Kerri Walsh Jennings: Baby Girl Expected This Spring

(Reuters: Reuters/Marcelo Del Pozo)
Kerri Walsh Jennings (L) of the U.S. spikes the ball past April Ross of the U.S. at the women's beach volleyball gold medal match at the Horse Guards Parade during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 8, 2012.

By Emma Koonse , Christian Post Reporter

December 25, 2012|11:19 am

Kerri Walsh Jennings and her husband have an extra reason to celebrate this Christmas.

The Olympic beach volleyball player and husband Carey announced on Christmas Eve via television that they are expecting a baby girl in April 2013.

"It's a girl," said the athlete on the "Today" show Monday while crying tears of happiness. "I can't believe it."

The baby girl will be the couple's third child; they already share two sons, Sundance and Joey.

"You're having a baby sister," Kerri explained to her sons on the morning show. "We're really excited to find out."

It is a family tradition to reveal the gender of their children on Christmas Eve for Walsh Jennings and her husband. The special reveal style started three years ago ahead of the birth of their first child Joey. The family's doctor wrote the gender on a Christmas ornament and Kerri and Carey then unwrapped the ornament together on the day before Christmas that year.

"It feels a little cheesy if I overthink it, but I'm just not going to over think it," Kerri noted of the Christmas Eve tradition. "I feel like people are along for the ride with us. We've gotten to many words of encouragement… I welcome all the love and prayers I can get!"

Walsh Jennings learned she was pregnant just after winning a gold medal at the London Olympic Games over the summer. She was five weeks pregnant during the Games.

Meanwhile, Walsh Jennings is withholding one detail about the new baby. The Olympic gold medalist will not reveal the baby's name until she arrives.

"We heard plenty about [the name] Sundance," she explained to the "Today" show of her son's name. "This time, we're just going to minimize the stress."

The volleyball star did reveal her pregnancy cravings, including lemonade, crispy bacon, fried egg sandwiches, and cotton candy.