Johnny and Meredith Gaudreau with their children Johnny and Noa.Photo:Meredith Gaudreau/Instagram
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/Johnny-and-Meredith-Gaudreau-family-093024-31d6e19b9f6747b38649a1f1967adc15.jpg)
Meredith Gaudreau/Instagram
Meredith Gaudreau is celebrating her daughterNoa’s second birthday — a heartwarming occasion on Monday that comes one month after her husbandJohnny Gaudreau’s tragic death.
The late NHL star’s widow shared several photographs on social media that showed their 2-year-old daughter smiling and celebrating her birthday, including happy birthday wishes from family, friends, and even some from the families of her husband’s teammates.
The farm-themed party had Gaudreau’s daughter smiling ear-to-ear, as some social media posts from the birthday party showed animal decorations and printed-out photographs of Noa with her late father, an 11-year NHL veteran who played for theCalgary Flamesand theColumbus Blue Jackets.
Johnny Gaudreau and his daughter Noa Gaudreau.Meredith Gaudreau/Instagram
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(580x0:582x2):format(webp)/Johnny-Gaudreau-daughter-093024-f0e4484a229346d08f343c81321351e8.jpg)
Meredith announced ather husband’s funeralthat she and Johnny are expecting a third child in the coming months.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Johnny “was beaming and so excited” after hearing the news, Meredith recalled in her memorial. “His reaction was just immediately kissing me and hugging me,” she said, noting the pregnancy was a “total surprise” to them after welcoming their son Johnny in February.
“In less than three years of marriage, we’ve created a family of five,” she said. “It doesn’t even sound possible, but I look at it as the ultimate blessing. How lucky am I to be the mother of John’s three babies? Our last one being a blessing and so special despite these difficult circumstances.”
Johnny and Meredith Gaudreau with their children Johnny and Noa.Meredith Gaudreau/Instagram
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(739x0:741x2):format(webp)/johnny-gaudreau-meredith-family-090224-f42d9ff674184999a15e12d9b9eef2a8.jpg)
Meredith hasmournedher husband’s death on social media in recent weeks, sharing a number of photos of their family together and clips of the longtime NHL player on the ice and in interviews. In one recent post, Meredith shared a clip of Johnny explaining in an interview that he decided to join the Columbus Blue Jackets in order to be closer to family, despite reportedly having offers from other teams for more money. In the clip, Johnny says being with his family is “the most important thing” in his life and that no amount of money could change that for him.“My perfect husband,” Meredith wrote in the caption of the post.
source: people.com