Baby Boom: Couple Gets Creative - and Cited - for Explosive Gender Announcement

Two Nebraska parents-to-be found themselves in hot water after the revealed the gender of their first child with an elaborate explosion.

Read: After Losing 2 Children in Car Wreck, Couple Announces They're Pregnant With Twins

On Saturday, Jon and Ashley Sterkel set off an exploding target after he fired a shot from a high-powered rifle.

Blue smoke blasted from the target, signaling that the couple is having a boy. They posted the video on Facebook where the news traveled.

Folks three miles away heard the blast in Lincoln and called cops, who quickly traced the source of the explosion.

Jon Sterkel told Inside Edition that the whole fiasco was his wife's idea.

“It was her idea — I put the blame on her,” Jon joked.

"What better way to explode something and show the color of what happened," Ashley said.

The couple claims they didn’t know it was illegal to fire off an explosion without a permit. He claims that he even called the local police ahead of time to give them a heads up, and they were fine with it.

But the couple needed permits to fire off the explosives, leading to a citation that included a $1,000 fine and possibly a year in jail.

Read: Newborn Surprises Mom by Wearing Onesie With Proposal: 'Mommy, Will You Marry My Daddy?'

Jon said that when the baby is born, they'll do something a lot less explosive to celebrate.

"Maybe a little more low key, maybe send something in the mail that doesn’t get so much attention," he said.

Watch: Gender Reveal Goes Hilariously Wrong Twice After Mom Tries to Include Her 1-Year-Old Daughter