Congratulations are in order for Candiace Dillard Bassett! On November 13, The Real Housewives of Potomac alum announced that she welcomed her first child with her husband, Chris Bassett.
As Candiace told People, she gave birth to son Jett Maxwell Lee Bassett on October 3.
"He is just the cutest little thing," Candiace shared with the outlet. "Chris and I couldn't be happier. It's so cliché to say, but he's brought such joy to our lives in ways I never would have been able to describe before. It's pure love!"
"I just look at him and envision all the adventures we’re going to have,” she added. "Throughout my pregnancy, when I would talk to him in my stomach, I would say, 'I can't wait to see who you're going to be.' And that's been the joy in my heart that's continued after his birth. It's exciting to think about. I'm so ready for a lifetime of being on the sidelines, cheering him on."
What is the meaning of Candiace's son's name?
Candiace's son's name, Jett, translates from Hebrew to excellence and abundance. As she shared in her interview, "The meaning of his name was really important to me. I mean, there were a lot of names I liked that had meanings I did not like, so that just automatically tossed them out. But as soon as I read the meaning of his name, I was like, 'This is it. This is his name.'"
"Naming him took longer than I thought," she added. "I had been throwing names out to Chris the entire pregnancy and most of the ones I liked he was like, 'Those sound like nepo baby names.' And I was like, 'Why are you just trying to kill my vibe?' But Chris agreed with Jett. He was like, 'Jett's a cool name, he's going to be a cool kid. They can call him J.B.'"
Why does Candiace Dillard Bassett's son have two middle names?
The reason Candiace's son is named Jett Maxwell Lee Bassett, according to Candiace? "I'm extra," she said in her interview. (Lee specifically comes from Candiace's father's middle name.)
Candiace Dillard Bassett's Journey to Getting Pregnant
Before welcoming her first child, Candiace was open about her journey to becoming a mom. Both Candiace and Chris consulted with his children before deciding to get pregnant through IVF.
In a Q & A with BravoTV.com, Candiace noted that Chris' daughter "was like, 'No, I don't want any more.' Then I was like, 'OK, well, you know, that's good to know, but maybe it might be cool if we had one or two. I think we could make it work, right?' And she was like, 'Well, maybe I'll think about it...' I remember being that way when I was an only child. She's the youngest, so I get it from being the youngest, from that perspective."
Luckily, after going through a "successful egg retrieval," the couple was able to harvest six embryos, and it was only a matter for them to figure out the timing. This decision involved what Zodiac the baby would be born under because "I don't need an Aquarius or Gemini in my house," Candiace told BravoTV.com.
(By the way, Candiace and Chris' baby is a Libra.)
Candiace Dillard Bassett Details Her Pregnancy
Once she was pregnant, Candiace was open about all of the struggles she was going through amid her pregnancy, including her cravings, pains, sickness, and all that came with it. In an Instagram Live on April 22, Candiace talked about her pregnancy symptoms.
She noted that during her first trimester, she "wasn't really sick, I really didn't have any side effects. I just knew I was pregnant, and that was really it," she explained. "I may have had a touch of nausea here and there. And then all of a sudden, I crossed into the second trimester, and it was like, 'haha bitch, joke on you, you're about to have some symptoms — here."
Candiace also revealed that she was struggling with enjoying food, and also lacked a lot of energy throughout her second trimester. "I was horizontal for two days, I could not move," she said.
Ahead of giving birth, Candiace revealed that she was calmed by the presence of Chris, who is the father of three children from a previous relationship. "There is a lot of comfort in knowing that he's done this three times, with two boys and a girl, so he's seen both sides," she told Entertainment Tonight in April.
What Candiace Dillard Bassett is looking forward to most about motherhood
With her first baby here, Candiace previously revealed that she was definitely looking forward to the support from her friends and followers once the baby arrived.
"I've realized — number one — the thing I'm most excited for is my mom village," she said in that same Instagram Q & A. "And [that] mom village — all moms, from every age, every walk of life, but specifically millennial moms — I've just admired watching my friends who are moms, mother and parent, and thrive. I think that we are consciously doing things differently than our parents and we are loud and proud about that and very intentional and so I resonate with that and I am very excited to be in that."
