1999 - The Birth of Our Son!

1999 started out great.   I was pregnant and getting bigger and bigger.  We hosted a Super Bowl party at our house and had a great time cheering for the Broncos.  David was still in graduate school and I was still working at Nu Skin.

David's family at our Super Bowl Party.

Funny story about my mom.  I am not racist at all.  For some reason this year my mom seemed to be obsessed with black babies.  She ordered checks and when she got them they were a bunch of checks with black babies on them.  She said she thought they were just checks with babies on them.  Then she threw me a baby shower and this is the invitation she sent out. Check out the baby.  Maybe subconsciously she wanted a black grandchild.  Who knows?  We just thought it was funny and teased her about it for years.

Invitation to our baby shower

No, I am not having twins!

It was a Monday and Dawson was due on Wednesday.  I went to the doctors just praying that the doctor would start me.  I was done being pregnant.  I had gone to the hospital twice the week before with false labor and was sent home.  He said he could not induce me that day, but scheduled me for Thursday.  I was so sad, I went home and cried.  Tuesday I went to work and while there I started spotting.  I called David and we headed to the hospital.  After hooking me up, of course no contractions.  The nurse said I was probably just losing my plug and that they would probably just send me home.  I looked at her and said "I am not leaving this hospital without a baby so they better induce me, because I wasn't leaving."  She called the doctor and the nurse said that she could say that my blood pressure was elevated a bit.  So, the doctor consented and they started the patosin drip at 2:30.  My water broke at 4:30.  Crazy as it sounds, I decided to go completely natural.  I did not want any drugs.  

I decided it would be fun to share the birth of our son with our whole family.  We invited my parents, Lara (David's sister) and Linda (David's mom) to be in the room with us.  I was going to have my Dad videotape the birth.  I told him to stay behind me and just get the baby coming out.  Lara was in charge of pictures.  I told her the same thing.  It was like a party in my room. Everyone laughing and joking.  At first I did not mind.  But when they started watching and cheering for the Jazz (I'm a big jazz fan, but give me a brake I was in labor) and I started in my transition period at around 7:30, I told the nurse to get them out of there.  The next three hours I went from being dilated to a 7 to a 10.  My family was called back in.  In the excitement of the birth, family members did not stay at the head of the bed, they got down and dirty and videotaped the whole birth and took pictures from the foot of the bed (get the point).  I am glad now, because it was the only natural birth I had the other two being c-section.  It is a great keep sake which I don't share with people.  It only took 10 minutes worth of pushing and the baby was born.  Dawson Cade came into this world.  He was beautiful.  I loved everything about his birth. He was perfect.  I have never had so much love for David and his devotion and attention to me than I had at that moment.  He was the perfect coach.  And now the proud new father.

Pictures of the family hanging out

The hard labor phase

The actual birth

Dawson's first pictures (I love this last one, like wheee that was hard)

Holding Dawson for the first time (holding your new baby for the first time is indescribable)

Dawson - 1 day old

The Proud New Daddy!

Bringing Dawson home.  Being a first time mom I thought I would be able to fit right back into my pre pregnancy clothes (uh, I still can't fit into my pre pregnancy) clothes.  So, David had to bring me my maternity jeans to the hospital, my size 5 didn't fit.

Yeechee checking out Dawson

Dawson's first night home in his own room

Dawson was and is our pride and joy.  He was always such a happy baby.  He was so good.  He rarely cried and loved to be with people.  He was very bright and alert.  He grew and grew and grew way too fast.

I went to Walmart and left David to babysit.  When I got home Dawson was sleeping on the dryer.  David had put him there to get something out of storage and he fell asleep to the vibrations.  Also his first camping trip.

Growing and getting big

Dawson at 3 months

Dawson at 6 months

Dawson's favorite thing was to crawl over to the cds and pull them out 

I was on the phone and somehow Dawson got a marker open and drew all over his face

Dawson's first surgery on his spine

Bringing him home from the hospital (he looks so sad)

Dawson's first Halloween (he was a ghost)

Dawson with Nana (he has always had a special bond with her)

Dawson's first Thanksgiving

Dawson's first Christmas time

He liked playing with the lights

He was a snoop even back then

First Christmas

Shon and Shelly's family visit from Taiwan

Check out the Jazz baby

We were visiting my parents and I forgot diapers.  Of course he pooped and I didn't have any new ones, so we duct taped a towel on him until my dad got back from the store.

Our third wedding anniversary we took Dawson to his first Jazz game (did I mention we love the Jazz).  Check those pants out, what where we thinking!