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When the new year dawned they were just a family of four – model mom, singer dad and two adorable kids often making like-worthy Instagram appearances.
Now, just six months later, they’re a family of six and their parents’ dreams of having a home full of children have finally been realised.
In January John Legend and Chrissy Teigen grew their brood from Luna (7) and Miles (5) by one when Chrissy gave birth to Esti Maxine Stephens. And now there’s another addition after the birth of Wren Alexander Stephens on 19 June.
Wren was born to surrogate Alexandra Ryan after Chrissy and John, whose real name is John Stephens, decided to try one more time to get pregnant with another round of in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
They’d battled with conception issues for years and both Luna and Miles were born after IVF. Her third pregnancy in 2020 was also after IVF – but Chrissy miscarried at 20 weeks.
After the trauma of losing baby Jack she thought she’d never be able to get pregnant again, but a year later decided it was worth a try.
“I told John I want to try to carry just one more time. If it doesn’t work, we will be okay. We’ve already seen the worst. I promised I would be okay no matter what happened. I remember saying I just couldn’t go on wondering my whole life if I should have tried again."
Another cycle of IVF resulted in viable embryos and Chrissy (37) got pregnant with Esti.
READ MORE| Adult nappies and lactation: Chrissy Teigen gets real after the birth of her fourth child
Alexandra, who the couple met via a surrogacy agency in 2021, became pregnant with Wren a bit later after the first implanted embryo didn’t take.
“We want to say thank you for this incredible gift you have given us, Alexandra,” Chrissy shared on Instagram. “We are so happy to tell the world he is here with a name forever connected to you."
Luna and Miles are thrilled to have new siblings. “We feel excited, our kids are excited too and it feels like we learned so much over the years, through the struggle and challenges that we faced,” Chrissy says.
“Our hearts and our home are officially full. And to our Jack, we know both their angel kisses are from you."
John can’t stop gushing about his family.
“I’m in awe of Chrissy’s strength and resilience and I’m so thrilled to see how Luna and Miles embrace their baby sister,” he said when Esti was born. “I’m so, so grateful but that doesn’t seem like a big enough word.”
Their path to parenthood was perilous at times with great highs and devastating lows.
READ MORE| Baby Esti brings more love to Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's family
Luna was born three years after her parents tied the knot. The couple hit it off instantly in 2006 on the set of John’s music video for the song Stereo.
“We did the music video for 12 hours and spent the entire day together,” Chrissy told talk-show host Wendy Williams.
“I went to say goodbye to him at his hotel and we didn’t ever say goodbye that night.”
Miles was born in 2018. “I am lucky to have two amazing little ones who are transforming into big little people more and more every single day,” Chrissy says. “They bring so much light and joy to our house. I can’t imagine a life without my children.”
In August 2020 they announced her third pregnancy in the music video for John’s song Wild. But their joy was short-lived when a month later Chrissy lost Jack.
“We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before,” Chrissy said then. “We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed. Despite bags of blood transfusions, it just wasn’t enough."
The grieving mom didn’t think conceiving another child would be possible. Then in 2021 the couple approached a surrogacy agency, hoping to have two surrogates to expand their family. She’d always wanted four children, Chrissy says.
But during the process she realised she wanted to try getting pregnant herself again and Esti is the result. She had to trust the process.
“I laid around, enjoying the first trimester of my pregnancy, with, of course, a little bit of fear that isn’t any different from any other expecting couple.
“As we crept toward the safe zone of my own pregnancy, we were overjoyed to learn Alexandra had become pregnant with a little boy. Our little boy.”
John (44) is excited about watching his children grow up. “My kids are doing so well. My older kids are doing so well with Esti and it just fills the house up with more love,” he said after their first family holiday after baby Esti’s birth.
Having more children means more chaos in the home – but they’re handling the pressure of parenting better now, he believes.
“I think we’re more comfortable with ourselves and our parenting style and I think we’re just more comfortable being parents now. So, dare I say, it’s easier.”
Chrissy has also made some big lifestyle changes, including quitting alcohol in 2020.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever drink again, but I do know it no longer serves me in any way,” the former model said when she reached her 50th day of sobriety in 2021.
“I have no idea what I’m doing, but I do know that I now have endless energy, way less anxiety (no more benzos [benzodiazepines]) and I am happier and more present than ever,” she said at the six-month mark.
READ MORE| Chrissy Teigen stands by her decision to say baby Jack was aborted two years ago
She’s also shifting her attention and energy from her food-based business to being with her kids.
“I love work and love what I do, but family has always been the priority. What’s better than being able to feed your family incredible meals and then tell the world about it?
“I love balancing a lot of things at once because I grew up in a chaotic household. I’m invigorated by the feeling that comes with it, it’s fun juggling a lot of things at once.”
She’s also working through therapy after she’d received backlash for being a bully a few years ago and is learning to take care of herself too.
“My therapist asked me what I do for myself or what I enjoy and, right now, the honest answer is I enjoy making my family happy. I enjoy cooking for them, I enjoy throwing parties for them, and I enjoy going to their soccer games,” she says.
“For me, a lot of things in my life had been more of a struggle and a battle. The kid thing worked out and for me, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” Chrissy adds.
“It’s the most normal thing I’ve ever done, and the thing that I know I’ve done right. The only thing.”
SOURCES: INSTAGRAM.COM, USMAGAZINE.COM, BRIDES.COM, ROMPER.COM, PEOPLE.COM, PARENTS.COM, ETONLINE.COM, TODAY.COM, THEBUMP.COM, HOLLYWOODREPORTER.COM
