The Secret's Really Out

After going to my 8 week appointment and seeing the baby's heartbeat for the first time, I was dying to tell the rest of our family and friends our exciting news! My original plan was to wait until my mom's birthday (October 20) when I would be 12 weeks along and it would be safe to share the news. But as you know by reading this blog that is not how it worked out at all...My awesome sister-in-law Tanya was going to be celebrating her birthday with extended family and friends Sunday, September 30, 2012. The majority of family members would be in attendance including Uncle Mark which is a really hard feat as we are pretty spread out and each have busy weekend schedules. After having a talk with Tanya and asking for permission to tell everyone at the end of the night (did I mention she is amazing?), I decided that would be the night I would tell the rest of the family and grandparents.
The party was fantastic by the way! It was Hawaiian-themed complete with luau decorations and an assortment of yummy drinks and food. Cindy along with Uncle David and Aunt Carol did an excellent job of giving it that authentic Hawaiian feel. And a special kudos goes out to Ken who figured out a way to make Spam taste good, and to Mark who decided that we needed some spring rolls to add in some Asian flavor! Everybody brought their own special dish to share in true Maitland/Vandenbelt fashion which is always my favorite part about family get-togethers.
Here are some highlights from the night:

 The birthday girl...so beautiful!

Table decorations

 SPAM grilled cheese sandwiches (don't knock it till you try it!)

Sisters!

So finally the moment came to tell everybody. Seriously. Because it was 9:30pm on a Sunday and people were wanting to leave! I had told Chris I had wanted to wait until the last possible moment because I did not want to take away one minute from Tanya's special day (check). Finally, with a lot of nudging and my dad jingling his car keys I had Chris get everyone's attention. When we had gotten everyone's attention, we realized that not everyone was there. Maurice had sneaked outside, but just momentarily. To fill in the awkward silence, Chris did what anyone would do in his position and tried to lead the group in singing Kumbaya (and no I am not kidding). Once the group was finally reassembled we shared our special news. Rather, Chris shared our special news. I hid behind him and looked rather awkward which is what I'm good at. Here's a video clip that my mom took capturing the moment (and my perpetual shyness):

This was immediately followed by lots of hugs and me racing outside to call relatives living out-of-state before the general media caught wind (and I mean facebook).
Just re-watched the tape again, and I realized Chris was also entertaining people with some type of dance. Yep. That's my husband! And I love him so. ♥