Erin and Ben Napier are thrilled to be kicking off season 2 of HGTV’s Home Town next month, but the pair are also about to welcome their first baby — a girl — that they’ve already named Helen.
The couple found out they were expecting in the summer, shortly before they were set to start filming. “Things turn on a dime,” Erin tells Us Weekly in an exclusive interview, adding that following the news, they had a tiny window to film the same number of episodes they originally had planned on. “It’s been really, really tiring.”
Erin and Ben, who are renovating their own house as well, are expecting their baby next month and have yet to set up a nursery or really prepare at all. Instead, they’ve just been enjoying their time together.
“I’ve been so lucky because I’ve felt awesome the whole pregnancy and I’ve never had morning sickness or any of the symptoms I’ve ever heard of,” Erin, 31, says. “I just feel a person kicking my ribs and that’s kind of it! We’ve been so lucky with the whole pregnancy, so I figure when she’s born, she’s gonna be a terror!”
However tough it is though, the pair vows to grow together — and admit that they do their best work when “glued at the hip,” Ben, 33, says. The pair have been dating since college and have been married for nine years.
“If we can’t be [physically together], I think you gotta tell each other everything,” Erin says about why their relationship has lasted so long. “We don’t have anything to fight about because we know everything. We know the whole story — whatever any story may be and I can’t advise it strongly enough. The more you tell your spouse, the happier your marriage will be.”
Luckily, the two do get to work together on the show. The sophomore season will show audiences a little bit more than season one did.
“I think we are both pretty excited that this season, viewers will be able to be part of the creative process more, like to see how we arrive at the decisions that we make and the designs and the furnitures that Ben builds. You see the process from the very beginning to the very end,” Erin tells Us. “It’s just a lot more focus on process and craftsmanship that we’re really excited for people to see.”
While Erin comes from a smaller family than Ben, the two haven’t yet talked about whether or not they’ll have more children after their daughter arrives. “Helen was not planned, she was a surprise … a wonderful surprise,” Ben says. Erin adds: “What will be, will be.”
Season 2 of Home Town premieres on HGTV on Monday, January 8 at 9 p.m. ET.
