Ready for Bryson’s birthday
…I must admit, I am feeling very emotional as I write this column, because all I can think about right now is my son Bryson’s upcoming fourth birthday. And to put it mildly, I am struggling to find the right words to accurately describe the emotions that my wife Crystal and I are going through.
It is very, very hard for me to fathom that Bryson is soon going to be four years old. It just seems like it was only yesterday that I watched as Crystal endured a tremendously difficult labor and gave birth to our beautiful baby boy, after what seemed like endless hours of pain for her. It seems like it was only yesterday when I held him in my arms for the very first time and felt overwhelmed by the unconditional love for a child that only a parent could experience and understand, the kind of love that was so strong that it actually felt like my heart was going to explode.
I still vividly remember every minute, every second of that incredible night nearly four years ago, and I have a strong feeling that the memories will stay with me forever. Because it was not only the night that God finally answered our prayers and gave us the baby that we have long prayed for, it was also the night that something else happened that I never thought was possible: After thinking that I couldn’t possibly love my wife any more than I already did after spending a quarter of a century together, that night I somehow found myself falling in love with her even more.
I will never forget the moment in her hospital room a few hours after she gave birth, when she was exhausted and drifted off into sleep. As she slept, I held her hand, still in shock and awe at how she just created life. And as I held her hand, marveling at how beautiful and peaceful she looked, the nurses quietly came into the room and asked me if I wanted to hold Bryson. Unable to speak due to emotion and exhaustion, I weakly smiled and nodded, and a few seconds later I was holding him.
Like his mother, he was sleeping peacefully, and as I carefully snuggled him into my arms I looked at his beautiful face and then at my wife’s beautiful face, and then I realized that even though all the doctors and nurses had left the room, the three of us were not alone. And since my wife and baby were sleeping, I began to talk to the other – and most – significant being in the room.
As tears rolled down my face, I thanked God for blessing us with this child, for answering our prayers, for getting Crystal through such a difficult labor and delivery, and for showing us that there is light in every dark cloud … and that miracles can indeed happen.
I cannot stress enough how difficult it had been for us to enter the world of parenthood. We had been trying to conceive for more than a decade, but we were not successful. And as time marched on we began to wonder if God was ever going to bless us with our own little one. We believed in our hearts that we would be good parents if we were ever given the chance to raise our own family, but with each passing year we both felt that the hopes and dreams of bringing a child into the world were diminishing.
But we never did give up. We began to pray harder and harder for help from above, and we began undergoing a series of fertility procedures. After several failed fertility attempts, we tried one more time, praying like we’ve never prayed before, asking God to grant us a miracle. And in February 2012, we received the phone call that changed our lives – we were told that Crystal was pregnant.
That began an unforgettable 38 weeks of pregnancy, a time filled with some sickness and a whole lot of excitement … and as my wife’s belly grew, so did our love for each other, and for the little one that was growing inside of her, and also for God, who answered our prayers.
So, on that unforgettable day, October 8, 2012, as I held my son shortly after he was born and prayed, my life as I knew it changed. I knew that I was going to have to step up and be the best father and husband I could possibly be, that my priorities and responsibilities were going to be completely different, and that my whole life was going to be all about providing and caring for this child, and giving him the best life possible. And as I held Bryson close to me, I made a promise to him that I would do just that.
And now, as I look back at the first 48 months of his life, I can happily say that Bryson’s first four years have been a wonderful time for us. But still, there’s something a little poignant about the fact that he will soon be celebrating his fourth birthday already because it’s a reminder of just how fast time can fly. I remember at one point during the night that he was born, when a nurse came in and told me that I better enjoy Bryson’s days of being an infant, because they’re going to go way too fast. And we’ve had quite a few parents warn us during the first few months that time goes so fast that before we know it, he will be driving.
And wow, they couldn’t be more right. Not a day passes that Crystal and I don’t comment on just how darned fast time is flying, on how Bryson went from being a tiny little “peanut” to growing out of his clothes and developing his own unique personality. He has turned into our “little man” and is developing faster than we ever possibly imagined, to the point that now we are asking God to slow things down just a little, so we can enjoy his early years just a little longer.
But even though we can’t avoid the inevitability of our son growing and getting older, we are still loving parenthood more and more with each passing day. It is exciting to watch him grow, to see his personality blossom, to see the excitement in his eyes as he reads books and plays with his toys, superhero action figures and footballs. And there is still nothing more heartwarming than to come home from work and be greeted at the door with a big smile, a big “Hi, Daddy!” and a hug and a kiss.
So even though his special day is still a week away, I sincerely want to take this opportunity right now to wish a “Very Happy Birthday” to Bryson, our beautiful soon-to-be 4-year-old blessing. And Bryson, even though we will be celebrating your birthday, Mommy and Daddy thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being the best gift we could have ever asked for…