Meet Alex!
“Alex is... chill.”
I feel like I’ve been getting to know this dude for a while now. He already reminded me a lot of Nat while he was in the womb. So many things I love about Nat I’ve loved about him, too. In the third trimester, Alex was direct, responsive, funny, and seemed to know exactly who he was. All I had to do was gently poke Nat’s belly and he’d kick my finger immediately. He always seemed to know what he wanted.
Since entering the world yesterday he’s had that exact personality. He wanted food IMMEDIATELY after being born. He was trying to latch onto me just minutes after arriving into our cold operating room. He has been hungry since delivery (just like his Mom) but right after eating, he’s slept for hours. “Chill” is the word nurses kept using. It reminded me of how he felt for this entire pregnancy. In a world that’s felt so uncertain, Alex has been a source of inexpressible comfort and certainty for Nat and I since February. We’ve done so many remodeling projects on the house alongside Pearl, set personal goals we wanted to accomplish over the summer and fall, and together with Pearl watched shows we wanted to binge before Alex’s delivery. Every time we checked something off the list felt like it brought Nat and I closer together, and also closer to Alex. Even making his October 12th operation day was such a huge gift with the amount of work Nat and I had for sub plans, nesting, and getting our lives adjusted to add to our family.
That sort of precision and resolve is a big reason why I fell for Nat 5 years ago - and in the last day I’ve sat beside her through surgery, through learning how to breastfeed, through hitting the targets the nurses have been setting for her, and I’ve seen her laugh and tear up at our son’s already amazing accomplishments through the first days of parenthood. Seeing Nat be the champion she is has made me ever more excited to see the person her son is going to be. In a 2020 that has been so difficult at so many times, I continue to feel so thankful for my wife, son, and our families. #beautyinthebleak
P.S. The first picture features Alex beside a baby picture of Nat, so far he has definitely been his mother’s son.
