Shawn Johnson Reveals the Creative Idea She Has for Her Baby’s Nursery

Originally appeared on E! Online

If Shawn Johnson were to score her baby prep, she would likely make several deductions.

As a seasoned parent to daughter Drew, 3, and son Jett, 2, the Olympic gymnast admitted in an exclusive interview with E! News that, with this pregnancy, she’s gotten “so much more lax to the point where I started to panic because I haven’t done anything.”

Her first go-round, continued Shawn, calling in from her and husband Andrew East’s babymoon getaway, “you become so over prepared. And then with every kid, it’s like, ‘Oh, I know I still have that stuff. And we’ll figure it out when they get here.'” But having given away most of her baby gear to a mom’s charity near their Nashville home, “I’ve got diapers!” she said, ticking off the supplies she’s accumulated thus far. “I should probably start putting some stuff together.”

One prenatal task she has nailed, though, is dreaming up a nursery for her December arrival.

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Though she and Andrew have decided not to learn the sex of their third baby (“There was something so special with Drew about Andrew finding out first in delivery and being able to tell me,” Shawn explained), they’ve entrusted one close pal with that piece of information.

“A good friend of ours happens to be an amazing interior designer,” shared Shawn, 31. “And she is the only person who has the gender right now. She will be installing the nursery while we’re at the hospital. And I have no clue. She has full liberty to do whatever she wants.”

Borrowing the plan from close friend and fellow mom of three Mallory Ervin, “The only parameters I gave her,” detailed Shawn, “was I said she can’t make it fancier than my kids’ bedrooms. So I’m excited to see it.”

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And that’s not the only job Shawn has crossed off the ol’ to-do list, with she and former NFL long snapper Andrew, 32, having already chosen names for their future son or daughter. Despite having to go back to the drawing board after Drew and Jett, “this was the easiest one by far,” she marveled. “I don’t know how. But we’re at least prepared in that department.”

As for the rest of it, they’ll likely be calling some audibles. “It is completely 50/50,” Shawn said of checking in with other parents of three-plus kids. “People are either like, ‘Hold on for dear life. Three is so hard.’ Or they’re like, ‘Oh, not much changes.’ So I don’t know what to expect. But I’m sure it’s not gonna be a walk in the park.”

One task she’s definitely prioritizing is curating some thank you presents for her labor and delivery staff, inspiration striking when she teamed with Bio-Oil (the stretch mark-preventing secret weapon she “can’t go through pregnancy without”) for its Labor of Love campaign.

“My labor and delivery nurses are a godsend and there’s no way to thank them enough,” Shawn said of plans to deliver custom care packages to a nearby hospital later this month. (Fun fact: September is the maternity ward equivalent to Black Friday, boasting nine out of the top 10 most popular birth dates in the world.)

And when it comes to her labor and delivery team, who Shawn will work with a third time later this year, “It wasn’t until this campaign that I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, why did I not bring them gifts?’ So I will be this time, that is for sure.”

As for her own self-care, while she loves a good salt bath, “with two toddlers,” Shawn said, “if I’m lucky enough to have two minutes at night to put my oils on, I have succeeded.”

Though, fortunately, now that she’s past the nausea- and headache-filled first trimester, “It’s definitely gotten better,” added the 4-foot-11 athlete. “I feel like with this pregnancy, my body just went straight to third trimester mode in the first couple of weeks. So I’m already uncomfortable and large, but it has definitely gotten more manageable.”

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And a little more exciting, once the pair sailed through the anxiety-inducing 20-week anatomy scan. “Having got a clear bill of health, it makes you feel more confident going into delivery,” Shawn said. “I’m still scared to death of delivery. But I feel like we are as prepared as we can be.”

Because while birthing a 9-pound baby is certainly an advanced move, the gold medalist continues to stick the proverbial landing when it comes to raising her crew.

“The best part of parenting, especially after having two kids now, is to see each of our babies develop into their own person,” Shawn said of soaking in all of the awe and frustration the toddler stage has to offer. “And they are not alike at all, which is really, really fun to watch. Coming from myself, who’s an only child, I didn’t get to witness the sibling dynamic my whole life. And to see that with them, how they’re growing and encouraging one another, but also so polar opposite, it’s really fun to celebrate each little human and their own interests.”