Gender Reveal Party

Tonight was such an exciting night. We had the big gender reveal party for my son and sweet daughter in law.

It all started on Tuesday when the three of us plus the other grandma went for the sono exam. When it came time to check the nether regions, the proud parents looked away while the Two Grans looked on. So just to be sure we knew what we were looking at, the tech typed in the gender on the screen and then erased it just in case.

Here was the invitation:

So, tonight was the party. I wish I’d had done more, but the spunky little mom-to-be is very self sufficient and did most of it herself with the help of her mom.

Team Blue with their mustache's and blue pom-pom photo props

Close up of Team Blue's 'stache's

Team Pink with their lipstick lips and pink pom-pom photo props

They had a cute table set up draped in half blue and half pink. It was equally covered with various pink and blue foods, candies, and balloons etc. They also had baby pictures of mom and dad. It was all very adorable. Oh and we must not forget the pink and blue punch.

Pink/Blue table with some of the goodies

close up of the baby pictures

HErSHEys candy bars

Blue and Pink punch

We played the Old Wives Tales game. It was a hoot and the Old Wives were expecting a boy. Score one for team Blue. You can search the internet for questions, but here are the ones we used. We used a dry erase board to keep score.

1.Shape of Mom's Belly-Some say if the woman’s belly is big and round it means that she is carrying a girl. Likewise, if her belly is smaller and sticking straight out than she is carrying a boy.

2.Fast Heart Rate Tale- Some people believe that if your baby has a fast heart rate, near 170 beats per minute, then that means you are having a girl, and that if your baby’s heart rate is closer to 150 beats per minute then you are having a boy.

3.The Key Test- Then there is the key test. Some say that if you can tell your baby’s sex by picking up a single key. If you pick the key up by big, round (top) part then you are having a boy. If you pick it up by the narrow part on the bottom then you are having a girl. Then, as if it isn’t detailed enough, if you pick the key up by the middle you are having TWINS!

5.Cravings-Some people say that if you crave salty food while pregnant it means you are having a boy and if you crave sweet food while you are pregnant it means you are having a girl.

6.Morning sickness-If you have morning sickness that seems to last all day long and last for longer than your first trimester, then you are having a girl.

7. This one you can do just by looking south: if you're carrying high, break out the pink. If your bump is low, you're carrying a boy

8.Nice Ring to It- Pop off your wedding ring -- if you still can! -- and tie it to a string. Hang it over your belly. If it swings in a circle, a little guy's in your future. If it goes back and forth, you've got a girl.

9. Weight Gain-Thankfully, this one doesn't refer to your weight gain. The belief is that, if your husband puts on weight during your pregnancy, then you will be having a girl. If he doesn't put on a pound, then you're carrying a boy.

10. Do you crave the heals of bread or the middle? Heals: Boy //Middle: Girl

11. Are your hands Chapped/Dry or Softer? Chapped: Boy// Softer: Girl

12. Eating more or sick/nauseated? Eating more: Boy// Sick: Girl

13. Can people tell you are pregnant from the back? Or are you pregnant all over? Just from back: Boy //All over: Girl

14. During the pregnancy, have you been crabby or happy?

Crabby: girl// Happy: boy

15. Which side do you lay on when resting: Left: Boy //Right: Girl

16. During the pregnancy, have you been clumsy or graceful?

Clumsy: Boy // Graceful: Girl

17. Show me your hands. -Shows them palms up: Girl // Shows them palms down: Boy

The group is trying to decide if she is carrying high or low.
We decided it was high

We played “Guess how many candies are in the bottle” game. There was a clear baby bottle filled with pink and blue Mike n’ Ikes. Someone on Team Pink won that game.

And we played a game that I had found at the app store just for baby showers. No. this wasn’t a baby shower per se, but we needed games and it was fun. It included trivia, baby facts, charades, and even mini scavenger hunts. I’m pretty sure Team Blue won that game. The game is called “The Baby Shower Game” and I found it in the iTunes app store (free).

Then it was time for the reveal. I was in charge of the cupcakes, aka the reveal tools. I was not having a good day, and this was not the day to not have a good day!

My idea was to fill the muffin cup ½ with the proper colored cake batter (pink or blue) and then top it with white cake mix, to hide the color. This was a great idea… in theory.

First of all, I am not a baker. I can cook nine ways to Sunday, but I cannot bake. So I bought boxed mixes. I have used them in the past with some degree of satisfaction. I bought 2 white mixes and 1 strawberry mix. I did not know at the time why I bought 2 white mixes, I was fairly sure 1 would be more than enough. I found out later why I would need 2. Anywhoo, I made the first batch, and it was awful. I over filled the cups, and the color ended up slopping over the sides and there was no way I could cover it with the small amount of icing I had. Plus the strawberry kinda tasted like barf. So those went in the trash and I started over.

This time I mixed a very small amount of white mix with a very small amount of red food coloring. You know how, at Easter, you want a red egg. But you never get a red egg, it always turns out pink. Not so for baby showers. When you want pink batter, you get red! (Next time I will buy the hot pink gel food coloring instead of using the standard liquid stuff.)

So I added more batter. And finally ended up with pink batter. About a cup of it I guess. I should have left them almost red as the color faded drastically in the baking process.

I made mini cupcakes because of the amount that was going to be needed and because I was going to have to transport them a fair distance away from my house. For mini cup cakes, should you decide to go this route, here is how I filled them: With the gender color batter add 1 generous tsp of batter to each cup (I could have used a tad more but I was gun shy after the fiasco of the first batch.). Then cover with 1 scant Tbsp of the white batter. This turned out to be the perfect combination. I looked over each cupcake to make sure the pink was covered before placing them in the oven. I baked them according to package directions.

Here is a blurry picture of the finished cupcakes

Once cooked and cooled, I iced them. I chose to top them more like a petit fours. I was afraid that because of the small amount of color on the inside, that if I put too much icing on, once someone bit into it, they would see icing and not the gender color. This worked out well especially because the pink batter faded so much.

Then came time for the reveal. I instructed everyone that on the count of 3, they could peel the liner from their cupcake, and they could bite into it and see if it was pink or blue.

She can't quite see what is inside but he see's it

My son was fast. His was unwrapped and half bitten before his sweet girl could even see what hers held. She couldn’t see the color very good on her cupcake and asked my son “What is it?” when he answered “Its pink!” she replied “oh…… OH! IT’S A GIRL!” And then smiled from ear to ear. Mom- to- be was Team pink all the way.

He tells her that it's pink and the light bulb comes on!

Everyone hugged and squealed and congratulated the proud new almost-parents. Every one had a really good time, and I strongly recommend having a reveal party the next time you or your bestie have a new arrival on the way to your family.

See, smiling from ear to ear! Such a beautiful girl.