Hamels and wife expecting a son
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Cole Hamels is expecting a son, the lefthander told The Inquirer yesterday. The Phillies' ace, 25, and his wife Heidi Strobel, 30, learned Monday that their first child will be a boy.
Strobel is nearly six months pregnant. The couple intended to travel to Ethiopia in December to adopt a child, but the pregnancy has forced a delay in those plans of six to nine months.
"We still plan on adopting," Hamels said. The pregnancy "is something we were planning on doing anyway. We're going to adopt a girl, and it will be great for her to grow up with a brother. They'll be like twins."
Hamels and Strobel have shown a consistent interest in Africa. The Cole Hamels Foundation aims to improve education in American inner cities as well as in Malawi, where the couple initially planned to adopt a child. But Malawian rules require parents to live in the country for a year before adoption, so the family turned to Ethiopia.
"We're excited," Hamels said of the pregnancy. "Hopefully we'll be headed for the World Series when it happens."
Lucky kid.
