What a gorgeous baby these two will make!
Congratulations are in order for Derek and Hannah Jeter!
The 26-year-old Sports Illustrated model announced she's pregnant on Monday with a heartfelt essay published in The Players' Tribune. Reflecting on the early days of their relationship, Hannah shares that the two are now looking to the future and are expecting their first child together -- a baby girl.
"He already has a name in mind -- he's set on it," she writes. "He'll say when he calls me during the day: 'So, how are you and so-and-so doing?' ... Whatever her name is, I know she'll run circles around him."
WATCH: Hannah Jeter Shows Off Her Engagement Ring in Red Bikini -- 'I Can't Stop Staring at It!'
Hannah says the pair want their kids' lives to be as "normal" as possible.
"They're going to be born into such an extraordinary situation," she acknowledges. "They're going to have to be some strong little people. We don't want them to be defined by their dad's name -- for them, we want him to just be 'Dad.' That will be the piece of him they'll have that the rest of the world doesn't. It will be special, and it will be theirs."
"Derek and I will want our children to understand that the lives they've been given are so fortunate, in so many ways," she adds. "We'll want them to learn to help others, and to care for others, and to give back to the world. And if they want to play baseball, well, we're gonna have a little talk first."
Hannah and Derek got married last July in an intimate ceremony at Meadowood Napa Valley Resort in St. Helena, California. In her essay, Hannah reveals that she didn't know exactly who the legendary New York Yankees shortstop was when they were introduced by a mutual friend.
"I thought he was a pitcher," she recalls. "I know it sounds strange that I didn't know he was a shortstop. When a mutual friend introduced us while I was at dinner with my mom in New York, I didn't really know who Derek was at all."
Hannah says she didn't fully realize the magnitude of his career until she attended a game at Yankee Stadium.
"It felt almost as if New York and I were dating the same person," she writes. "As if I was in love with the same person as millions of other people. I thought, 'Here's this guy, who I go home and watch TV and order takeout with -- and the rest of the world feels like they have a piece of him too.' It was strange. I didn't know how to reconcile it all."
WATCH: Hannah Jeter's Wedding Dress Revealed -- See Her Custom Gown!
Still, she says the timing was always right with the handsome 42-year-old athlete. Now, the two are coming to terms with the end of Derek's playing career, as the Yankees will retire Derek’s number on May 14. She admits they wish their future children would have known how big a deal their father was during the height of his career.
"I feel some sadness -- and Derek must as well -- thinking about how our children will never get to experience that time in his life," she shares. "We can show them videos, and photos, and memorabilia -- I already can't wait to show them footage of that last night at the Stadium. But I know it won’t be quite the same. I’ll tell them myself: You had to be there."
Watch the video below for more on Derek and Hannah's romantic wedding.
