In case you hadn't heard, my son was born two days ago. Eli "the handsome guy" Alba was a healthy 8 pounds 6 ounces. I am so incredibly humbled to have this little person in my life. We've talked a lot about how awesome he is, and deservedly so; he's great! But right now I want to focus on somebody else. Andrea, Eli's mom, is also awesome.
Before I was married I knew I wanted to have kids. Naturally, that's something I thought about when Andrea and I were seriously dating. I knew she would be a good mother, but I never thought she would transition into this role with the grace and deftness that she's demonstrated. What a privilege it's been to watch her! She's a natural!
For one, She's loves this new person with such an intense ferocity that it's almost scary. Seriously, don't get in between her and her little Eli. She would do anything for him.
Andrea is also incredibly selfless. She literally sacrificed her body to give him life. It's no surprise that birthing a child is incredibly painful. But that pain will continue for weeks as her body heals from the trauma. She has already lost sleep making sure he's adequately fed and will continue to lose sleep while he chubs up. She's given her body, time, and energy to her son.
She's also STRONG! It's a joke in my family that Andrea is a "fragile flower." We laugh about her long skinny arms and wonder how she's able to lift a gallon of milk. Well the joke's on us! You should have seen her pushing. She was a champ during the marathon labor and delivery and I am very impressed with her physical stamina. If she can birth an 8-pound child, she can do anything.
I have no doubt that Andrea will continue to be a strong, selfless and loving mother. I'm so excited to watch the relationship between Eli and Andrea develop over the years. They're going to be quite the duo, in part because of Andrea's awesome qualities. Congratulations, Andrea. You're a great mother!
