VALDOSTA – Arlene Williams got her Mother’s Day gift early – a baby girl. 

The first-time mom gave birth to Jade Nicole at 12:20 p.m. Friday, May 8, at South Georgia Medical Center. 

Baby Jade was born by way of a cesarean section. The newborn weighed 9 pounds and 8 ounces and was 21-and-a-half inches long.

Though Williams had been nervous about becoming a mom, she was excited to have a child, she said days before her surgery.

“It’ll be nice to have a little partner,” she said.

Williams was induced at about 7:45 a.m. Thursday and was in labor for several hours before opting for a C-section.

Baby Jade was born four days before the birthday of her dad, Phillip Anderson, who is Williams’ fiance.

After the baby’s arrival, Anderson said he feels like the “king of the world.”

“This is my birthday present, and I love it,” Anderson said, who was also born on a Friday before Mother’s Day just like his daughter.

He also has a 12-year-old son, Phillip Brinson.

Anderson had been anxious preparing for the arrival of his daughter, he said. Baby Jade was due on the date of Anderson’s sister passing.

“With Jade coming, and when she gets here, it’s just going to feel like she rejuvenated me again,” he said one day before Baby Jade’s birth.

He wants to teach his daughter how to be an athlete, get involved in the community, be a leader and to think for herself.

Williams said she has had to miss family occasions due to work. She is a tech sergeant in the Air Force and has served for 13 years.

She said she hopes to teach her daughter the value and importance of family.

Baby Jade’s ties to her mom’s family stretches into her middle name. Nicole is a common middle name for the women in Williams’ family, Williams said.

Williams has grown close to her fiancé’s family, she said; so much so, family members hosted a curbside baby shower for her last week.

The COVID-19 pandemic delayed, and almost canceled, the baby shower.

Members of Williams’ squadron planned to host one, but social distancing practices and a shelter-in-place order hindered plans.

Anderson’s parents and nieces organized the curbside shower that included games, light refreshments and gift-giving.

“I’ve been in the military since I was 17, so that level of support that I got that day, all I could do was cry,” Williams said. “ … I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing because it was so special. Just to think that all those people did that for me. I never experienced that, so it was great. It was a super emotional day for me.”

Tears flowed, Williams said, and she felt surrounded by love.

The venue included a front yard adorned with balloons, flowers in the shape of a J and a tent with “It’s a Girl” stretched across it.

Cars lined up alongside the curb to drop off gifts. Organizers brought slices of cake in a to-go container to the cars, and they were offered goodie bags.

One by one, people went inside for refreshments or an organizer brought snacks to guests as they waited in their cars.

Guests could eat or play games while sitting in chairs spaced far apart in the yard. They could guess the size of Williams’ belly without touching her, give the baby advice and make predictions about how Baby Jade would look and weigh.

Now, that she’s here, Anderson said his mom believes Baby Jade resembles Williams.

At the start of the pandemic, Williams said finding baby necessities was difficult due to a scarcity. Wipes were especially hard to find.

But her baby shower gifts should help.

She received clothes, bottles, gift cards, money, diapers and breastfeeding items.

Her favorite gift came from Anderson’s parents, Gerone Anderson and Cherlyn Sands-Anderson.

They gave her a rocking chair, which Williams said she wanted so she could sit in comfort while feeding her baby. She said this gift brought her to tears.

She cherished the advice she was given on the prediction cards during the shower. Anderson’s son, Brinson, advised his dad and Williams work as a team, making Williams emotional once more.

“It was really cute,” Williams said. “I did not expect all of that. … It turned out so much better than I could’ve imagined.”

Anderson said everything about the baby shower was beautiful. He said his family has always been supportive of Williams.

Some family members waited at the hospital while Williams was in labor and others texted and called. 

While he waited for Baby Jade, Anderson said, “I got my little girl, and I’m happy she’s on the way.”