A woman only get a few chances to truly surprise her husband. Maybe she pulls off a surprise birthday party, has an epic proposal planned, or makes her husband his favorite childhood meal when he's having a rough day. For Chelsie Morales, she got to plan and execute the perfect surprise baby reveal for her husband, Will. And to make things even better, she got it all on camera. Be prepared, because this surprise baby announcement was PERFECTION.
Whether a mom got lucky on the first try or she's been trying to get pregnant for a while, the moment in which she gets to reveal her pregnancy to her partner is such a special one. She might be a little nervous, emotional, and excited all mixed up in one, and the anticipation can really creep in — so much so that the moment always goes by faster than we want it to.
This mom-to-be really got it right by capturing her heartwarming reveal with her husband in photos. The sweet look on his face — it's one she can go back to time and time again now.
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Along with mom Chelsie Morales, we spoke with the photo shoot's photographer Kara Fishbaugh, who caught the exact moment Will learned he was going to be a father. Understandably, Kara tells CafeMom, "It was one of the best moments I have ever been a part of."
A Perfect Secret
Chelsie tells CafeMom she knew she was pregnant four days before the photo shoot. She says, "I had several ideas [for the reveal], but was nervous about trying to capture them on my own and having it not work out."
She decided she needed a little help with her plan and enlisted photographer Kara Fishbaugh, who was also a friend from high school. "I knew she could be trusted to keep the secret," Chelsie says.
Making the Plan
Chelsie told Will the couple had won a free photo shoot with Kara. They set up a June 22 shoot at Zorinsky Lake in Omaha, Nebraska, and Kara helped Chelsea plan her surprise.
"Will … was already SO excited about just that [the photo shoot]," Kara tells CafeMom. "Together, Chelsie and I orchestrated the entire shoot down to the minute she was able to reveal the news."
However, Kara adds, "The announcement was all Chelsie's idea." Sneaky!
3 Little Words
At their photo shoot, Kara asked Chelsie and Will to take a chalkboard and, with their backs turned to each other, write down three words to best describe the other person. Then, when she told them to, they would turn around and see what the other person had written.
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Give it a second...
"He REALLY had no idea what he was in for," Kara tells CafeMom. "I even put together a fake email congratulating them on their [photo shoot] win so he had no reason to think anything different!"
Almost there...
When it was finally time for the big reveal, Chelsie tells CafeMom, "As soon as I turned my board around I could see him reading it, and the gears in his head turning until his brain caught up with what he was seeing."
BOOM. Mind blown.
"His face was priceless!" Kara adds. "When Chelsie turned her chalkboard around, it actually took him a long couple of seconds to realize what hers said. He was looking for three words that described him best but what he read was 'You're going to be a daddy.'"
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A Reason to Celebrate
"For as long as I can remember I knew that I somehow wanted to capture Will's reaction when I told him we were pregnant," Chelsie tells CafeMom. "If you ask anyone that knows him, he is just amazing with kids and babies. If there is a baby around, [it's] 100 percent guaranteed it will take him .01 seconds to find it and ask if he can hold it … so I knew he would be more than thrilled once we were starting a family of our own."
Pure Happiness
Of her sneaky plan, Chelsie says, "We hadn't been trying long at all, so neither one of us was getting our hopes up."
She adds, "I was also dropping hints that week, which made him believe it wasn't looking promising that month (so mean, but I didn't want him catching on!)."
A Joyful Embrace
TBH, Chelsie's "hints" were probably the perfect plan because after the reveal, Chelsie says, "he went from pure shock to being completely overjoyed with the tears flowing."
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It Almost Didn't Happen
The most amazing thing is the photo shoot almost didn't happen because of the weather!
Chelsie tells CafeMom, "It was supposed to storm all day and night (of course), but miraculously it held off until we were done! You can't tell by the pictures, but it was muggy as heck and you could just feel the clouds getting ready to open." Whew, what good luck!
Oh, Baby!
Chelsie says she knew the photo shoot had to happen quickly because she "couldn't keep the secret from my husband any longer."
They were also expecting family to come visit over the weekend. "I knew I would need help pretending to drink, as we weren't telling anyone yet," she jokes.
The Best Beginning
The couple recently followed up their Internet-breaking surprise pregnancy reveal with a maternity shoot that everybody was in on. The couple even included their dog, Moose.
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These Pictures Have Now Found a Home All Over the Internet
Since Kara initially posted the couple's photos to her blog and her Facebook page, they've gone completely viral.
Speaking of her newfound Internet celebrity, Chelsie tells CafeMom, "We never in a million years expected these pictures to blow up as they have, but it has been fun to watch. We love reading through everyone's comments together at night. It makes it feel even more special."
That Feeling When You Pull Off the Best Baby Reveal
Really, the best part of the plan was that it brought Chelsie so much joy to surprise Will and that she pulled it off flawlessly. "Through the whole shoot he just had the biggest grin on his face and would keep repeating 'I just can't believe it!'" she tells CafeMom.
Oh, and if you're wondering about Will's "three best words" to describe Chelsie? "Beautiful, Witty, Smart." We're crying.
A Memory to Last a Lifetime
"Random people will comment how the photos make them cry, which just makes my heart explode!" Chelsie says. "I also feel like it goes to show how great of a job Kara did at capturing our emotions."
Kara tells CafeMom, "It was one of the best moments I have ever been a part of and I am so happy we were able to pull it off."
Love and happiness are easiest to capture when they are truly genuine. You can see more of Kara's photography here.
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