I was at the hospital after he was born on 12/12/12 at 12:12 p.m. Today he turns 12.
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GOOCHLAND, Virgina — It was Dec. 12, 2012, and I was working as an evening reporter at WRIC TV in Richmond, Virginia.
The date was pretty cool – 12/12/12 – but then we learned about a baby born at 12:12 p.m. I knew I wanted to do a story and, as luck would have it, the parents of the newborn were willing to talk.
My videographer and I went to Henrico Doctors’ Hospital and sat down with Don and Melanie Rowe. They introduced us to Mason, their first child, born at the perfect time.
“I think it’s awesome. I’m not one with numbers but 12-12-12-12-12 – I’m horrible with dates, so I won’t forget it,” Don told me at the time.
Melanie commented, “I thought it would be cool to do the day. As far as the time, I didn’t really care.”
Thank goodness Mason didn’t weigh in at 12 pounds, 12 ounces – his official birth weight was 9 pounds, 2 ounces, and he was 21 inches long.
Mason’s parents said they hoped he would grow up to be a prince and a football player.
Now, 12 years later, both of those wishes have come true. Mason was crowned homecoming king this season, and he loves football.
“He’s big into sports. He’s big into WWE, and he can hold onto any information. He can tell you anybody who’s ever wrestled and when they wrestled. He’s got a photographic memory for sports stuff,” Don told me a few days ago.
Don and Melanie can’t believe a dozen years have flown by since Mason joined their family. His little sister, Sadie, was born 14 months after Mason on April 14, 2014 (4/14/14).
Mason is celebrating his 12th birthday by going to school and having a party (with doughnuts – his favorite).
Truth be told, I had forgotten about the Rowes until Don reached out to me a few weeks ago.
“I remember talking to you after that initial interview, and you said you wanted to follow up when he turned 12,” Don says. “It’s crazy to think that we’re here now. It seemed like yesterday that we were doing that initial interview.”
You can watch my original report announcing Mason’s birth in the video player above and our updated conversation 12 years later in the video player below.