Anderson Cooper recently opened up about a sweet moment he shared with his late mother, Gloria Vanderbilt, before her death.
The CNN anchor, who announced the birth of his son, Wyatt Morgan Cooper, via surrogate last week, said he was lucky to share his plans for fatherhood with Vanderbilt before she died on June 17, 2019.
"I was able to tell her shortly before she died that I was going to have a baby," he said during an appearance on "Live with Kelly and Ryan" on Monday. "Wyatt hadn't been created at that point -- he wasn't actually a being at that point -- but he was an idea in my head and I was in the process of it, and she was thrilled."
MORE: Anderson Cooper announces he is a father, praises surrogates everywhereIn his son's birth announcement, Cooper voiced his sadness over the loss of his family members.
"I do wish my mom and dad and my brother, Carter, were alive to meet Wyatt, but I like to believe they can see him," he wrote on Instagram. "I imagine them all together, arms around each other, smiling and laughing, happy to know that their love is alive in me and in Wyatt, and that our family continues."
Wyatt Cooper is named after Anderson Cooper's late father, who died when the news anchor was 10 years old. Wyatt's middle name, Morgan, is a family name from his Vanderbilt side.
"I know my mom and dad liked the name Morgan because I recently found a list they made 52 years ago when they were trying to think of names for me," Cooper detailed in his son's birth announcement.
During the news anchor's appearance on "Live with Kelly and Ryan," he expressed how happy he is to be experiencing life with his son.
"It's weird. I was trying to think about this last night, actually. I keep coming back to the word 'astonishing,'" Cooper said when co-host Ryan Seacrest asked what changes for him when he looks at his child. "It's amazing, astonishing... I just stare at him. Hours will go by and I realize I've just been sitting there holding him."
"After a baby's born, you do this thing skin-to-skin where you hold the baby on your chest. I still do that all the time," Cooper continued. "There's nothing better. He's like a little amphibious creature -- all curled up with his feet up and he's like a little tiny frog, or something. It's so cute, and I just can't help but stare at him."
MORE: Anderson Cooper pays tribute to late mom Gloria VanderbiltCooper also said he's become a coffee addict now that he's constantly staying up all night caring for his newborn. "I understand why people drink coffee now!" he joked.
