Erich Zeeb couldn’t believe his eyes when he opened a birthday present his mom in Ohio had sent his 1-year-old son.
“My mom is totally not that kind of person. She’s pretty bad at saving things,” Zeeb, of Houston, Texas, told ABC News.
The new father didn’t even recognize the precious plaid vest from his childhood at first, but after reading the sweet, handwritten note from his mom, he immediately loved the idea of sharing it with his baby boy, Atlas.
“She was pulling it out of a closet and she found it and she didn’t even tell us she was sending it,” he explained. “It fits him perfectly."
Along with the pint-sized vest was a photo of Zeeb, 41, wearing it on his 1st birthday in 1975.
“My first thought was, ‘Where did she find a vest that looks just like the one I’m wearing?,’” he recalled.
He soon realized it was actually the same vintage vest he wore as a baby and it only seemed fitting that his son would also sport it for his 1st birthday on Jan. 8.
“We actually flew to San Diego that day,” said Zeeb. “We had to get up at 4 a.m. to catch that flight but I wanted to take a picture of him in that outfit to send to my mom. My girlfriend didn’t want me to wake him up to change him but I had to get that picture."
The proud papa is excited that this tradition could now carry on to the next generation.
“It’s kind of cool that he can pass it on to his son one day, maybe if he doesn’t wait until he’s 40 to have kid like me,” Zeeb joked.
