My daughter was born seven months ago. I had all the best intentions to send out birth announcements, but I never got it together. Is it too late? Can I still announce the arrival of our daughter without it seeming like old news?
Patricia G. e-mailed us at expert@sweetspot.ca; our etiquette expert, Jen Lawrence, answered:
Absolutely! Send them out. Rather than feeling bad about not sending the "It's a girl" birth announcement seven months ago, feel great about sending out a "Look at our lovely seven-month-old" announcement. With all of the bad news people receive, everyone loves to hear news about a new baby -- no matter when that baby was born.
If you are sitting on a supply of already printed birth announcements you haven't had time to address, it's not too late to put them to use. Simply write a message on the back such as, "We can't believe how quickly seven months have gone by. Look at our big girl now!" and include a recent photo.
Birth announcements exist to inform relatives of a child's birth date (because, "Wasn't Sammy born two days after Uncle Harold's appendix ruptured?" is not a good way of remembering birthdays), to give the baby's weight at birth (in order to establish bragging rights), and to provide a photo for the brag book. Even if you are just buying your announcement cards now, be sure to include this information along with any updates.
Jen Lawrence is the Founder of BlissNotes.com, an online newsletter focusing on bringing beauty and joy to everyday living. She keeps a stack of thank you notes stashed in her car.