Husband surprises expecting wife at Savannah graduation

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - One lucky graduate has two big dates on the calendar for this month: her graduation and her due date. Her husband made a surprise visit home for both.

Yadimar Otero thought the walk across the stage would be the just the beginning of her new career, but her husband’s surprise celebrates another beginning.

“I was not expecting it. It was so surprising and he played it off so well," she said.

As soon as the big reveal happened in the middle of Savannah Technical College’s graduation ceremony Thursday night, the audience erupted into cheers. Brian Gonzalez is currently serving a 12-month deployment to South Korea. About a month ago, he was approved to come home a few days early for his paternity leave to see his wife, Yadimar, graduate. She says it means so much for him to celebrate her hard work.

“Having his support here, even though he’s over there, he’s still so supportive. It’s just a very special situation," she said. “I’ve been school for two years. I started nights and then I switched to days. I was working at the same time.”

All this while expecting their first little one any day now. Brian has been deployed for most of Yadimar’s pregnancy. He’s stayed up until 2 or 3 in the morning to video chat through her OBGYN appointments.

“It’s been really rough due to time zones, and while she’s sleeping, I’m working. While she’s awake, I’m asleep," he said.

The crowd exploded with happiness to see the special reunion, but not nearly as much as friends and family when they saw the happy couple.

“I’m really excited to be here. It’s our first child. I’m just glad that I can be a part of at least a part of her pregnancy, not just when he comes," Brian said.

Yadimar is expecting any day now, and she’s happy to have her diploma and her husband as they look forward to their first child.

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