Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, spent Halloween in the hospital because one of their babies, son Joseph August, fell ill.
“Happy Halloween from these #twinfrastructure safety advocates!” Chasten captioned a pair of photos on Instagram Sunday that capture their little ones dressed as traffic cones.
While he didn’t reveal the reason why their baby, whom they call Gus, needed medical attention, he did say things are looking good.
“As you can see, we’re spending this Halloween in the hospital,” he wrote. “Gus has been having a rough go of it but we’re headed in the right direction.
“We’re so thankful for all of the love and support shown to our family these last few months. And also, for the dedicated and kind medical professionals who have helped take care of our two little pumpkins as they’ve grown stronger, healthier, and cuter.”
Pete Buttigieg announced in August that he and Chasten had become parents. In early September, they revealed they had welcomed two babies, Joseph August and Penelope Rose.
Buttigieg is the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who also ran for president in 2020. He is the first openly gay member of a presidential Cabinet to be confirmed by the Senate. He also came under fire for taking paternity leave.
“When somebody welcomes a new child into their family, and goes on leave to take care of that child that’s not a vacation, it’s work, it’s joyful, wonderful, fulfilling work, but it is work,” Buttigieg said on “Meet the Press” last month.
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson had previously appeared to mock that decision.
“Pete Buttigieg has been on leave from his job since August after adopting a child,” he said. “Paternity leave, they call it, trying to figure out how to breastfeed. No word on how that went.”
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