Congratulations are in order for NBC Sports’ Maria Taylor and her husband, Jon Hemphill.
On Saturday, the “Football Night in America” host, 36, announced the birth of the couple’s first baby, son Roman, who arrived on Sunday, Dec. 24.
“The best gift,” Taylor captioned her Instagram post, which featured a carousel of photos featuring the new addition.
Baby Roman arrived at 7:26 p.m. on Christmas Eve, weighing 8 lbs. and 13 oz., according to People.
Taylor announced her pregnancy over the summer, revealing in July how her path to parenthood had been a challenging one “diverted by surgeries, multiple egg retrievals, and failed IVF (in vitro fertilization) cycles.”
As she gushed over her bundle of joy Saturday on social media, Taylor also took a moment to reflect on her journey.
“My tumultuous journey to motherhood makes this moment that much sweeter. There were so many hard days and setbacks. Surgeries, shots, doctors appointments, egg retrievals, and transfers. But after all of that I was blessed with a healthy pregnancy. My baby boy traveled and worked all across the country, and even overseas with me. He let me work all the way up until one week before he made his entrance into the world. And now I know my life will never be the same because I have given birth to my soulmate,” she wrote.
“I’m grounded in gratitude and filled with love for our Christmas Eve miracle. Motherhood is the greatest gift I’ve ever known. But I remember it being difficult reading birth announcements just like this one when I was trying to conceive and I want to keep that in mind. So just know that if you are enduring a difficult journey to motherhood that it doesn’t have to be a straight line and all of the pain you feel today will be worth the joy your baby will bring you tomorrow. Try to keep your hopes high and the faith alive.”
Taylor concluded her post with a heartfelt message to her newborn son.
“And to my Precious Prince Roman. To the world you are just a person, but to me you are the entire world.”
In the days leading up to Roman’s birth, Taylor received a sweet sendoff from her “Sunday Night Football” family.
“Thank you to my @nbcsports and @snfonnbc Family for this wonderful send off! I love and appreciate each and every one of you. It’s been amazing to be your Sunday Night QB week to week, while growing my own franchise player. I have never felt more blessed!” Taylor gushed on Instagram earlier this month.
“Thank you everyone for the well wishes for my family and I. We will see you next season.”
