Couple keeps pregnancy a secret for 9 months, surprises grandma

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Tannin Pease(NEW YORK) — A grandmother got the surprise of her life Saturday when her son and daughter-in-law revealed they were expecting — just two days before the baby was born.

Tannin Pease of Roy, Utah, captured the moment when his mom, Carolynn Pease, learned she was going to be a grandma for the 11th time.

“Speechless,” Tannin Pease told ABC News of his mother’s reaction. “You see it in the video but ultimately, it was better than I expected. I thought she was going to hit me, but she turned around and hit my dad and kind of laughed it off.”

After Tannin, 30, and his wife Katie Pease, 26, learned they were expecting their third child, they decided to wait to tell friends and family until they found out the baby’s gender. The couple had two miscarriages after the birth of their second child so this time didn’t want to share the news too soon, Katie Pease told ABC News.

“We had already been through two miscarriages where we told people we were pregnant and then we had to tell them we weren’t anymore,” Katie said. “That was heartbreaking and we didn’t want to have to go through that again, so it helped waiting so long.”

Except for telling Katie’s close family and one or two friends, the couple kept quiet about the pregnancy. As Tannin’s family lives in another state, Montana, he said it wasn’t too difficult keeping the secret.

“We Skyped them every once in awhile, but we just made sure to keep the belly out of the picture and keep the two grandkids the center of attention,” Tannin said.

Both Tannin and Katie changed their Facebook settings so all tagged photos required approval before being posted. Katie also wore baggier clothes than normal and “stayed home a lot,” she said.

Katie had a scheduled induction Feb. 19, which happens to be the birthday of Tannin’s mother, Carolynn.

When on Feb. 18, Carolynn visited her son and daughter-in-law, Tannin met her at the door to tell her that not only was she going to have another grandchild, but the baby would come a day or two later.

Tannin’s dad, Jeff, had learned of the pregnancy during the fifth month, but to Carolynn, it was a wonderful surprise.

“When we Skyped and I saw [Katie’s] face, I thought, ‘Oh she stopped jogging. That’s OK … no judgment here,” Carolynn, 57, told ABC News with a laugh. “I didn’t really expect to hear anything this soon especially with the last miscarriage they had, which was traumatic. I was just completely floored. I feel really elated because they’ve a hard time and I was really excited for them. I thought the whole thing was very thoughtful to surprise me.”

“[My mom] said to me that it was the best birthday present she’s ever had and was super excited to be able to hold another grandchild,” Tannin said. “She loved the surprise too.”

He posted a video of his mom’s reaction on Facebook with an announcement for the rest of their friends and family.

On Feb. 20 at 10:09 a.m., Saul Pease was born weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces. He joins big brothers Cooper, 4, and Gray, 2.

Katie Pease said their extended family and friends were shocked that the couple was able to pull off such a big surprise.

“A lot of people, they were wondering how on earth we did it,” she said. “We had a couple of people say, ‘Did you lock her up in a closet?’ But it just worked out, I guess. People eventually saw us and a couple of pregnancy photos and a picture of the baby and were like, ‘You really did it!'”

When grandma Carolynn was asked what she will do if one of her kids surprises her again nine months into a pregnancy, she said, “They won’t. I am on alert.”

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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