Caitlin McHugh Stamos and her actor-husband, John Stamos, are taking the pressure off when it comes to having a second child. (She and John, 61, who celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary on February 3, are parents to Billy, 6.) “We’ve been trying for more kids since I gave birth the first time, but we’ve had what they call secondary infertility,” the 38-year-old actress reveals, adding that they’ve tried “all the things” from IVF to acupuncture to Chinese herbs, and are now letting nature take its course. “If it happens again it would be very much welcomed, but we’ve stopped very actively trying.” Here, the philanthropic star talks to In Touch’s Fortune Benatar about motherhood, her secrets to a happy marriage and her most embarrassing A-list encounter.
It sounds like you’ve made peace with being a family of three.
CMS: It would have to be a miracle if it happens again. We’ve tried for many, many years. So now we’re like, “We’ve got one great kid, we’ll give him all of our love, and if another one comes along, great.”
What’s the latest with Billy?
CMS: He’s lost all four of his front teeth, and he loves to stick his tongue through. He’s very proud of it. And he’s always very excited when the Tooth Fairy gets to come to our house. Inflation has hit her, too — she’s expensive! My gosh, how does she afford all these teeth?
Has he watched ‘Full House’ yet?
CMS: He has. At first I was a little nervous about it, because he was really young, and I was like, “Oh, no, is he going to get confused, like, who is this family with his dad?” But he’s very bright, and he gets it. He understands what acting is, and he loves the show.
Who does he take after more?
CMS: John. Billy is a hambone and a half just like his dad. He loves to be the center of attention and loves making people laugh. He’s a little comedian.
What’s your marriage secret?
CMS: A lot of humor, patience, communication, forgiveness and trust. Everything that the therapist would tell you is good, is good. We’re very busy, he’s on a lot of shows and we’re doing a lot of things, but we make sure to spend a lot of time together and include each other in all of our fun, which I think is so important.
Would you work together?
CMS: We did a short film. We wrote it together, and I’m in it, and John directed it. It’s called Ingenue-ish. We should put it out there on YouTube. That was part of how we decided to have a kid and get married. Like, if we survived writing and doing this short film, then we can have a family together.
You recently starred in ‘The Invisible Raptor.’ Will you do more movies?
CMS: I don’t care to go back to the hustle and bustle of auditioning. My attention is more on my son and my nonprofit and my other businesses.
Does John give you acting tips?
CMS: It’s the other way around. He hates it, but we’ll do lines together and sometimes I’ll give him notes. He’ll be like, “Really?!” Everyone’s a critic, right?
