This is When We Think Fixer Upper’s Joanna Gaines is Due

Ever since news broke that the husband-wife hosting duo of HGTV’s Fixer Upper would be welcoming another little farm hand into their impeccably shiplapped home, one pressing curiosity has intrigued fans: when is Joanna Gaines’ due date? Aside from the official announcement, she and Chip haven’t offered up any more intel on their fifth child. So, naturally, that leaves one option — playing the ol’ due date guessing game.

Of course, we’re not without any context when it comes to Joanna’s due date. We can start, for instance, with Chip and Joanna’s respective announcements. After dropping hints for days, Chip shared the news on Instagram with a picture of himself and Joanna belly-to-belly. He tagged his wife and coyly captioned the cute pic, “Gaines party of 7.. (If you’re still confused.. WE ARE PREGNANT).”

What we can safely deduce from Chip’s announcement is that on January 2, 2018 — the date he posted the pic — Joanna was probably at least 12 weeks along. Many expectant parents wait until this point to announce their pregnancies.

Next up is the sonogram video Joanna shared of the baby the day after Chip’s post. If the couple was super early in their pregnancy and this was their first ultrasound at around 6 or 7 weeks, the baby would still basically look like a shapeless little blob — which theirs doesn’t. In the caption of her post, Joanna says, “Chip swears he can already tell it’s a boy.” This would imply the couple has not yet found out the baby’s sex, which is typically determined between 18 and 22 weeks at the detailed “anatomy scan.”

So, if Joanna and Chip had a sonogram in late December or early January but didn’t yet know the baby’s sex, where does that put her in her pregnancy? Well, there could be another clue in the sonogram Joanna shared.

All parents are offered the option during pregnancy to have a nuchal translucency scan (or NT scan) taken. This is used to assess the baby’s risk of certain chromosomal conditions, such as Down syndrome, and any major heart abnormalities. Basically, it’s simply a measurement of the tissue at the back of the baby’s neck, which is taken by a sonographer. This sonogram must take place between 11 and 14 weeks of pregnancy, by which point the baby has started to look more like, well, a baby!

It’s possible, then, that Joanna shared part of the sonogram from their NT scan. They wouldn’t be able to tell the sex yet, the baby would be more clearly defined, and she would likely be in her second trimester. Plus, Joanna recently posted a plate full of chocolate chips cookies she baked to satisfy a middle of the night craving — classic second trimester behavior. Once you get past that first trimester nausea, the cravings come out! (Can I get an amen, mamas?)

Also in mid-February, Joanna posted a snapshot and noted in the caption “there’s no hiding this baby bump anymore.” In her stories for the day, she shared a sweet photo of herself sitting on a rug with her hands held in a heart-shape over her bump. As if that wasn’t enough to send the internet into a flurry, Joanna dropped a caption that many interpreted as a clue. “I like this rug a lot. Available this spring. #eviecollection.”

What’s the significance? Joanna and Chip’s two daughters both have names that begin with the letter ‘e’: Ella and Emmie Kay. Couple that with the fact that Joanna often names items and collections she designs after her family, and a genuine fan theory was born (pun totally intended) — Joanna must be having a girl, and that little girl will be named Evie.

If the internet is correct and all of the above is true, it would mean Joanna is around four to five months pregnant as of February 2018. This would give her a due date of mid-summer. And, to be honest, that seems like a really solid bet.

Prior to making the big announcement, Chip shared a few clues on social media:

OK, so that was more of a revelation than a clue, but still. Did he legitimately share their conception story? It would appear so. We know that Johnnyswim performed at the Gaines’ big Silo-bration even back on October 13, because Joanna herself shared a video from the night. If the magic really did go down that night, Joanna Gaines’ due date is, in fact, in July of 2018.

One thing is for sure, though: this child will receive a grand welcome into the world, courtesy of their parent’s countless farmhouse-lovin’ fans.