Brandon Barash Says Harper Is the Best Big Sister Ever!

When soap star Brandon Barash (Stefan, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; ex-Johnny, GENERAL HOSPITAL) welcomed his second child, son Joaquin Lee, with his wife, Isabella, on Sept. 15, 2023, he experienced much less anxiety than he did the first time around with Harper, his daughter with ex-wife Kirsten Storms (Maxie, GH).

Still, there are things that he had blocked out from that first go-round. “The amount of spit-up,” Barash told Soap Opera Digest with a laugh. “I did forget that for a period of time, every single top you wear – be it a jacket or a shirt or a sweater or a hoodie — will have white smears on it a couple hours into the day. And you just need to be okay with that.

“That was one thing I definitely forgot,” he continued, “[but] I don’t think I forgot the visceral feeling of locking eyes with that child for the first time, because it’s something I’ve certainly never forgotten with Harper. And the first time they wrap their tiny little hands around a finger of yours and hold on for dear life.”

And 10-year-old Harper is proving to be quite the big sister, helping to feed and dress Joaquin and even accompanying the whole family to the infant’s four-month checkup to hold his hand and comfort him while he was examined and got his shots.

“I’ve asked her many times, ‘What is your favorite part about having a brother,’” Barash confided. “Her response every time, consistently, has been, ‘Having another life to love.’ I can feel my [late] dad, wherever he is, patting me on the back saying, ‘Good job, son.’ Because I’ve got to be doing something right if those are my daughter’s priorities, giving love and compassion to her little brother and helping him find his way in this world through that love and compassion. It’s the most beautiful thing.”