Roger Wong/INFphoto.comIt's pretty darn clear that Jimmy Fallon loves being a daddy, but the months and years leading up to Winnie Rose's arrival were far from easy.
In an interview that aired Tuesday on Today, the Late Night host revealed that before he and wife Nancy Juvonen welcomed their daughter via surrogacy on July 23, 2013, they faced significant fertility struggles.
"We've tried a bunch of things," he said. "Anyone who's tried will know, it's just awful."
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Because of their rocky road to parenthood, Jimmy and Nancy didn't make a public announcement that they were expecting. "We tried before, we told people and then it didn't happen," he said. "And it's just really depressing. It's really hard on everybody."
Jimmy even offered up a message of hope and some advice for couples currently struggling to conceive, saying, "We tried for a long time—for five years—and I know people have tried for a lot longer than that...If there's anyone out there who's trying and just losing hope, just hang in there. Try every avenue. Try anything you can do, because you'll get there. You'll end up with a family and it's so worth it."
Now, Jimmy describes being a parent to 3-week-old Winnie Rose as "the most unbelievable thing," adding giddily, "I'm so happy."
But just where does Winnie's name come from? "It's not Winnie-the-Pooh at all…though I do love Winnie-the-Pooh," dad said. "My wife and I got engaged in New Hampshire at this lake house that her family's had forever, and it's on Lake Winnipesaukee. And so we went there every summer as we were dating."
Winnipesaukee seemed a bit too long (and hard to pronounce), but Winnie was just right.
Another plus? "Winnie from The Wonder Years is the coolest girl in any TV show ever," Jimmy noted. "And also, she's a 'win' for us."
Holy adorable.
(E! and Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)