In Fort Worth, Monday’s buzz was quickly overshadowed by a momentous occasion for one local family: the birth of their newest member.
Alicia Alvarez delivered baby Sol Celeste at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center precisely at 1:04 p.m. She entered the world weighing 6 pounds and 9 ounces, arriving nine days earlier than expected.
“I started feeling contractions around 4,” Alicia Alvarez recounted. “I never imagined she would arrive during the eclipse.”
Navigating through labor pains, Alicia and her family’s primary concern was reaching the hospital in time. However, they encountered unexpected delays due to eclipse-related traffic.
“We encountered significant traffic because everyone was heading to witness the eclipse,” she explained. “It took us about an hour and 30 minutes to get here.”
As the sun began its temporary disappearance, Sol Celeste, whose name translates to “celestial sun” in Spanish, made her debut.
“While she was in the bassinet, I noticed the sky darkening,” Alicia Alvarez recalled.
The decision to name their daughter Sol was made months prior, a choice rooted in familial symbolism. Their elder daughter had been named Luna, meaning “moon” in Spanish.
“I wanted names that harmonized. So, the continuous theme of Sun and Moon seemed perfect, symbolizing continuous love,” Alicia explained.
Carlos Alvarez, an Army veteran and the proud father, expressed his astonishment at the timing of Sol’s birth.
“It was truly surprising. I never imagined that day would bring both the eclipse and the arrival of our baby,” he remarked.
Reflecting on the serendipity of the moment, the Alvarezes find solace in the belief that cosmic forces were at play.
“You start to think, ‘Perhaps there’s a greater purpose behind it all,’ something beyond our control,” Carlos mused.
Alicia Alvarez shared her disbelief at the unique alignment of events.
“The fact that I have a moon already, and now I have a sun and a moon, and she was born during the eclipse. The odds of that, it’s just surreal,” she marveled.
