Nicolas Luis Zermeño

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength..."

Isaiah 40:31

Some babies make a grand entrance.

Others quietly teach everyone around them the beauty of waiting. From the very beginning, Nicolas seemed to know exactly when he wanted to arrive. At 40 weeks and 4 days, the very same gestation as his big sister, Adriana woke with a feeling.

8:37 AM "I don't want to get ahead of myself... but I think it's baby day."

She was pretty sure she'd lost her mucus plug, and the gentle tightenings she'd begun feeling that morning felt... different. They weren't painful yet, just enough to make her stop and wonder. When she asked if she could still eat, my answer came without hesitation. "Yes girl! Eat. Rest."

Labor was just beginning its quiet work.

By midmorning, contractions were coming every few minutes, lasting around 30 to 40 seconds. They felt more like tightening than pain, exactly the kind of beginning we hope for. There was no rush. No panic. Just the quiet confidence that her body knew exactly what it was doing. A few days earlier, on July 3rd, Adriana had told me,

"I think he's going to come Sunday night into Monday morning."

She also had one very specific request throughout her pregnancy.

"I just don't want a 4th of July baby."

As it turns out… She was right about both.😂

One of my favorite parts of this birth happened before we ever stepped foot into the hospital. It happened at home. The toys remained scattered across the floor. A baby doll lay forgotten in the bathroom. Life continued as contractions quietly built around it. As each wave rolled in, Adriana instinctively leaned into Joshua. He wrapped his arms around her, grounding her without saying much at all. Sometimes love doesn't need words. Between contractions, she returned to being "Mom." She soaked up those final ordinary moments with Ellie before life changed forever. At one point, another contraction came, and Adriana naturally dropped to her hands and knees right in the middle of Ellie's playroom. Ellie simply stayed close. No fear. No confusion. Just a curious two-year-old wandering around her mama with a snack in her hand while toy trains and tiny chairs surrounded them. Labor wasn't interrupting life. Life was making room for labor. Before leaving for the hospital, Ellie hugged her parents goodbye as she settled in with her Titi Val. Then, with the confidence only a toddler can have, she smiled and said,

"Go get baby brother." Those four little words became one of my favorite memories of the entire day. By the time contractions settled into every 2 to 3 minutes, we knew it was time. When Adriana arrived at the hospital, she'd already done the hard work.

5 centimeters. 90% effaced. Baby at -1 station. Every breath she'd taken at home had brought her exactly where she needed to be.

After receiving her epidural around 3:00 PM, another cervical exam revealed something fascinating. Between contractions, she measured about 5 centimeters.

During contractions, her cervix stretched beautifully to nearly 7 centimeters as Nicolas pressed lower with each wave. Her body wasn't stalling. It was opening exactly as it needed to. Soon afterward, she became completely effaced. Everything was preparing for the next chapter. The room remained lighthearted as the World Cup played in the background, and somewhere between contractions and cervical exams, Adriana managed to be genuinely upset that Brazil…and also Mexico, had lost. Birth has a funny way of mixing the ordinary with the extraordinary. As evening settled in, Joshua and Nona were able to get a quick cat nap in, before labor asked a little more of everyone.

Nicolas' heart rate began creeping upward, and Adriana developed a fever. The team quickly recognized chorioamnionitis, starting IV antibiotics and Tylenol while closely monitoring both Mom and baby. It wasn't the turn anyone had hoped for. But it didn't steal the peace from the room. The goal never changed. Keep Mom safe. Keep baby safe.

Keep moving forward. By 9:45 PM, Adriana was 8 centimeters. The finish line was finally coming into view. Just after 1:00 AM, she heard the words every laboring mother longs to hear."You're complete…well almost" One tiny cervical lip remained. So… We waited.

After a birth story built entirely on patience and trust, one final pause felt fitting.

Her body continued doing exactly what it had done all day. Working. Opening. Waiting.

Then the lip disappeared. It was time.

Adriana pushed with everything she had.

Her strength had carried her through an entire day of labor, unexpected challenges, and countless contractions. As she worked through each push, Dr. Foster-Rettig became her biggest cheerleader, filling the room with constant encouragement. Nicolas had one final obstacle to overcome. His head was meeting Mom's pelvis, making that last little descent a bit more challenging.

To help him navigate those final inches, the provider used a vacuum during just two contractions. That was all he needed.

Soon, a beautiful head full of dark hair appeared. The vacuum came off.

And then… Something incredible happened.

Nobody rushed. Nobody hurried the moment.

Dr. Foster-Rettig allowed Adriana to bring her son into the world slowly, one gentle push at a time. Her body stretched naturally. Nicolas emerged patiently. Exactly the way his story had unfolded from the very beginning.

At 4:55 AM, after a journey marked by trust, perseverance, laughter, unexpected challenges, and unwavering faith...

Nicolas was born. 7 pounds, 11 ounces.

Placed immediately on his mama's chest, the room that had been filled with anticipation for nearly twenty-one hours suddenly overflowed with relief. Every contraction. Every prayer. Every tear. Every laugh. Every moment of waiting… Had led to this. Looking around the room afterward, there were nothing but exhausted smiles. A mama who had given everything she had. A daddy beaming with pride. A beautiful baby boy finally resting in the arms that had waited so patiently for him.

The little boy who politely skipped the 4th…and 5th of July.

The little boy whose mama somehow knew he would arrive Sunday night into Monday morning. The little boy everyone had been waiting to meet. Because sometimes...

The sweetest gifts are the ones worth waiting for.

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

Welcome to the world Nicolas Luis 🥹 You were prayed over, waited for, and loved long before your first breath. What a joy it has been to witness the beginning of your story