Gender Reveal Part II

I am sure that folks are sick of seeing these but I wanted to make sure that I documented them for my blog/baby book.  :)  I cannot sing the praises of Jovana loud enough for everyone in Chicago to hear!  I put a little add out on Craigslist and had lots of people respond who were willing to take pictures at the Gender Reveal.  Needless to say many were the equivalent of me taking a bunch of pictures on my iPhone BUT then I received an email from Jovana with a link to her blog.  I was blown away by her talent and am so so glad to have found her.  She will be our go to photographer for the rest of our time in Chicago so just get ready to hear about her often.  (Might I add...she is an art therapist for kids during the day... and that makes me love her even more.)

You can check out even more pictures on Jovana's site: Baby Moore Gender Reveal

Here are a few of my favorites:

We had folks vote on Blue Eyed Queen (girl) or Red Headed Soccer Player (Boy) and take a little gender specific happy with them.  I think that it's safe to say that she will probably be a strawberry blonde, blue eyed soccer all-star and queen.  All of the above for Baby Girl, please. 

 HOORAY for a baby GIRL!!!  What a beautiful night to celebrate!

                                  And there's our Christmas card picture. 

                 
                    I Love that our SuSu is in the midst of writing "We LOVE you..."

    Sweet Sissy voting for a GrandGIRL.  We are slowing taking over in the Moore house!  Those Moore boys, as well as the Ray boys, take such good care of us that I know Baby Girl will be spoiled rotten!

Proving to Michele that Baby Girl is there.

                           Two of the proudest Southern Grandmothers around!

           
         I am quite positive that both Momma Ray and Ashlee are crying about something. 

And that Dave...always yelling and clapping about something.  We can't wait to hear the RAP that he comes up with for Baby Girl.

I LOVE this picture.  I had just started to be able to feel Baby Girl and she was moving around as her Uncle JohnJohn talked to her.  Precious. 

Thank you Ashlee for rounding everyone up for the reveal!

Team "Blue Eyed Girl"

Uncle JohnJohn with the results!

Team "Red Headed Soccer Player"

Including MA via FaceTime

Everyone on the roof for the big reveal...

Sweet hug from my Momma.

Having Kyle tell me every detail from the sonogram.  How did he know without the tech telling him?  How did he not crack a smile? Was he surprised that it was a girl?  How is he planning to transport his shotgun from MS to Chicago?

Still in shock.  Hip, hip, HOORAY!!!

LOVE this picture.  On the phone with my sweet GanGan back in MS telling her that her 7th great-grandchild will be a GIRL!  Love that I am patting baby girl too. 

Re-watching the reveal from the iPhones.

Proud and excited Chicago Uncles.

Chicago Aunts taking a look through baby girl's 19 week glamor shots.

Texting all their friends and our families.  Making plans for a granddaughter!

So excited to be adding a GIRL!

One of the hand smocked girl outfits that my Momma made.  Remember...we could not have the party until she had finished a hand smocked girl, boy, and gender neutral outfit. 

Gender Reveal sign-in with notes for Baby Girl.  What a fun thing for us to look back at and for her to have when she gets older. 

The BEST parents and soon to be grandparents!  We are so blessed. 

Southern staples at the Windy City Party

My cheeks were sore from smiling SO big!

All of our precious GIRL outfits from our parents. 

Gender Reveal Happies

We cannot wait til March!  Cook, cook, cook baby girl!  

Your Mommy loves you, your Daddy loves you, JESUS loves you...you are SO LOVED!

Gender Reveal Part I

A Red Headed Soccer Player 

or 

a Blue Eyed Queen?

Part 1

Friday, Nov. 1- Sonogram Day

Kyle and I headed to our appointment at 8 am to have the 20 week sonogram (I was only 19 weeks but the date just worked out and they said it was fine).  I had been up since the crack of dawn giddy with anticipation and although Kyle laid in the bed for awhile, I know that he had not slept much the night before either.  I had been watching YouTube videos of people finding out the gender all week and had seen a few where the tech was unsure about whether the baby was a boy or girl so I told Kyle that if the tech needed my help in determining the gender then I was prepared to look.  After Kyle assured me that my "assistance" would not be necessary in helping a health care trained professional in doing her job, I settled into the fact that I would not know until Saturday night.  

Once we got checked in I began to freak out a little with nerves while Kyle "Cool as a Cucumber" Moore got a little school work finished.  How in the world was he computing numbers and making sense of spreadsheets at a time like this?!

As I sat their worrying about everything that could go wrong and my eyes began to fill with tears I started looking back through my secret "Baby Moore" board and found these two gems.  I read and read these two verses over and over just as I have done many times over the past 19 weeks.  When we were finally called in, Kyle had a better understanding of business strategies and I had a peace in my heart.   

On our walk back the sono tech asked if a Radiology resident could sit in to learn more about baby sonograms and we said sure.  After getting settled into the room and the tech turning on the machine she let us know that she had had too much coffee and needed to get a glass of water...she then told the Resident Observer to "get things started" by "playing around."  Bless his heart, he had no idea what he was doing and I am pretty sure that Dr. "Is that piece of dust my child's umbilical cord" Kyle could have done a better job at "getting things started."  As he explored, Kyle and I pointed out the head, legs, and arms.  He would say things like, "Yeah it looks like a head/arm/leg... but I can't be 100% sure..." At one point he literally did a "tap,tap...is this thing on" mic check with the sono thingie.  HAHA.  It was wonderful to see our sweet baby again so we didn't care who was showing us.  When the sono tech came back in she got straight to work showing us all of Baby MOs features.  She even bragged that Baby Mo was "so photogenic" and should be a "sonogram model".  Well of course...  My head was too big to fit through the door on our way out.  I asked Kyle if he thought they said this to everyone to which he replied, "Obviously..." BUT yet another DR. came in to show the resident observer a few more things and had the same "photogenic" and "sono model" comments to share.  Our baby is just gorgeous...look for Baby MO on the cover of Sonogram Tech Weekly soon ;)  

At various points I was told to turn my head so that I did not see the goods, or lack thereof, but Kyle watched the whole time.  I watched his face but he remained constant the whole time.  Kyle asked the sono tech if she knew what Baby MO was and she said yes and asked him if he thought he did.  Kyle swears that he did based on one of the screen shots.  She then typed in the gender on the screen while I looked away.  Kyle's poker face was solid though and his ear to ear grin did not waver one bit.  We had the sono tech seal the gender shot and a card in an envelope (pictured above) so that I would not be tempted.  

I got to take these pictures with me to show off throughout the day.

Baby MO's foot and toes...its amazing how clearly you can see it. 

My Mom's favorite story of me meeting Mary Agnes is when I was holding her and leaned over, grabbed my own foot, and announced in my unusually deep 2 year old voice, "Momma, hers gots BIG feet..."

Side profile, spine, and little leg

Side Profile and little 148/minute beating heart...

Be Still My Heart...

If I am going to continue posting screenshot of my texts, I am really going to have to start proof reading my spelling and grammar. Sorry!

Later that day/night we were able to begin the celebration with both sets of our parents.   

 Supper at Paris Club Resturant downtown

Celebratory drinks at the OMI Hotel.  Our sweet cousin Cori Sullivan said that she could see the look of "I'm buying a shotgun..." all over Kyle's face.  
Bless his secret keeping/poker face heart. 

Saturday, Nov. 2- 

Gender Reveal

Thank you Jovana for spending time with us and taking 100s of pictures!  We cannot wait to see them all!

My Momma and I woke up early to begin cooking and getting our serving pieces ready for the party.  Kyle was glad to see that I was actually using my wedding gifts and I was glad to have an extra set of hands to help me prepare.  

We had quite the menu:

• Pulled Pork Sliders
• Mexican WonTons
• Cheese Ball and Cheese plate with crackers and fruit
• Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Rotel Dip and Chips
• Pasta Salad
• Soccer Ball and Crown Cookies
• Blue Eyed Queen Prissy Pink Lemonade  
• Red Headed Soccer Player Hydration Station 

I will post the pictures of the table set up once Jovana finishes them.  Here are a few from our camera phones for now:

Cookies made by the sweet and talented Mrs. Laura McKinley.

 Flowers and leaves from our courtyard.

This part is a little creepy...

 SuSu and Mary Agnes made these outfits for one of my old baby dolls.  Disclaimer: We did NOT have the baby in the clothes during the party.  Though the boys did bring it out towards the end...HAHA.  The one on top was to please those who thought Baby MO was a girl...and then for those who thought boy, the tutu came off.

Sweet Meg Carlstedt set everything up for us at Toes' house so that all we had to do was a few touch ups.  (We love you Auntie Meggie!)

Friends began arriving, eating, drinking, and visiting and I was oh so glad to have Jovana there taking pictures so that we could just enjoy.  Around 8:30 we could not wait any longer so we rounded everyone up to head to the roof.  JohnJohn was tasked with the role of lighting the firework.  Kyle had both set out behind a table and simply told John which one to light.  

Here are two videos in the order that I like to watch them...

A Red Headed Soccer Player or a Blue Eyed Queen?

Y'all my heart was about to burst with happiness.  Kyle had me so convinced that Baby MO was a boy that finding out that it was actually a SHE was such a shock!  I cried with joy at the thought of a daughter and still cannot believe it!  Kyle is such a good secret keeper!

                           
                                         

We continued to celebrate throughout the night with all of our sweet friends and family.  (More pictures to come!)

Chicago Uncles celebrate with a "Crown" beer pong team.  My old HC crown was circulating throughout the boys too. 

Queen Ashley 

Sweet SuSu wearing my Samantha Wills necklace.  Team PINK!

Carrying our fireworks in style and wishing the Oxford crew could be here with us!

  
I have watched the videos no less than 100 times and they bring tears to my eyes every time.  Each morning since Saturday I have woken up and announced to Kyle, "WE ARE HAVING A GIRL!!!" to which he replies with a smirk, "I know..." ;)

Thank you to everyone who made our Baby GIRL'S gender reveal oh so special.  We love each and every one of you so much and cannot imagine life without you.  Baby girl is already oh so loved and protected.  

We are truly blessed. ;)

PS-I will do a Gender Reveal Part II when Jovana posted the other pictures!  Hooray!!