Life According to Matt and Val: A Father's Perspective

Greeting from Daddy!

What a month it has been! Here I sit, one eye on the computer, the other on my precious son Declan. God has blessed us with the greatest gift ever and we are just taking it in one day at a time. I want to thank everyone who has been praying for us throughout Val's pregnancy. It wasn't always a smooth journey, but we made it to the end with a beautiful and healthy son! I want to take a few minutes to share my perspective on the crazy 48 hours that was this past weekend!

As many of you know, my good friend Tim Lester was married this past Saturday, and I was the best man. Now for months we have been praying that Declan stay inside mommy's belly past June 30th. Well, our prayers were answered, but only by 3 1/2 hours! It was really hard for Val not to come with me to the wedding but we figured it was best. Definitely the right decision! I left Friday morning, the 29th, and headed for Lewistown, PA, six hours from home. There was no way Declan would come 2 1/2 weeks early, right?

Wrong! We all had a great time Friday night at the rehearsal dinner, reminiscing about old times. I texted back and forth with Val and she seemed to be doing well. I figured the weekend would proceed without incident. At 5 a.m. the next morning my phone went off. It was Val, and that could only mean one thing! She was experiencing contractions about 8 minutes apart. It seemed Declan didn't want to wait until July.

I don't think I would have made it through the weekend without Dan and David. Dan immediately calmed me down and suggested we go out for breakfast. We woke up David and headed to Burger King. We had a few laughs and prayed about the situation. Val had made it clear that she wanted me to stay in PA and wait to see if the contractions would slow down. I didn't know what to do. I eventually had David record me giving my toast in case I could not be there for the reception. Soon after, I decided I had to head back and texted Val to let her know. A few minutes later, my sister Rachel called me and encouraged me to stay. She thought we still had a lot of time to work with. Trouble was, the wedding was not until 3:00 and it was going to take me six hours to drive back. After some prayer and thought, I decided to stay at least through the ceremony.

As the day went on, things stayed status quo with Val and I started to calm down a bit. I knew she was in good hands with my sisters. We took a lot of pictures and then got ready for the ceremony. So many emotions were running through me. Half my mind was on this incredible moment in my best friend's life and half of me was focused on Val and Declan. The ceremony was beautiful and I managed to transfer the rings to Tim and Megan without dropping them. As we exited the sanctuary I immediately checked my phone for an update. It turns out my sisters brought Val to the clinic to get checked out and she hadn't dilated any further. It seemed as though things were slowing down and I would be able to stay the night in PA. I had already cried a bit during the ceremony with all the emotion running through me. After reading this text message, I lost it completely. I just kept saying to anyone who would hear, "God is good! God is good!" while showing them the text message. My parents and grandma were also at the wedding, and I broke down in my mom's arms. Little did I know, the craziness was just beginning!

After more pictures, we headed to the reception. I was so happy to be able to give my toast in person. I can't describe to you how happy Tim and Megan are together! One of the stories I told was how my parents and grandmothers considered Tim a part of the family. They would often call and ask how he was doing followed shortly by asking if he had found a girl. What a moment it was when I was able to tell them, "Yes he has, and her name is Megan!" After a year of marriage, it is so cool to see two people in love about to start their own adventure. Marriage is such a blessing.

About halfway through the reception, Val texted me that things were progressing again. I decided my job was done in PA and it was time to be with my wife. I was probably crazy for staying as long as I did! I was tempted to stay two more hours until the end of the reception, but to add to their day of saving my butt, Dan and David convinced me to leave sooner than later. I said my goodbyes, packed my stuff, and hit the road for the longest 6 hours of my life!

I left PA around 8:00 or so and my ETA in Christiansburg was around 2am. I kept praying to God, asking Him to keep Declan from entering this world for at least six more hours. My poor sweetie started experiencing excruciating pain and Rachel brought her to the hospital around 11:00. I was relieved to hear when she received the epidural. That made life much happier for her! I battled some road weariness, but finally arrived at the hospital around 1:45 in the morning. Craig met me outside and brought me into the room where I was able to finally see the love of my life. It had been a long 24 hours but I was finally with my sweetheart. I figured it would be a while still, but Declan once again had other plans! Less than two hours later, he was on his way into the world.

Experiencing the birth of my first child was incredible. I can't begin to describe my emotions and feelings. I am sure it wasn't the most pleasant 20 minutes of Val's life, but once that baby boy came out, it was exhilarating for both of us! He was so beautiful from the moment I set my eyes on him. The moment was surreal. I couldn't believe I was finally a dad. I had been looking forward to this for a long time. God's timing was so perfect last weekend and I am still in awe!

We enjoyed the next few days at the hospital with our baby boy. We were blessed with many visitors, all eager to see the boy they had been praying about for so long. Five days later and we are learning more and more each day about our little guy. There are many challenges ahead but we know God will guide us through each one. Thank you again for all your support and prayers. We hope you get to see Declan soon! Please come visit us in Christiansburg anytime. I will leave you with more pictures of Declan and some from the wedding. God bless!