The Day My Daughter Was Born

Some days in life feel bigger than the rest. The day Charlie was born was one of those days.

After everything our family has been through this year, holding her in my arms felt like a moment that is impossible to put into words. There was fear, excitement, relief, exhaustion, gratitude, and a quiet sense that life had just changed again in the best possible way.

Charlie is my third child, but she’s my first daughter and my first child with Vic. That alone made the day feel special in a way I hadn’t experienced before.

When I had open heart surgery earlier in the year, Vic was six months pregnant.

While most people would already be dealing with the physical and emotional weight of pregnancy, she was also supporting our family through one of the most difficult seasons we had ever faced. She carried the stress, the fear, and the responsibility of holding everything together while also carrying our daughter.

Watching her walk through that with strength and faith is something I will never forget, and just one more reason why I love her.

If you’ve been with your wife through childbirth, or you’re a mom and have experienced it yourself, you know it’s a long day. Both of my boys came fast and furious, but this little girl took her sweet time. Vic was in labor for twenty hours; both boys were five and three hours.

Vic was an absolute champ through everything, and Charlie came out strong and healthy. It was such a celebration and we literally prayed the minute she was out, and thanked God for everything over the last 9 months.

Unfortunately, after about fifty hours of me being awake, my body eventually reminded me that I was still recovering and my heart slipped back into atrial fibrillation again. My heart rate was all over the place and it kicked my ass severely. BUT anything I felt that day; the exhaustion, the afib, the stress on my body, was nothing compared to what Vic had endured over the past year.

And when Charlie finally arrived, none of that mattered anyway. Because in that moment everything felt simple.

I was still here, and I was holding my daughter.

I thank God for that moment; for carrying us through a season that at times felt uncertain and overwhelming, and for giving me the chance to stand in that room, hold my daughter, and watch our family grow.

Life doesn’t always go the way we expect it to. But sometimes, even in the middle of the hardest seasons, God reminds us just how good life can be.

Standing there holding Charlie, with Vic beside me and knowing Zach and Jake had just become big brothers, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

And the day Charlie was born was one of those reminders.