Military families give up a lot to serve our country. Sometimes the military member is away from his or her family for months or years, and sometimes they miss out of very important things, like the birth of their children.

Sgt. Josh Sarpu is a member of the Army National Guard, and he was deployed to Iraq when his wife, Cassie Whelan, was 6 months pregnant.

If you have children, you probably know that the third trimester starts at 6 months and that for a pregnant mom, it can be one of the most difficult times. We remember feeling pretty uncomfortable and ready to meet our new little baby but at the same time, we remember feeling nervous about childbirth and what parenthood would really be like.

We can only imagine how difficult it must be for pregnant moms like Cassie who didn’t have her husband by her side during those final few months. Not only that, but her husband missed the birth of his daughter, Savanna, and he missed the first year of her life.

We’re sure this separation wasn’t just difficult for Cassie and Savannah, but it also must have been very hard for Josh. Although he used FaceTime to talk to his family quite often, it’s not the same as holding your child in your arms.

As Cassie’s first Mother’s Day approached, she thought she would be spending it alone. She didn’t expect her husband to return home for another few days.

Cassie’s mom, her brother, and her best friend with the help of Good Morning America decided to work together to give her an amazing Mother’s Day surprise. They told her that they had won a contest, and that’s why they were attending a taping of Good Morning America.

The reality was quite different. As Cassie sat in the audience of the show holding baby Savanna, she was surprised to see a video start playing that told about her husband’s deployment and how she was raising Savanna on her own.

After the video played, Cassie was invited on stage along with her mother. She held baby Savanna in her arms and was surprised and excited to see that the show had her husband on Skype so that he could talk to them. They said he was at a military base in Texas.

Watch the video below to see the huge surprise the show really had planned for Cassie. Fair warning that you might want to grab the tissues now.

No, you’re crying. How would you have reacted if you had been in Cassie’s position?