Surprise! Natalie Morales is pregnant

Were you wondering why Natalie Morales hasn’t been tasting the adult beverages on the TODAY Show lately?  Have you noticed she’s been conspicuously holding the newspaper in front of her stomach?

Well, the secret’s out — Morales is pregnant!

“We’re really excited!” said Morales, who is 12 weeks along. “It’s truly a blessing.”

This will be the second child for Morales, 35, and her husband, Joe Rhodes. Their son Josh is 4.

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“He’s excited to be a big brother. He says he’ll share all his toys … he says that now!”

Baby Morales will be the second tiny addition to the TODAY family this year; Giada De Laurentiis is expecting her first child next month.

“I was so excited for Giada, and when I found out I was pregnant, it was the best news I’d gotten all year,” Morales said. “We had been trying for a long time … Most people think you can just decide to have a child, but it just doesn’t work that way.”

Morales said she knew was pregnant when she had an overwhelming craving for a cheeseburger, the same food she coveted when she was pregnant with Josh. When she was buying a big bag of deliciously acidic oranges a few days later, she and Joe were positive they were expecting.

“How amazing that your body knows what it has to do! We are so perfect in that way. We are so made to have children.”

That isn’t to say Morales is immune to the pitfalls of pregnancy. While she’s escaped morning sickness — a relief, considering she’s at work so early in the day — she’s been getting nauseous at night. And she said she’s feeling much more tired than she was during her first pregnancy.

Morales is due on Sept. 16, which means she won't be covering the Olympics in Beijing or the political conventions in the fall. But her pregnancy is already giving her ideas for the show  after she gets back from maternity leave.

“I’m inspired to do all the getting-fit-after-the-baby segments!”