THE STAGGE FAMILY: WAYLON'S 1ST BIRTHDAY IN HEAVEN

For me pregnancy started out a little rough. I was sick all day every day and couldn't find much relief from the nausea until about 12 weeks. Chris and I had our bets the whole time that we were having a boy, but on February 17, 2010 at 19 weeks it was confirmed that we were absolutely RIGHT!! Waylon Bruce Stagge was officially on the way. We were so excited, we didn't think that July would get here soon enough. Waylon was scheduled to make his appearance into our lives on July 11, 2010. Wow, did we have a lot to do to get ready for him. I spent countless hours at Babies 'R' Us registering and learning everything I could. I read books from cover to cover searching for all the information I could find. I signed us up for classes at the hospital and kept myself eating well and exercising as much as possible. My belly grew so fast, and although so uncomfortable I loved every second of it. The sleepless nights; the weird food cravings; every single kick, squirm, hiccup and jab; all the pains and discomforts and especially the bond I formed with my son since the minute I found out I was pregnant. Everything was going so well....

This was one of the last pictures I took during my pregnancy, at 35 weeks. We celebrated my birthday and moved into our brand new home on June 18th. Father's Day came that Sunday...we celebrated with our family and that night at 9:00 pm tragedy struck. I had made it to 37 weeks, when our world came crashing down. I had been to the doctor just a few days before and everything looked great. I knew something was terribly wrong when I hadn't felt Waylon move for at least 2 hours. He was such a mover and a kicker whenever I laid down to get some rest or sleep. So when I laid down that night, and he wasn't....I knew we needed to get to the hospital right away. I was admitted to the hospital just before midnight and Waylon's death was confirmed, there was no longer a heartbeat. Our baby boy was gone.....

I was induced and delivered our son the next morning. He was the most beautiful little thing I have ever seen. He had his daddy's feet, both of our lips and my nose. Such a perfect combination of the two of us. Our precious baby was too beautiful for this earth. We held him all day, dressed him in the very first outfit I had bought for him, the same one I used to tell Chris I was pregnant, and we cherished the whole day. When it was time to say goodbye to his earthly body, I gently kissed his hand and told him I loved him. We were later told that our son had passed away due to a cord accident. An "accident" that simply cut off his blood and oxygen supply within seconds. There was nothing that anyone could have done to save him. No way that anyone could have known this was happening. Although I will never completely understand why we had to lose him, we are hopeful for our future. We know we will see our little boy again when our time here is through.

Waylon's ashes were scattered at our family property near Bear Lake, our heaven on earth. We had a stone custom made for him and placed on the side of the mountain overlooking a reservoir, trees and wide open spaces as far as the eye can see. It is beautiful!! Our immediate family was all there to celebrate his life with us and set his spirit free. We had the ceremony at sunset after a beautiful day. Right before we headed down to his spot there was a huge rainstorm that came through and cleansed the earth, and then.....a rainbow and a gorgeous sunset sky. It was the most peaceful and spiritual experience of our lives.

CHRIS & JEN

We first met in October of 2006 at work. It was love at first sight!! After about a year and a half of dating Chris proposed on the very top of Bloomington Peak overlooking Bear Lake. We were married on August 2, 2008 on the beach of our heaven on earth, Bear Lake. In November 2009 we found out we were expecting our first child the next July. Our world has been changed forever since Waylon Bruce Stagge came into our lives on June 21, 2010. Waylon was born sleeping, but has managed to leave an incredible imprint on this world none the less. Our marriage has grown even stronger as we grieve together hand in hand. Our path has had its ups and downs but it is our special path of stepping stones to a brighter future filled with hope and family. We are grateful for every day and strive to make every moment count. You never know what life will bring you, so we intend to live each day the best we can.

THE STAGGE FAMILY

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

WAYLON'S 1ST BIRTHDAY IN HEAVEN

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