I cannot WAIT to tell my family, which at the moment is all over the place. My dad, who has been on a work hiatus for over a year, is just now becoming actively involved in the launch of his new personnel business. My mom, the super athlete, just recently earned her license as a certified personal trainer, which is occupying most of her time at the moment. My 21-year old sister Emily is home from college and applying rigorously for a job at a high-end clothing store in NY, and my little sister Jill is a 13 year old, so 'nuff said. Since I found out myself on Thursday, I've been trying to organize a family dinner to make our announcement, but I can't seem to get anyone on the same schedule. They're driving me nuts. Its not their fault, they don't even know its important, and I can't properly pressure them without giving away the surprise. As of now, we've agreed to the following Thursday, so I'm just trying to lose my mind waiting a whole WEEK to share the news of the impossible baby.
As for telling Allison's family, we had a convenient opportunity already in place. It so happens that we were already planning to spend a quiet weekend at their beach house down the shore. The perfect opportunity for a big announcement. We ate dinner on our back porch with Allison's parents Ray and Jeanne, and her "second mother" Aunt Pat and her partner, Jim. Allison's 23 year old brother Matt couldn't make dinner because he was working late at his job as a whale watching cruise captain in Cape May. So he would have to find out later, because we couldn't hold in our excitement any more.
We waited to actually eat because we didn't want anybody to choke or do a spit take when they got the news with a mouthful of turkey burger. All the while, Allison and I exchanged nervous glances and tried not to behave awkwardly.
Finally, Allison cleared her throat ( I should mentioned that she has laryngitis and almost no voice, NOW of all times).
"So, Mike and I have a little announcement," she said nervously. I stared at her to see how she was going to word it. "We've been, we were, well ..." she started to ramble, trying to segue into it. Then she changed her mind and cut right to the chase. "We're pregnant."
Now, Ocean City is a barrier island, approximately 7miles long, with a population of 11,701, not counting numerous daily beachgoing out-of-towners. I say this because I'm fairly certain that even that lone 11,701st person, 7 miles away heard the ear splitting shriek as Aunt Pat and Allison's mom joyfully exclaimed "WHAT?!"
And so began a long, impromptu conversation that included such topics as preferred gender, daycare options, shopping, showers, shopping (again), and the good, bad, and ugly of baby names. Several empty bottles of wine later, plus half a bottle of Welch's grape juice, tastefully poured in a wine glass for the expectant mother, we were pooped and Allison's voice was gone. The reactions were great, and we were just happy and relieved to share our excitement with our family.
Now I just have to gear up for the next big moment: telling the Costa family!
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| It's grape juice. Don't worry. |
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