Ellery Lewis Ward

Ellery Lewis Ward was born at 5:37 a.m., September 2. He is 7 lbs. 8.5 oz; 21 inches long. He looks like a full-term baby, but he’s in the NICU right now for standard treatment for premies—he’s four weeks early. He is getting a little help with breathing. Mommy is resting peacefully.

Our doctor said, “He’s a little miracle,” because there was a (very rare) knot in the umbilical cord and a minor placental abruption that is probably what initiated the early labor.

“Ellery” is just a name we like, broadly British in derivation, just like “Aden.” “Lewis” comes from one of Daddy’s favorite authors, C. S. Lewis (following our trend of giving our boys the middle names of theologians—Aden’s middle name is “Edwards”).

He has dark hair like his sister, who was right in predicting his sex. “It’ll be a boy,” Merrill told us recently. “Because Aden needs somebody to play with.”