and the winner is...

A GIRL!!!

At first I didn't want to find out, then maybe have a gender reveal shower, then I decided Tim and I would find out together as our Christmas present to each other, and THEN my 19 week gender ultrasound was the Friday before Thanksgiving which threw all those others ideas out the window. Tim being the smart guy he is made some valid points including that my mom and sister were going to be visiting for Thanksgiving and we were going to start the registry while they were here, both families would all be together for Thanksgiving and when again would that happen??, and I think secretly he was anxious to know even though he kept telling me "we'll do whatever you want" ;). Of course taking all his points into consideration I decided ok well find out but NOT until Thanksgiving.

How we told family...

I had saved the original ring setting that Tim had proposed to me with, we had moved the center stone over to my ring I have now. I said to myself one day when I have a child I'd like to put the birthstone of the month of birth in that setting. Well-April birthstone is a diamond (fortunately and unfortunately, haha) to avoid the ring looking like another engagement ring that I would be wearing on my right hand I asked Tim if they had pink or blue diamonds, he said yes and our idea was born. He said "why don't we give the sealed envelope with the sex of the baby to the jewelry store and have them put the right color stone in it, we will open the box to find out the sex?", aww perfect I loved the idea, except now the hunt for the right stone in the right price was significantly decreased because we were now going to find out the sex in 5 days instead of the intended Christmas date. We right away drove the envelope down to the jewelry store and said "put ANY stone in the right color in we need it by Wednesday". Without flinching they took care of it, thank you Kurt and Coin Mart Jewelry (Tims' family jewelry store).

Thanksgiving we woke up and decided to open up the ring between the two of us...SOOOOOOO nerve wracking and exciting, I hadn't felt that way since the night we got engaged!!! So many things racing through my head and were we really ready for this? What if he really wanted the other sex? Am I going to be a good parent? There was something about finding out the sex that was all of a sudden going to make it that much more real. They had wrapped it up in a box then into a ring box, we both unwrapped the paper together then as he started to open the ring box I saw a glimmer of PINK and I gasped, he opened the rest of the way and it was confirmed I saw pink. I think we will be seeing lots of pink in the future ;)

We didn't tell my family right away we told everybody together at dinner. At Tims, his mom has a tradition that everybody go around the table and say what they are thankful for, it was the perfect time for the announcement. Tim and I went last and Tim ended his words of thanks by saying "we are thankful for our baby on the way and we can't wait to meet HER"!!!!! It was perfect, I loved that everybody was there together to hear, it was so fun to see the reactions to what they just heard, what a special memory that I am very thankful for :)