When a Missouri dad welcomed his third child on March 26, it was a pretty big day. Already the father of two girls, having his first son brought with it a whole new kind of excitement. This baby was special, not just because he was a boy but also because he was born on his dad's 34th birthday. But it gets better. The little guy was also born on his grandfather's birthday. Not only do they share a birthday, but they also share a name.
Daniel Lesinski III came into the world at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis, the same hospital where his dad was born on the same day in 1990. Daniel Lesinski Jr. tells CafeMom that he and his wife, Heidi, were just hoping to grow the family and had no idea they would carry on such an incredible family tradition.
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There was no glorious plan by any of the Lesinski women to deliver on the same day.
Danny, as he is referred to by family, says his mom, Cindy, went into labor naturally and coincidentally gave birth to him on his dad Dan's birthday. His father was born on March 26, 1957, and because they shared the same birthday, the parents thought having a junior would be fun.
"Quite honestly I am the fourth-born son, no sisters, and since it was on my dad's birthday that I was born he decided to have a junior. So really there wasn't a ton of pressure from my dad, but I always liked being named after my dad and thought a third would be special," Danny says.
The couple always had the name in the back of their minds.
The doting dad says he and his wife share two daughters, 5-year-old Elaine Jo and Avis Jane, who will be 3 in a few days. Daniel Nelson III was always a top choice during their pregnancies.
Heidi miscarried last year, so there was never a plan to conceive in the hopes of having a March 26 baby. "We weren't going for a specific birth month or date; we just wanted to grow our family," Danny tells us.
Danny's son was born on his birthday because of the doctor's decision.
He explains that March 26 wasn't Heidi's due date, but the decision to deliver came from the doctor.
"My wife was induced on the night of March 25 at 39 weeks as recommended by her doctor due to the baby measuring big the entire pregnancy. We were hoping to avoid a C-section due to the baby's predicted size but ended up delivering in an emergency C-section on the morning of Tuesday, March 26," Danny says.
He adds how proud he is of his wife and that she made that happen: "[I] just want people to know how special I feel to be able to share a birthday with my father and son. I also would like for people to know how grateful every husband should feel for the woman in their life. To be able to deliver such a miracle gift as a new baby makes them superheroes in my eyes."
Danny always loved being a junior.
Not only did Danny share his birthday with his dad, but it was also his godfather's birthday. He's the youngest in his family, so it gave Danny and his dad something special apart from his brothers.
"I always thought it was really cool being a junior and a fourth-born son. Growing up, I felt it was extra special because I shared it with not only my dad but also my godfather, Uncle Phil. We typically did something special to celebrate, but now I look forward to new traditions with our new addition," Danny says.
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Now, the family has to decide what to call the baby.
Grandpa is Dan, and Danny says that he may be passing Danny down to the new baby because his nieces and nephews have given him another moniker.
"Various nicknames are being thrown around, as we have already seen some confusion within the first 24 hours! My nieces and nephews call me Uncle D so maybe I will make the switch to just 'D' and my son can carry on Danny," he reveals.
The newest Danny is lucky grandchild number 13 for Dan and Cindy and is acutally the third Danny in the family. The very first Lesinski grandchild is also named Danny. "Going to make holidays that we get together that much more funny when someone says 'Danny," the proud dad joked.
He added he's not too worried about the potential confusion. "been seeing comments online about how crazy we are for tax purposes and credit scores, but I say bring it on! Such a cool tradition!"
Congratulations to the whole family. We can't wait to see that first birthday smash cake celebration.
