The Pregnancy Diaries: The Cat's Out of the Bag

Posted by Ali | Wednesday February 9, 2011

I don't know what it is with my family but keeping a secret is quite impossible for them. Sure there are a few souls who can be trusted, no matter how juicy the tidbit, but overall my family is pretty much the worst at minding their own beeswax. How's yours?

I planned a very special way to tell my Grandmothers about their newest great grandchild by taking them to brunch and giving them each a card with a picture from my first ultrasound. My one Grandmother clued in right away, but the other put the picture to the side and quietly read the card word for word. It was hard to keep a straight face. After, we all laughed and cried at the joyous news. In their minds I'm ancient for a first-time mother so this announcement is the equivalent of winning an Academy Award. I then swore them to secrecy. It was still early stage and let's be honest: I wanted to tell everyone myself! It's fun watching people's reactions to good news, isn't it?

One Grandmother kept the news to herself and we just exchanged secret smiles whenever others were around. The other? She put the card I gave her - ultrasound picture and all - proudly displayed in her living room. Then when people came over (as reported back to me by reliable sources), she encouraged them to read it. Right.

Another male relative who leaked the news, claims he was cornered by my Aunt and Uncle at a family gathering and forced to confess my condition. Here's an interesting bit of information: We don't live in the same city. What would possess anyone to think I'm pregnant if I haven't seen or spoken to them in several months? Exactly.

The bottom line is, my family can't keep a secret worth beans. But I have learned something from all of this. If I ever want the entire family to know something immediately, I need only tell a few select members in confidence.

XO, Mommy-to-be

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9 Comments

	on February 11, 2011 Hot Cuppa 922 said: What a cute story!
	on February 10, 2011 LaurenBlair 128 said: Awe, becky this is an adorable site!
	on February 10, 2011 Becky 13,128 said: I'm right there with you Spotty! :) If mommy-to-be is who I think it is, CONGRATS girl!!!!!!! I'm soooooo happy for you!! :) You will be an awesome mom!! I think the current proper term is "yummy mummy" right? Well I google'd it and found a site you might like: http://yummymummyclub.ca/ ....hope you like. even if it's not who i think it is, the huge congrats and heartfelt wishes are still with you :)
	on February 09, 2011 spotty 4,021 said: Oooooh! If the mommy-to-be is who I think it is, I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!! Of course, if its not who I suspect, I'm still happy for you. :-) But no worries - I won't guess or make any outward assumptions - the announcement thunder and joy is all yours!! ;-)
	on February 09, 2011 Mommy-to-be said: So I get this email from my cousin who found out about the pregnancy from yet another blabbermouth: This is funny to me because of course the family all chatted about it before hand but I fully called Grandma out on it! We went over there for dinner and she announced it all excitedly and I told her that it was a secret - she was shocked and very confused ha. I had suspected you were pregnant and I asked ** (my sister in law) flat out and you know how well she can lie :). She promptly told me though that I had to keep my mouth shut, which I did, until Grandma broke the news to * (my cousin)*** Awesome.
	on February 09, 2011 Vanessa said: Ugh -- I know exactly what you mean. In my case, it was my Mom who told the world (when I was five weeks pregnant, no less!) Not only did she ROB me of the experience of telling my grandma, but she told all her neighbours, co-workers and even her cleaning lady! If God forbid I had ended up having a miscarriage, all these strangers would have known. The worst was that when I told her how upset I was by her behaviour, she showed no remorse at all. She felt that being excited justified it. Next time, I'm telling her after the first trimester is up!
	on February 09, 2011 dolce_bellissima 4,214 said: This is very cute. It reminds me of a rom-com. At least you know they are so incredibly excited for you that they just can't keep it all to themselves- you must share the joy, right?
	on February 09, 2011 mamaluv STAFF said: What would a family be without a gaggle of blabbermouths? ;)
	on February 09, 2011 LaurenBlair 128 said: I think it's always a little harder to keep a secret if you have such a large family. Have they been bugging you for a while like "when are you going to have a baby?!"