An Early Christmas Present

Nico Cauwe

December 7, 2008

10:46 a.m.

5 pounds, 11 ounces

19 inches long

Our precious boy couldn’t wait any longer and made his entrance into the world a few weeks early. Although tiny, he’s perfect and healthy, and the best Christmas present we could have asked for!

Birth story: On the evening of Saturday, Dec. 6^th, our wonderful friends in Austin threw us a baby shower, so earlier that day, I got my hair done, ran errands, and got ready for the shower. The shower was a blast, and that evening when I got home, I was exhausted. Nic and his buddies decided that they didn’t want the party to end, so they took the party to 6^th Street. (Ask Nic for his version of the story.)

At 1:30 a.m., I woke up with slight cramping but was able to go back to sleep until about 3:30 a.m. Around 4 a.m., I was having contractions that were 5 minutes apart. We called the hospital and they told us to go ahead and come in.

Because I thought I still had time before the baby arrived, I didn't have a hospital bag packed, so the packing began and we were off. I was admitted to the hospital a little before 6 a.m. and by 9 a.m., I was pushing. Things progressed so rapidly, that I didn't have an option for an epidural because by the time it would have taken effect, the baby would have been born. Thank goodness for yoga!

Nico came into this world bright-eyed and vocal. His cry was beautiful and it was love at first sight as he was placed on my chest.

Once Nico was born, we notified our friends and many thought it was a joke because they saw us the night before at the shower and there was no indication that I would be going into labor just a few hours later. Guess Nico sensed all the fun we were having and couldn’t wait to join us.

Here are some pics from Nico’s first two weeks:

Happy Birthday!



Daddy checking on his son.



Proud mom & dad



Sleeping angel



Nonni & Pop pop (DeeDee's parents)



Grandmother Janis (Nic's mom)



"Aunts" Trisha & Alison



Going home



Parker checking out his new brother.



Nic, Nico and G-pa Allan



Daddy and Nico at the first doctor appointment.



Weigh-in



Nico's first bath



Nice and clean



Rockin' with Nonni



Nic & Jonathan with their boys (6-day-old Nico and 10-month-old Parker)



Mama and Nico napping



Sleeping angel



Decorating the Christmas tree

36-Week Check-up

I went to the doctor this week for my 36-week appointment and surprise … the baby is ready to come! The doctor says I won’t make it to my due date – Dec. 31st. The baby has already dropped into position and I am 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced.
I thought I had at least another 4 weeks, but I guess that’s not the case. We are now trying to wrap up last minute things and get ready for little Nico’s arrival. Maybe we’ll have a Christmas baby instead of a New Year’s Baby. Only time will tell ...

A Sweet Baby Shower

In November, two of my best high school friends, Ali and Alison, and Alison’s mom Janet, threw me a fabulous baby shower. Everything was wonderful – the food, decorations, flowers, and invitations – they truly went above and beyond!




Alison, Janet, DeeDee and Ali


DeeDee and mom

Working on the Nursery

Nic worked hard on the nursery for several weeks … removing carpet, installing flooring, making and installing closet doors, replacing the ceiling fan, hanging shelving, etc. Luckily, he had some help from my dad, brother, and Caton.


Kyla and Nic finishing up the flooring.


Dad working on the closet doors.


Dad and Nic installing the closet doors.


"Uncle" Caton and Nic installing shelving.

The Past Two Months

Since it has been so long since I have updated the blog, here’s a bit on what’s been happening the last two months…

In October, my brother Brandon, who recently graduated from culinary arts school, was getting ready to move from Austin to Ft. Worth to work at a new restaurant called Grace. So, I gathered a big group of friends to go to FINO, the Austin restaurant where he was a sous-chef, to sample his talent. He didn’t disappoint … it was delicious!

Two of my dear high school friends, Trisha and Ali, are also pregnant. Trisha is due about three weeks after me and Ali is due in April. It has been fun sharing stories, fears and excitement with each other. One Saturday in October, Ali and I visited Trisha in Cedar Hill. The three of us had a blast eating, shopping, talking, and eating some more.

Also, during the past couple of months, Nic and I faithfully attended all home Aggie games. The season wasn’t so great, but we always had a good time.

Caton & Nic at the A&M/Miami game