Telling the Parents

As this is the first grandchild for both the Benjamin's and the D'Agostino's, we wanted to surprise our parents with the news by telling them in person.

On Friday, January 11th, we drove up to Alexandria to see Lois and Chuck first. We told them we were coming in town to see our friends, Lance & Steph Marine, and that plans changed last minutes such that we weren't going to their house till the next day. We asked the D's if we could hang with them Friday night and then we'd be off to see our friends the next morning.

They bought it.

We came with 2 bags of Thai food, had dinner and proceeded to sit through almost an hour of idle chit-chat, as we waited for an appropriate break in the conversation to spill the beans.

After dinner, as we're getting ready to sit down and watch "Music & Lyrics," my Dad's latest favorite flick, finally we get the opportunity to tell them the real reason for our visit.

The look of confusion on their faces was priceless!

I pull out the pictures from our first ultrasound and tell them they're going to be grandparents! After hugs all around, Lois came out saying, "That's wonderful news. I'm so happy for you...wait...I'm so happy for ME!! I'm going to be a grandma!! YEESSS!!"

The next morning we headed out for Salisbury to see Nancy and Andy. Though the D's were a little disappointed we had to leave so early, they were anxious for us to tell the Benjamin's so they could have someone to talk to about Baby B. We asked that our families not tell anyone since it was still so early in the pregnancy. (Though I have a feeling they didn't exactly keep the news all to themselves...)

Finding a reason for us to be in Salisbury was a little difficult, so we enlisted the help of Nancy's BFF, Joleen Rowe. Joleen was more than up to the task of helping us surprise the B's. We were concerned, since it was the weekend, that Nance and Andy may take one of their usual day trips to Annapolis or Berlin, and we'd end up waiting outside the house for hours until they came back. Joleen crafted quite the plan to ensure that the Benjamin's would be home together upon our arrival.

We opened their door to first let in our dog, Luci-- she also joined for the visits. We could hear Nancy saying, "Is that Luci? What's she doing here?" And as we rounded the corner this look of shock came across Nancy's face. I think at first she wasn't sure if our spontaneous visit was bringing good news or bad news.

Instantly, it clicked when we asked what they were doing on or around September 1st. Tears, hugs and a few high-pitched screams later, we also showed them the pictures of our little speck, and they couldn't have been more delighted!

What wonderful reactions!