Mason & Mallory will be a sibling to a little......G I R L !!!!

Just after I found out that I was pregnant with our third child, I was watching a TV show. The couple was expecting and they wanted to tell their families at the same time. However, they were from big families and the families lived in two different cities. The Today Show got involved and planned a special event for them. The producers of the show had a cake made for the couple, and the inside of the cake was dyed to match the gender of the baby. The couple did not know what they were having. Once they cut the cake, they saw pink and everyone knew at the same time that the baby was a girl.

I thought this was such a cool idea. Since we already had one boy and one girl, it seemed fitting to have this child be a surprise. When I told my mom and Christian about my idea, they were instantly on board. We agreed that my mom would be the only person to find out the sex of the baby from the ultrasound. Then she could tell the bakery how to make the cake. The suspense was horrible but we managed to make it for 2 1/2 months without knowing.

This past Saturday was our party. We invited our closest friends and our immediate families. There was a good crowd, about 35, and everyone couldn't wait until the big reveal. This was a great picture of my growing family. For once, everyone is smiling and looking at the camera.

My mom and I went to a shower for a relative a few weeks ago. At her shower, someone had given her a cake knife/server set with a beautiful poem. The poem basically talks about how the little girl can use the knife on her 1st birthday cake and every birthday thereafter. Then she can use this special knife on her wedding day to cut her wedding cake. It was so special and we loved the idea. We discussed that it could be used for either a boy or a girl, so the hunt was on for a special knife/server set for my new little one. Mom read the poem (which she rewrote to be non-gender specific) and everyone was so emotional.

The big cut on the front of the cake immediately let us know that our newest baby would be a little girl. Everyone screamed and clapped when they saw the cake. It was overwhelmingly emotional. I would definitely recommend doing this to anyone who wants to have a special moment for their baby. The kids could hardly wait to find out what their new sibling was going to be.

We had prepped the kids for the different colors and what they meant. Mason and Mallory both wanted a baby brother and were hopeful to see the color blue. When the cake turned out pink, Mason burst into tears. He cried big alligator tears for several minutes because he knew what the pink color meant. Christian had to console him and hold him until he got past the initial shock. He still is hopeful that the next baby will be a brother.

My new little girl...Magan Emerson Lawrence. I'm so excited!

Mason finally recovered from his shock but he's still not overly thrilled. He still wants a brother but he tells us that he'll love his little sister.

Overall, it was the best party we've ever had. We will definitely do this again and I'd recommend this kind of party to anyone. It was so much fun to have our family and friends with us for such a special moment. Thanks to my mom who hosted the party and did a GREAT job keeping the secret. Thanks to Emily for the great pictures.