So…You’re Going to be a Dad!
Despite the fact that my daughter is quickly nearing her one-and-a-half-year mark, I wanted to share the story of how I told my husband we were expecting! It was just over two years ago when I found out I was pregnant.
Being a mother was something I always pictured in my future, but had not thought about in-depth at the time. My husband and I had been married for a little over one year (but together for 12 years), when we began discussing having a family. We decided that we would just 'see what happens.'
At the time I wasn't tracking my cycle or anything like that. As far as I knew, I wasn't even 'late,' and I certainly didn't 'feel' pregnant, but I just had an urge to take a pregnancy test. I don't know why. I woke up one morning and took one, then two, and both were positive :O I was shocked. Really shocked. My husband was still sleeping. I needed some time to process the information before I shared it. Since I wasn't sure how I felt yet, I was really unsure how my husband would feel.
So like any good mom-to-be, I began looking on Pinterest for ideas on how to tell your partner you're pregnant. I saw some cute ideas, like a 'daddy' onesie, a bun in the oven, a card with the pregnancy test, etc. None of those were speaking to me at the time. Then I remembered seeing a guy who hired a photographer to take pictures while he proposed to his girlfriend. I liked this idea.
Given that my best friend is a photographer (Desiree Martin Photography), I called her up to discuss this idea. So she is the first person I told I was pregnant! She knew even before my husband. Crazy. It was a Saturday morning and she was just getting ready to go shoot a wedding. I nervously told her my news and she was so excited! Plus she was 2 months pregnant at the time. She helped calm my nerves and loved the idea of telling Garrett the big news while she took pictures. We quickly made a plan to do it the next day so I wouldn't have to keep the secret from him (I am horrible at keeping secrets).
The next 24 hours I felt like I was being such a weirdo. I was acting strange even though I was trying to be normal. I was so glad I only had to keep this to myself for one day. My husband owns a menswear store (Banjo Outpost), so we are often doing photoshoots. I told him that Desiree was going to shoot a fall fashion blog for ourcollectivemuse.com blog the next day and that he needed two outfits. Since this wasn't out of the ordinary for us, he didn't think anything of it.
We went to Banjo to pick out his outfits and I went to Tonic for mine. I kept it simple with one outfit, but Garrett started to go overboard and packed a whole suitcase of different looks. It was pretty funny.
I picked up a bib that said 'I love my daddy' and wrapped it up along with the test and a card. My husband is not the type to ask too many questions, so when I brought the gift along with us, I just told him it was a 'thank you' gift for Desiree. No questions asked.
When we arrived at the photoshoot location I was shaking. I was SO nervous. I don't think I've ever been that nervous in my life. Initially we planned on doing photos before I started telling him the news but I just could not wait another minute. So after a few snaps, I handed Garrett the present and told him to open it. He was confused and tried to pass it to Desiree. Too funny. As soon as he began on wrapping it, I was bawling my eyes out (I'm a crier). Since the news was such a surprise he really had no idea and was completely surprised as well.
I was so happy and relieved to share the news with my other half. He had the best reaction; the perfect amount of shock, surprise, and joy, which made me feel so much better. Desiree, Garrett, and I were all crying tears of happiness. It was such a special moment to have shared and captured on camera. Even my ugly cry face ;)
I would highly recommend this as a way to share exciting news with your partner. How did you tell your partner you were expecting? I am already brainstorming ways for the next time around. A big thanks to Desiree Martin Photography for these photos which we will cherish for a lifetime.
-XO KK
