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\nThere are many days that are supposed to be the \u201cbest of our lives.\u201d Seeing your family after many years apart, welcoming a child to the world, and walking down the aisle with the one that you love are just some of the many times that have brought us to tears over the years. So what about when the best day of your life turns into one of revelations?
\nStanding at the altar is a symbol of many things. Not only can you stand up in front of all your friends and family as you declare your love for another, but you can also spend the day and night celebrating two families becoming one. It\u2019s almost perfect. However, a nervous bride was about to drop a huge bombshell about an unexpected guest after the vows. Sure, the bride and groom might have spent weeks organizing who was going to get an invite, but that wasn\u2019t going to stop someone from making an unexpected arrival.
\nKeeping secrets from each other in the lead up to the big day is standard for many brides and grooms. After all, the grooms might have a surprise for their new wife, while the brides often want to keep their dresses hidden. Little did this groom know that he was about to learn there had been someone else at his ceremony the entire time.
\n[post_page_title]Impending nuptials[\/post_page_title]
\nWeddings are usually events that take months to plan and mere moments to enjoy. After the invites are sent, and the help is booked, it seems as though there is nothing left to do other than to sit back and wait for the big day.
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\nErica had been busy planning her ceremony with Clay for many weeks. Now, it looked as though they were finally going to make it down the aisle. However, there was someone else ready to watch it all unfold, too.
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\n[post_page_title]A helping hand[\/post_page_title]
\nAlthough Erica was preparing for her big day, it seemed as though she also had a secret of her own. It would be tough to keep it to herself, but this bride-to-be knew she needed to find the perfect time to reveal the truth. Not even Clay could learn of her hidden secret. Being a bride usually comes with a lot of nerves. What if you get left at the altar?
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\nWhat if someone spills a drink on your dress? What if your flowers attract a swarm of bees? Now, Erica had even more to worry about. Thankfully, she had the help of her eight-year-old daughter, Alexa, to calm her jitters. The youngster had played an enormous role in Clay and Erica\u2019s engagement. Now, Erica needed her daughter once again if she stood a chance of pulling off her perfect plan.
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\n[post_page_title]Meeting of souls[\/post_page_title]
\nAs soon as Erica met Clay, she knew that something felt different. He was unlike anyone else she had ever met, and Erica had a feeling that she had finally been introduced to the man of her dreams. It wasn\u2019t long into their relationship that the couple seemed to be spending every waking hour together. It was as if the conversations flowed naturally and things just slotted into place.
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\nAlthough Erica knew she had Alexa\u2019s feelings to think about, she knew that Clay would be the perfect addition to their family. As things continued to progress, the pair started to talk about their future together. Thankfully, they both had the same ideas about how their lives would unfold. Now, they just needed to make their dreams become a reality.
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\n[post_page_title]Planning for the future[\/post_page_title]
\nClay had never seen himself as a father until he met Alexa. Now, it was as though he was born to play the parental role. Being introduced to the youngster gave him a chance to experience an entirely new set of emotions that he had never felt before. How had his life ever been complete without Alexa by his side?
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\nThe three soon became their own little family, and it looked as though the rest of Erica\u2019s relations were quick to back the couple. The couple continued to date, and it wasn\u2019t long before Alexa had accepted the new member of their family. However, Erica and Clay were faced with a question: would there ever be more children on the cards?
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\n[post_page_title]Making a decision[\/post_page_title]
\nThe time was finally here. Clay was going to pop the question to the woman of his dreams. He had been dating Erica for many months and knew he wanted to be together forever. Sure, it was a huge decision, but what was there to lose? However, Clay needed some help to put his plan into action.
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\nWe all know how exciting this time can be, and therefore he wanted to make this proposal a thing to remember.
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\n[post_page_title]Planning it out[\/post_page_title]
\nHe knew there was only one person to ask, and enlisted Alexa\u2019s assistance to pull off his surprise Christmas proposal. After some clever planning, the engagement happened, and they were to officially get married!
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\nThis was another huge milestone for the pair as they entered the next chapter of their lives. The weeks continued to pass until Clay and Erica found themselves waiting for the best day of their lives. At last, Erica could reveal her very own surprise.
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\n[post_page_title]A video surprise[\/post_page_title]
\nThe vows had been said, the toasts had been made, and it was time for everyone to take a seat and face the giant screen in the room. Erica was ready to drop a massive bombshell about an unexpected guest. Alexa\u2019s face soon flashed up on the screen as she joined forces with her mom in a top secret video. Clay, like many of the other guests, wondered what could be happening.
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\nThey didn\u2019t have to wait long as Erica soon appeared in the video with an explanation. The new groom was overwhelmed to see his bride up on the big screen and couldn\u2019t help but smile to the crowd as they all watched the big announcement unfold. Everyone was on the edge of their seats.
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\n[post_page_title]The big reveal[\/post_page_title]
\nThroughout the video, Erica couldn\u2019t help but explain how overwhelmed she was to be walking down the aisle with her groom. However, it seemed as though there was a secret guest who had only made their appearance within the last week. Erica looked into the camera as she explained how there were now two heartbeats inside her beating with love.
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\nClay slowly began to realize what he was hearing. Erica then flashed up a photo of a positive pregnancy test – they were having a baby! Although the news was completely unexpected, Clay was overcome with emotion as he learned he was about to become a father. Now, the family of three were about to get a new addition as the ultimate welcome to married life.
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\n[post_page_title]Dreams come true[\/post_page_title]
\nThe news was more than just a surprise – it was also a dream come true for Clay. Before he met Erica and Alexa, he had never thought about what it would be like to become a dad. However, he soon bonded with the youngster and knew that he would do anything to protect little Alexa.
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\nClay\u2019s paternal instinct took over, and it wasn\u2019t long before he knew they he wanted to welcome a child of his own into the world. Sure, he loved Alexa, but imagine if she had a younger brother or sister to grow up with? Now was the time to make that dream become a reality. They might not have planned on starting their own family just yet, but at least their newest arrival was there to see the big day.
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\n[post_page_title]Speechless guests[\/post_page_title]
\nAs if Erica sharing the news with Clay wasn\u2019t enough already, she also got to tell all her friends and family members the happy news – including her new extended family, too. While two families had now joined to become one, it seemed as though there was about to be the noise of even more footsteps within the household. No one could wait to congratulate the pair.
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\nClay embraced his new wife, but it wasn\u2019t long before the rest of the room wanted to welcome the little one into the family. One woman soon scooped up Erica in her arms as she let her emotions shine through. Thankfully, Erica had pulled off her perfect plan without any interruptions. She no longer had to hide her secret.
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\n[post_page_title]The perfect wedding gift[\/post_page_title]
\nThere are many gifts that we can receive for our weddings. From silverware to kitchen supplies, new bed sheets to experiences and everything in between – there is no end to the number of possibilities that stand in our way. While many brides enjoy choosing the perfect gift for their groom, it seemed as though Erica had managed to find the most personal present.
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\nThis gift, of course, was the potential of another human being entering their lives and adding to their family.
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\n[post_page_title]Future look[\/post_page_title]
\nTheir marriage might have been just a few hours old, but Clay and Erica already had the beginnings of what looked to be a long life together ahead of them. Neither of them expected to have to add another name to the guest list when they began planning their wedding. However, it seemed as though the world had other ideas.
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\nPerhaps this is the way the world works sometimes. You never know what you’re going to get.
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\n[post_page_title]A new sibling[\/post_page_title]
\nOne of the most adorable parts of this whole story was later on when Erica and Clay revealed the gender of their baby to Alexa. The young girl was brimming with excitement at the very thought of having a new sibling, and when she discovered that she would be having a little baby sister, she became very emotional.
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\nHow could she not? She had been an only child for so long, and now this wonderful girl was finding out that one would become two.
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\n[post_page_title]New excitement[\/post_page_title]
\nIt\u2019s not every day a wedding day is coupled with a pregnancy announcement, and it\u2019s even less common for it to happen without the groom\u2019s knowledge. Thankfully, the news of their new arrival seemed like the gift that was just set to keep on giving. All they need to do now is sit back and wait as Erica and Clay wait for the arrival of their newborn.
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\nIf anything, this might be the most exciting part of the process. The anticipation of it all must have driven them all nuts.
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\n[post_page_title]Size of the baby[\/post_page_title]
\nAlexa has been a large part of the whole pregnancy reveal and she has been having so much fun being by her mom’s side throughout the whole process. This has clearly been a great, not to mention adorable, mother-daughter bonding experience for the two.
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\nOne thing that they do together is researching the size of the baby and posting cute pictures together of how big the little one is at the time. Here, at 13 weeks, the fetus was the size of a lemon.
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\n[post_page_title]The future is bright[\/post_page_title]
\nWe\u2019re starting to wonder if Clay and Erica will have any grand plans for their name reveal when the time comes to welcome their little one? It appears as though this couple have both become experts at keeping secrets, and know how much they need Alexa to help bring their grand plans to life.
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\nIt seems like Erica already knows how Clay will be as a father, especially as she has been able to watch him raise her own daughter for the last few months. All of that practice with Alexa seems to have got Clay feeling all parental as he now can\u2019t wait to welcome the newborn. At least this is one guest who no one minded crashing the party.
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\n[post_page_title]Loving the stories[\/post_page_title]
\nNeedless to say, Erica and Clay’s story has gone viral over the last several months. The heartwarming video that the new bride shared with her husband at their wedding has been trending for a while now.
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\nThe couples loves that their story is reaching other people and Erica will publish on her Facebook every time she sees it online. Here, a publication shaved a few years off her age, but she is definitely flattered that people love her and Clay’s story regardless.
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\n[post_page_title]Showing off the bump[\/post_page_title]
\nClay has absolutely loved every second of his new wife’s pregnancy journey. He finds everything fascinating and can’t get over how beautiful Erica is.
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\nHe posted this photo and captioned it with an adorable tribute to her and her growing baby bump, saying that she and their unborn child are all the joy in his life. Needless to say, he gets more and more excited about becoming a dad in just a few short months.
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\n[post_page_title]Checking up[\/post_page_title]
\nObviously the most important part of any pregnancy is keeping up with doctor appointments to make sure that mom and baby are healthy. Thankfully, Erica has been attending her checkups and all seems to be well.
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\nThe two parents keep getting more and more excited to welcome their newest into their family. One can only assume that the couple will make great parents, as the baby is already so loved by such a large group of people.
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\n[post_page_title]Craving pickles[\/post_page_title]
\nFor anyone who’s ever either been pregnant, or know someone who has been, you probably know that these ladies tend to get some interesting food cravings. They will either eat things that they normally wouldn’t, combine things that normally wouldn’t go together, or just want something extremely random.
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\nA common pregnancy craving is pickles. As you can see here, Erica wanted them so badly, she began eating them out of the jar. She even got to the point in her pregnancy where she can balance the jar on her baby bump.
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\n[post_page_title]Hallo-baby[\/post_page_title]
\n2018 marked the first year that Erica, Clay, and Alexa celebrated Halloween together as an official family. While it may also technically be their baby’s first Halloween, the little girl has not yet entered the world.
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\nThat being said, as it does appear that the couple loves to go all out for the holiday, 2019 is sure to be an even bigger year for them to dress up. We wonder what the family of four will choose for their costumes next year when their little addition is actually included.
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\n[post_page_title]Ugly sweater baby shower[\/post_page_title]
\nAs we already know, Erica and Clay like to go all out in everything they do. When they planned their baby shower, they knew they wanted to have it in the month of December. Why? Because that way they could also turn it into an ugly Christmas sweater party!
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\nEveryone who came to their celebration wore a Christmas sweater and there was a holiday theme throughout the day. Of course, being the adorable couple that they are, the lovebirds chose matching sweaters.
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\n[post_page_title]Great ears[\/post_page_title]
\nIt is probably very common for new parents to wonder what their children together will look like. Though obviously it is nearly impossible to actually guess, it can be fun to get ideas.
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\nErica decided to take two photos, one of her as a kid and one of Clay as a kid, and put them side by side so that people could imagine how their future child could look. One thing is for certain, they may or may not have large ears. Erica even mentioned dumbo in the caption.
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\n[post_page_title]Dad 2B[\/post_page_title]
\nWhile everyone involved in Erica and Clay’s life is ultra excited for this baby to arrive, there is probably one who is the most ready for her arrival, and that is her father.
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\nClay cannot wait to welcome his child into the world and it’s very obvious that he already loves his daughter more than anything. She will be lucky to have him in her life, along with an anxious mother and loving big sister.
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\n[post_page_title]Excited big sister[\/post_page_title]
\nSpeaking of that excited big sister, Alexa has probably been dreaming of having a sibling in her life for as long as she can remember.
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\nThe youngster is beyond ready to have a little sister and she is going to be there every step of the way as her mom and step-dad prepare to bring a baby into their family. There is no doubt that Alex is going to make a great older sister and that she will be by her little sister’s side throughout her life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are many days that are supposed to be the \u201cbest of our lives.\u201d Seeing your family after many years apart, welcoming a child to the world, and walking down the aisle with the one that you love are just some of the many times that have brought us to tears over the years. So […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":75264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n