Sharing our Joy

We were so excited that you were going to be a part of our family and wanted to find the perfect way to share our news with our families and friends. It took us a little while to pick, we thought of mailing cards to our immediate families since everyone was far away.  We didn't know yet how far along we were and wouldn't know until after our trip, and we weren't sure we'd be able to keep it a secret from people here before we left.  We also thought it would be way better to tell everyone in person cause its just so fun to hear everyone's reactions. 

We had found some shirts we liked that Jotham could wear to say that he's a big brother, but didn't have time to order one, so Daddy decided he could make one. We bought fabric felts, a few shirts and some stencils.  Daddy used a few different sized of letters, some we already had at home. Daddy worked so hard on the shirt so that it would look great and no one would think it was homemade. 

Uncle Tim and Auntie Charlotte and Myra were the first to here our news on September 14th. We were not going to be seeing them on our trip, so we figured since we couldn't tell them in person we'd tell them first. We had a video chat and Myra was showing Jotham her shirt or some toy so then Jotham and I went and got him changed into his "special shirt" and he showed them what it said. They were very excited for us.

Once we got to BC on the 16th we had to be careful not to say anything before the times we had planned to tell people. It was important that all our families knew first. We had supper that evening at Oma and Opa's with Uncle Chris and Auntie Nicole and Nadiya. Once everyone was there we changed Jotham into his shirt once again and he walked up to everyone to show them.  Uncle Jeremy found out the next morning or evening since he missed our family supper.

The 17th was a tricky day as I was helping Lindsay get the church ready for her reception. There were a few others there too and I still had family we needed to tell first. While we were talking about how to arrange the tables and chairs, I mentioned making sure we had room around the sound booth. That reminded Edolbina of when I told her I was pregnant with Jotham, I had pulled her in there to tell her so no one else could hear us. Everyone seemed a bit awkward when she said that and I was lost in thought remembering it. Edol mentioned that it seemed awkard to the others and then said it only would be if I was pregnant and hadn't told. I said no I'm not pregnant, because I still needed to tell Jon and Ang and my Mom and Dad. I felt bad for lying, but  I had a great way of telling Edol I was pregnant that I was very excited for.

Uncle Jon and Auntie Angela were outside their house when we arrived for supper on the 17th, and I was a little troubled by that as I was wearing a maternity shirt. One which Ang had borrowed when she was pregnant, and I thought she would recognize it as such. Once the kids were done playing we went in, and I changed Jotham into his shirt. As I suspected Auntie Angela had wondered when she saw the shirt but figured she'd let us tell them, Uncle Jon hadn't recognized my shirt though, and he was so excited that we were going to have another baby.

We finally got to tell Grandma and Grandpa on the 18th when they arrived in the valley. We had Jotham ready when they came to meet us at Auntie Nicole's house. Grandma had been suspecting because one day I mentioned I was wearing one of Daddy's shirts and she didn't think I would do that if I wasn't pregnant, but I would. They were also so excited to hear about you. In the evening we had the rehersal for Lindsay and Wesley's wedding, so we arrived early in hopes of catching them. It worked perfectly. I first apologized to Lindsay for lying to her the day before, she wondered what I was talking about, so I showed her Jotham's shirt. This time he wasn't wearing it, we just held it up. Lindsay shouted, "You're pregnant" in the empty church sanctuary, good thing it was empty because we wanted to tell our close friends first.  She didn't mind that I lied, she understood that we needed to tell family first. Her and Wesley were also so happy to hear our news.

At the wedding reception I kept looking for opportunities to tell Edolbina. Finally near the end of the evening we had been dancing briefly and so had she and was kind of wandering off. I grabbed her hand and said hey I need to talk to you for a second, but we need to go over here. As we were walking she realized we were going to the sound booth and she started squealing and saying No Way. We got into the booth and she so excitedly asked what she already knew. It was so fun, and we were so happy. She asked all sorts of questions about you, when you were due and how I was feeling. It was great. I loved telling all of our families and friends, but telling Edol was just so special since I was able to tell her just like last time.

We had Daddy's 30th birthday party while we were in BC since it was while we were there and had Jotham wear his shirt the whole time. We made sure everyone saw him as they arrived so that they would know. It was a fun way to let everyone know about you. All our close friends and family knew how we struggled to have a child the first time, and knew that you were another miracle that God was blessing us with. We were so excited to be able to share our joy with each one of them.