Entertainment
Tori Roloff's Instagram Shows She Was Looking Forward To Motherhood
Little People, Big World's Zach and Tori Roloff recently became parents for the first time, after their son, Jackson Kyle, was born May 12. So far, it looks like they are loving being a new family of three, but judging by Tori Roloff's Instagram account, that's also not entirely surprising. After marrying on the Roloff family farm in July 2015, the totally-in-love young couple has captured much of their newlywed life and pregnancy on social media, according to TLC. But while, for some people, Instagram is a place to project a glamorous and envy-inducing life to the world that leaves their followers in awe, Zach and Tori have kept it real, sharing sweet snaps from camping trips, couch snuggles with their dog, and evenings spent at home crafting or preparing for their son's arrival.
With over 400,000 followers on Instagram (not to mention the fact that she actually lives out a fair portion of her daily life on a television reality show), it wouldn't necessarily be surprising if Tori felt like making the most of her celebrity status, curating a flawless feed and making money off of product endorsements or sponsored posts. But despite her popularity, Tori just seems like a regular, kindergarten-teaching girl from Oregon, who is loving life as a wife and mother.
Her Pregnancy Updates Were On Point
In a recent video shared by TLC, Zach and Tori spoke about their parenting plans, and revealed that even before they were married, having kids was something they spoke about often. Tori said,
I think that from day one, kids have always been a conversation ... just how much we both want a family. We both have been around kids for so long that it's just kind of what we want to do.
It might not be that surprising then, that the couple chose not to wait too long before they announced they were expecting: about four months after their first wedding anniversary, they shared that they had a baby on the way.
After going public with the news, Tori began posting regular updates to Instagram, including bump progress shots, and details about how she was feeling. And it was pretty clear she was loving being a mama-to-be: in her 17 week update post, Tori wrote, "it's the most magical and surreal experience to FEEL your baby moving inside of you!"
She's Never Been Afraid To Gush About Her Husband
Before Zach proposed to Tori, he filmed his ring-buying experience for his family's reality show. And during the process, he explained that even though he didn't even necessarily think he'd end up marrying an average-sized girl, it didn't take him long to realize that Tori was definitely the one for him. Zach said,
I realized from the beginning that she wouldn't be worried about what people would say. People think I'm her kid — weird stuff. Typically girls would totally be thrown off by that, [but] she's not. There's many things I like about Tori, but that's a huge one.
Judging by her Instagram posts, Zach is totally right. Not only does Tori seem totally in love with her hubby, she's more than happy to share that love with the world. In a sweet birthday post for Zach's recent 27th birthday, Tori wrote,
Happiest of birthdays to my most favorite person ever. Zach, you are the best listener, you're so patient, I love the way you think of others, how you put others first, and you're always willing to drop everything to help someone. You are the best husband a girl could ask for and I just thank God I can spend my days next to you. I can't wait to see you become a father to our first child because I know it will only make me fall deeper in love with you.
She's Already A "Mama Hen"
In addition to being on Little People, Big World, Tori is a full-time kindergarten teacher — and it seems like she totally loves it.
The fact that she chose a career that would require her to work with little kids all day might be part of the reason why Zach told People in November that he expected that Tori would be "a loving mother hen" to their child, while he anticipated he'd be "a fun, hands on dad, but also the disciplinarian." (He also told TLC that while he knew she'd be "super loving, and a very good mother," he thought she'd be "totes magotes a helicopter parent.")
Her Dog Was Her Totally Her First Baby
Being a pet parent is of course not at all required preparation for actual human parenthood (nor does being a dog mom mean you necessarily want to have kids), but for many newly-married couples, adding an animal into the mix is often the first step to gauging parental readiness. And that definitely seems to be the case for the Roloffs.
Before welcoming their son, Tori and Zach added their first new family member — a dog named Sully. And unsurprisingly, he's made quite the regular appearance on Tori's feed. In fact, in one pic, Tori could be seen posing with Sully in a t-shirt that read "my kids have paws" (a sentiment dog moms everywhere can totally relate to.)
Family & Friends Are So Important To Her
Another thing that becomes pretty clear scrolling through Tori's Instagram feed? Her family and friends mean a lot to her. And while you definitely don't need to have a close-knit village to be a good mom, there's no question that having plenty of people in your corner is definitely helpful and valuable once you've got a little one.
Even more than a good support network? Tori also seems to have plenty of pregnant friends. And having a built-in crew of mom besties has got to be one of the best secret parenting weapons ever. In a recent post, Tori gave an Instagram shout out to her mama-to-be friends, and wrote, "being pregnant with three of your best friends is just unreal."
Of course, no matter how much you think you might be ready for motherhood, nothing can ever truly prepare you for what it will actually be like to have your baby in your arms. And as many moms can attest, there are lots of ways in which it won't go even sort of like how you were expecting it to. But while Tori and Zach might not be able to control what lies ahead of them, it seems like they've got a lot going for them as they head into this new stage of their lives: a loving relationship, a totally chill and down-to-earth life, and a lot of excitement about their future together as parents.