It was a new beginning on Thursday's installment of Live with Kelly and Mark, as it marked guest co-host Maria Menounos' first turn on the hot seat since welcoming her first child.
The TV personality, 45, and her husband Keven Undergaro welcomed their daughter Athena via surrogate on June 23, which she announced on July 19.
On the latest episode of Live, host Kelly Ripa was on assignment, and Maria, who has frequently co-hosted in the past, stepped in beside co-anchor Mark Consuelos.
The episode began with Mark, 52, congratulating Maria and Keven for their new family joy, with Maria in turn thanking them for the beautiful gift basket they'd left for her in her dressing room.
The All My Children actor stated that Kelly had already offered to babysit, then presented her with a special gift from the Live team, a plush white teddy bear with the show's logo on it, which Maria said she would "hold this because I already miss her."
Mark asked the former Today correspondent how her husband Keven was responding to his life as a father, asking her whether he was already beginning to change diapers.
© Instagram"Yes he does," she said. "He hasn't done a lot of them. And you know, when you're not doing it all the time, maybe you're not so great at it, so I just fixed a few things in there and tried to keep him confident."
She then looked straight at the camera and gushed: "And Athena, mommy misses you so much already," leading to the studio audience responding with a resounding "Aww."
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Maria announced the birth of her baby, Athena Alexander, to Us Weekly, saying of the first time she got to hold her newborn: "It was the most special moment of my life. It was like Christmas morning times a million."
© Getty ImagesThe couple first announced in February that they were expecting their first child via surrogacy, given Maria's struggles with infertility and recent battle with pancreatic cancer.
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The Noovie host appeared on Live on February 7th to break the exciting news, announcing it when she was explaining that she and her husband had moved up a trip to Greece because of their baby.
© Getty Images"Oh my god!!" Kelly excitedly reacted upon hearing the news, enthusiastically cheering for Maria and Keven, who watched proudly from the audience.
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The soon-to-be mom added: "I'm glad to share it here first because you guys are my family, you guys have been on the journey, and I'm so grateful," tearing up at the end. The star has been a frequent guest host and featured guest on the show.
© Getty Images"We've done everything, " she explained, adding: "Literally everything, you know. They've tried to get me pregnant, that didn't work, Keven had a surgery, that didn't work. He's hung me upside down like a chicken, that didn't work."
