Willow Hazel Washburn was born a healthy 8.3 pounds (3.7kg) baby on the morning of Friday 27th of October.

Mrs. Clapp, Mrs. Washburn’s close friend, and Mr. Washburn shared that both Mrs. Washburn and the baby are safe and healthy, and already settling in at home. According to Mrs. Clapp, giving birth for the second time is a little bit easier, although still very challenging. “She is doing much better, she is still recovering and … tired!” added Mr. Washburn.
The inspiration behind the name Willow Hazel Washburn is a combination of a fresh and outdoorsy first name, picked by Mrs. Washburn, with the middle name of Mr. Washburn’s grandmother. Both parents feel happy about the choice and think it greatly represents their values.

Initially Mr. and Mrs. Washburn stayed at home to take care of the newborn. “They are a really good team, so they take turns on everything,” said Mrs. Clapp. Mrs. Washburn is in charge of taking care of the baby during the day, “we split the night evenly in shifts, to make it balance as much as possible,” said Mr. Washburn.

One of Mrs. Clapp’s favorite memories with Mrs. Washburn was how she prepared for the baby to arrive. Willow was born in October and the majority of her mom’s preparation was Halloween-themed. Mrs. Clapp shared, “I remembered the first day of October, I walked past her house and it was entirely decorated in Halloween gear.”

“There was an excitement when finding out she is pregnant, and it is always special when you see the baby and hold them for the first time. Plus we moved into the new house so a lot of big things happened this year,” Mr. Washburn said.

According to Mr. Washburn, the challenge of being a father of two instead of one is trying to give their first daughter attention. “While taking care of Willow, we also have to give as much attention to our first daughter,” Mr. Washburn points out.

Mrs. Washburn will return to school around March of 2024 and will be holding the same position as before she left, the head of the history department as well as Innovation and impact teacher. Moreover, Mrs. Washburn will become EF Academy’s Associate Dean for Professional Learning and Growth starting in August of 2024. Let’s wish Mrs. Washburn and Willow to stay healthy, so we can see them back on campus as soon as possible.