Pete Buttigieg and Family Spend Their First Halloween at the Hospital

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten spent their first Halloween holiday since becoming fathers in one of the scariest places for new parents: the hospital.

The couple, who recently welcomed twins, Joseph August and Penelope Rose, announced via Chasten's Instagram that Joseph had been hospitalized. "Happy Halloween from these #twinfrastructure safety advocates," wrote Chasten in the caption of the photo that showed Joseph dressed up for the holiday as a traffic cone. "As you can see, we're spending this Halloween in the hospital," he continued. "Gus [Joseph] has been having a rough go of it but we're headed in the right direction."

He went on to thank those who have been showing support to their family over the last few months. "And also, for the dedicated and kind medical professionals who have helped take care of our two little pumpkins as they've grown stronger, healthier, and cuter," he concluded.

In the first photo, Pete is holding Joseph and smiling. In the following photo, the couple is sitting together holding their son, who appears to be connected to medical equipment.

In both images, Joseph is bundled in his orange and reflective strip costume, which Pete previously told State of the Union Sunday anchor Dana Bash was Chasten's idea. "So yeah, my husband Chasten found these ... it's a little hard to describe, but basically they're, like, these traffic cones. They're infrastructure. Basically, they're going to be going as infrastructure," Buttigieg shared.

Many responded to the post with supportive messages for the family.

"So sorry about the hospital but happy Gus is getting great care!" wrote actor and author Kimberly Williams Paisley.

"Sending so much love to Gus and you all. Love this pic!!" shared actor Cheryl Hines.

"Oh sweet Gus! So happy he's moving in the right direction.. love to all. Hugging you with my whole heart right this moment @chasten.buttigieg and @pete.buttigieg," commented actor Rachael Harris.