PROUD York father Chris Watts held his baby daughter Olivia for the first time -and declared: "She's gorgeous."
The soldier, who returned home to Fulford yesterday from Iraq, was unfazed at the prospect of being woken up at night by her crying.
He said it was nothing compared to waking during a chemical alert in the desert and rushing to put on a Nuclear Biological and Chemical protection suit.
Corporal Watts was speaking after being reunited with his wife, Susan, who gave birth to Olivia on April 1, right in the middle of the Gulf conflict.
"It's great to be back," said the 27-year-old soldier, who is based at Imphal Barracks with 2 Signal Regiment.
He said he was yet to change his first nappy, but had already had a go at feeding Olivia. "But I handed her back and went out and mowed the lawn instead!"
Chris and Susan had hoped originally he would be present at the birth. They thought the war might have started earlier and ended even more quickly, and they also expected Olivia to arrive a couple of weeks later.
Updated: 11:17 Thursday, May 01, 2003
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