Little Jack is turning 5!
Chris Pratt and Anna Faris’s only child is celebrating his birthday today, 5 years after his premature birth kept him in the NICU for a month and put his parents through an emotional rollercoaster.
His fifth birthday comes amid Faris and Pratt’s split, which the former couple announced on August 6. The two focused on Jack in their joint statement as they asked for privacy.
“Our son has two parents who love him very much and for his sake we want to keep this situation as private as possible moving forward,” they said.
In the past, both Pratt and Faris have often spoken their love for Jack and their lives as parents—and candid about his scary arrival long ahead of the actress’ due date.
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In Redbook magazine’s March 2015 issue, Faris revealed that she went into labor with Jack nine weeks before he was due. “My water broke in the middle of the night at seven months,” she said. “We rushed to the hospital and they were able to halt active labor with magnesium.”
Though Faris was put on bed rest for four weeks in an attempt to delay her delivery, she went into labor again after just seven days. “I was in denial. For hours I was like, ‘I’m just having indigestion,’” the Mom star revealed.
“Chris and I were so scared, but then Jack came out and, even though he was so tiny, he looked so good to us,” Faris revealed of Jack’s August 2012 premature birth. Jack then spent a month in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) before being discharged. Said Faris of the emotionally challenging time, “It’s one of those things that drives you apart or makes you closer.”
In 2014, Pratt further told People of Jack’s time in the NICU, “We were scared for a long time. We prayed a lot.”
“It restored my faith in God, not that it needed to be restored, but it really redefined it,” the actor said. “The baby was so beautiful to us, and I look back at the photos of him and it must have been jarring for other people to come in and see him, but to us he was so beautiful and perfect.”
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The next year, Pratt spent five months away from his brood while filming Guardians of the Galaxy in London, later admitting he “was worried” that Jack “wasn’t going to recognize” him after all the time apart—but he was pleasantly surprised.
Technology also helped the pair keep in touch while Pratt was promoting the film, and then shooting Jurassic World. Dad and son stayed in close contact through “FaceTime, phone calls, videos, pictures, Skype and things like that,” the actor previously told People.
“He’s becoming very vocal, and things he’s saying now are just really special. Every day it’s something new,” the Parks and Recreation alum added of his little guy.
In 2016, Faris expressed her desire to have another child with Pratt, revealing on her podcast Anna Faris is Unqualified, “Chris’ face when Jack was being born is unforgettable,” she added. “He was holding my hand and he was just sobbing. I was scared he would be turned off by the whole thing … That was amazing, seeing his face.”
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“We both love kids, Chris and I have both dreamed about having a big family,” Faris continued. “But I didn’t love pregnancy … I was just bored. I was uncomfortable at times, and Jack came early. He came two months early, so now I’m in a high-risk pregnancy category, but I would love to.”
Pratt definitely shared in the desire for a second child. In November 2013, he told Ellen DeGeneres after sharing that he’d recently dreamed that they’d had another baby, “I would like more [kids]. I would have another one right away. We’ve talked about it. [Jack]’s pretty awesome.”
The Passengers actor opened up in December 2014 about the couple’s emotional journey during Jack’s birth, speaking at a March of Dimes Hollywood Luncheon.
“Our little Jack didn’t want to be an October baby. He wanted to be born in summer, I guess. Anna woke me up in the middle of the night and she told me that her water had just broke. It was two and a half months early. Oh baby. Ready or not,” he recalled.
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When their son made his appearance, though, Pratt admitted “It was just the best feeling I’ve ever had.”
“My little boy just laying across my neck and my chest, and feeling my heart beat and feeling the love,” he said. “I played him country music and I sang to him, and I made him promises in that moment … about what kind of dad I wanted to be and I just prayed that he’d live long enough to let me keep them.”