It’s been SO hard to keep it a secret any longer!  

Josh and I are expecting our first child in the fall of 2023. 

On our first date I asked Josh if he wanted to have kids. Perhaps a bit forward, but I wasn’t going to waste my time if he didn’t!

I knew I wanted kids and it was important to be on the same page from day one.

Though I could tell he didn’t expect that question, he affirmed he indeed wanted kids as well. 

Fast forward about 8 years and we are expecting our first child!  
Even though we planned it — and we’re so grateful that I was able to even get pregnant — I was so shocked when the test read positive. I immediately took a second and third test just to confirm that I was in fact pregnant.

The journey to get here was more challenging than we expected it to be. I learned to release all expectations and not compare myself to others. I wrote out all of our learnings in a separate blog post called Getting Pregnant: Everything We Wish We Knew Before Trying to Conceive. 

It’s so easy to get caught up, especially on social media where it seems someone announced a pregnancy every other day! It’s impossible for us to fully know or understand the journey that a couple or individual may be on.

You can’t choose your child’s birthdate or gender — or even who they will be once they arrive in and engage with the world. A great first lesson in parenting: give up that control and avoid attachment to a specific outcome. 

We cannot wait to begin this journey and can only imagine how much learning we have to do!

But first…..how I shared the news with Josh

As soon as I found out I couldn’t wait to share the news with Josh. It was a Friday afternoon around noon and I knew if I told him before the end of the work day he would have a hard time getting anything else done that day!

I was also so excited that I thought he would take one look at my beaming smiling face and immediately know my secret. 

Since he was in meetings I texted him and suggested a sushi and champagne date night. I thought if he had any suspicion that would throw him off track. 

I also mentioned I wanted to shoot a video in the orchard of the two of us before we headed out for our date. We always shoot new content so I knew he wouldn’t think anything of it.

I was so nervous and excited to tell him the news! I somehow waited over 5 hours until he was finished with his work day and we headed out to the orchard. 

After we set up the camera I said “I have a surprise for you!” which was not out of the ordinary since we are always planning surprises for each other. I said “close your eyes and hold out your hands.” I placed the positive test in one hand and a small clementine (or “cutie”) in the other hand. Then I eagerly said “open your eyes!” He looked back and forth at each item in his hands with a completely shocked look on his face. 

Somehow I don’t think he expected to see this! 

I said “we have a little cutie on the way…I’m pregnant!” I was so excited to surprise him with the happy news. I think we were both in shock — and especially Josh — since I had had a whole afternoon of extra time to process the news. 

Since sushi and champagne were officially now out of the question, we celebrated with a lovely dinner at Kindred, one of our favorite restaurants in San Diego. We went there last for my birthday dinner in 2022. 

I blew out the candle on my smores cookie dessert and wished long and hard for a baby. It felt fitting to return to celebrate the good news. 

I always knew I wanted to be a mom, and to officially begin that journey was overwhelming in the best possible way.

I’ve heard over and over that it is the hardest but most rewarding job in the world. 

We cannot wait to welcome Baby B into the world and become his or her loving parents.

---

Hi there, my name is Roya — that means dream in Farsi– I am a creator, marketer, adventurer, dreamer, curator of experiences, and plant-based lover of food on the search for the best plant-based restaurants in the world. 

My husband Josh and I own several acres in San Diego and it is our mission to live our best life while eating food that is fresh, healthy, tasty, AND good for the environment. Follow along on our journey with us.