Happy Birthday Peyton!

August 9, 2010

One decade ago, 2 became 3 when Peyton joined Julie and I.

The day before, Julie had gone to a wedding downtown and had been walking around quite a bit.  She came home and laid down on the bed next to me and we were talking about the day, when we heard (and Julie felt) an audible popping sound.  Having never been through this before, we weren’t quite sure what was going on.  But in fact, Julie’s water had broken.  I went into crazy new dad mode, and we hurried from our Midvale apartment down to Utah Valley hospital in Provo.  The nurses got Julie all changed into the gown, IV in, heart-rate monitors on, and all comfortable just in time to find out that our insurance wasn’t even accepted at Utah Valley.  For some reason Julie’s doctor (who we learned later was kind of a wack job) had never bothered to check our insurance.  So off came the monitors, out came the IV, and back went on the regular clothes as we raced up to Timpanogos hospital in Orem, where our insurance was valid.  Another gown, another IV, and all the monitors on again.  Now it just so happens that Julie’s doctor was nowhere to be found.  Was he on vacation?  I honestly don’t remember.  I just know he wasn’t available.  But the nurses ended up taking care of Julie through the night as she progressed toward delivery.

After the relative excitement of the water breaking and actually getting to the right hospital, the delivery itself was normal.  The doctor on call delivered Peyton Buss Williams at 7:19 am.  Julie decided she liked the doc on call a lot better than her own doctor anyway.  So we named Peyton after him.  Just kidding.  Peyton is just a name I loved.  A good football name.  Peyton Manning and  Walter Payton, two of my all time favorite football players.  A nice boy name.  Or so we thought, until his first doctor visit when the lady next to us was there with her daughter Payton.  We’d never known a girl Peyton until that time.  Grrr.   Peyton is Old English and means “fighting man’s estate“.  Where do girls get off stealing that name?  In 2009, Peyton for girls became more popular than Peyton for boys.  I’m sorry Peyt.  But you do have a nice strong middle name too.  Buss.  Named for his Grandpa, Frank “Buss” Williams (check out page 12 here and page 6 in this 1969 football program).  If girls ever manage to steal THAT name, it’ll be a sad, sad day.

Anyway, today — 8/9/10 — I just want to wish Peyton a happy birthday.  There’s probably no bigger life changing moment than holding your first child in your arms.  And as I watch him grow and mature, I am amazed at the speed with which the last 10 years has gone by.  He’s almost taller than Julie.  Crazy.  And he’s becoming a pretty great young man.  We love you Peyton.  Have a great day!

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