because we then had both the DNA results and the early anatomy results available to confirm the gender. Neither Ashley, nor Austin or I, knew the result of either. We all waited until December 8^th to find out together surround by family and friends!

Saturday finally came along with our immediate families and closest friends. Again, together we celebrated the life of our baby growing in Ashley’s belly. Our friends and her friends sat around the same table. Our love for one another grew deeper. We guessed the gender and the future birth date. We ate finger foods and cake. Then came the time we had all waited for. Everyone FaceTimed their assigned family members or friends who were not able to be there physically.

Anxiously, we walked around to the front porch of the barn. While everyone took pictures and recorded the moment, Ashley, Austin and I assumed our positions under the box that held the colored confetti and balloons that would indicate the gender of our baby. The crowd counted, we pulled, and with the emptying of the blue confetti and blue balloons everyone screamed, “IT’S A BOY!” In that moment our world was forever changed.

We are going to have a son. I am going to be a boy mom. Will he be artistic or athletic? Will he look anything like Austin? Will they have similar hair? Will his eyes be blue or brown? How am I going to survive all the heart attacks he is sure to give me doing all the typical “boy things”? Who is he going to be? In reality, none of this really matters. All that truly matters is that he is our son and that he grows up to love Jesus. He is our SON! We are having a SON! So much joy!

I have rewatched the video of that moment and I will continue to for years to come, I am sure. Another thing I am sure of is my gratitude that we get to be a part of this beautiful journey; that we get to experience all the excitement of this pregnancy together. Ashley, and Austin, and me, we all love this BOY. Now only 26 weeks until I get to hold him for hours on end and kiss his sweet face. June 8^th, you cannot come soon enough!

Fast forward two weeks. The Christmas season was magical, as always, but this year a little more than others. We added six new hands to our Christmas Eve Eve baking day tradition; two adult hands and four smaller ones. These babies played in flour and ate icing before it ever made it to the cookie. The most beautiful part of this day was the togetherness. Baby Bracci, even though not old enough to be aware, was surrounded by his mama, his birth mom, his grandma, his aunt, his biological brother, his biological sister, and so much love. This mama’s heart was oh so full. After baking, decorating, and eating the cookies the Christmas festivities continued. My generous daddy reserved a horse and carriage for our entire family to view Christmas lights together. Austin’s parents joined us and brought bright bulb necklaces that the kids loved! Mama, daddy, birth mom, biological brother, biological sister, Aunt Brittany, Uncle Jordan, grandma, nana, grandpa, and granddaddy; eleven family members, one wagon, one baby, one reason for the season. Baby Bracci you are loved.