Richard Engeland his wife Mary Forrest are feeling grateful now that they’ve brought the newest member of their family home from the hospital.
“Theo is doing great and is drinking like a champ,” the couple tells PEOPLE. “He’s out of the hospital and is already getting stronger. Go Theo go.”
“We know it isn’t always this easy and are immensely grateful and thankful,” they add.
Courtesy Richard Engel
Engel, 45,announced Theo’s arrivalon Monday on theTodayshow, saying that the tiny tot’s arrival is opening a new chapter for their family. Engel and Forrest also share son 3-year-old son Henry, who wasdiagnosed with Rett syndromein 2017, a rare genetic neurological disorder that leads to severe physical and cognitive impairments and, as of now, has no cure.
“Life has twists, turns and new beginnings,” Engel continued. “This is Theo’s first chapter, and a new one for our family. We’re excited, nervous and thankful.”
Engel and Forrest have been candid about their son Henry’s diagnosis, and celebrate any milestones that Henry reaches, like sitting up unassisted orsaying “Dada” for the first time.
“We’re not looking for huge milestones,”Forrest told PEOPLElast year.
Theo.
And those little things,Engel said in an essay published in March, light up his world.
“To parents with typically developing children, a little Dada may not seem like a big deal,” Engel said. “But for me it was a validation, an acknowledgment that he’s in there, knows me, knows that his mother and I are forces for good in his life, and above all, that he loves us.”
“It was something I’d been waiting for for years,” the proud father (now of two!) said. “A lot of parents, it happens naturally, it happens early on. Henry’s situation is different.”
Engel added, “My world lit up.”
source: people.com
