Katie Couric Introduces Her New Grandson — & Reveals the Poignant Meaning Behind His Name
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Katie Couric is officially a grandma! The former Today co-anchor announced in a sweet and intimate post that her daughter Ellie and son-in-law Mark welcomed a baby boy over the weekend. “I have a new screensaver,” the Katie Couric Media founder said. “It’s my brand-new Grandson.”
Couric detailed her Saturday morning on her site: How she got a text from Mark with an estimate of when to arrive at the hospital but that Ellie was quick to “push out that baby.” How she got the “IT’S A BOY!” text. And how she, her daughter Carrie, and her husband John Molner waited outside the maternity wing “like kids on Christmas morning.”
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Most special of all, she detailed the poignant meaning behind her grandson’s name. John Albert Dobrosky was lovingly named after the many Johns in Ellie’s life. There’s her late father, John Monahan, her stepfather, her paternal grandfather, and her Uncle Johnny. “The branches of our family are covered in J’s!!” Couric joked.
As for “Albert,” that’s in honor of Mark’s paternal grandfather.
Baby John will be called “Jay” after Monahan, who tragically died from colon cancer in 1998. It’s a tribute that Couric called “both moving and bittersweet.”
“Major milestones remind me of everything Jay has missed,” Couric said. “Graduations, weddings, and now this. He would be so thrilled to meet his namesake.”
“Both he and Mark played lacrosse in college,” she continued. “In my mind’s eye, I can see them tossing the ball around with their sticks, teaching little Jay how to play the game in the park.”
Earlier this month, Couric spoke at the SHE Media Co-Lab Whole Life Health event at SXSW about the importance of colonoscopies and other cancer screening options, urging attendees to speak with their doctors.
“I think of everything that my husband missed,” she said. “… He’s not going to be here to have a grandchild and I just don’t want you or anyone you love or know or care about to miss those moments.”
Late last year, Couric shared that she was going to be a grandma in a sweet Instagram post. In perfect Swiftie fashion, Couric’s daughters gave her a surprise “Granny-to-Be” friendship bracelet. But as of March 23, 2024 at 8:23 a.m., it seems Couric needs a new bracelet!
From Kelly to Mackenzie, here are a few gorgeous girl names that were once more common for boys.
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