Parents Find Out Baby’s Sex in ‘Amazing’ Baseball Stunt
Monique Tello and Steven Statter only had one crack at making their baby’s sex announcement a big hit — and they scored, as photos (one of which is seen above) of Statter whacking a “baseball” to release a dazzling pink explosion are going viral this week.
The couple, from Corona, Calif., both true-blue Dodger fans, decided on a baseball theme for their announcement. “Since pregnancy is typically more focused on the women, I wanted to do something to make Steven feel more included,” Tello told Today.
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Statter’s sister Leanne had sent Tello a screen shot of an exploding baseball, and that gave her an idea, she told Yahoo Parenting. Tello and her sister Marissa (the only one who knew the ultrasound results) then took to Pinterest and Google for further inspiration and cleverly came up with the idea to take a fragile, clear plastic Christmas ball ornament and fill it with chalk powder that they found online. Marissa then sealed the ball, sprayed it with primer, and painted it white with red seams to look like a baseball.
The couple’s gimmick would be to break the news to everyone — including themselves, reportedly — when Steven connected with the ball and the pink or blue chalk was released.
The joyous mom-to-be. (Photo: David Swayze Photography/Facebook)
To complete the stunt, Tello obtained a permit to use a local baseball diamond, hired photographer David Swayze, and invited friends and family to come to the field — asking them to dress in either pink or blue, depending on which gender they suspected the baby would be. Pinks went to one dugout, blues to the other.
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Once everyone was assembled, Tello took to the pitcher’s mound and tossed the powder-filled baseball ornament over home plate. “We only had one shot to make this work,” the photographer wrote on Facebook. He was on edge, hoping Statter would connect and he would get the perfect shot. If Statter missed and the ball fell to the ground and broke, it would be considerably less dramatic.
Tello and Statter embrace after learning they’re having a girl. (Photo: David Swayze Photography/Facebook)
But Steven, who plays in a men’s league every Sunday in Orange County, is no rookie at the plate. So he connected, and of course the photographer got that epic shot. The rest, as they say, is history.
The momentous occasion is made even sweeter since the pregnancy itself is a bit of a miracle. Today reports that last year, Tello was diagnosed with a grade 2 astrocytoma — a form of brain cancer. She underwent successful surgery to remove the tumor and was considering radiation and chemotherapy when she found out she was pregnant. Once the baby is born, the couple will decide on Tello’s next course of treatment.
But in the meantime, there’s a lot to celebrate and prepare for. “My little girl is due May 4, 2016, and will be named Kennedy Marie,” Tello told Yahoo Parenting. And we wish her a pink explosion of joy.
(Top photo: David Swayze Photography)
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