Olympian Shawn Johnson East welcomes 3rd child: ‘Being a mom is truly my favorite thing’

Shawn Johnson East has plenty of accolades under her belt: the former gymnast is an Olympic gold and silver medalist and has three World Championships gold medals, as well as seven Pan Am medals. She’s also a New York Times bestselling author, and “Dancing with the Stars” champion. Yet when prompted, she doesn’t mention any of these notable achievements; instead, she says that her favorite thing is motherhood.

Johnson East and her husband, Andrew East, welcomed their third baby, “Bear,” on December 12. The little boy joins siblings Drew, age four, and Jett, age two. The couple regularly documents their life on social media, with much of the focus revolving around their daily life as a busy family. Since announcing Johnson East’s pregnancy in July, they have been vocal in their excitement in welcoming the new arrival to their family.

“Our baby boy has finally arrived, and we couldn’t be more thrilled,” the couple shared with PEOPLE in a statement. “Both baby and mom are doing great, and we are counting our blessings!”

In a statement to Entertainment Tonight, Johnson East spoke candidly about her third pregnancy — and how she feels about motherhood.

“The third time around feels so surreal because even though we’ve done this twice before, there’s still so much nervousness and excitement around the days leading up to the birth and then so much magic once you get to hold your sweet baby in your arms for the first time. It really never gets old,” she said. “You spend your whole pregnancy wondering how you could possibly love another baby just as much as your first two and then in an instant your heart expands and basically triples in size, it’s incredible. Being a mom is truly my favorite thing.”

Amazing Timelapse of EVERY SINGLE DAY of a Child’s Development in the Womb | Window to the Womb

The couple previously shared with viewers their awe at viewing Bear’s 20-week ultrasound. “I don’t care what you say, this is one of the best parts of pregnancy right here,” East said.

“I think finding out you’re pregnant, the anatomy scan, and then birth, those are like the three big ones,” agreed Johnson East.

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