"That was a big secret to keep for a very long time!" PASSIONS' Liza Huber (Gwen) says of the news that she and hubby Alex are expecting a baby come New Year's.

"I wanted to wait till we were out of the first trimester, but it was so great to finally be able to share it with everybody," the actress enthuses. "The fans have been so sweet with all their support and their loving posts [on her Web site (www.lizahuber.com). It's wonderful."

Fans aren't the only ones showing their support. It's impossible to keep a secret like this entirely to yourselves, and the expectant couple have had a few people in their corner, including the grandparents-to-be. "Neither family has had a baby around since our brothers were babies, and that was 26 years ago, so everyone's thrilled," Huber reveals. "My mom (Susan Lucci — Erica, ALL MY CHILDREN) made such a huge effort. We spent five days together, shopping and loving every minute of it."

And that was just the beginning of the celebration. A first grandchild deserves fireworks, and that's just what this one is getting. "We're going home [to New York] for July 4," Huber explains. "Alex's parents will be staying with my parents so everyone will be under one roof, including our brothers. That will be fun. We'll probably come out one more time around October, and they’ll all come out for Thanksgiving and Christmas and stay till the baby's born."

In the meantime, Huber is settling into her pregnancy. "I'm very comfortable with the idea of being pregnant and being a mother, but when I first found out I was pregnant, I was a deer in the headlights for a week," she admits. "We got pregnant the second time we tried, which we were so happy about. We couldn't believe it! Now it's sunk in. I feel good and I've already learned so much."

Huber reports that her energy is coming back, but she can't wait for her appetite to follow. "I've had a lot of food aversions," she says. "I love to eat, and everything I [used to] love I don't love anymore, like meat and sweets. I've been eating a lot of bread, cheese, fruit and salad. That's probably not a bad thing, but now that I'm out of my first trimester, I'm sure I'll be diving into the brownies in no time!"