NEED TO KNOW
- Anneliese van der Pol is pregnant, expecting her first baby with husband Johnno Wilson
- The couple, who met while filming the Disney sitcom ‘Raven’s Home,’ tied the knot this past December
- They are expecting a baby girl, who is due this October
It’s the future we can see — Anneliese van der Pol and Johnno Wilson are going to be parents!
The couple, who played ex-husband and wife on the Disney sitcom Raven’s Home, are expecting their first baby together, a rep for the couple confirms to PEOPLE. The That’s So Raven star, 40, and the Bride Hard actor, also 40, are set to become girl parents when they welcome their daughter later in October.
“We’re having a girl! I have two sisters and I could not be happier to bring another girl into the sisterhood,” Anneliese tells PEOPLE, sharing that they found out they are having a girl when Johnno hit a golf ball that exploded into pink powder. “I didn’t realize how much I wanted a girl until he swung and it went pink.”
“Of course, you just want a healthy child, and a boy would’ve been exciting too, but there’s something about a girl in this time that I’m just so proud of,” she says. “I don’t want her to be a performer or care if she’s a doctor…but she WILL be a feminist.”
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Joey Andrew
Anneliese and Johnno share that they actually weren’t sure if they’d ever become parents and initially thought they wouldn’t grow their family.
“First of all, we were the couple that said we would never have kids,” Anneliese says.
“We knew early on in our relationship that we had something amazing between us, so we had the kids convo early on and agreed — let’s just focus on career and travel,” Johnno explains. “I highly recommend checking in with each other every few years.”
Joey Andrew
It wasn’t until this past summer that the two realized they were more into the idea of having a baby at 40 than they were when they met at 34. After having that conversation, Anneliese and Johnno went to a fertility doctor.
“Literally the day before we were meant to meet our IVF [in vitro fertilization] doctor, I realized I was late,” Anneliese says. “So I took a test, saw two lines, and canceled our appointment. I put the pregnancy stick on Johnno’s pillow and watched him figure it out when he came in to bring me my morning coffee.”
“He started crying. What a baby,” jokes the mom-to-be.
So far, Anneliese says her pregnancy has been peaceful, even though she admits she was prepared for anything.
“Since a lot of our friends, cousins, my brother Pete, and Anneliese’s sister Sarah have already had children, we were definitely prepared for anything,” adds Johnno, who stars in season 2 of Peacock’s Twisted Metal.
“Yes, most people set my expectations low in the sense that they said it would be really hard,” Anneliese agrees. “We were not going to be disillusioned about the pregnancy or the first year in the slightest. And thankfully, I’ve had a really wonderful pregnancy.”
Joey Andrew
The That’s So Raven alum says that the symptoms of pregnancy have definitely been “real,” though.
“Oh yes, those cravings are real. Also, no one told me about the quickening, which is the baby moving around at anywhere from 17 to 20 weeks,” she explains. “When that started, it really made us excited to meet this little one. I think we have another dancer on our hands.”
As they get ready to embark on this next chapter, Anneliese says the two are just “so excited.”
“Between doctor’s appointments, registry building, nursery design and finding time for work and everyday life, preparing for a new arrival is an absolute whirlwind — which is why we’re so grateful that Babylist makes it easy to explore the very best in baby gear and understand what you need as a growing family,” she explains.
“Babylist’s digital site is incredibly user-friendly, and has been a game-changer for us throughout this pregnancy — getting to test out the best selection of strollers, carriers, diaper bags, and more was such a fun and informative experience that we’ll always remember,” Johnno says. “Since then, we’ve been showing our registry to all of our close friends and family to get their thoughts and find out which products and brands they love!”
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