With Father's Day approaching, SJEarthquakes.com sat down with the club's newest dad to talk about adjusting to life with newborn twin girls. The Leitch Twins were born on Friday, June 3, beginning a new chapter in Chris' life. Read up on his experience so far:
SJEQ: Which is more tiring: Playing 90 minutes or taking care of twin girls?
CL: Probably the former, although it would probably be the latter if not for my wife and mother-in-law who are taking a lot of the work, especially at night time. (Laughs) Both are tiring for sure.
SJEQ: Has having kids helped your game at practice so far?
CL: I think it gives you more to play for to be honest with you. I think some people are worried about having kids and coming in tired and not being able to perform, but I haven’t seen that happen at all. If anything it has inspired me to do a little bit better. It gives me extra motivation for sure.
SJEQ: What do you remember most about the day they were born?
CL: Even though I thought about and tried to prepare for twins the whole nine months, seeing two of them in the same bassinet right next to my wife thirty seconds after the surgery was just surreal. I’ll never forget that.
SJEQ: Who was the first teammate to congratulate you?
CL: All of them were great. They threw me showers before and helped me out throughout the whole process. Even the other wives now are organizing some dinners to bring by the house for my wife and I, so that’s a humongous help. I actually came back to training later on that day. As I walked in they all clapped and came up and shook my hand which is kind of cool. This team has been great in that regard. It was pretty funny watching 30 guys come into a shower with pink boxes with ribbons stuck on there, and obviously that’s not their favorite thing to do on a Sunday afternoon, but it’s really nice to have that kind of support.
SJEQ: It’s a Friday night and you and your wife want to go on a date. Which teammate would you choose to be the babysitter?
CL: Oh wow. That's a tough one. Jon Busch has some pretty good hands, so he won’t drop them. Anything Wondo touches turns to gold, so he would be a pretty good choice. Sam Cronin reminds me of a forty-five year old professor, so any one of those three.
SJEQ: Has Earthquakes Club Ambassador and close friend Kelly Gray given you any tips for changing diapers?
CL: Kelly Gray ... without him I would probably just be staring at my twins right now. Yeah, he had Cooper about a year ago, and he’s a good friend of mine. We were teammates and have continued to be good friends after. He’s definitely given me his knowledge and he has really helped out. Kelly is a great guy.
SJEQ: Is there a soccer ball in the cradle yet?
CL: Not yet. With two girls, the cradles are full. But soon enough, for sure there will be.
SJEQ: Do you think you will coach any of their soccer teams?
CL: I’m sure I will. I want to be as involved as I can. Whatever they’re into, even if it’s not soccer, I will be totally cool with. I plan on being very involved.
SJEQ: What is the best and worst thing about being a father?
CL: The best thing is that you kind of have two little you's in the world now, and you were the primary reason for that. That kind of gives you a sense of satisfaction. I come from a big family and so does Katherine so it’s nice that now we have started our own family. It just seems right. The worst thing is continuing to make sure they’re breathing. Sometimes they’re so quiet you just go over there to make sure they’re still breathing. Just the worrying a little bit, but that’s dissipating now. You gain confidence after having them for a couple days.
