Contributed by: Bree Hester  www.bakedbree.com

Many parents are now making a celebration of finding out the gender of their unborn baby. This is how it works: When Mom goes for her gender ultrasound, the ultrasound tech writes the baby’s gender on a piece of paper and puts it in a sealed envelope instead of telling the parents. The parents give the envelope to a friend or family member, who orders or bakes a cake or pie with pink or blue on the inside. When the parents cut into the dessert, all is revealed! 

Gender reveal parties can be as simple or as elaborate as you would like them to be. For this party, a few paper lanterns and some pastel-colored snacks add a bit of whimsy to set the scene. The party can be held in the afternoon for an hour or two, so the preparations can be minimal. Desserts and lemonade are great offerings. Another cute idea is to serve some of the foods the mom-to-be has been craving.

Guests can come wearing pink if they think the baby is a girl or blue if they're thinking boy. Or they can choose the color of their drinking cup based on their prediction. You can also set up a station where guests can write their guess. Offer small prizes to those who predicted correctly.

If it is girl, the mom and dad would cut into Raspberry Lemonade Pie. If it is a boy, serve up Blue Hawaiian Pie.

When the surprise has been revealed, you can go all out with the color. These cupcakes are filled with pink, in keeping with the theme.

These parties are a fun and creative way to get your friends and family involved in the milestones that come along with bringing a new baby into a family.