LAYTON -- The first baby born in the Top of Utah in 2011 literally will be imprinted on his dad.
That's because father Nate Blowers already has a space picked out on his arm to have his baby's footprints tattooed.
Blake Blowers will have his mark next to where his 31âÑ2-year-old twin sisters, Mackenzie and Jazmin, already have their footprints.
"This is definitely my favorite tattoo, the one that has the most significance," said the new father, pointing to three other tattoos on his arms.
The 7-pound, 10-ounce, 19 1/2-inch Blake was born at Davis Hospital and Medical Center at 6:35 a.m. Saturday to Layton parents who tell a story of love at first sight and being high school sweethearts.
"We've been together since we were 15," said new mother Brooke. "We got our first tattoos together at 18."
The love Nate and Brooke Blowers share has stood the test of 12 years' time, though at 27 and 28 they are still a young couple. They have been married six years.
Little Blake was scheduled to make his debut into the world Jan. 5. That's when his mom had scheduled her cesarean section.
His due date was Jan. 12.
But Friday night, Brooke lounged on the couch at a family party and joked about how fun it would be for her son to have a birth date like 1/1/11.
Her joking seemed to put a hex on things.
"It wasn't so funny after I woke up," the new father said of his hour or so of sleep Saturday morning.
Brooke Blowers said she and her family got home from the party around 11 p.m. Friday, stayed up to ring in the new year, then went to bed.
Nate Blowers said he stayed up until about 2 a.m., then fell asleep in a chair.
Around 3:30 a.m., Brooke was awakened when her water broke.
"She actually called me on my cell phone," Nate said.
But Brooke said her husband didn't answer the first two times she called.
"I don't think I could have made it down the stairs at that point," said the mother, recalling her desperation.
When Nate finally made his way to his wife, she was not happy.
Brooke said she yelled at her husband, but she didn't report saying any unkind words.
"I was just yelling his name and told him we needed to get to the hospital," she said.
Nate said their two-mile dash wasn't too bad because most motorists were off the streets for the holiday.
The couple got to the hospital just about two hours before their son was born.
"Things went a lot quicker this time," said the mother, who recalled being in labor throughout the night with her twins. They finally required a C-section because one was in a breech position.
But this time, Brooke said her experience was much more pleasant.
She and her baby received a cartload of gifts from Davis Hospital for delivering the first baby of 2011 there.
"I'm just happy to see the diapers and the wipes," said Blake's father, even though his family's bounty included a $100 gift card to Target, as well as a host of other prizes including blankets, bottles of shampoo and lotion and a comfortable-looking robe for Brooke.
The first baby born in 2011 at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden was a girl born to Catalina Merino. A hospital spokesman said the 6-pound, 14-ounce baby made her way into the world at 7:48 a.m.
At Ogden Regional, the first baby of the new year was born at 7:20 p.m. Saturday. T.J. Adams, a 7-pound, 13-ounce boy, was born to T.J. and Tina Adams.
Comments