Welcome to the family, Mattie Marie Sheehan

(PEORIA, ILLINOIS) — 2025 is just days away.

We had a whirlwind Christmas. You could call this year the gift that keeps on giving, since we still have to celebrate with the other side of our family.

But the greatest gift of 2025 was the birth of our sweet daughter, Mattie Marie Sheehan.

Her due date was supposed to be December 18th, but she must get her stubbornness from her daddy, as she wasn’t born until the 23rd. Which is actually perfect, because now every single year we get to have a 3-day “Christmas extravaganza,” starting with her birthday.

It was always important to Rachel and I that if we ever had kids in December, their birthdays would get their time to shine apart from Christmas. We were nervous, as we quickly approached Christmas and baby girl still wasn’t born yet. But now that she gets her own day, we have peace about the whole situation.

Like her brother, Mattie was born at more than 8 pounds and 20 inches tall. Her head is in the 94th percentile, as Bennett’s was in the 99th percentile. We had an amazing experience at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. The staff was terrific, making Rachel feel cared for and safe the entire time.

During Bennett’s birth, the epidural did not work on Rachel. This was something we prayed for all 9 months of her pregnancy, that it would work during Mattie’s. And it did, praise God.

Yes, Mattie is named after me. But for the record, it wasn’t my idea. Rachel had this name in her mind (without telling me, of course) since when she was pregnant with Bennett. In case we had a girl, she loved the name Mattie. So here we are!

Marie has a few meanings for us. It’s the middle name for Rachel’s grandmothers on both sides of the family, as well as the middle name of one of Rachel’s former residents at the Boulevard Senior Living in St. Charles, MO.

Velma, the resident, was a WWII veteran and was even honored at the Missouri Capitol for her service. She was amazing, and we were blessed to see her earlier this year before her passing. She was 104-years-old. Her and Bennett were BFFs.

Mattie looks exactly like Bennett when he was a baby. Her bright eyes are captivating, with a beautiful face and chubby cheeks.

We love our Mattie Marie so much, and are so joyful that she’s finally here.

Bennett has been an amazing big brother, saying “I love you, Mattie” and “goodnight, baby sis” every day. He’s very caring and protective of her, and I can’t wait to see their bond grow as time goes on.

It’s the perfect way to end 2024, and I pray you have a great rest of the year, too.