Anderson Cooper Says 'There's Nothing Better' Than Being Home with His Sons on Paternity Leave

Anderson Cooperis soaking up every moment of paternity leave. “It’s great to be able to come home and decompress,” he explained to co-hostsKelly RipaandRyan Seacrest. “Obviously my kids are asleep but I’ve taken the last couple of weeks off, it’s the longest I’ve been off, almost three weeks. I’ve never taken three weeks off before and it’s just been so amazing.” “And every night to be able to feed Wyatt and give him his milk, he falls asleep on my chest and there’s nothing better,” Cooper added.

Anderson Cooper Says He Feels 'Blissfully Happy and Lucky' to Have His Two Sons in New Photos

Photo: Anderson Cooper/Instagram Anderson Cooperis feeling grateful for his little ones. On Friday, the CNN anchor sharedtwo new photosfeaturing his sonsWyatt Morgan, 2, andSebastian Luke, 3 months, reflecting on how “lucky” he is to have his boys as he celebrates his 55th birthday. In the first shot, Cooper wraps his arm around Wyatt while the toddler gives a thumbs up. The second slide features a silly selfie with Cooper and Sebastian as the infant looks away from the camera.

Anderson Cooper Says He Loves 'Every Aspect' of Being a Dad: 'Wish I Had Done It Sooner'

Anderson Cooperwishes he wouldn’t have held off parenthood for so long. “I don’t think I would have made the decision if I didn’t feel I was really ready, and I definitely feel like this is absolutely what I should be doing. I wish I had done it sooner,” he says. “I’ve been able to spend whole days, all my time with him really, during this pandemic. It’s been amazing.” “I’ve never woken up early in the morning, but I now bolt out of bed at 7 without an alarm clock and I want to be there when he wakes up at 8:45,” adds Cooper of how his life has changed since entering fatherhood.

Anderson Cooper Says Mom Gloria Vanderbilt Wanted to Be Surrogate for Him at 85: 'Kind of Nutty'

Anderson Cooperknows firsthand that a mother will do anything for their child — and he meansanything! WhileappearingonThe Late Show with Stephen ColbertThursday, the 54-year-old journalist opened up about how his late mother,Gloria Vanderbilt, had offered to serve as a surrogate and carry a child for him when she was 85 years old. Cooper told hostStephen Colbertthat he’d never before shared the story about his mother, whodiedin 2019 at the age of 95.

Anderson Cooper Says New Book on Rise and Fall of Famous Vanderbilt Family Is 'a Letter to My Son'

For most of his life,Anderson Cooperhad no interest in the famous Vanderbilt family he was born into. But after the birth of his sonWyatt Morganin April 2020, the CNN anchor says he started to feel differently. “In some ways I wanted this to be a letter to my son,” Cooper, 54, says in this week’s PEOPLE cover story about Wyatt. In his new book (co-written with historian and novelist Katherine Howe)Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty(available Sept.