Former Rhode Island congressman Patrick Kennedy and his wife took their baby girl home from a New Jersey hospital today.
Nora Kara Kennedy was born Tuesday at a hospital in Pomona. She weighed 6 pounds and 11 ounces and measured 18 1/4 inches long, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Jennifer Tornetta said.
Patrick Kennedy is the son of the late Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy and nephew of former President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated 50 years ago tomorrow. He said this has been a bittersweet week for his relatives as they remember his uncle but his daughter's birth has made the time "a whole lot sweeter.''
"I think this is so symbolic of the circle of life and how life keeps moving foward," Kennedy said. "We can look back in time and think about what would have been had my uncles lived but we have to live for today and we have to live for the future and they would want us to do that and that's why this marks such a special occasion."
Amy Kennedy says baby Nora seems to have such a sweet disposition.
"She's not a crier. She seems very content. So far, so good," said mom.
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Patrick and Amy Kennedy were married in July 2011 and live in Absecon, Atlantic County, just southeast of Pomona. They have an 18-month-old son, Owen. Amy Kennedy also has a 5-year-old daughter, Harper, from a previous marriage.
Patrick Kennedy represented Rhode Island in the U.S. House of Representatives for 16 years. He left Congress in 2011 and since then has worked on several initiatives to improve mental health care, including One Mind for Research, an effort to improve funding for brain science and better coordinate research.
In October, he launched The Kennedy Forum, to bring mental health workers and advocates together to improve treatments for mental illnesses, addictions and intellectual disabilities.
Amy Kennedy is a school teacher.
