The start of something wonderful. Tom Pelphrey gushed about experiencing first-time parenthood shortly after he and Kaley Cuoco welcomed their daughter, Matilda.
“It’s so beautiful. I was excited for it and you obviously have some idea of what it might be and how it cool it might be,” the Ozark alum, 40, told E! News on Tuesday, April 18. “Nothing compares to the actual feeling. It’s so wild.”
Pelphrey noted that the couple have been in awe of every moment with their newborn. “Even if she’s fussy or you haven’t slept as much. When holding Matilda and she makes those little noises and coos, your heart just melts,” he shared. “All I want to do is sit at home with Kaley and the baby and never leave the house. It’s a miracle. We’re so happy.”
According to the actor, the most surprising adjustment is how easily he has taken to fatherhood.
“The biggest surprise for me right off the bat was how comfortable I felt,” he added. “The only experience I’ve ever had with infants or newborns in the past [is that] my brother has two beautiful girls. I got to be around them and other family members. But I was always one of those guys [saying], like, ‘Oh, I don’t know if I want to hold the baby. I don’t want to break it. That seems too small.'”
The Outer Range star has since found his rhythm while looking after his own little one.
“I dove right in and I felt like I immediately understood how to hold her and how to support her little head,” he said. “I was changing all the diapers in the hospital. Kaley got a kick out of that. It was amazing in a surprising and beautiful and magical way how intuitively I felt like I understood how to take care of this baby and what she needed.”
Earlier this month, Cuoco, 37, and Pelphrey announced the arrival of their first child. “3-30-23 💓 Introducing, Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey, the new light of our lives! We are overjoyed and grateful for this little miracle 💓,” the Big Bang Theory alum captioned an Instagram post on April 1, which included photos from her baby girl’s first days. “Thank you to the doctors , nurses , family and friends who have helped us immensely over the last few days. We are blessed beyond belief 💗 @tommypelphrey didn’t think I could fall even more in love with you , but I did 💗.”
The New Jersey native shared his own glimpse of the newborn at the time, writing via Instagram, “My heart is full of love and gratitude for this miracle…. 🤍Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey 🤍3/30. Eternally grateful for the strength and bravery of my soulmate and best friend @kaleycuoco. You are incredible. 💪♥️.”
The pair announced in October 2022 that they were expecting a baby. Cuoco’s pregnancy reveal came five months after she and Pelphrey went public with their romance. (The Flight Attendant star finalized her divorce from Karl Cook in April 2022 after four years of marriage.)
After their daughter’s arrival, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Cuoco and Pelphrey couldn’t be happier about starting the next chapter of their lives.
“Kaley and Tom are on cloud nine! They’re so in love with Matilda and call her ‘Tilly’ for short,” the insider told Us. “Matilda is the spitting image of Tom as a baby and she has brought the couple even closer together. They’d told very close friends about the due date but wanted to make an official announcement themselves on Instagram.”
