Celebrity Celebrity Family Celebrity Pregnancy Pregnant Rumer Willis Says She's Always 'Wanted to Be a Mom': 'It Was Never a Question for Me' Rumer Willis, who is expecting her first baby with boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas, opens up about her pregnancy and excitement to be a mom on an episode of Bathroom Chronicles By Georgia Slater Georgia Slater Georgia Slater is a staff editor on the Parents team at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2018. Her work has previously appeared in USA Today and Washington Life Magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 8, 2023 06:28PM EST Photo: Kimberly Van Der Beek & Peggy Rometo Rumer Willis has always envisioned motherhood in her future. PEOPLE has an exclusive preview of Thursday's episode of Peggy Rometo and Kimberly Van Der Beek's podcast Bathroom Chronicles — sponsored by Poo-Pourri and recorded in the bathroom cabin at the Van Der Beek ranch — where Willis gets candid about her pregnancy and excitement to become a mom. Willis, who is expecting her first baby with boyfriend Derek Richard Thomas, says that she's always set her sights on becoming a mom. "It's like one of those weird things that I know sometimes people have such clarity about, like 'Oh, I want to be a musician, I want this,' and it was never a question for me that I wanted to be a mom," she says. "And that just felt like such a divine purpose and something that when I started thinking about it, felt like such joy." Willis says she recalls recently talking to Thomas about becoming a parent, noting that she "can't wait" for the special moments she and her baby can share together. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Rumer Willis Instagram Pregnant Rumer Willis Shows Off Baby Bump While Posing with Sister Scout in Matching Sweatsuits "I was talking to my partner the other day and saying, 'You know, when I go to the farmers market, I call it church because I leave and I feel so excited,' " she says. "And the idea of being able to bring my kids in like a little cart or something brings me so much delight, I can't even ... I can't wait." Willis also sheds light on her pregnancy and how she's learned to protect her boundaries. "It's made me upgrade so fast, like things where I used to have such a nature to be people pleasing or to not stand up for myself for little things that then would kind of get under my skin," she says. "I would say literally, maybe even a week after I got pregnant, all of a sudden, it was like, no, no, that's not going to work for me anymore." "This is what I need to do to reorient this and speak up for myself. It was like a new equation and a new puzzle all of a sudden downloaded," she explains. "And I had a different operating system." PHOTO: Kimberly Van Der Beek & Peggy Rometo PHOTO: Kimberly Van Der Beek & Peggy Rometo The House Bunny actress and Thomas announced in December that they're expecting their first baby together with a carousel of bump photos in a joint Instagram post. In the first snap, the father-to-be wrapped his hand around her belly and gave it a sweet kiss while Willis smiled. She also showed off her pregnant silhouette as she stood near a window in another image. A photo that featured a very excited Thomas rounded out the set of pictures. Willis' mom, Demi Moore, shared their announcement post on her own Instagram, already playing the role of proud grandmother. "Entering my hot kooky unhinged grandma era," Moore wrote alongside the couple's photos. "So happy for you my love!" she later added in the comments. Emma Heming Willis — who is married to Rumer's father Bruce Willis and mom to little sisters Evelyn, 8, and Mabel, 10 — also shared her excitement for the mom-to-be. "Baby news is happy news!!! Congratulations @rumerwillis and @derekrichardthomas We are elated over here! 🐣," she wrote on Instagram.