James Van Der Beek On His Infant Son: “Thank God For Surprises”

Dawson’s Creek heartthrob James Van Der Beek is all grown up, and waxing philosophical about the lessons he’s learned in welcoming baby number six. In October 2021, Van Der Beek, 45, and his wife, Kimberly, 40, announced the surprise arrival of baby Jeremiah. The couple kept this pregnancy under wraps after having experienced two late-term losses in 2019 and 2020.

Van Der Beek recently posted four photographs of himself holding the five-month-old. With the orange glow of the sun in the background, the baby’s endless cheeks still manage to steal the show.

“Thank god for the surprises. For the detours,” wrote Van Der Beek. “We weren’t trying for more kids. We were done. But fortunately, this chunky little angel knew better.”

The actor and his wife live on a 36-acre ranch in Texas with baby Jeremiah and their five other children: Olivia, 11, Joshua, 10, Annabel, 8, Emilia, 6, and Gwendolyn, 3.

“When I hold him,” Van Der Beek continued, “I’m reminded of the benevolent forces out there likely laughing at my agenda and waiting for me to toss my ‘clarity’ for an upgraded reality. Thank god for surprises… and thank god we SUCK at not getting pregnant. 😍”

When the couple announced Jeremiah’s arrival in October, Van Der Beek was open about how a cervical cerclage — a suture to help keep the cervix from opening prematurely — allowed his wife to carry this pregnancy to term.

“After experiencing late-term #pregnancyloss twice in a row (both at 17+ weeks), we kept this one quiet. Truthfully, I was terrified when I found out,” Van Der Beek wrote in a post sharing photos of each person in the family holding their newest member.

“Each child brings their own energy, their own manifestation of consciousness, their own lessons. The ones we lost each gifted us with different pieces of the puzzle… leaving us that much more grateful for the ongoing master class we get to enjoy with this sweet, wise little one.”