By Leyna Krow, Assistant Editor, JTNews
Even though Jenny Fox and Brian Eckerling had nine months to prepare themselves for the birth of their first child, Eckerling admits that having a baby in the house remains something of a shock.
“I think we still only like 30 percent get it — that this is our daughter,” Eckerling said.
Anna Eleanor Eckerling was born at Northwest Hospital on Sat., Sept. 19 at 2:47 a.m., making her the first Jewish baby of 5770.
“For the most part, we just sit around and take turns holding her and looking at her,” Eckerling said of Anna. “It’s like a campfire, where you can’t stop staring.”
Fox echoed her husband’s sense of wonder and enthusiasm.
“She’s amazing,” Fox said. “It’s all so new, but she’s been lovely so far.”
Both parents said they were relieved that Anna was born healthy and has thus far been fairly easy to handle.
“Everyone has these horror stories. We didn’t know what to expect, but she’s been relatively low demand, knock on wood,” Eckerling said.
He added that his daughter is “a good eater” and as of Thursday was already back to her birth weight of 6 pounds, 10 ounces.
Fox’s parents are visiting from Maryland for two weeks to help out with the new baby. Rather than the conventional titles of “Grandma” and “Grandpa,” they want Anna to call them the German equivalents, “Oma” and “Opa,” as a reflection of the family’s heritage.
Fox’s brother will also arrive from New York this weekend and Eckerling noted that since Anna’s birth, they’ve had a near-constant stream of visitors and well-wishers.
“It’s almost like a wedding, but in slow motion because it keeps going,” he said. “So many people have been so supportive, bringing gifts and hand-me-downs, visiting, cooking meals
for us, offering advice. It’s really
wonderful.”
The family resides in Ballard. Eckerling is a massage therapist at Dream Clinic in Ravenna. Fox had been working for Amazon as a site merchandizer, but has put her career on hold for the time being to be a full-time mom.