Originally written on September 21, 2009
In-laws for most people can be a tricky bunch. You never know exactly what is going on. You know they care about you but there can be uncertainty in other areas. But with Jeremy’s parents, I have always known one thing with 1000% certainty…they want a grandbaby.
So going to visit them and telling them all about little Grandbaby Bower was really exciting. Especially when it came to Jeremy’s father – Pastor Dad. You see, he works at a church and all of his fellow church-workers have started having grandkids. But not Pastor Dad. So we decided to come up with a little plan to break it to him & Nurse Vicki (Jeremy’s stepmom) that would allow him to brag it all over the sanctuary, offices, and fellowship hall.
Enter the matching t-shirts:
We originally had them wrapped up in a bag and told the pair that it was a small thank-you gift for helping us with the yard renovation. As Pastor Dad pulled out his shirt – he held it up and said “oh, that’s nice.”
Apparently the message wasn’t as clear as we had thought it would be.
But then Nurse Vicki whispered “are you pregnant?”
I just nodded and smiled.
Pastor Dad was still a little confused…I don’t think that he could hear Vicki barely ask the all-important question.
Then Nurse Vicki turned to him and clarified “They are going to have a baby!”
Immediately it clicked.
Pastor Dad was all smiles as he confessed “I just thought you were preparing us for the future. You know. Giving us the t-shirt so that we would be prepared one day!”
We spent the rest of the night telling them our ideas for baby names, talking about the names they would have to pick for themselves (Would it be Grandpa? Pawpaw? GrandPastorDad?) and how they could break it to the friends at their church.
Telling Jeremy’s mom was entirely up to my sweet boyfriend. He planned what we would say. He decided that he wanted to do it in a way that would catch her offguard. So off to Mom’s house we went. We (Mom, my boytoy, me and Jeremy’s grandmother) were sitting outside and talking about cars. Because that is something normal…and lowkey…and would be totally unrelated to procreation. And that is when Jeremy asked “Mom – does your car fit a carseat?”….like there would be a car that doesn’t fit a carseat. She replied calmly “Oh yes. It would fit.”
And then our master plan dictated the grand surprise.
“GOOD. CAUSE WE ARE GONNA HAVE A BABY!” we both yelled in unison. Yelling always seems to help people know that they should be surprised. I do when I clean the bathroom – JEREMY I CLEANED THE BATHROOM! – and he definitely is taken back.
Her face lite up and she ran over and hugged us both. No confusion here. It was out in the open and we definitely caught her off guard. It was perfect. We ended up snapping a few photos before heading off to celebrate.
Now that the big news was out – we only had a few more people to tell. A few more grand reveals. It was a relief…knowing that everyone knew. That it was no longer a burden….a secret with the weight of a new life. It was the first rest stop on a long trip – the one that gives you a chance to smile and defuse. It was exactly what I needed. Just to focus on celebrating my new role in this family….and I was eating it up with a baby spoon 🙂