I remember when he was born, or actually... I don't.
Chad is our 5th and last son.
Tues, Oct. 31, 1995 I had a REALLY bad headache. I didn't think much of it, I mean, I DO get migraines... Brad took the boys trick or treating without me.
Nov. 1, 1995, It was worse and I was beginning to get nauseated. I called a friend, Ann, to come over. When Brad got home from work the pain was so severe that Brad called my Dr. to see if he could give me something. It was almost 5 pm (time for the office to close) and they told Brad to take me into the ER. I really didn't feel like going, so Brad had a prescription called in for me and he went and picked it up. I took it and went to bed hoping to wake up feeling much better but in the wee hours of the morning I woke Brad up... I was having a seizure. Brad called 911 and yelled out to Derek to go downstairs and wait for the ambulance. The Dr. on call immediately diagnosed me with eclampsia. For the first 24 hours they got me on seizure meds and started me on steroids to help little Chad's lungs to develop before inducing me.
The next day they took me by ambulance to the hospital in Riverside where Chad was born. My parents and my dear friend, Stacia (who has always been more like a sister to me) flew in. Nov. 3rd, they induced me and Chad entered into mortality! Poor little guy was 7 weeks early and weighed in at 4 lb. 3 oz. He was immediately put on oxygen and I was not allowed to hold him.
I had some bleeding problems that they had to get under control but then in a day or 2 they finally got me into a wheelchair to take me down to the nursery to see him. I remember being really weak and telling Brad that if I got to hold him, help me (I was really afraid I would drop him due to the lack of energy). We didn't get to hold him for a few days, but he was a strong little guy, he pulled his IV right out! He had not learned to suck in the wound due to being born so early so they fed him intravenously for a few days. Then they poked a hole in the nipple of the bottle so that the milk would just drop into his mouth. I would work and work to try to get him to nurse, it took a lot of persistence but the little nipper finally did! It was really hard leaving the hospital without him! I got to bring him home on my birthday, Nov. 14th! What a surprise that was, they had told us a couple of days before it would probably be another week but when the morning of my birthday arrived the Dr. said to me, "How would you like to take him home today?" We were so excited, Brad had to drive back home to get his car seat.
We are SO happy to have Chad in our family! He is such a sweet little guy! Chad loves to run, jump and climb! He loves doing parkour and he has gotten pretty darn good at it. You should see him at the church building, one Sunday it was raining out and he jumped from one railing to the other, I was really afraid he was going to slip! So far we have only had to take him in for stitches once! I need to get some pics of him doing this parkour stuff and post them!
Anyway, his Birthday was Nov 3 and I made cinnamon rolls and took up to his seminary class (he is the ONLY boy in his seminary class) and then I took pizzas and sodas up to the high school at lunch for he and his friends.
I wish I would have gotten pics of more of the kids but I was on my lunch break and had to hurry back to work.
Friday night we had a party for him, here are a couple of pictures from the party... 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAD!!!! I LOVE YOU!!!
-Mom
