I want to give a BIG shoutout to my wife. She is not on Nostr, not on Twitter, or Facebook. So this shoutout is for you all here - because people need to know how strong and amazing she is.

We live in Tampa, FL and most of you know what has transpired all over Florida the last week - Hurricane Milton. 

2 days before making landfall on the west coast of central Florida my wife was 39 weeks pregnant with our first child. Being that this storm was going to be a direct or near direct hit on Tampa we heeded the warnings and evacuated to Boca Raton with our dog and all the necessities to give birth on the road at an unfamiliar hospital.  

Knowing that we could not risk her going into labor during a CAT3 hurricane we got as far away as we could while still being close enough to get back when the all clear was given... unless she went into labor while we were evacuating...

After 3 long days in a hotel in Boca Raton, we were ready to head back to Tampa and prepare to enter the chaos, and possibly get ready to go to the hospital. However, we were still without power at our home with an expectation of at least 3-5 more days before power would be restored. Being 39.5 weeks pregnant at home with no power, AC or food was not an option... add in that Tampa had turned into a powerless, lightless and gasless mayhem for the next 72 hours, so we had to devise a new plan. 

Fortunately, I have a long time close friend that lives outside of Orlando, FL that did not lose power and was willing to take us in for a few days - so, we packed up the truck with all our belongings and possible soon to be born baby necessities and headed to Mousetown (Disney World is in Orlando).  Another two nights away from home, family, and sadly, our birth plan and hospital. 

At this point, as you can imagine, we are both ready to get home and start getting mentally and physically prepared to welcome our baby girl... but we must yet endure a few more nights away from home and embrace the uncertainty. 

Come Sunday morning, we know it is time to face the inevitable - we have our 40 week checkup on Monday morning and HAVE to head back to Tampa. Even though we know we still have no power and a fridge full of rottening food with a city that is in disarray and panic. 

Sunday afternoon we begin the 90 mile drive home from Orlando and surprisingly traffic is not that bad. At this point most people that evacuated have already gone back. As we are driving on I-4, every mile that we get closer to home we can see signs of damage and destruction. A downed tree here, a shredded highway billboard sign there - telephone poles and wires in places they should not be... bucket trucks driving in convoys, highway patrol troopers escorting gasoline tankers to gas stations. The thought starts going through our minds, "should we even be going back?". We have heard from friends and family on the ground that the situation is precarious at best and frightening at worst. 

Knowing our home is still without power we seek refuge at my sisters house in Hyde Park, a very nice neighborhood in Tampa near the water that had power restored the prior day. My sister and her family are happy and eager to take us in. Her husband made a wonderful dinner and we got to spend some quality time together with her and her family. She has 3 little girls that adore my wife and are all excited to meet their soon to be niece. This is our first semblance of normalcy after 5 nights on the road and in various locations - all of which have begun to take a toll on us - but we soldier on. The only room available for us to stay in is the playroom - which has a small double sized bed with a tuck in trundle bed underneath. I took the trundle bed, of course, and gave my wife the slightly more comfortable bed up top. After a tasty meal, some good talk and laughter, and 45 minutes of The Sound of Music, we turn in and prepare for our important appointment the following day. 

We wake up the next day, neither of us having slept very well, anxious to get to the doctor to see how things are going for our baby girl. However, we wake up to some good news... our power has been restored at our home - thank goodness! So, we head back to the house, which is about 10 min from my sisters house, and drop a few things off, turn the AC on and get ready to get back into the swing of things... well, at least we thought so. 

I'll summarize the doctor visit for brevity and privacy purposes - our OB decides that the time for baby girl to come out is now. My wife is 40 weeks to the day and baby girl is fully cooked and ready to come out! However, this will need to be done via an inducement at the hospital. So, instead of going home and getting a much needed good nights rest in our own bed, we head home and begin preparing for our journey to continue at the hospital (our planned hospital, thankfully). My wife does not get to go home and relax, no, she is home doing laundry and prepping the house for a baby while I am out running errands and getting last minute items for a few nights at the hospital. The saga continues...

We arrive at the hospital around 9pm Monday night and my wife is admitted and we get our room. At this point, we've been away from home for a week and have slept in 3 different beds in 3 different cities. We've endured countless hours of stress and anxiety, all coupled with uncertainty around where we will be and who we will be with when our baby girl is finally born. 

The story is not over yet, though. I write to you from the not-so-comfortble dad-bed in our room at the hospital while my wife lays next to me heading into her 12th hour of labor.

This is where the purpose of this note emerges. I am so proud of my wife through the amount and level of strength she has demonstrated over the last 7 days. Her resolve, perseverance and attitude throughout this crazy roller coaster ride has absolutely blown me away. Not once has she complained, taken a negative attitude or lashed out at me, or anyone else for that matter. She's kept her composure, she's remained positive and her resiliency has been on full display. I've always known she is a strong and determined woman - but this is an order of magnitude beyond anything I have ever seen from her.

I am absolutely and positively certain that she is the strongest woman I know and I am so fortunate to call her my wife - and soon, the mother of my first child. I love her, so much, and wanted you all to know that. And that together, through love, commitment and partnership - we can accomplish anything. 

#love #girldad #milton #strength #wife #mom