Learning the gender of a baby is an emotional milestone for any couple – but for one pregnant California woman, the surprise proved to be more memorable than she ever could have guessed, thanks to the work of her husband.
Jennifer Jones-Prothro, 38, from Vacaville, is currently expecting her ninth child in December, and – having learned the gender of each child in advance with every other pregnancy – she was determined to keep the news a secret on this occasion, or at the very least ensure that the reveal was a truly meaningful moment.
So, her husband James, 43, arranged the perfect surprise, using the voice of her late father Charles – who passed away last year from cancer – in order to deliver the happy news that they are having a baby girl together.
Surprise! California mother Jennifer Jones-Prothro, 38, was surprised with a unique gender reveal by her husband James, 43, who used her late father’s voice to reveal their baby’s sex
Overjoyed: Upon hearing her father Charles’s voice coming out of the speaker, the mother-of-eight, who is expecting her ninth child in December, burst into tears of joy
In a heart-rending video of the reveal, Jenny can be seen holding a speaker in her hands, grinning excitedly at the camera while sitting cross-legged on a couch as a recording of James’s voice begins to play.
‘Jenny, this is the most special, creative way that I could think of to tell you the sex of our child,’ the recorded voice explains, before adding: ‘But I couldn’t do it without a little help.’
It is then that Charles’s voice chimes in to deliver the all-important message, speaking to his daughter through a recording that was created using old voicemails he had left Jenny while he was still alive.
‘I love ya!’ Charles (pictured), who passed away from cancer last year, was described by James as his wife’s ‘everything’
‘Hello Jenny, this is your father!’ the recording exclaims, leaving Jenny with a look of total disbelief on her face, while people in the background are heard exclaiming their shock and awe.
‘I want to let you know that it is a girl,’ the voice continues, as the soon-to-be mother-of-nine breaks down into tears of joy, covering her face with one hand, while clinging onto the speak with the other.
‘It is a girl,’ the recording repeats, before signing off: ‘I love ya, bye bye!’
The video ends with Jenny sitting on the couch sobbing, while her husband sits alongside her and simply says: ‘I love you baby.’
James’s decision to reveal the joyful news to his wife in such an incredible way came after she challenged him to surprise her with the news using a method that was creative – and had never been done before.
Jenny’s husband had learned the sex of their baby months ago, but had kept it a closely-guarded secret at the request of his wife, who wanted to wait to find out the gender of their ninth child as a kind of tribute to her father, Charles, who would always want to be surprised with the news at the birth.
‘My dad always wanted to be surprised by it,’ Jenny explained to CNN. ‘There are not many surprises left in the world these days.’
Special bond: Jenny, pictured with Charles, had decided to wait to find out the sex of her child in order to honor her father’s love of surprises
Emotional: A video of the reveal shows Jenny weeping with happiness after hearing her father’s voice, and learning the gender of her child
‘Blessed’: Jenny paid tribute to James on Facebook, praising him as ‘the best and most creative hubby ever’
However, six months into the pregnancy – and with her friends eagerly awaiting the news so they could plan a themed baby shower – she decided that she wanted to know, but that she still wanted to honor her father’s love of surprises. Hence her request to James to make the gender reveal a truly exceptional experience.
‘He was her everything,’ James said of his decision to use Charles’s voice to deliver the news, explaining that he couldn’t think of a better way to honor her beloved dad.
‘My wife told me that if I revealed the sex of our baby it had to be creative,’ he added while sharing the news on Facebook.
‘I could think of no better way than to hear it from her Dad! Rip Mr J and thanks for your help!!!!’
James’s heartfelt gesture certainly seems to have exceeded his wife’s expectations – but it has also touched the hearts of millions of people around the globe.
After her daughter Ana shared the video of the emotional reveal on her Twitter account, it quickly went viral – racking up a staggering 7.36 million views in just three days.
And it’s not just Twitter users that have been bowled over by James’s creative tribute; both he and Jenny have shared the video on Facebook, where it has been met by thousands of kind comments from both family and friends, as well as strangers chiming in to congratulate the couple on their happy news.
‘I am truly blessed beyond measure with the best and most creative hubby ever!!’ Jenny wrote in her Facebook post, before explaining: ‘For those of you who don’t know, my dad passed away a year ago and hubby used the voicemails my dad left me to create this treasure.’