Daddy's Version of Maddox's Birth

The night before Jules was to be induced I took one of my basketball shoes and put it next to one of the shoes that someone (I believe Doyle) bought for Maddox. I took a picture of them and posted it on Facebook expressing my excitement that the following day I was going to meet my baby boy. Fast-forward to the next morning, a couple hours after we got to the hospital. The doctor said that Jules was not progressing and inducing her could take 3-4 days. I don't know why but the first thing that I thought about was the picture of my big shoe next to his little shoe and that I was premature in saying that I would be meeting Maddox that day. Nevertheless, a couple hours later, I was able to meet my baby boy! Although I was right about when I was going to meet him, there was a significant difference between how I imagined I would feel upon seeing/holding/kissing him for the first time and what I actually felt. After Maddox was born and while Jules was still in the recovery room, I was able to hold him for a few minutes after they cleaned him up and took his measurements. Holding him, in those short minutes, I had a life-changing experience. One that I hope to never forget. It was quiet. There were no other babies or nurses for a few minutes in the post-delivery room. It was just he and I. I was rocking him and he was quiet except for making a few really cute noises. He was looking up at me and I never wanted that moment to end. Words are insufficient to explain how I felt. Mostly because I had never felt that way before nor did I know I could. It is not rare for me to feel that I should be doing better or more with my life. However, there was only one person in my life that had made me a better person just by knowing her. As I held Maddox and he looked at me like I was his everything, I realized that I would do anything for him. As a result, I realized in that moment that another person just came into my life that would help me reach my true potential. Someone who, just like his mom, would help me achieve things and become someone that would be impossible without him. This was clear to me as I sat there, with tears in my eyes, trying to understand how much my world had forever changed.