There's a baby boom happening over at Today! The announcements of new arrivals and babies-to-be have been flowing in recent months. Hoda started it off with her announcement that she adopted her second child, daughter Hope Catherine. Now Hoda's stepping away from her maternity leave to celebrate cohost and "work wife" Jenna Bush Hager as Jenna prepares to welcome her third child, a baby boy.
Jenna's friends and colleagues came together to celebrate her with a shower at Taco Dumbo in New York on Tuesday. The next day, Jenna shared a heartfelt note from Hoda on the air. "Jenna, you represent everything I love," she began, tearing up as she read it out loud. Things only got more emotional from there.
The two have been working together since Jenna replaced Kathie Lee Gifford as Hoda's cohost during the 10 a.m. hour of Today. Jenna's been a correspondent with the show since 2009.
Jenna Bush Hager is so close to meeting her little boy! The Today show host first announced her pregnancy back in April. She was just over five months pregnant at the time, meaning that her little guy should be making his debut sometime this month.
Jenna's announcement came just one week after cohost Hoda Kotb revealed that she had adopted her second child. Hope Catherine joins big sister Haley Joy, whom Hoda adopted in February 2017.
Hoda called in after Jenna's announcement, showering her friend with congratulations. "I feel like this is your year for a million reasons. You are on the show you were born to be on, you’re expanding your family, which is exactly what is supposed to be happening. This is the year of Jenna Bush Hager," Hoda gushed.
Later, Jenna shared that when she initially found out she was pregnant, she struggled with guilt. She recalled sharing the news with Hoda, saying, "When I had that conversation with Hoda, because I knew she wanted this baby, I called my mom," she recalled.
She talked with her mom, former first lady Laura Bush, about how Jenna's twin sister, Barbara, and Hoda were trying to add to their own families. "I said, 'Barbara' — who just got married — 'and Hoda, they want these babies, and I have this guilt.'"
Laura put those feelings at ease with some wise words. "And my mom said, 'Everybody gets their babies when they’re supposed to,'" Jenna explained. "My mom and her mom before her struggled with infertility forever, and so I thought that was a beautiful thing to say."
That same day, Dylan Dreyer also shared her own struggles with fertility and revealed she had miscarried that past winter. What Dylan didn't know while she was sharing her truth that day was that she was in the early days of her own pregnancy, which she announced in July.
Friends and colleagues gathered to celebrate Jenna on Tuesday at New York's Taco Dumbo. Hoda made her way out to shower Jenna with love. Jenna recapped the event the next day on the air. Of her reunion with Hoda, she said, "I walked in, and just to hug somebody who you love so much who has the joy of motherhood all over her, you could feel it."
Jenna expressed that Hoda's happiness was contagious: "She is so happy. And to see somebody you love so happy, there's really no better feeling." Jenna also decided to read a note Hoda gave her at the party to viewers.
"Jenna, you represent everything I love," the note began, causing the expectant mom to grab a tissue as she began to well up. "Your friends are lucky, your children luckier. Three good people in the world thanks to you and Hank. Maybe they will change the world."
Jenna was grateful to everyone who came out to celebrate her baby boy. "I really did leave full of tacos, which is one of my favorite feelings, but also full of such gratitude because I don't think everybody gets to work in a place and feel as good as I do," she reflected.
Jenna and husband Henry Hager are excited to be adding a little boy to their brood. They are already parents to 6-year-old Margaret “Mila” Laura and soon to be 4-year-old Poppy Louise. The girls were so excited to learn about a new baby coming.
Jenna and Hoda should both be back from maternity leave in time to celebrate Dylan's new addition! Her baby boy is due sometime this winter, likely after the holidays. He'll join older brother Calvin Bradley.
One thing is for certain. Come spring, there will be some very adorable little ones around the Today show set. These ladies are powerful examples of awesome moms who are also awesome in their careers.
