Bode Miller and wife Morgan expecting twins a year after toddler daughter's tragic drowning death
Bode Miller, former World Cup alpine ski racing champion, and his wife Morgan Miller announced on Instagram on Monday that the couple was pregnant with twins, 14 months after their 19-month-old daughter died in a tragic pool accident.
"Now, I can actually say with joy and excitement that we are expecting identical twin boys. From the day I met my husband, he has always said he wanted identical twin boys born on his birthday. We are due on the lucky day/angel number of 11/11 which is not far off from @millerbode Birthday of 10/12," Morgan captioned a picture of their four children, three of whom held up two fingers to signal the arrival of the twins in the family.
In two other photos, the four kids posed around balloons that spelled the word, "twins."
However, receiving the news of her pregnancy was bittersweet for Morgan, who in the same post said she was still grief-stricken over the loss of their daughter, Emeline Grier, especially since she was also pregnant with her third son, Easton, at the time of the tragedy last year.
"Losing a child while pregnant was the most confusing experience of my life. The conflict of emotions from what was pure joy turned to guilt and terror overnight. How could I love this baby the way I loved Emmy? Was it okay to love this baby the way I loved Emmy?" she wrote.
Nevertheless, Morgan said that the concerns disappeared almost instantly after the birth of their son. "Easton provided us an even closer bond to his sister. The moment I heard his cry, something sparked back alive in my soul. Hope. Love. I’m not sure. But in that moment, I knew I was Mom and my kids deserved the world from me. Everything was going to be okay. My joy and grief could coexist," she said.
The couple also appeared on the Today show to announce the news of their upcoming twins. She said that the news of the twins came as a "complete" shock despite the fact that her husband has always wanted twin sons "from the beginning" of their relationship.
"I always knew that I was going to have identical twin boys," Bode said. "Obviously after losing Emmy, I think we were both thinking it was going to be girls or both sort of hoping it would be girls. And my midwife found out and was like, 'You have to tell Morgan,' and I said, 'No way, you're telling Morgan, no chance am I telling her!'"
The couple admitted that they were still working through the grief of losing their daughter. In June 2018, the family was attending a neighbor's party when the toddler made her way to the pool and fell in it.
She was rescued a little too late and the paramedics who responded to the scene were unable to revive her. She died at the hospital.
"She was just a bear, she had such a powerful, full little personality where she just did what she wanted," Bode said.
Morgan agreed with her husband. "She was such a bright light. And she was determined," she said.
She added that bringing more children into the world made her feel closer to her daughter who had passed away. "Every time I have another child, my heart just gets bigger," Morgan said. "It just adds that much more love."