It's a...

 We had an ultrasound on Thursday and enjoyed seeing our little baby head-butt, writhe, flip, kick, punch ferociously, fall asleep, wake up and immediately repeat the entire sequence over and over as our awesome technician took shot after shot of spine, brain, bones and... SHHHH we don't want to know!

Before even entering the ultrasound room we made sure we wouldn't be told the gender of Baby that day. Yes, it was torture. But we left with a thick yellow envelope (A certain excited father who will remain nameless held said envelope up to a light attempting to ascertain the secret contents...)  holding the answer to who exactly has been having dance parties inside me these days!

The long awaited "Gender Reveal Day" finally arrived! (It was the day after our ultrasound but felt like an eternity) After making a hazardous drive to my parent's house with a car full of twelve helium filled "gender neutral", yet festively colored balloons to spruce up the occasion, I dropped the precious yellow envelope into the hands of my youngest brother. 

Moment of silence.

Yes. Yes you heard me correctly. And those of you who know this brother may be thinking, "You WHAT!!!??" We arranged a cake to be baked by this youngest of brothers, our family cake baker. This cake was to be filled with either pink or blue frosting and was to be sliced and revealed with much pomp and circumstance (and tears) at a small gathering of family and friends.

Miracle of miracles the secret was spilled to no one! I left my parent's house, entrusting this most wonderful news to my brother and the afternoon passed uneventfully. We survived the afternoon of teaching and work and afterwards proceeded, with much haste, to family and friends and one of the biggest surprises of our lives!

We all chatted and distractedly ate pizza while trying not to be too obvious in eyeing the well-covered cake in the middle of the table. The elephant in the room so to speak. Haha! Halfway through pizza eating someone suggested we uncover the cake (probably thinking this would afford some sort of clue...) and a certain great-grandmother and soon-to-be-aunt who will also remain nameless tried hard to sneak a peak at the filling... Half of the outside of the cake was pink and half of it was blue. Genius! Torture.

Okay, no more waiting! Together Rome and I held the knife poised above the cake. We were all there, even uncle Bran was skyped in, and all waiting in excited silence. The blade touched the frosting... We all held our breath... Then... 

"WAIT, WAIT!!! I FORGOT MY CAMERA!!!!!!" 

Mother. Soon-to-be-Grandma, caused nearly all of us to loose our minds. Thankfully she hurried back and once again, the knife blade began to sink slowly into the frosting right in between the pink and blue halves. Deeper, deeper! A second slice was made... and then, the moment we thought would never come! Rome lifted the cake slice slowly up and the room exploded with happy squeals and yells!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!! IT'S A BOY!!!!!

Wow. A baby boy. It's still sinking in :)

A few seconds after the uproar subsided we heard Brandon shouting from the computer... "WHAT IS IT, WHAT IS IT!!???? I COULDN'T SEE!!!!" Haha! Hilarious.

Oh. And the cousins, due two months apart, met with much enthusiasm for the first time :) Sorta...