Photographer John Cirillo documented his wife’s entire pregnancy journey in a video to help him remember the details.
The video starts with the couple waiting for results from a home pregnancy test. It later jumps to clips of a unique gender reveal party and then finally shows scenes from a delivery room.
In the gender reveal, fireworks shoot and puncture a giant helium balloon that bursts open to show smaller blue balloons and confetti, telling their guests that they were having a boy. This was captured with a five-camera setup, Cirillo told Global News.
Cirillo’s video includes footage of his wife’s growing belly, shown through a stop-motion sequence where she’s standing in the same position wearing the same outfit, and the only thing changing is the size of her belly.
At the end of the video, baby Cassius makes his first solo appearance, flashing a smirk.
The entire journey actually started when Cirillo decided to make a 10-episode vlog series on YouTube with a goal of exploring New York City. He screened the last episode in front of 75 of their closest friends and family at a movie theatre to announce their pregnancy.
Cirillo said Cassius’ name was inspired by Muhammad Ali’s birth name.
“He represented some really important values to us, to always stand up for yourself and fight for what you believe in no matter what the consequence,” Cirillo said.
Central Park’s Gapstow Bridge, where the couple got engaged, is the first NYC landmark Cirillo said he’d show baby Cassius. (Yankee Stadium came in a close second.)