An Ironic Birth During Terrorist Attacks in Washington
WASHINGTON – When baby Grace first opened her eyes last Thursday, the first people she saw were her father Senator Christopher Dodd, her mother Jackie Clegg and her Middle Eastern doctors who happen to be of the same ethnic origin as the prime suspects in the terrorist attacks that occurred in New York and Washington just two days before her birth.
Dodd’s face was glowing as he described the birth of his baby Grace. The seven-pound, 20-inch girl will be “for the rest of her life defining the time of her birth” in relation to last Tuesday’s attacks said her father. The 57-year-old, first time father waited to find out the sex of the baby, but his wife did not. Dodd, who was with his wife for the delivery, admired her strength. “Next time I have to get into a foxhole, I’d take a woman with me,” he said with a laugh.
He and his 39-year-old wife both selected the baby’s name. “We named her Grace, partly after our mothers, but also it seemed so fitting for last week when the world seemed so devoid of it,” Dodd said. The couple has not yet chosen a middle name for Grace.
Dodd said that Grace’s birth has definitely changed his life. “It’s not something that I thought was going to be a part of my life.” And he said he and his wife Jackie are learning what it means to be parents. “The baby’s great, baby’s terrific, the little creature doesn’t sleep. Only sleeps during the day.”
The doctor who delivered Grace was Iranian and the nurse Lebanese. Later that day, a pediatrician from Afghanistan cared for the baby and Dodd said he and his wife became friends with the Middle Eastern doctors.
“Here is this child being born in the midst of this and this little girl’s in the middle of this being born, and the people who are caring for her come from Iran and Afghanistan and the Middle East. It was mind bending; they were wonderful people, it was fascinating to talk to them. it so struck me the coincidence and all,” said Dodd.
For Dodd, everyday business including campaign fundraising has been put on hold because of the attacks and Grace’s delivery. “I’m taking care of a six-day-old baby, I’m not thinking about fundraising,” he laughed.
Despite last week’s events and the new legislation to be examined, Grace will be on his mind. ” I can’t tell you the sense of joy in having a healthy child at this point. It’s a wonderful gift, I mean the fact that she was born in the midst of all this is just something.”
“It was a pretty cool event,” he said warmly.
