Congratulations are in order for former All My Children star J.R. Martinez (Brot Monroe), who is thrilled to announce that he and his wife, Diana Gonzalez-Jones, are expecting a child.
The actor/author took to Instagram with the exciting news, sharing that their new addition will be joining the family -- which includes the couple's eight-year-old daughter, Lauryn Anabelle -- this August. The post also includes a special message from Martinez, who shares that he and his wife experienced a lot of pain and difficulty in their journey to becoming second-time parents.
"We've wanted this for a while but God said, 'not yet.' We waited and waited and experienced pain along the way but we continued to have faith and trust that although our journey would look different, it would happen! But we never lost faith and faith delivered! We are grateful that God granted us the opportunity to bring a second child into the world."
He continues, "I know a few who may be reading this, that are struggling on their own fertility journey. Whether you are hoping for your first child or your third...my wish is that this post may bring you some hope instead of triggered pain. Stay strong, don't lose hope, trust your journey, your baby is waiting for you too, the timing is never ours."
AMC alums Stephanie Gatschet (Madison North; ex-Tammy Winslow, Guiding Light) and Rebecca Budig (Greenlee Smythe; ex-Hayden Barnes, General Hospital) shared their congratulations with Martinez, who revealed that he and his wife have chosen to be surprised by their baby's sex.
In her message, Budig revealed that she also waited to learn the sex of her daughter, Charlotte. "Congratulations! Very very happy for you," she wrote. "We didn't find out our gender and although at first I was on the fence, it was SO AMAZING when she came out. I highly recommend it!"
Martinez isn't the only AMC star this week to announce exciting pregnancy news after a long fertility struggle. Melissa Claire Egan, who played Annie Novak on the ABC soap opera and currently plays Chelsea Lawson on The Young and the Restless, just announced that she is pregnant with a baby boy after having experienced two miscarriages during her difficult journey to motherhood.
Would you like to leave a congratulatory message for J.R. Martinez? How much do you miss seeing him as AMC's Brot? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
