4am Wake-up Call

Yesterday, Liam turned one.

Wild. 

Becoming parents in the midst of a pandemic was certainly quite the experience, but because we were working remotely, we were blessed to be able to begin the parenting journey very much together.

There are countless things I could say about how wonderful I think my son is (if you’ve followed me on social media, you’ll see that’s happened already), but I have a story to tell instead.

Today, I simply want to remember my 4am wake-up call.

I went to bed on the eve of Liam’s birth with a gut feeling he’d wake me up around the time he was born. I heard him around 4:09am and went in to give him a pacifier. 

He was born at 4:12am. 

I stayed in the room after he put his head down wanting to be near him when the minute changed. I was all prepared to take a screenshot on my phone with the exact time, but he sensed I was there.

He stood up in his crib and reached for me over the railing. It honestly felt like he was just giving me a hug. So instead of taking the screenshot, I spent the minute of his birth hugging my son.

It was very tender and one of the sweeter parts of yesterday.

Sure, we did pictures with balloons, opened presents, let him eat cake, and generally got excited about his birthday (as did many others...he really is so loved), the hug was one of my favorite moments. I had all these expectations of what his first birthday might look like and the reality of the day was it was a lot busier than we had anticipated with work and things that needed to get done. We, of course, still celebrated, just in waves.

I’m grateful Liam and I got to hug the same minute he was born last year. Since I had a C-section, it took a little while before I got to hold him. Ronny actually got to hold him first between the two of us which was sweet as well. 

This year, we got our hug and it was the best. 

I don’t mind 4am wake-up calls like that.

Also, in case you’re interested, here’s Liam’s birth story. It has a nice blend of hilarity, suspense, and teamwork.