Written December 26, 2012. Edited Saturday and Tuesday.

People who now know: dad’s side of the family, mom’s side of the family, and several of Sean’s aunts and uncles who were at Christmas dinner.

The reveal: all bibs.

I didn’t feel completely ready to inform the extended family at the Christmas parties, but it really was the best time to tell them in person. It also presented the opportunity to do something creative without being over the top.

The first opportunity was the Mosqueda family Christmas party on the 15th. We’ve been doing this Christmas party for the past 5 years or so and it’s a lot of fun. Several of my cousins have young kids and they get super excited about Santa showing up with gifts and hitting the piñata. The adults do a white elephant, sing carols and play other games. It’s good times, and there is always a ton of delicious food.

The party wasn’t much different this year. Santa (cousin Robert played the role this year) showed up with a sack loaded with gifts for the kids — and a few well-behaved adults. Everyone opened their presents when they were with Santa. This was perfect because the last gift was for my parents.

“This present is for Charlie and Luz!” Santa called out.

Everyone cheered and my parents posed for a picture with Santa. They then pulled the bibs out of the bag (yes, same bibs Sean and I gave them a few weeks ago). The message was clear and there were lots of cheers, claps and congratulations. There were a couple of jokes too (“Lori?!”, the only other sibling there to point the finger to).

We wanted to to use the bibs again at the Ureño Saldivar family Christmas Eve party, but it didn’t work out so well. First, mom forgot to bring the grandma/grandpa. She improvised with a backup gift from Adrian intended for me and Sean. Second, we were the only people who opened presents with Santa. Third, the gift was a Batman bib (with cape!). It was pretty cool, but I’m not sure it was immediately clear we were holding up a bib.

Everyone seemed a little confused until Adrian yelled out, “Yes! She’s pregnant, stupids!” The announcement might’ve been fumbled, but at least my aunts, uncles and cousins know.

The final reveal of the Christmas season came during grace with Sean’s extended family. Before Christmas dinner, Eula asked if she could announce the pregnancy during grace (e.g., “and thank you, God, for my grandchild”). We were fine with that. An hour later — and after cooking up several delicious dishes — she said she was too tired to make the announcement then. Sean offered up a present he’d sent and had Junior hide a few weeks ago.

“You can announce with these,” he offered.

Eula and her sisters prepared a huge Christmas dinner and we all gathered around the table for grace. At the end of grace, she picked up a gift bag beside her.

“And I have this gift I was told to open now.”

She opened the bag and pulled out two grandma/grandpa bibs (yes, the same ones we bought my parents). There was no pause to figure it out in this family. Everyone broke out in to immediate cheers as if their team had just won a buzzer beater, scored on a Hail Mary touchdown or Usain Bolt had just won gold in the 100 meters (again). Sean and I were both a little overwhelmed by the reaction. They went to Eula and Kenton to congratulate them before they hugged Sean and me.

Kenton put on his bib for dinner. I think he’s excited about becoming a grandfather.

This baby will be the first grandchild in both our immediate families. I know Eula and Kenton have had the grandparent itch for a long time (this info came via Sean, they’ve never pressured me…). On my side, my parents haven’t pressured us except for letting me know that Mamá Toni had already knitted four baby blankets. It makes me excited to know that there are many, many people who already love this baby and can’t wait for late July.

Sean has told some of his closest friends and god willing we’ll be doing more reveals in a few weeks.

Originally wrote most of this on December 3rd and 9th, 2012. Edited today.

Almost as soon as I got home from the doctor’s office, I thought about how I’d tell my parents, siblings and in-laws. It wasn’t even a question of telling them early on. I needed/wanted their support and prayers no matter what happened.

I would have told them that weekend, but I wanted a little time to come up with something cute/creative. I’m not big on the cheesy, Pinterest-type reveals. However, I wanted to do something special since I only get to tell my parents they’re going to be grandparents once.

A week after we found out, I called my dad to check in with and my mom about their plans for the weekend. They’re busy people and often have appointments, parties, visits and other things going on. Usually I just show up and see whoever is around, but this time I wanted to make sure they’d be together. After conferring with both parents, I made plans to see them after a breakfast fundraiser Sunday morning.

On Saturday evening, Sean and I went to the local Babies R Us to find some grandparent, aunt, and uncle onesies or bibs. We found cute dinosaur and giraffe bibs declaring love for grandpa and grandma, respectively. We skipped the aunt/uncle ones since they were gender based or declared “my uncle/aunt is single.” I didn’t think Alexis, my brothers’ girlfriend, would appreciate that.

When we got home, I wrapped the grandpa and grandma bibs together in the same box. Late Sunday morning Sean and I headed out to the fundraiser in HH. We missed the actual fundraiser but my mom saved us food. After a brunch of pupusas and champurrado we presented them with the box.

“A present for both of us?” mom asked eyeing the plain box on the desk. “Can we open it now.”

“Yeah.”

“We can?”

“You can.”

“Do I need my glasses?” dad asked.

“You probably don’t need your glasses.” He got them out of the desk anyway and turned on the light.

Sean filmed with his iPhone and Papá Chepe watched from the recliner.

With their backs to us, mom and dad opened the box (which previously held a wedding gift). Mom moved the tissue paper.

“Aaaah, I had a feeling!”

“Oh my goodness!” dad exclaimed.

“I had a feeling” mom repeated in a sing song voice and giggled.

“Congratulations!”

They turned to hug us and then showed Papá Chepe.

“I had a feeling this was coming,” mom confessed. She knew it was weird that I had called a couple of times just to find out their plans. I’m never so deliberate about visits. She added, “In church, I prayed, ‘If Cindy is pregnant, please let her have a good and safe pregnancy.’”

Do moms always know these things? If so, I wonder when my sixth sense will kick in.

Mom called over Mamá Toni — she missed the borlote while she was in the kitchen cleaning up — and shared the news.

Then dad, the lone non-drinker, suggested taking shots. He had Pepsi. Everyone else, including Mamá Toni and Papá Chepe, toasted to grandchild #1 and great grandchild #33 with shots of rum. [Yes, I missed #31 by a few months. My cousin Ernie’s son took the spot. I’m okay with that.]

“When did you find out?” mom asked.

“The day after Thanksgiving.”

“You waited this long to tell us?!” I knew she was gonna say that. Can’t blame her.

She went on to ask how I’d been feeling and told me she never got morning sickness with her four pregnancies. Maybe I’d get to miss out on that rite of pregnancy passage too.

THE SISTER

Lori was off at Starbucks studying all day. We didn’t see her until we returned from Mass around 6:30. We cornered her in my mom’s room away from my visiting aunts and uncles. She opened the box, looked at the bibs and then exclaimed, “Shut up!”

“Really?!”

She was pretty excited.

I had to rush back out to the aunts and uncles as I was helping with the wording/formatting of the invitation for the grandparents 70th wedding anniversary party.

THE BIG BROTHER

Dad called me when Danny got home from work that night. We did the box and bib thing again. Danny thought it was an early birthday gift at first. Not really.

He opened the box, said what he found and then put it together. There were congrats and questions (working on it? unplanned?) and funny comments.

“Sean’s sperm can swim!”

We chatted for a little while about due dates, how I’m only 6.5 weeks along and how the info should be kept within the immediate family.

THE LITTLE BROTHER

I didn’t want to wait much longer to tell my brother. Ideally, we would’ve stopped by his and Alexis’ new place before heading back to LA, but he was already getting ready for bed at 8 pm. He works long hours during the holidays.

I called him Monday night and put him on speaker phone.

I was pretty matter-of-fact, since we didn’t have the bibs around anymore.

“We’re having a baby.”

“Already?!”

“Yup.”

THE BROTHER-IN-LAW

Sean texted his brother a link to a video from Seinfeld.

“He’ll appreciate it this way.”

Junior’s response via text: Really?!!
OMG!
Congrats!

THE IN-LAWS

We told Sean’s parents after our first doctor visit via Face Time. I think Sean felt better after hearing the heartbeat for the first time. Although we mailed the same grandma/grandpa bibs to Junior, we didn’t use them to reveal the news.

After making sure both Eula and Kenton were together, I simply said, “I’m pregnant.”

They were ebullient with joy. Eula said she already knew it because she was wishing and praying for a pregnancy. Kenton and Eula have been talking about babies since we got engaged. I know they’re very excited to become grandparents.

During Papá Chepe and Mamá Toni’s vow renewal, the presiding priest asked, “Did you ever think 70 years ago that you’d be renewing your vows surrounded by all these people?” (I’m paraphrasing because it was in Spanish.)

Papá Chepe and Mamá Toni shook their heads.

Some things can be planned, like making sure you are faithful partners and that you instill in your children a strong sense of family. But some things like longevity are more about luck. Still, the platinum (70th) anniversary party would not have happened without a lot of hard work from my aunts and uncles, and neither would have the previous anniversary celebrations both big and small.

I wouldn’t be here if Papá Chepe and Mamá Toni had not said those vows 70 years ago (or answered the call to the vocation of marriage as the priest put it) and proceeded to live them.

I’m grateful that I’ve been able to celebrate several anniversaries with my grandparents and family. We all have amazing examples to follow both in marriage and in the importance of valuing family. And dancing to really loud music.

More photos below from the party.
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Friday, November 23, 2012

I really wasn’t surprised to see two bold blue lines. The text on the six-inch white stick was clearer than the results. Positive. Pregnant.

Sean was behind me as we looked at the stick on the bathroom sink. I don’t remember if I said anything, probably “I’m pregnant.” We just hugged. And then I cried a little because I’m happy, scared and all that stuff.

After calming down a bit, I went to my laptop and my trusty friend, Google. I think my search terms were “I just found out I’m pregnant.” I went from there on starting the next steps. Obviously, seeing a professional was high on the list. I tried setting up an appointment online through my HMO which was more complicated than I expected since I was used to the easy system I used with the student health center I used as a grad student.

I didn’t find much on the website that was truly helpful. I called the appointment hotline and soon was speaking to a helpful scheduler/operator at the West LA medical center. She answered my questions and informed me that pregnancy tests are done on a walk-in basis at the woman’s health center. She gave me the hours and said she didn’t know how long a patient might have to wait to be seen. With 45 minutes before they closed, Sean and I rushed out and were parking 5 minutes later. Yay for proximity.

I checked in and was called a few minutes later.

Sean got up to come in with me to the exam room. The nurse waved him down, “He’ll get to go the next one,” she added.

“First, the test.” She handed me a cup and pointed out the bathroom. When I came out, she stuck a test strip in and pulled it out.

The color change as she looked at it. “It looks light, but that’s probably because you’re so early. You’re definitely pregnant.”

We moved away from the nurse’s station and into a second room where she began took my vitals, weighed me and asked some basic questions to figure out how far along I was.

“Five weeks! You’re early.”

She set up an appointment with an Ob/Gyn for the first week of December. It seemed so far away. She gave me some forms to bring back with my for my next appointment with info about my lifestyle, personal and family medical history. And I got a folder packed with info on each month of pregnancy. It was cute, but so obvious. Finally, she ordered some tests and sent me down to the lab.

I met Sean out in the waiting room and we headed down to the lab. We looked over the forms while we waited to get my blood drawn. Even with a big folder making it pretty obvious I was expecting and two positive tests, it still felt surreal. On our way out of the medical center, I stopped by the pharmacy and picked up some prenatal vitamins. Those would be necessary.

Mid November and Thanksgiving

Sean and I joked about being pregnant before we knew for sure. Being a week late, I started looking up foods I should avoid. I complained when I saw Mexican soft cheeses like queso fresco on the list. Good thing I found out there are plenty of pasteurized options for my favorite cheese. [That cheese up there would probably be off limits.]

After Thanksgiving dinner, my cousin Nancy put me on the spot. “When are you and Sean going to make babies? I want some Mariah Carey babies.” Nancy isn’t the first person who has asked about our plans for having kids. We heard it as soon as we got engaged.

Valerie chimed in before I could answer, “Unless she already is…”

I stayed quiet. The “Mariah Carey baby” Nancy asked about might have already been in the works.

The next day I went to the nail salon for a much needed pedicure and eyebrow/upper lip wax. The salon only accepts cash so Sean went to Rite-Aid to buy some items and get cash back. I suggested a home pregnancy test. We needed a definite answer.

Sean and I have our own summer superhero movie blockbuster in the works.

Bebe Mosqueda Campbell is due July 25th.