Those of you who follow me on Noise already know what this is going to be about.

Yesterday we celebrated the birth of our amazing beautiful and incredible son.

Please note that throughout I am using the language of me / my and I to show the personal impact and of course I know it is us / our and we. My wife is an incredibly brave, strong and determined woman who I love beyond description and it goes without saying that she is my anchor, my rock and my centre. I would not be the person I am if it wasn't for her. She makes me whole and now our little boy makes us complete.

The day started very early for me. I got up at 5,00 and was more excited than a thousand children awaiting Christmas. Today I was finally going to meet my son. For those of you who are already parents you know what I mean,

My wife had gone into the maternity unit on Sunday and due to Covid restrictions I had to leave her at the door - which was hard and undoubtedly for her too. We spoke in the evening and with nervous anticipation we knew that yesterday promised to be a day unlike any other.

With the help of my wife's parents I went to the hospital early so I could have a Covid test so that everything could be safe. My wife and I have been self isolating with the exception of going shopping and the occasional walk for a year, in fact since the pandemic began. We haven't needed to do this but we chose to because health is so, so important.

Of course my Covid test was negative.

I wasn't able to see my wife, but within minutes of our son being born - I heard him before I saw him - he was brought to me and I was allowed to hold him for two hours before the curtain of social distancing descended again and I had to give him back. Sadly I wasn't allowed to see my wife, but I did see her incredibly briefly passing the corridor that adjoined the room that I was in.

And this was the gift that the pandemic gave me

I don't know how things are normally, but I got two hours with just me and my little boy. I told him how beautiful he is and my aspirations to be the best father I can be and what it meant to me and how precious he is to me. Of course he had no idea what I was saying but he knew is father's voice. A calm voice full of unconditional love in a golden time that framed perfection.

This is my son and I am so proud of him. Words do not do even begin to come close to what I had in those two hours

I am absolutely sure that whatever else life promises I will never ever have anything like those two hours again - they were for sure the most precious 120 minutes of my life and very single one of those 7200 seconds mattered.

Stay safe and stay well.