WRIGLEYVILLE — If Dave and Erin Hettinger have it their way, the newborn they had July 17 will grow up to be just like his namesake.
And judging by Theo Hettinger's decidedly calm demeanor, he's already got the cool-under-pressure vibes of Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein down pat.
"You know, as a father, obviously you want your kid to grow up looking up to those role models and those leaders," first-time father Dave said. "And everything we read about Theo [Epstein] and understand what he's done made it feel right."
Baby Theo is one of a higher-than-usual number of babies born this July around Chicago, which some parents and doctors are attributing to the emotionally charged World Series nine months ago.
"We had been trying to get pregnant, and we just needed that extra bit of Cubs luck," Erin Hettinger said Wednesday.
Well, Cubs luck and "just enough Champagne," her husband added with a laugh.
New parents Dave and Erin Hettinger hold baby Theo, who was born July 17 among a bump in births attributed anecdotally to the Cubs World Series championship. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]
It's normal to see more babies born during the summer at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Lakeview, said Dr. Melissa Dennis, vice chairman of obstetrics and gynecology.
But it seems the number of deliveries has spiked even more than usual after a particularly thrilling October for many North Siders, Dennis said.
"We don't really have to dig for this information — many people are just talking about where they were when they think they conceived, and given the entire city was celebrating the Cubs' victory, we're pretty clear on what they were doing at the time," Dennis said. "It's almost like a badge of honor: This is a World Series baby."
To celebrate their historic beginnings, the Cubs joined hospital staff Wednesday to welcome four of the newest Cubbies with Rookie of the Year onesies, pinstripe beanie caps and photos with the Commissioner's Trophy.
Parents of newborns who were conceived around the time of the Cubs World Series run pose with the championship trophy and their babies. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]
Of course, it's nearly impossible to say for certain whether the infants were conceived on World Series game days, Dennis noted.
"Scientifically, we can get really darn close, but unless someone goes through a [in vitro fertilization] cycle, it's impossible to say, 'This is the exact moment conception occurred,'" she said. "But it's more fun to think it's Cubs-related than just our normal ebb and flow."
In her 14 years at Illinois Masonic, Dennis said the only spike more significant than this month's was attributed to the 2011 blizzard in Chicago that many deemed a "snowpocalypse."
Even some parents whose loyalties lie outside Cubs territory were swept up in the fun of the month.
Virginia and Andrew Iverson of Logan Square were about to be discharged Wednesday, one day after their baby Rita was born. They were caught by surprise when hospital staff presented the Cubs swag for their daughter, who is named after both their grandmothers.
With a Sox fan for a mother and a dad who prefers the Milwaukee Brewers, Rita still joined her tiny peers for a photo next to the trophy.
Second-time mother Virginia Iverson puts a Cubs pinstripe beanie on her baby daughter Rita, who was born July 25, nine months after the Cubs World Series. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]
Even though her parents aren't die-hard Cubs fans, both were excited to see the Cubs go all the way after a 108-year championship drought.
"It was surreal after watching the Cubs in the past," Andrew Iverson said. "The ups and downs and then them finally doing it was pretty unbelievable."
Unlike the Iversons, the Pelnars said they knew from the beginning their baby would be either an Addison or a Clark — for obvious reasons. They settled on Addison for their baby boy, who was born July 16 at Illinois Masonic.
The Hettingers, though, waited it out to decide whether Theo was meant to be a Theo.
"We didn't tell anybody what his name was going to be, because we weren't sure," Erin Hettinger said. "But when he came out, it just felt right. He looked like a Theo."
The couple considered several other names that weren't Cubs-related, although they already had a list of names ready from when they picked out a name for Maddon, one of their two Boston terriers.
But little Theo "just didn't look like a Rizzo," his mother said.
Theo has jumped 12 spots in popularity as a baby name since last year, according to U.S. data and information from Babycenter.com and Babynames.com users. Addison has skyrocketed in popularity for boys and remains one of the top 40 names for girls so far this year, although it picked up in frequency about 10 years ago and has inched down the list recently.
Clark hasn't become much more popular, and Maddon remains relatively obscure. Wrigley is slowly climbing in popularity, and Kris, Bryant and Rizzo are ranked pretty low in terms of frequency.
Specifically in Illinois, 293 baby girls were named Addison in 2016, making it the 19th most popular name for girls. Theodore, easily shortened to Theo for boys, was No. 46 for Illinois baby boys last year.
The Cubs brought their World Series championship trophy to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center on Wednesday to celebrate babies born nine months after the championship. [DNAinfo/Ariel Cheung]
What was clear to the Hettingers, though, was that Theo or not, their child was destined to be a Cubs fan. It's in his blood, and already part of his own short history.
"It was a sin in my house to be anything other than a Cubs fan," said Erin, who grew up in Schaumburg and now lives in Barrington. Her cousin already has passed down a vintage 1984 Cubs jacket to little Theo.
Granted, it will take a few more years before he can fit into it.
