gender reveal | thechroniclesofanonbellymama

It started out as a pretty hectic day. We were moving, providing respite care for another foster mother’s 7 month old son for the weekend, dealing with our own 9 month old with a stomach bug, and setting up an outdoor party NEAR THE WATER on probably the windiest, crappiest, “threatening rain”iest day on record so far. Things were not looking good. I had allotted myself plenty of time to get things together. I knew I still hadn’t made a trip to the grocery store to pick up the things we needed, I had to go to the $1 Store to get balloons filled, I had to bring down tables (from the marina rec room), wipe them down, and set them up. I also had to help Callie get all 3 kids ready for the party. Luckily, Marco, as usual, stayed the night in order to 1) help me move 2) help watch the kids 3) help me set up and run errands 4) inject his undying and unwavering positivity to an otherwise hectic situation. I thank my lucky stars every day for that guy!

Wake up call was 7:30 am, kind of. And by 7:30 I mean 8:30. I was dressed, ready and walking out the door by 8:40. I shot over to the grocery store to pick up some soda, juice, chips, paper goods, condiments, salad dressing, bottled water, and powdered lemonade mix. I also picked up potatoes, eggs, mayonnaise, onions, and an aluminum tin to make potato salad, but I never actually got around to making it. Too busy! After that, I drove over to the $1 store, which ultimately ended up being a waste of time and money because it was so darn windy out that day, that the balloon decorations for the tables ended up being tied to the fence, and being blown all over the place! Shortly after my day began, at approximately 9:40, I picked up some breakfast (and much needed coffee) for us, and head home to see what Callie, Marco, and the kids were up to. Everyone looked a hot, terrible, tired mess! After a 15 minute argument about what should happen next (should Marco and I go decorate and come get the kids later, or if we should get the kids ready and take them with us now while Callie got ready, or if we should all get ready and leave together but not necessarily have enough time to pull this all together), we decided to take our chances with the amount of time that we had, and all get ready and head out together. Needless to say, we left the house at about 11:20am and walked the block over to the marina to start decorating for the party. Luckily, my sister Raquel, soon to be BIL Sebastian, my parents, My FIL, and my friend Cat and her husband Shane showed up and help us with the bulk of the decorating. Granted it wasn’t much, because the wind was taking everything with it, but it DID take all of us to tape and tie table cloths down to all the tables. The saying “Teamwork makes the dream work” totally applies here!

Our guests started arriving at around 1-1:15pm. We had pulled it all together just in time. Once people started arriving, we really were able to put faces and a number on all of the support and love that we and our twins have. It was pretty overwhelming to see all those people together for us and our family. Words can hardly describe what was going on inside of me that afternoon. I felt like all the love in that space was lifting me to a greater height, like I could physically see love, in colors and hugs and warmth. I’ve never felt that before, and it made me all teary eyed. I played it off like my contacts were bothering me.

At around 2pm, we invited everyone to eat. My moms Pernil (roasted pork shoulder marinated in red and green peppers, cilantro, onions and garlic, vinegar and oil) and Arroz Con Gandules (yellow rice with pigeon peas) are to die for! Most people went back for seconds, and some even went back for thirds! We waited for everyone to finish eating and got then got together for the moment they had all been waiting for and the reason we had invited them all to share that day with us. I had spent 3 hours the night before (while on my overnight shift mind you) filling black balloons with glitter and confetti. At the party, I had everyone line up in a semicircle around Callie and I and distributed the balloons for everyone to blow up, but not before we begged and pleaded with them not to cheat and ruin the surprise. They had waited that long, what was 2 more minutes, right?! Surprisingly enough, no one cheated, and they blew up the balloons, tied them off, and waited for our cue. [Random fact about me: I am deathly afraid of balloons. Like, ridiculous, paralyzing fear! My father makes fun of me all the time, and my friends do their best to protect me whenever there are balloons around. Something about the unexpected popping of balloons that gets me all freaked out, my hands start shaking, my stomach feels weird, my heart races out of my chest. It’s the weirdest thing, but I can’t shake it and I have no idea where it comes from or how it started. It’s kinda always been there.] Callie counted off a “1…2…3” and balloons popped all over the place- cue stalled heart! Blue glitter and “It’s a Boy” confetti went flying everywhere!! Some people rejoiced right away, others looked for a speck of pink somewhere in the mix, and some people took a minute to process. My mom took about 15 seconds longer than everyone else before she realized that she would not only be getting her first grandson son but also her second! She never in a million years expected twin boys. Hardly anyone did! It made that moment that much cooler. After tons of hugs, tears, and congratulations, we continued to party well into the evening. People mingled, had cake, asked tons of questions and relished in the fact that two beautiful baby boys will be joining our predominantly female family, and will finally add some testosterone to our home.

Levi James & Noah Oscar, your Mommy and Mama (and the rest of this crazy large family) are waiting for you with hearts so full and arms wide open…