In Mary's personal letters....

[STS Lincolnite]

(08-05-2014 05:52 PM)L Verge Wrote:  ... or lovingly smiling at her as the cleaned up and swaddled baby lay in her arms.

That sounds right to me.

Mary stated "...at the birth..." (making it sound like she was addressing the broader event) and not "at the moment of birth". I don't know how long Mary was in labor or how difficult it was but I would suspect that her attention would have been on the job at hand, and not so much how her husband was looking at her. As a first time father to be with his wife in labor, I don't find it as likely that AL would be looking at his wife in what might be described as a calm, affectionate or "loving" manner. Loving yes, but maybe not appearing so; I would think he would have been pacing and panicked during labor - I know I would be.

I think that same first time father, looking at his wife holding their newborn, healthy son definitely would be looking at them in the most happy, loving and supportive of manners. Just the way he should.

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(08-05-2014 06:12 PM)LincolnToddFan Wrote:  Dr William Wallace, husband of Mary's sister Frances, delivered Willie.

Was Willie named after this doctor and brother-in-law?