Our BIG News And The BIG Reveal

Maida and Skogen and Klaasen would like to officially announce that we are expecting a new baby!!!

We have all been keeping this secret since Christmas time and decided that since we are now approaching the halfway point in our pregnancy (and I can't really hide the bump any longer!), it was time to share the good news with pictures from yesterday when we found out whether we are going to have a girl or a boy.

Here is our gender reveal...

(Thank you to my friend, Whitney, for letting us use her idea for the big reveal!)

 It was all smiles while they waited outside on the deck for Mommy to get the "surprise box."

 Little eyes quickly turned as Mommy brought the big box full of ribbons and bows up the stairs.

 We instructed the kids to slowly open the big box and whatever was in the box would tell us whether we were having a girl or a boy.

The kids stepped back, not knowing what to think of the gold and blue "It's a boy!" balloons that floated out of the box and up up up.

 Their initial instinct was to reach up and grab them, but we assured them that it was okay if they flew up into the sky.

 We sat back and watched as we announced in the sky to the whole city that we were having a baby BOY!!!

As the balloons disappeared into the sunset, Madia, with panic in her eyes, looked at me and said, "Where are the pink balloons?"  I gently said, "Oh, Maida!  There are only blue balloons because we are having a baby boy!"  Maida's smiles turned to frowns and tears flowed out of her big brown eyes and rolled down her rosy cheeks.

 45 minutes later, while the two boys were running crazy around the house, playing with a few balloons that we kept back, she was still bawling hysterically.  She wanted a sister SO bad and was very heartbroken. We took turns holding and comforting her.  I sat and prayed that God would help us handle this in the best way possible.  It was a reaction I wasn't really expecting since we had been preparing her for the past couple weeks for a boy, just in case.

 After several conversations about how we had no control over the decision and that God gives us what He thinks our family needs, and a quick run back to the store to get Maida a princess balloon, Maida was smiling again.

This baby is something we've prayed about for a long time and we are so excited to complete our family this summer.  Here are some pictures from the ultrasound yesterday of our healthy and growing baby boy...

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