Our first baby — a tiny, cherished little potato named Catarina.
MEET CATARINA
On March 1, 2025, our first baby was born — a daughter named Catarina.
I have loved the name Catherine since I was young. It is my favorite female name. We regionalized it to Spanish and Brazilian — Catarina — and the coincidence with my wife’s story made it even better: she is Brazilian, born and raised in the state of Santa Catarina.
She was born tiny — 2.730 kg and 49 cm — just like us. I am tall but slim, my wife is small and slim, and Catarina came out matching the family recipe perfectly.
She is the first granddaughter on both sides of the family, so she is cherished a lot. And she deserves every bit of it.
THE DAY SHE WAS BORN
Catarina was born at Hospital Real San Jose. Thanks to my job’s insurance, we did not pay anything — and they also gave me 4 months of parental leave.
Labor started around midnight, but my wife thought they were farts. Classic.
At 9 AM the pain got real. By midday we went to see the doctor, and from there straight to the hospital.
Fun fact: my wife’s mother had arrived from Brazil just two days earlier. Perfect timing.
It was a natural birth. After we got to the room, my wife stood there for about 15 minutes — and then we went straight to the labor room. Less than an hour later, Catarina was here.
A small, cute little potato.
My wife tried to have her while standing, but it was too hard for her. Fair enough — she still got her out, and that is what matters.
BECOMING A DAD
I have wanted to be a dad since I was 20 years old. This is one of my greatest achievements.
It took me a long time to realize I was actually a dad. Not in theory — I knew she was mine — but in that deep, surreal way. My best memory so far is having her at the hospital. It felt unreal. Joyful. Like life had quietly shifted into something bigger.
Catarina slept pretty well. We never suffered too much from lack of sleep — though my wife definitely got the worse of it.
Funny enough, I balanced life quite well. I started waking up at 5 AM to play Tibia before the baby or my wife woke up. Life is good.
CONCLUSION
We made a human. A tiny one. A loved one.
Welcome to the world, Catarina — and welcome to the blog, little potato.
