It was double the joy for this family.
April 10 was always going to be a day to remember for Regan Daugherty — but not just for the reason she thought.
The first-time mom from Lindale, Texas, knew she was finally going to bring her baby home from hospital after 156 days, but had no idea she'd also be getting engaged as well.
As she left the hospital with baby Ezra in her arms, her partner, Dillon Fitts, dropped to one knee and popped the question.
"Finally!" she said through tears before kissing her husband-to-be.
In a video shared by T&T Creative, she showed off her ring, exclaiming, "It's so pretty!"
Daugherty, 23, was hospitalized in October with back pain and was diagnosed with a kidney infection.
After visiting a fetal specialist, the couple decided she needed to deliver their child via C-section at just 25 weeks. Baby Ezra was born at Medical City Dallas Hospital on Nov. 6, weighing just 14 ounces.
For the next 156 days, Ezra stayed there — undergoing multiple operations, but never giving up.
On April 10, they received the good news they had been waiting for: At long last, the family could go home.
“It was a very emotional experience because we were so excited to go home finally, but sad because our nurses and doctors had become our family and we had to say goodbye to them," Daugherty told T&T Creative.
“They pushed me around the NICU to do the goodbyes but when we got down to the lobby little did I know a big surprise was waiting on me."
There, Dillon had gathered friends and family, each carrying flowers.
"Dillon then got down on one knee and popped the question I had been waiting for," she said.
"I was completely shocked. We knew from the day we met that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together so I knew one day it would happen. When Ezra was hospitalized we didn’t get in a hurry because he was our main focus, so when he proposed I was so surprised."
Now the family is getting used to life back home.
"We still wake up and look at each other and say there is a baby in our house,'" she said. “It’s such a shock that we have finally made it to this point and are engaged.
"Our lives are so blessed and we can never thank everyone enough for supporting us, praying for us, and giving us an opportunity to share Ezra’s story."
Daugherty and Fitts plan to marry next year.
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