The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast - Expect the Birthing Unexpected with Jared Haibon & Jess Clarke

Episode Date: February 8, 2025

Ashley & Ben are jointed by their better halves Jared & Jess and they’re not holding back when it comes to welcoming a new life into this world! Jess grills Ashley on giving birth and what to expect afterwards while Ben talks about the strange feelings he’s having. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, luckily, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend's been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone.

Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast and the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is Ken Jennings' appearance on The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs. The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy Truthers believe in... I guess they would be Kenspiracy theorists. That's right.

To give you the answers and you still blitzers. The Puzzler. Listen on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I was diagnosed with cancer on Friday and cancer free the next Friday. No chemo, no radiation, none of that. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. Professionally, I started at Death World Records. Mary to Jennifer Hudson. We get into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Why are TSA rules so confusing? You got a hood of you. I'll take it all! I'm Mani. I'm

Noah. This is Devin. And we're best friends and journalists with a new podcast called No Such Thing, where we get to the bottom of questions like that. Why are you screaming? I can't expect what to do. Now, if the rule was the same, go off on me. I deserve it. You know, lock him up listen to no such thing on the iHeart radio app apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcast no such thing this is the ben and ashley i almost famous podcast with i heart radio hey everybody welcome to the almost famous podcast i'm not ben i'm not ashley i'm mr ashley i canetti coming to you live from ashley's glam room and ashley's house and everything is ashley well actually you guys, hey, we're here with not just Ben, but his beautiful and very pregnant wife, Jess.

You guys, Dawson has started to call it Mama's House. He goes, are we going to go back home to Mama's House? And then it's Niam Yum Yum's House, which is my mom. Well, it's actually Niamma Papa's house. I mean, he's... For some reason, he just lets you out of this. He's just a three-year-old feminist. He cares about, you know, empowering the females in his life.

That's all. So it's your house. It's Grandma's house. That is so funny Dawson's so cute He's a very cute boy guys You guys Yeah Ben

It's gonna take till about Well it's different Because you guys are having a girl So I can't tell Because now I can roughhouse with Dawson You know Once he turned two It really changed for me

Of course I always loved Dawson But now it's a whole different ballgame I remember one time I was talking to Ari And Arii said that he wished He could fast forward his kids To like two or three Because that's when it really started to, he bonded with them in a different way.

And then I was like, oh, that's interesting. And now I think of the same thing. Yeah. I've had enough friends have babies that say the same thing. Like, I don't have this wild expectation. Like, I think, what I expect out of myself is that I'm going to have like a, almost like a primal, like, protection instinct that I'm going to be on edge, just because that's who I am.

But there'll be a moment at some point. I'm like, oh, she's got me. But, like, I don't expect that right away. I'm expecting to just be, like, a good, you know, helper support system, diaper cleaner, swadler at first. And then at some point, like, if she's, like, 10, and I'm like, yeah, I don't, I don't have anything, any connection. I mean, I like you. Yeah. That's the one thing that we've been so honest about is, like, and I don't actually think it's going to apply to you guys.

but we just didn't feel like when the baby came out of my body like any sort of like heavenly moment we like took a while to not a while like a day I think it was just it was an instant so many people told us like oh my God the first time you lay eyes on your child like your life changes in that moment

and I remember looking at Dawson and it was crazy but it's just such a crazy moment that you guys are about to experience but like you know the doctors are in the room and you know we're making sure you're going to make sure that Jess is okay, and the baby's crying, and then they have to take the baby and do all this stuff, and it's just like, it's kind of chaotic, you know, there's no sense of calmness and really soakinging in. And then, you know, in a few minutes, once everybody's settled down and okay, you know, you have time to really, you know, you swaddle the baby and you hold

them or her, and that's really nice. But it's just, you know, once, like, it, you know what's going to hit you. It's the first time the baby smiles at you. That's when it's going to really hit you the first time like well she looks at you and smiles you're going to be like that takes a few months that's what i mean though it takes a few months you know the first few months it's just you're just keeping this thing alive and so adorable and so wonderful and cuddling great but it's really like once the baby starts once she starts looking at you and then she smiles that's when you're going to be like okay all right jess is going to feel it instantly though like i know this like she said that i never felt connected to it in my body and she's like she's like

telling me she's like I don't even think I can wait 24 hours for like me to be fully dilated I just need to meet her right now I've had dreams about meeting her that's why is like I've literally had dreams about like giving birth and holding her and then I wake up and she's not there and it's like the saddest thing ever like I'm so excited to meet her but I also like now that I know when how soon we are to having her I have this mental block of like actually imagining I'm sure most women have this, but like, I can't imagine pushing a baby out of my body. Like, I actually, it's like a complete block. Yeah, like, I couldn't conceptualize that.

So I was like, can I please have a C-section? I was like, for some reason, I can conceptualize a surgery, but I don't know how this is going to slide out of my body. And very glad I didn't have a C-section now. And I was, like I've told you, not scared for the second birth. if lucky, it's not scary. You're, you texting me has made me feel so much better because I'm like, That's so sweet.

Okay, I can do this. Like, it's just, I feel like a lot of people don't tell you exactly what happens and like exactly what to expect. And the unknown is what makes it so scary, I think. Yes, 100%. The first time it's so unknown and so scary. But it's like, it's really, in today's modern medical age, it doesn't have to be. really really doesn't have to be scary it's crazy like i'm telling you i feared it so much my whole

life and then the second time i acted as if i was going in for like a routine like what the heck like i was like going for like a dental cleaning and jared he's like the second time i could have done that that looks so you made that look so easy i could have done that listen i am a man and i am the weaker gender here i have i do not i i there's no two ways about that like I don't think I could do pregnancy. I mean, of course I could do it. But I, it looks terrible. No offense.

I mean, you guys are always sick. It just takes such a toll on your body. Like I look at my mother and I'm like, oh, thank you for everything you've done for me. Even, not even just raising me, but carrying me in your womb for nine months. I mean, it changes your 10 pound two ounce body out of her without any epidural. And she had no epidural. The poor thing. I can't believe she's alive.

But, but yeah, the second time I felt very comfortable telling Ashley this. because it was so... This is not the norm. Not the norm. We got so lucky, so lucky. But, I mean, Ashley got induced. We went in. It was like a doctor's appointment.

They had her all set up. And then they started giving you the potassium, potosum. Potosin. Thank you. And then they were like, do you want the epidural? And you were like, yeah, sure. They gave you the epidural. You were like, I didn't feel anything.

Like, even the needle going in for the epidural. And then you gave birth. And then it was like, 2.30 in the afternoon, and you were walking around that night. And so, of course, I went up to Ashley. I was like, Ashley, what you've done is incredible, wonderful carrying this child. Amazing. But at the same time, I'm pretty sure my root canal was far worse than that.

Okay. Also, this was induction. So it was like a lot less, oh, my God, I'm starting to have contractions sort of thing. I was lying in the hostel bed. I had the epidural before I started contracting a lot. It's definitely not the norm. but you what was I going to say

but I will say this the worst part of that one was I felt lightheaded towards the end with pushing because pushing takes so much energy and I hadn't eaten anything since before midnight that night

because you're not really supposed to right so I was at over like I was like at 14 hours of fasting which is normally what I do I'm kind of like an intermittent faster but when you have to do something so physical as labor you're like oh crap I need some something of

substance. Yeah. I have heard that to, like, make sure that we have, I have, like, something to eat before I leave the house. And, like, I guess they'll give me gatorade and stuff there. One of my girlfriends just gave birth there at the hospital we're going to and said they, like, will give you popsicles. Yeah, popsicles help as long as you want.

So that'll help. Jared's favorite part. Ben will have some of the popsicles because they give you so many. That sounds nice. Yeah. Fantastic. Ben's going to be the best support system during the labor. Jared was great.

He, he, he, you were great. Thank you. But you. Seems, there's some tone there. The second time, he just acted as if, like, nothing was really happening. Nothing happened. He was, like, just, like, whatever. I mean, it was just, I was there.

I was, I was waiting, and then that you started pushing, and then, and then it was just, like, Hayden was out. It's like, checking his phone, like, licking the popsicle. I know for her fact that that is not going to be Ben's response. No. Well, I thought, I thought Jared was going to pass out the first time. I thought he was going to be one of those dads. There's that risk. Yeah.

How are you feeling about that? You know, I have been very calm for nine months with, like, all the life change. Like, I've been kind of, like, in try to get, like, things done mode. I told her yesterday, I think as soon as we step into the hospital that, like, anything thing that I've like pushed back because it just doesn't seem appropriate right now is going to come out and I'm going to be oh pretty on edge um I could see myself passing out but I'm I'm going to be up top so you're saying you're not going to look and that is exactly what we would advise Jared had a bird's eye view which is a lot different than a full frontal view it doesn't matter

it's so stupid they didn't even put a towel on Ashley or any type of blanket until we asked you'll I didn't want to I didn't want to see myself to be honest this is not a movie it's just like everything is right there you're unless you actively try not to look you're going to see everything yeah I mean I just saw it that's a maybe where like I'll start to get whiz queasy but then we both decided I want to cut the umbilical cord my dad did it for me and uh I don't know it just like it's something I remember him telling me and I'm like that's pretty cool yeah I don't necessarily want to Like, there isn't like this, like, oh, I cannot wait to be the one that cut that. Like, I think it's going to be tough mentally. You'll be fine. Okay. Because the doctors, everybody's just right there. They're literally, like, I cut the ambilical cord on Dawson and Hayden.

They practically grab your hand. It's like a toddler, like a preschool lesson. And it's just like, here, dad, go, snip, okay, done. It's just like, oh, wow, that was, that was it. I just, okay, we're done. This is so much fun, you guys. You'll love telling birth story, the birth story. stories of your children, too. So I'm sorry, we've, like, dominated. We want to know all the

questions that you have for us. But thank you for letting us know whether you plan on looking or not. Because at first, I was like, everything is going to be very discreet. I'm not seeing anything. You're not seeing anything. It's impossible. I know. I've kind of been the same way. Like, you'll be waist up. I'm not going to ask for a mirror. So, like, he'll just see my gown and the baby will pop out and it's all going to be great. Yeah. But I'm watching, like, an online labor and delivery video and they're like describing all the other things that like happen and come out and I'm like oh then could be in trouble Jared never saw the placenta right or did you and you didn't tell me uh I see it seems gnarly I never saw my own I can't

remember it's all just like a blur honestly because it all just happens you know so fast and then you know the kid's there and I'm focusing on the kid and I don't know if I saw your placenta or not Jared you would have known it looks like an organ comes out of your body. It is. An organ comes out of your body. It looks like a liver. Then probably not. No. He said, I didn't see that.

I don't remember it. Yeah, I mean, it's still weird to me and maybe at some point it changes, but like I don't feel still at 35, like I should be having like a child. Like that's still

a weird feeling of like we're days away, hours away, moments away, maybe, from having a baby in this house that now I'm responsible for, her parents and my parents have been, you know, I think it's a generational thing. They are so excited to help that that has been a comfort. That has been like a weightlifting because it's like, oh, we're not just like doing this alone. Like I think maybe past generations felt like they were doing like, hey, go home and you two figure this out. It's like, no, we got a good support system, which is super nice. We've been doing Whalen baby training, and he's been crushing it.

So that's been super nice. Here's the weirdest thing for me right now. I just got off a board meeting before this call, and there's some moms on the call. Jared, I don't know if you ever experienced this. But now that our little girl is big, fully developed, moving around a lot, having parties at night in her belly, she's like punching, kicking, you know. And last night was the first time. where I thought, oh, we're going to the hospital.

Like, this is, like, Jess was, like, wincing, couldn't really get words out. And I was like, this is, this is the moment, right? She's like, no, she was just in a weird spot and kind of, like, pushing against it and kicking it. And right away, I didn't tell her this last night, I was like, you know, when you're in a car wreck or, like, when you have, like, a big injury, you have internal bruising, you're hospitalized for that. Like, that's a big deal. But you have a human, like, using your stomach as a punching bag right now. like how is that just not like how is that okay like you have something inside of you directly making contact with your organs like kicking moving pushing against and you're still

going to like lay in bed and go to sleep tonight or not go to sleep yeah not or not sleep for more than five minutes yeah at all i know the human body's weird i mean it's just it's a wonderful wonderful thing but it's weird when you really think about everything that goes into it especially with pregnancy. Yeah. I mean, not to be graphic, but like that punching bag

is just going to be coming out of, you know, your wife pretty soon. Jess is not a big girl. Well, I've thought about that too because you were telling me about like you're dilating

being, you know, your doctor was warning how slow it could be. And I was like, yeah, you are tinier than me. So I guess it could be slower. Yeah,

my doctor was like, it could take 24 to 48 hours. hours, like, once you get to the hospital. And I'm like, I don't have that kind of time. Like, once I'm in the hospital, I'm going to be like, let's just do this thing. Like, I don't really care what it takes. Yeah, I mean, my biggest advice would be go to the hospital if it takes 24 to 48 hours. I mean, just bring, I mean, you'll be uncomfortable, but you'll also, you know, be taken care of and on meds.

And so, like, you know, bring books or, or don't rely on the TV in the room. The TV's small and you can barely hear it. Don't do it. Download Netflix on your computer, do something. I'm telling you. People are like, oh, I want to stay in the hospital for a couple days for them to, like, give me, like, you know, like a hotel stay. I'm like, no, because the thing is you can't see or hear the TV. You want to be back home.

Yeah. The nice thing is that once the baby's born, the nurses will take care, help you take care of the baby on the first, however many nights you're in the hospital. So you can get some sleep. Because obviously, once you're back home. Except for they do like to come in every other hour. Do you need to pee? You say, we're going to do this. We're going to do that.

You don't really do. Do they have medicine for the dads? Yeah, it's called Advil. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Wait a minute, Sam, maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit. Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her.

now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate. Well, according to this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor and they're the same age.

And it's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale,

listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the Iheart radio app, podcast or wherever you get your podcast. My name is Ed. Everyone say, hello, Ed. Hello, Ed. I'm from a very rural background myself. My dad is a farmer and my mom is a cousin. So, like, it's not like...

What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. Well, 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house. So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage.

Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. Get fired up, y'all. Season two of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway. We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapino to the show, and we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, co-hosting a podcast with her fiancé

Sue Bird, watching former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete? The final. The final and the locker room. I really, really, like, you just, you can't replicate, you can't get back. Showing up to locker room every morning just to shit talk.

We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar A. Z. Fudd. I mean, seriously, y'all, the guest list is absolutely stacked for season two. And, you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the iHeart. radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. I don't write songs. God write songs. I take dictation. I didn't even know you've been a pastor for over 10 years.

I think culture is any space that you live in that develops you. On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel are in. and hip-hop. This is like watching Michael Jackson talk about Thurley before it happened. Was there a particular moment where you realize just how instrumental music culture was to shaping all of our global ecosystem?

I was eight years old and the Motown 25 special came on. And all the great Motown artists, Marvin, Stevie Wonder, Temptations, Diana Raw. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture Raises us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What is crazy is that after birth, like, you're only going to be pretty much given Advil and Tylenol if it all goes according to plan. And you're like, wow. That's wacky. My body is about to like double and triple in size and I only get Advil or Tylenol.

I know. What are some things that you're thinking about as we approach this? Yeah. Ask me like the most graphic things that you can ever imagine asking somebody on a microphone. Ashley, since the birth of Dawson has wanted somebody just to ask her publicly like, Hey, did you poop the bed? And she just wants to be able to answer. Like she's desiring to like.

Okay. Well, did you? No, neither of them. Did you not or did no one tell you? They told me both times I did not. And I'm pretty sure Jared would have known. And that would have probably disturbed you. No, I mean, it would have been fine.

You're pushing, I mean, in that moment, when you're pushing, poop can easily just fly out of there, you know? I remember that I went, like, within the 12 hours before getting to the hospital, too. So that, like, helped. If I had gone, like, skipped a day, like, that could have been worrisome. My sister-in-law told me to start, because they give you the stool softeners in the hospital, And she said to start like a couple of days before just to that like, which also makes me a little nervous. Which also makes you nervous because I could just slide out.

Yeah, exactly. Another thing, I don't know if this matters to you at all, Jess, but one thing that mattered to Ashley that will maybe make you feel better is that once the baby is out, you're just going to lose so much like your stomach's going to. Jared, you're talking about me personally. I know. I don't know. What happened with Ashley? No, I want to know this. Like, is that a thing we talked about the other day?

Heard I like, is, does it like shrink right away? I mean, I remember like the day, the next day. It's going to be, you know, enlarged for a while. Yeah. Jared's just making, it's, Jared's just trying to make you feel better in the fact that, like, a lot of the baby weight just actually falls off because a lot of it is fluid and blood and the placenta and, like, all these things. So to make you possibly feel better, it took, like, three or four months for me to just, without really trying, get back to my normal weight. I'm talking about, like, the stuff. stomach, like I, I mean, what I imagine, that stomach right now is, is hard. It is, like, big.

There's, like, that, like, the weight is fine, but, like, the stomach itself, like, doesn't stay, like, looking pregnant right after. That's what's crazy. No, no, you'll look, she'll look a little pregnant. She won't look nine months anymore. I won't look like this. But she might be, like, look seven months, six months the days or so afterward. And then every, like, chunk of days, she'll get, like, months and months smaller. Here's the other thing that I think needs to be said publicly. And I know Jared can back me on this because you actually kind of, like, hinted at it. I think there's maybe an idea here where the husband is like, there's a protection of, like, the mystery that goes into childbirth.

And, like, hey, you might poop the table. Hey, there's going to be blood everywhere. hey, that's going to really throw my husband off. That is not a concern for us. Like, I want to let you know, we're married to the two of you because we love you and we're like thankful for you. You can do whatever you want on that table. And I'm not going to be at home being like, hey, we can't like touch tonight.

Like, that was really gross. Like, that's not a thought. That's not going to be a thing. I'm going to, if you did all that, I think Jared and I both would say, it would be more almost like, goodness, that's crazy. but like our attractiveness to you does not fade because of that moment. I was petrified of this the first time.

I know you were, but it's not a thing. No, it's not a thing. Maybe it is with some. I'm way more affected by walking into the bathroom after you than anything I've seen in the delivery room. Oh, that's hilarious. Yeah. So that's just like, that's like a, I think,

a freedom going into this is like you can do whatever you got to do on that table and i'm just going to be amazed and probably like if i do get queasy it ain't because of what you did it's the fact that i'm like seeing it and being like this is insane like i don't know how to make sense of this in this moment i've never seen anything like this i've never seen anything open up to be able to push out a human and like you still be alive like that's that's crazy yeah i agree One of the things that we've been talking about a lot recently, like in the past two days, is like we've kind of been getting, not like sad, but like a little sad about our life changing, just like the two of us.

Because we like love our evenings together and like, you know, the freedom. And we're very realistic that's going to change. But do you guys have any like tips for like y'all as a couple? I shake my head. I think what you guys will do, with one, you can, you can dictate your schedule. I mean, it's just more, it's weird to, your entire life and schedule revolves around your kid now. But that's not a bad thing, you know, so like if, but you can also change that schedule. Like, you guys love your evenings together, right?

So, I mean, obviously not in the first couple months because you're just sleeping when you can. but like once you know she starts getting into a rhythm like you can put her down at seven or eight if you're guys like well we want to have our nighttime together and then we'll wake up early in the morning we can you know take care of her let me interject here what they have going for them that we don't is they're on the same sleep schedule like they like to both wake up at 6 a.m and and Jared and I that's our biggest problem is that he is a morning person and he even likes to have his mornings to himself like I would never want to have quality time in the morning gross um and i like to stay like i ideally like to stay up to like 1 a m and he he's asleep by

11 30 max but like definitely like out of any sort of social range at 10 30 so like and our kids go to bed late so they're more on my schedule i mean dawson doesn't go to dawson does not go to bed we don't shut the door till probably 10 o'clock at night i know that's crazy wow i know that's so crazy but he sleeps till 9.30, which is ideally when I like to sleep till. And then we're having issues because Hayden is a wacko. And he like will, he like will fall asleep at 11. And then he wakes up at 7.30. So it's just like, we're just having a really hard time right now.

But you guys do have the benefit of being on each other's sleep cycle. And then also you're getting your kid on that. My biggest advice would be just also try to. always remember this is temporary it's all temporary you know like when you get home and and and she's not sleeping i'll never forget the first moment we brought hayden back home and you know with our second kids who were diving back into this jera was like put him back in the belly i was like i did not say that but it was he was up from uh 11 o'clock at night till 6 in the morning he was just up and neither one of us got a wink of sleep and it was like i cannot

believe we're doing this again and it was just like that moment we're like like, oh my God, what did we do? But then, you know, a few days go by and then he starts sleeping two hours and so on and so forth. And then now he's not sleeping that well, but we still can figure out a schedule where we get enough sleep where we can function throughout the day. And then I would look at Dawson. We don't have a time for quality time except for babysitters.

I mean, but that's the biggest, you know. But we did, we're doing three dates this week. But you guys are fine with one kid. Two group dates and one-on-one. I wouldn't stress about that. I would just try to always remember like whatever's happening right now is temporary. So, yes, like, there might be a, for the next few months where it's just you guys are adjusting to the schedule and trying to figure out, okay, well, you know, if she's not, if she's not sleeping till, like, I'll take the first one. You take the second one. So you guys might, like eight o'clock comes and you want to go to bed so you don't have your nights together. But like they'll come back, you know. And then hopefully we're all on this earth for a very long time. And then you guys will have many, many, many, many more nights together. And then you'll never have those nights. Like, I look at Dawson. at times and especially with Hayden the age he is and then I'll look at pictures of when

Dawson was that age and as hard as it was I would go back to it in an instant because it's just you know it's Dawson at that age but you're enjoying him so much more at this age yeah but now like well it's the it's it's the it's the fear of just the kid getting older yeah it's the fear of him getting older I'm like damn I wish he was younger so I could experience this again because it sucks well and i think i think there's some really good because we had this conversation last night jess and i have such a good time together like our evenings when wayland our dog tells us hey it's time for bed at seven o'clock and we all go upstairs and we shower and get ready for bed and we're all laying there and cuddling it's like magical to us we love those moments and we have

loved those moments and i think the so like the the piece in this is two things One is taken from what Jared is saying is like, don't wish these times away because at some point you'll wish you had them back. And so I think a mentality for us is like, yes, even if it seems hard, even if it seems like the worst case scenario, like enjoy the moments we have. And the second is I personally, there might be some out there. This is not a blanket statement. But when we talk last night, like I don't know any parents of children in our life who's like, goodness gracious, life is worse. with a kid. Like life is worse. Like life might be harder, but life is worse. This sucks. This is the worst thing ever. I wish I never would have done it. I don't know parents like that. And so there

has to be some magic in this moment that we're about to enter into that will bring a whole new chapter of enjoyment and like peace to us. It's just the love. Like you'll never love anything like you love your kid. Like we don't put Dawson to bed till 930 because like we're having fun with him. We don't want him to go to bed. Yeah, it's just like you guys, I know you love your dog. But like, I'll give you an instant. So yesterday, Lois, like, jumped on Dawson. He was on the couch.

She was like humping him. Yeah, she like sometimes tries to hump him. And then so, like, Dawson kind of got away. And we were like, Lois, Lois. And then Dawson walked away. And then I was like, Dawson, you're okay? And he like, he does this thing where he hides it because he's like, yeah, I'm okay. but he's like holding back tears and seeing Dawson hold back tears and trying to like fake smile to me

in that moment I could have kicked Lois out of the house I could have been like Lois I never want to see you again I because it's just like it's not big I love Lois but it's just the way that I feel towards Dawson the way that you feel towards your daughter is that if anything like it's just it's just definitely I'm about to cry. No, it's not even cry. I'm about to get angry. Thinking about, like, anybody trying to mess with Dawson or, like, hurt Dawson, I would spend the rest of my life in jail and enjoy every minute of it if I was able to get revenge

against that person. Also, he feels the sway towards Hayden, too, but it's just, like, so much different when you know someone, so they have such to develop personality and they speak to you, and they say, like, I love you every night, and they hold your face and tell you sweet things. That's crazy. That's why everybody's. life gets better because it's just like you love something so much you're like well I never not want to feel this this is it's just like I love it I love this thing do you know what he did to me the

other day like just would literally die when this day comes um so I'm putting him to bed and like I give him like these affirmations before he goes to sleep and then he touches my face with both hands and he goes thank you mama and I go thank you for what he goes for being beautiful oh That's so cute. It's crazy. But it's different when a boy says that. Like a little girl, she's going to say something like how handsome her daddy is, and that's what's going to crush Ben.

Like, one day she's going to tell Ben that he, like, looks like a prince from a movie, and, like, that will crush him. Our niece says that Jared looks like Prince Eric. So whenever she sees a Prince Eric, she goes, look, Uncle Jared. Yeah, that's why, Ben, I think you're your... I mean, you're always going to be a great father, but I think the love, like, I always love Dawson, but I think you'll be obsessed with your daughter much more quickly than I was obsessed with Dawson, even though I always loved him and was always obsessed with them, just because it's- And Hayden, of course. Jesus. Well, we're talking about their first, that's why, so I'm just relating it to our first.

Once they have a second, we'll talk about Hayden. But, yeah, because it's just your little girl. Like, it's going to be, it's different. I do feel like there is a difference between having a son and a daughter, because you, you're just. you're just, it's going to be, it's going to be your little girl. That's, and there's, I remember, actually, I'll tell you, a buddy of mine who has, he's a little bit older and he has two grown kids. And I was like, what's the difference between having a boy and a girl?

Because he has one of each. And I said, the best way, he said, the best way I can describe it is, um, I always expect more from my son and my daughter can do no wrong. And I was like, all right, well, that's a nice summarization right there. And apparently everybody wants a girl because his, dad the other day goes they should really try for a third they really need a girl never and then he's like it's just different having a girl because he's thinking about how he thinks towards nora his granddaughter and his daughter shannon who we we know is the favorite yeah but that's fine

it's it's she should be the favorite she's it's the girl i like that aspect we'll never know this and that's okay i'm my dad's best friend but that's his little girl you know she always will be i can't wait to see what she looks like either that's the other thing that i'm like so pumped. I cannot wait to see what she looks like. She's going to have so much dark black hair. She can't go wrong, though. You can make every feature of both of you. You're going to have a beautiful child, honestly. Let's just be real.

That's very sweet. You know it to be true. You can't go wrong. We could mess this thing out. Yeah. It would be really bad. But also, when the kid first comes out, like, just get ready. Like, he will, his head or her head.

It will be a cone head. Like, it's just weird. being like, oh, my God, you look a little bit like an alien. But then the head goes down very quickly. Hey, in closing here, because we do have to go, I have this theory that I'll share publicly. I don't think newborns are that cute. So I don't have this expectation. In fact, we were at the hospital other day and they have a wall of newborns.

And I said, just pick out two that you think are cute on this wall of 200. It was hard. It's very difficult to do. There are a few that you go, yeah, I get it. most hey I don't have this expectation that this little girl's going to come out being beautiful I actually expect her to have like a bald head with like hair growing out the sides she's going to have hair yeah well we we kind of know she does the ultrasound it it showed it and she was like you have heartburn huh um the only thing we don't know is if it's a full head of hair or a mullet yeah that's the question that's the exciting part for me a george distanza yeah that's my hope um Guys, this has been great. We're 48 hours away from walking into this. So thanks for our chat with us.

All the videos and pictures and stuff. I just, like, love live. It's going to be so much fun when your parents meet her. Like, that's such a cool part, too, like, seeing the excitement that they have. And because you love them so much, they're your parents. And now they're the grandparents and they're meeting the kid. And it's like, everybody comes over and wants to hold the baby. That's a lot of fun.

Or you can be, like, your parents can be like, my dad. And my dad doesn't touch the baby until it's, like, three months. Yeah. he's like super scared of babies he's a talker our parents we started this with at the beginning they they're really i mean they're more than excited i mean jess's dad within his speech at our wedding said be fruitful and multiply like this is really like his her mom has been so helpful and supportive of jess giving her guidance and wisdom through this whole thing um her dad has been emotional when it comes to him thinking about his baby girl having a child uh that's been

emotional and my parents which i think the parents of the the son or the husband um have a really different like kind of like role because like they don't have that like emotional tie to see just grow up and now to become a mother but they love just so much but they've always wanted to be grandparents and so my mom has been like really excited to dive into this and be the best me me she can be my dad literally is a wreck like thinks like imagines a been holding a baby doll yeah cries like he he cries when he talks about jessica being pregnant like he cries uh looking at ultrasound pictures he cries thinking about like coming to visit he is a wreck right now so well the cool part is We're walking into four parents, all uniquely experiencing something very different, but, like, thrilled.

And I know as soon as she's passed off to them in the hospital, as soon as she meets them, like, it is going to be a blubber fest for all of us. I think we're all just going to be like, this is wild. And I can't wait for that. Those are such special moments that we're blessed to experience. And I'm really thankful that that's what we're walking into. My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly, and now I'm seriously suspicious. Well, wait a minute, Sam. Maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit.

Well, Dakota, it's back to school week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon. This person writes, my boyfriend has been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now, he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Now, hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That sounds totally inappropriate. this person, this is her boyfriend's former professor and they're the same age.

It's even more likely that they're cheating. He insists there's nothing between them. I mean, do you believe him? Well, he's certainly trying to get this person to believe him because he now wants them both to meet. So, do we find out if this person's boyfriend really cheated with his professor or not? To hear the explosive finale, listen to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. My name is Ed. Everyone say hello, Ed. Hello, Ed.

I'm from a very rural background myself. my dad is a farmer and my mom is a cousin, so like it's not like... What do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? I know it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but that really was my reality nine years ago. I just normally do straight stand-up, but this is a bit different. On stage stood a comedian with a story that no one expected to hear. On 22nd of July 2015, a 23-year-old man had killed his family. And then he came to my house.

So what do you get when a true crime producer walks into a comedy club? A new podcast called Wisecrack, where stand-up comedy and murder takes center stage. Available now. Listen to Wisecrack on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get fired up, y'all. Season two of Good Game with Sarah Spain is underway.

We just welcomed one of my favorite people and an incomparable soccer icon, Megan Rapino, to the show, and we had a blast. We talked about her recent 40th birthday celebrations, co-hosting a podcast with her fiancé Sue Bird, watching former teammates retire and more. Never a dull moment with Pino. Take a listen. What do you miss the most about being a pro athlete?

The final. The final. And the locker room. I really, really, like, you just can't replicate, you can't get back. showing up to locker room every morning just to shi-talk. We've got more incredible guests like the legendary Candace Parker and college superstar AZ Fudd. I mean, seriously, y'all. The guest list is absolutely stacked for season two.

And, you know, we're always going to keep you up to speed on all the news and happenings around the women's sports world as well. So make sure you listen to Good Game with Sarah Spain on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. I don't write songs. God write songs. I take dictation. I didn't even know you've been a pastor for over 10 years. I think culture is any space that you live in that develops you.

On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. This is like watching Michael Jackson talk about thoroughly before it happened. Was there a particular moment where you realize just how interesting. instrumental music culture was to shaping all of our global ecosystem. I was eight years old, and the Motown 25 special came on. And all the great Motown artists, Marvin, Stevie Wonder, Temptations, Diana Ross. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson, we get into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture raises us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ben, do you want to do a few of these? Would you rather as superlatives, or do you think we have a tough time? Yeah, let's do it. Okay. All right. Our producers gave us a few superlatives, basically, to name the parent, you know, to associate to each parent. Who is most likely to do the wake up at 2 a.m.

And just make, just to make sure the baby's breathing. Ben. No question. He asked to get the little, like, sock that monitors her heart rate. The allot, we use it on a nightly basis, yeah. Okay, yeah, we just ordered one. It's great. It's great.

Be prepared. It's a, there's a lot of false alarms, so don't freak out. We'll talk about it offline, but yes, we are big fans of the outlet, and that's funny, because I always make fun of Jared, how he, like, never gives a second thought to the kid breathing. Like, he always just assumes they're breathing, and I am constantly assuming they're not. Even Dawson, I watch his breathing on the monitor. He's three. Yeah, no, 100%. It's me.

Who is going to insist on baby-proofing the entire house once she can start, like, crawling and walking? Ben, he already put up baby gates, and she's a potato for the next. Who you put on the baby gates? Yes, I did. He drilled them into the wall. It's like an obstacle course for you guys while you're holding the baby. That's good.

Yes. Yes, it's great. Who is most likely to stay calm? when the baby is throwing a tantrum. It's a good one. I feel like we both, I think, will stay very calm. I don't think tantrums will, like, will frustrate us. I think crying babies right now,

I mean, Waylon will be the one that doesn't like that, but he's been really good with baby training. We've played baby crying, and he just kind of, like, is curious, like, Cox's head, like, what in the world? I don't love baby crying. So, like, I'll have to get used to it. I know it'll become something I would do. but like it kind of like like shakes me a little bit I think Ben will want it to stop a lot faster

and if we're in a public place I'll want to like remove her from the situation yeah but I don't think either of us like it's not our personality like freak out mm-mm guess who's better with them between us I would say I think Ashley when they cry you don't get as for like flustered as Jared this is true yeah yeah Well, it's because it's just the, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's the lack of being able to solve the issue. So that's what I think you'll, you'll encounter with frustration, Ben, is, you know, when she's crying and you're holding her and she just doesn't stop crying, even she's not taking food or she just, you know, that's the problem. It's just like, it's piercing, you know, and it's right there. And I can't, I can't, I can't figure out how to solve it sometimes.

I think it's a man thing with the solving and all I keep thinking of is this. This will be over. Yeah. It will end. Yeah. There are moments, though, where you're like, I won't love that. I need to, like, I need to breathe. Luckily, I'm taking, like, usually I spend most of my days talking in meetings or, like, however.

And I get really socially exhausted from, like, noise. By the end of the day, like, I really just love to, like, kind of check out. And I'm taking the next, like, month and a half kind of off of those meetings. And I pull myself away because I do get, like, noise exhaustion very easily. And so if I plan it right, I'll be able to handle it better.

That would be my answer. With the second child, that's when the over-stimulation really hits. Like, we just sit in the, we're like at the computer and we're like having a panic attack. And then Dawson's like, Mama, Dad-da, Mama, Dad-da.

And he's like, hold on, we got to fix Hayden. Then he starts crying and then he's like dragging our arm. Like, no, no, no. And then he's like, why baby crying and it's like bro I don't just like he's like I made you dinner I mean it's your dinner like with his play food and I'm like excuse me I I'm so sweet

and he's like hitting his toys as he's screaming our name as Hayden is crying so like the toys playing and then Dawson's calling her name the TV's in the background then Lois is barking at the UPS guy holy crap Ben's getting hives sorry but really this is really like a second child thing they're just moments sounds fun yeah okay my

My last question is a fun one. Who is the first one that's going to, like, be on a drive, even if it's just like an errand, quick one, to the grocery store, but then realize that you don't have the diaper bag? You, you probably. Yeah. You're going to say you? I was going to say me just because right now I have very little familiarity with that. However, in life, over time, I am more to be over prepared. And Jess is more of like, let's just swing it and see.

out goes kind of person. Yeah, like, I'll leave, Ben will leave the diaper bag at home for the grocery store and I'll leave it at home for, like, the four-day trip. Yeah, that's probably a better way to say it. Yes, that would be more accurate. I will say, though, I've never seen, like, just be as, like, prepared.

It's not like she's, like, an unprepared human in life. But, like, she's on top of all this. Like, if you looked at her house right now, like, everything's set up. everything's clean everything's like organized like everything is like ready to go and she knows how to use it all and that would probably be the biggest difference is i know she's gonna i know she already loves this girl because just knowing how to like use like items is like a rarity i still know how to use our tv so i'm always the one that's like i got this i got this i got this i know

what we need but i need you to set it up you do the tech version of it Okay, wait, my last last question, just because you brought up these products, is there any product that you've debated or bought already that you're like not sure that it's going to be worth it or you're not sure if you actually should buy it? One of the things that I haven't bought yet that I keep thinking I need to is that like half moon pillow, like the breastfeeding pillow. Oh, so I didn't breastfeed so I don't know. Okay. I'm planning on breastfeeding is like the goal. I have a lactation consultant and everything. so that's one of the things that I don't have

that I wonder if I'm going to need and then we have the baby Bresa which is one of the things that I don't know that we have that I don't know if we're going to need if I can breast meat it Get two of them We switch ours back

We have a first floor bedroom Our bedrooms on the first floor So like we carry it from the kitchen to the bedroom every night but you can like get too If you have the two floors Can you heat up breast milk in it? No

We don't know. No, but we're warmers out there. Oh, yeah. I think the brezah has a warmer. Well, I guess the brezza was so important. Gretza, they made me redo and add ones because I didn't say it properly. Yeah, I mean, we formula fed, so that was a very, that was very important. I know it sounds stupid because you're like, oh, it's not hard to make a bottle.

And we're like, oh, you know, you just put like three scoops and some water and you shake it up. It's not a big deal. When it's three in the morning, it's hard to bake a bottle. You know what I mean? And Hayden has really preferred warm bottles over cold and Dawson didn't care about the temperature. The Bresa has been amazing. Love the Bresza. And with that, we wish you all the good luck.

And we're so excited because the next time we're going to see you guys, you're going to be parents. And I think that when you become parents, you really want your friends to become parents. Yeah. Commiserate. Excited to take family trips and such in the future. Keep those boys away Who wants Who are we going to set her up with?

Nobody. It's not a thing I don't know Three years age gap with Dawson is a perfect Look at their age gap There's not like an outlet for this Like she's That's like not a thing

It's not you're not allowed No No no set up My dad used to tell me that I couldn't date Until I was married And I think that's gonna be Ben's stances as well Yeah Yeah, there's no question in my mind.

It's so much more fun to pair off guys in the situation. Like, we're not concerned. We're like, who wants to date our sons? Who wants to date Dawson? She'd be a lucky girl. I agree. Okay. Bachelor Nation has some girls to, you know, we could have her, Mary River.

But he wants Emmy so that, like, she'd be cougaring Dawson by. I think Emmy just. because she was like the first one in our circle you know Tanner and Jade were the first one so they got real flirty too and they were jumping on a trampoline last year I can't watch up for those trampolines bye guys

follow the Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcasts on IHartRadio or subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts My boyfriend's professor is way too friendly and now I'm seriously suspicious Wait a minute Sam maybe her boyfriend's just looking for extra credit well Dakota luckily it's Back to School Week on the OK Storytime podcast, so we'll find out soon.

This person writes, my boyfriend's been hanging out with his young professor a lot. He doesn't think it's a problem, but I don't trust her. Now he's insisting we get to know each other, but I just want her gone. Hold up. Isn't that against school policy? That seems inappropriate. Maybe find out how it ends by listening to the OK Storytime podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's start with a quick puzzle. The answer is, Ken Jennings' appearance. on The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs.

The question is, what is the most entertaining listening experience in podcast land? Jeopardy-truthers believe in... I guess they would be conspiracy theorists. That's right. They gave you the answers, and you still blew it. The Puzzler. Listen on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I was diagnosed with cancer on Friday and cancer-free the next Friday. No chemo, no radiation, none of that.

On a recent episode of Culture Raises Us podcast, I sat down with Warren Campbell, Grammy-winning producer, pastor, and music executive to talk about the beats, the business, and the legacy behind some of the biggest names in gospel, R&B, and hip-hop. Professionally, I started at Death World Records. From Mary Mary to Jennifer Hudson,

we get into the soul of the music and the purpose that drives it. Listen to Culture Raises Us on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Why are TSA rules so confusing? You got a hoot of you. I'm Manny. I'm Noah.

This is Devin. And we're best friends and journalists with a new podcast called No Such Thing, where we get to the bottom of questions like that. Why are you screaming? I can't expect what to do. Now, if the rule was the same, go off on me. I deserve it. You know, lock him up.

Listen to No Such Thing on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. No Such Thing. This is an IHeart podcast. Thank you.