Out of the darkness: Babies born and couples tie the knot during total eclipse of 2024

Wade Lucas came into this world on a special day for our planet.

The newborn caught a once-in-a-lifetime solar eclipse three hours into his life as millions of people gazed at the sky hoping to catch a glimpse of the spectacle.

“What an exciting day for the world and what a cool story that our kid was born during the eclipse,” said Ashley Lucas, who gave birth to Wade at 12:07 p.m. Monday.

The sky darkened, Lucas said, encompassing the Ohio hospital room in an eerie darkness with a few dim rays of light peaking through. 

“It looked like a bad thunderstorm was about to hit, but it was sunny moments before,” Lucas, 35, said.

Lucas was scheduled to be induced on Thursday and had planned to watch the eclipse with her two older children from her Hamilton, Ohio home. Instead, she spent the day recovering from labor with her baby boy at the Christ Hospital Medical Center in Liberty Township, which was on the eclipse’s path of totality.

Her husband, Willie Lucas, along with some of the hospital staff, peered at the eclipse outside, while Ashley caught a glimpse from the window. 

Lucas said she was excited to share the story of the eclipse with her son when he was older and tell him: “The whole world was watching outside while we were so focused on you.”

And a bit of irony - Wade's last name, Lucas, is the Latin form of the Greek name Loukas, and it means "bringer of light," according to babycenter.com, which explains the origins and history of names.

"It's a fitting name for a new baby who will bring light into their family's life," the web site says. His first name, Wade, is generally thought to mean "at the river crossing" - thus, Wade's name can be loosely interpreted as "at the river crossing, a bringer of light."

Baby Sol born as namesake star eclipses over Texas

Sol – the Spanish word for “sun” – Celeste Alvarez entered the world Monday afternoon as her namesake shining star eclipsed over North Texas.

Sol’s mother, Alicia Alvarez, was due next week, Methodist Health System spokesman Ryan Owens said, but her baby instead arrived at 1:04 p.m. as the rest of the town was gazing at the sky.

The Alvarez family encountered some pre-eclipse traffic on their way to the hospital. But Owens said Carlos and Alicia Alvarez made it just in time for Sol’s birth, whose 4-year-old sister is named Luna.

New parents welcome baby during flurry of eclipse excitement

Hannah Marsden and Clayton Croarkin were consumed with the birth of their baby in Fort Worth, Texas, Monday afternoon while the rest of the town rushed outside to catch the spectacular sight in the sky.

“It was definitely very weird,” Marsden, 25, said, recalling the flurry of excitement as she returned from her surreal experience to the eclipse hubbub. "We get back to the room and everybody’s running outside to see the eclipse."

Marsden was excited to witness the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, but plans changed when she went into labor on Monday. She said she caught some of the eclipse footage on the TV in her windowless delivery room and heard recounts from others of how the town darkened in the middle of the spring afternoon.

Clayton Croarkin said the eclipse left his mind as he witnessed the more personal miracle of his son's birth, Case Croarkin, only remembering when the new family left the delivery room and saw a flurry of excitement as people rushed outside.

Dr. Lori Atkins was planning to watch the eclipse with her daughter but rushed to the Andrew Women’s Hospital at Baylor Scott and White All Saints Medical Center to deliver Case. After the delivery, Atkins said she caught the tail end of the eclipse, as the sun began to reappear and warmth returned to the Texas air. 

“I thought it was really fun to be a part of,” Atkins said.

Not just babies. Weddings, too.

Katie Prince and Micheal Spence, natives of southwest Missouri, celebrate their one-year anniversary on April 21. When planning for their wedding, they knew they wanted something "unique," so they decided to get married during the three minutes of totality in West Plains. The small ceremony was held underneath a tree outside of the city's civic center.

West Plains resident Paige Davis officiated the ceremony, along with at least four others throughout the morning and early afternoon leading up to the eclipse.

"I like to do weddings that are untraditional, so I thought it would be a really cool way for other people to experience one another on the eclipse," Davis said.

− Greta Cross at the Springfield News-Leader

Along the path of totality in Ohio

In Trenton, just north of Cincinnati, some marked the spectacle with their own life milestone - a mass wedding. The Solar Eclipse Mass Wedding Ceremony on Monday was officiated by Mayor Ryan Perry. 

Samantha Palmer and Gerald Lester donned their wedding garb - along with eclipse glasses - as they prepared to tie the knot. Trenton Community Park was bustling with families and dotted with brides and grooms.

− The Cincinnati Enquirer