How to Tell Big Family at Xmas About #2! - Forney,TX

Updated on December 21, 2009
E.W. asks from Rockwall, TX
37 answers

We are very excited that after some work we are expecting baby #2. And this is perfect news to save until Christmas (although it is killing me to hide from my mom whom I speak with on the phone daily!). My husband, 2 year old daughter, and myself will be joining my husband's side of the family for the family Christmas celebration on the 26th. I would love to share it with everyone in a way other then just saying "hey! we're pregnant!" Got any ideas?
We will be having a large lunch, presents mainly for the kids in the family, and a gift exchange (the in format of a white elephant gift exchange -- just with nicer, but cheap, gifts). Our family members stand firm in their faith and are very fun loving, loud, and free spirited, people. ...just a little background to get your creative juices flowing : )

Thanks so much! I always get awesome advice on here! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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S.L.

answers from Dallas on

WOW you have gotten a lot of awesome responses. I really liked the idea "instead of saying cheese! say Ok everyone say Emmas pregnant and snap!" That would totally be a keeper!
Good Luck! And Congrats!

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D.E.

answers from Dallas on

My first thought was just as so many others that have replied....the t-shirt saying something about being a big sister. Congrats!!

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A.D.

answers from Dallas on

We did the t-shirt route at Thanksgiving last year. Had one made by SimplyColors.com that said "Big Brother in Training" it was funny because you'd watch every one really stop and read the shirt and see their faces just light up!

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A.C.

answers from Dallas on

How about you going to take a group picture of your family and then telling them to to say (instead of cheese) "Emmy's pregnant!" Then you can take a photo of their surprised faces at the same time.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.P.

answers from Dallas on

I haven't read your responses yet, but you could get cute t-shirts. Dad's could say #1. Yours could say #2. Your daughter's could say #3 and on your belly you could have a little #4. Just a thought! :)

1 mom found this helpful
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N.O.

answers from Dallas on

We bought a baby picture frame for the grandparents. Instead of putting in pictures we filled it in with the good news and expected arrival date. We wrapped it and gave it to them for their gift. When they opened them they were a little confused at first, then very excited to share the news with everyone at the party.

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L.B.

answers from Dallas on

One of our family members put a baby doll in the white christmas game and rigged it so their mom or dad would get it. I think it said "I love you" when you pressed on it. They all stood around and looked at her (ended being the new grandma to be opening it) when she opened it and asked her if she liked her new "baby" - don't think it took them long to catch on! Very cute.

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K.R.

answers from Dallas on

I second the big sister shirt. Also, my kids, husband and I have a tradition. Every year our three kids get a new christmas ornament to put on the tree. You could always find a baby rattle ornament and give it to your mom...see the shock on her face. :-)

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E.S.

answers from Dallas on

How about a big box with several little boxs inside and let each seprated family open one of the boxes and at the end the grandparents get to open with the new sono pics or just a note saying Merry Christmas we are expecting or something like that. Good luck and Congrads!!!!

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K.C.

answers from Dallas on

We were actually telling kids #1 and 2 about the upcoming #3 at Christmas. I made cards on the computer that said:

(outside)
Inside you will see
A picture of what is to be...

(Inside)
...your baby brother!

And it had an ultrasound picture in it. I had them both open it at the same time. He is now 4 1/2 and they still have the cards as treasured keepsakes.

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M.H.

answers from Dallas on

I read somewhere about making fortune cookies and putting your own fortunes inside - things like "Good things come in small baby clothing" and "Your lucky month is July - expect big things(6-9lbs worth)" and "A stranger will come into your life in July." You could make a bunch of different fortunes like this and pass the cookies around after lunch. It might be a lot of work, but definitely something different and fun!

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J.F.

answers from Dallas on

Congratulations! How about wrapping up a box of diapers and giving them to the grandparents. Have a note on the box saying that you will be needed them in .......month or let them be your white elephant gift.

M.C.

answers from Dallas on

we gave our parents a gift with little booties inside! Their mouths just dropped!

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P.B.

answers from Dallas on

When our daughter was expecting #2 she bought a shirt that said "I LOVE BEING A BIG SISTER" for our 3 yr old granddaughter and had her wear it to our house. It took a while for us to notice as kids have sayings on their shirts a lot. It was simple but very cute

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K.B.

answers from Dallas on

We gave my family bibs that said "I love Grandma" and "I love Grandpa", etc for our first child and it went over great. For our 2nd child, we had our son wear a I'm a Big Brother t shirt over to a family dinner to see how long it took for the first and last person to notice. They were both a lot of fun.

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B.P.

answers from Dallas on

One of the best "Funniest Home Videos" I've seen includes an aunt opening a Christmas gift. Inside is a bib that says "I love my aunt!" At first the lady didn't know what to make of it, then it dawned on her that the bib wasn't for her. She jumped around like a crazy person. It was so funny and a really cute way to tell the family. There's lots of cute "I love Grandma" items out there. Good luck and Congrats!

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L.F.

answers from Dallas on

We told our family about #2 at Christmas. I framed a picture of my most recent ultrasound at the bottom it said Baby Foster expected due date 7/2/02, wrapped it up as a gift for my mom. When she opened it, she started yelling and of course everyone wanted to know what was going on so that's when we made the announcement. It was fun. Have fun with it and Congrats!!

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E.R.

answers from Dallas on

I didn't get a chance to read all responses...but I was in the same situation with my second son. Not sure where you are having Christmas...But I was hosting, so I added an additional stocking to the mantel and waited to see who noticed and said something! :-)

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L.P.

answers from Dallas on

I would do a picture frame as the gift, then print a pic of your 2 yr old wearing a picture that says she is the big sister and put it in the frame for them to figure it out.

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K.A.

answers from Dallas on

A friend of ours sent out Family Christmas cards that read

Sitting fee...50
Christmas Clothes...150
Knowing that there is actually 4 in the picture...priceless!

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C.C.

answers from Dallas on

You're welcome to use this if you like. I'd asked the Lord for something special for you and He gave me this little poem:

What a wondrous Christmas gift:
To spend this day with those we love.
The fulness of our joy abounds
With all God's blessings from Above.

You mean so much to both of us
And we appreciate each one of you.
A special joy we'd like to share:
Next Christmas we'll bring number two!

Now, if you know the gender, you could change the second verse to: for a BOY
The love you've brought into our lives
Enriches the love we give each other.
A special joy we'd like to share:
Next Christmas 'Amanda' (daughter's name)will have a brother.

OR for a GIRL
Thank you for the love you give
To us & to our precious daughter.
A special joy we'd like to share:
Next Christmas Amanda will have a sister.

OR:
The special love you've given us
Enriches the love we give each other.
We have an early Christmas gift:
Amanda will have a sister or brother.

Presentation possibilities are endless:
1. If you know the gender, you can use pink/blue paper on which to type this. Fold it in a triangle and attach all 3 points (to resemble a diaper). If you don't, you can use Christmas colors or neutral. (If you happen to be having sandwiches or something 'individual,' you could put one on each sandwich or some type of food that is individual - not like carving a turkey or serving ham, but more like a sandwich or something.) It would be fun to put them all over the dish and people would read them at different times and squeal (I've actually done this and everybody rushes back to the serving table to pick up a 'diaper' ... it's FUN!

2. You could get some small gift boxes, type this poem (make appropriate number of copies) put one in each box, wrap it-or tape it- and address it to the person. You can address the poem to....dear: 'grandma, gramdpa, auntie, uncle, cousin, etc.etc.etc. and sign it: your loving niece, nephew, cousin, granddaughter, grandson, etc.... or just "your loving grand_son/daughter, n_iece/ephew, etc. If you have one, you could make copies of your sonogram and include it. You could pass them out after everything is done.

3. You could get little 'cake squares' or cupcakes home made or from a bakery) and use a party toothpick or diaper pin (if they still make them) and attach the poem to the pick and put it on top of the cake square/cupcake, etc.

I'll try to think of some more ....

Good luck. How fun! God bless !

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C.B.

answers from Dallas on

Congrats!!! I had a friend who gave the grandparents a bear with a t-shirt on it that said boy or girl?!? and one who put grandparents are the best on the shirt and then the grandparents had a bear for when the baby came over. I thought that was a cute way to tell them.

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L.T.

answers from Lubbock on

In keeping with the white elephant theme you could wrap a baby themed piggy bank. You could go really gaudy or whatever the nursery theme is. Write "Smith babies college fund". Bring dessert, order baby themed cookies (booties, bottle, pacifier). Make a cake and put baby decorations on it.

Congrads and have fun sharing your special news.

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C.M.

answers from Dallas on

Someone in our family wrote it in icing on a cake, put the cake in a cake carrier until time to show everyone.

We wrapped baby gifts to hand out to our family. When they opened it they figured it out.

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J.W.

answers from Dallas on

you could wrap a sonogram picture in a frame

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S.F.

answers from Dallas on

We did the T-shirt on the first child picture, but I really like the shirt I found. It had "Only Child" on the top with a red line through it, and then "Big Brother" underneath. It took my Mom a minute, and my sister took forever to figure it out - she just kept saying how photogenic her nephew was, until we finally asked her if she had read the shirt. It was really funny!

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J.T.

answers from Dallas on

dress your daughter in a "i'm a big sister" shirt and see how long it takes for ppl to notice. frame and wrap as a gift an u/s picture of the new baby for your mom to open. lots of different ways you can do this. good luck!

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H.S.

answers from Dallas on

I know you've gotten a huge response and may not read all of them! So if this has been suggested I apologize for the repeat....but we told my parents by a shirt I made for my daughter.
The front said "I've got a secret" and her name was on the bottom of the shirt.

The back said "I'm going to be a big sister!"

I'm a local embroiderer if you need help having it made - send me a private message and I can send you our information!
~H.

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K.B.

answers from Dallas on

Congratulations! Such happy news to share at this special time of year! If your 2 year old is verbal enough, you could have her tell the grandparents she is going to be a big sister. Or, you could have her wear a special "Big Sister" shirt under a sweater or vest that you oculd remove at the right moment. This makes her part of the announcement and she'll love the attention, even though she may not fully understand the implication just yet! Best wishes, and enjoy this very special Christmas with your family!

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H.P.

answers from Dallas on

When our friends were expecting baby #3 (now they have 4:) ) They used their Christmas card to tell everyone. On the sentiment of the note it said, " Merry Christmas! Love, Brian, Amy, Brendan, Brooke, and ? " I have always thought that was clever.

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K.L.

answers from Dallas on

I recently gave custom-made, personalized small photo brag books for a couple of new mommies. You could have one made for your mom and/or mother-in-law embroidered with "Grandma's (or whatever your daughter calls them) Angels." Include an ultrasound picture of the new baby inside along with photos of the other grandchildren.

If you decide to do something like that, or a t-shirt or bib, email Irene of Sew Nice at ____@____.com for your embroidery and custom-made needs.

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H.J.

answers from Dallas on

You could adapt this for your family. Or just do this for your friends. I think you could just do the picture word puzzled in a present for your family gift exchange. It would be a fun way to get everyone involved. I was so excited to finally put all the word puzzle pieces together! Then, I had to call the phone number to find out which of my friend's was having a baby. It was the coolest way I have ever found out a friend was pregnant!!! I will use this next time... if we try for #3.

A close friend send me a letter saying:

Dear Friend,

What you have here is a clever little riddle,
But it is not quite like "Hey Diddle, Diddle."
You won't know who sent this UNTIL the cards are arranged.
We promise this is no joke, even though it's a bit strange.
With the cards in order - a message you will spell,
And be sure it is with NO ONE that you discuss of tell!
This is a big secret at you can see,
And the first one done is who you'll want to be.
If you put the cards in order, you are pretty smart,
And you'll be able to CALL the person who played the author's part.

Good Luck!
Hint: The numbers on the back are for the person you should dial, so if you're stuck, look at the digits on the cards for a while.

The 10 cards (3x3 pieces of computer paper) included pictures and words stating:

Wii

Pirate(picture) saying "Arrr!"

1/2

ING (with Lion picture from ING Bank)

eh? (Candadian red leaf picture with "eh?" inside the leaf)

bay (World map showing the "Hudson Bay" with a red arrow pointing to the word "Bay")

Bee (picture of a bumble bee)

mountain dew can (with the word mountain marked through with a black line)

United States Map with state abbreviations (Highlight "IN" for Indiana)

Last word picture (Whatever month your baby is due in???? My friend's baby was due in June. She used a picture of Johnny Cash and June Carter with their names stated above them (with an arrow pointing to June Carter in the picture).

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C.C.

answers from Dallas on

We did the t-shirt thing, too. However, the shirt our son wore said (on the front) "I have a secret" and (on the back) "I'm going to be a big brother!" We dropped him off at his grandparents houses with a jacket on and then let them figure it once the jacket was removed. It was great!

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A.C.

answers from Dallas on

Work up a skit between your husband and you - maybe talking on the phone in front of the family?

Or open a gift from hubby that has a baby doll in it? or some baby item or maternity clothing?

or have child number 1 open a gift - a baby doll that is a stand in until baby sibling arrives?

what a fun "gift" for the whole family!

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C.D.

answers from Sherman on

Congratulations! We announced our 2nd pregnancy at Christmastime too. We gave our mothers framed photos of our son holding a sign that said "I'm going to be a big brother!" It was great because at first they thought it was just a framed photo of their gradson and then they realized what it said and went wild! The whole family was there and got to share in the joy.

C.
Mom to 2 great kids, 6 and 4

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J.F.

answers from Dallas on

We told my husband's family at Christmas by giving his parents coffee mugs that said "Grandma" and "Grandpa". Of course, this was their first grandchild, so that worked really well. If they already have other grandchildren, it might not be as evident.

You could also have your daughter unwrap a "Big Sister" item of some sort.

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M.H.

answers from Dallas on

I love the puzzle idea! I read on another thread about someone who put a bean in a jewelry box with a paper that said the due date and gave that to the parents. The baby at the time was the size of a bean. It might take a min for them to get it but I thought it was cute. Don't know how big your baby will be at the time but I'm sure if it's still small you can find something equivalent to put in a jewelry box. Then just have that be your white elephant gift. Might be fun to see how many times it gets 'stolen'. ;-)

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