Introducing Damon Schlenker Wilcock

Hello everyone,
I would like to introduce myself: my name is Damon Schlenker Wilcock. I was born on February 24, 2012 at 5:53am at Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah. When I was born I weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and was 19 inches long. My brother Houston asked me to write the story about how I was born so he could post it on the blog for you all to enjoy.
God definitely works in wonderful ways. After mommy hit 37 weeks she was both anxious and nervous about when I would arrive. She knew since Houston was born 3 weeks early I could come anytime between then and my due date of March 5. Luckily, however, mom had lots to keep her busy while she waited. During a particularly busy week, mom kept thinking this would be a bad time for me to come. She had a huge to do list for her church calling on top of other weekly chores like grocery shopping and house cleaning. As the week went on, mom was happy she was getting all she needed to done. Her business peeked on Wednesday with a Cub Scout blue and gold banquet where she was in charge of bringing the food for 80 people and doing a presentation and book club afterwards. That night she took a deep breath and told me that I could now come anytime and preferably soon. The next day was pretty normal and mom was able to get much of her weekly cleaning done in the morning. But as soon as Houston and her woke up from naps she began experiencing mild, but nonetheless very regular contractions. However, trying not to get anxious or too excited she fought through them by finishing up her cleaning and playing outside with Houston. When daddy got home she broke the contraction news to him but told him not to get too excited; contractions like these can last days before it is time for baby to come.
Later that night while mom and dad were watching the BYU basketball game, mom felt something funny around 10pm: nothing like her water breaking but enough to make her think I might be coming sooner then she thought. Immediately she started packing her bags. But as soon as mom decided to give up and go to bed, sure enough at 11:30pm her water officially broke and the decision was made to head to the hospital. Since my brother Houston was asleep, mom and dad called one of their angel neighbors to come sleep over and watch him for part of the next day. Mom had quite a hard time leaving Houston and prayed wouldn’t be too overwhelmed with all that was about to befall.
Once they got there and mom got situated, it took a while and 3 different tests to finally determine that mom was leaking amniotic fluid. At this point, about 1am, mom was dilated 3cm. Finally at 2am she was officially admitted to the hospital. Then it took 3 different stabs to get mom’s IV in her (the nurses were trying to train and new bee). Mom tried to be a good sport and since it was waaaayyy past her bedtime, she was just too tired to care very much. As soon as they could, they started mom on pitocin to make her contractions stronger. This seemed all too familiar to mom because she pretty much experienced the same situation with my brother, Houston. Some babies do not react very well to pitocin and I apparently am one of those babies. Once the contractions become quite strong and painful, my heart rate dropped and the nurses became quite concerned. They tried putting mom in all sorts of different positions and even put a monitor inside mom on my head to keep a closer eye on me. Dealing with a lot of pain and the stress of my heart rate not cooperating put mom through quite the ordeal.
By 4am mom gave in and got her beloved epidural which helped her relax. It was a good thing because by 5:30 she was fully dilated 10cm and the doctor was on the way. The nurse expressed a strong desire not be the one to deliver me so she told mom to keep her legs closed and not to cough or sneeze until the doctor got there. After the doctor arrived he gave mom instructions on how to push. Mom remembers pushing being the worst part of labor because she got super nauseous last time. This time turned out to be a breeze however. Mom pushed 3 times for one contraction and half way through the next contractions I was out at 5:53am! As soon as mom heard my cry, she was in tears of relief and joy that I had finally arrived happy (well not so much) and healthy.
As soon as they cleaned me up, they took my temperature and it was a little low so they quickly put me on my mommy’s chest to try and warm me up. This part was so special for mom, dad and me because we really got to bond for the first time.


Mom and dad noticed how much I looked like my brother, Houston when he was born. One stand out feature was the beautiful shape of my head. Because mom didn’t have to push for very long, I had what one nurse called a “c-section baby head”. Later, when others saw pictures of me, they said they saw more of mom in me, where as Houston looked more like dad. I also had very long fingers and feet just like my brother. My eyes even take on the same “no color” that Houston’s did. I wonder what color they will end up being. After I was warmed up a bit, mom tried feeding me and to her surprise I latched on right away. Mom was thrilled and I continue to be a great eater to this day.
After I was cleaned up, we moved to the recovery room and mom, dad and I had a nice, quiet morning.


It was definitely hard on mom and dad pulling an all-nighter right before I was born. It was especially for mommy because she knew it would be a while until she would be caught up on her sleep since she chose to breast feed me and I get hungry about every 2-3 hours.
Later in the day, daddy went home to shower and pick up my brother to bring to the hospital. Even though everyone was exhausted (my brother didn’t have the best night either) we were all so happy to be together as a family of 4 for the first time. Houston was most interested in being with mommy but became more and more interested in me as time past. He was excellent at being very soft with me and was fascinated with how small my features were.

That night, daddy took Houston home so they could sleep in their beds. This time around mom decided to take advantage of the nursery at the hospital so that she could catch up on some much needed sleep. The nurses were so good to me and mom felt blessed that she could leave me in such good hands during her recovery. The next day Houston and dad came back in the afternoon and we spent the day in the hospital waiting for Grandma Schlenker to arrive from Medicine Hat, Alberta.

At this point, Houston was running on little sleep because of all the excitement and was fortunate there was a cot in the room by mom and dad. After Grandma got some snuggles in with me, she took Houston home to bed and dad stayed the night with mom and me.
The next morning it was time to go home and we were all very excited!

Happy Pres Day and a Quick Update

To celebrate President's/Family day, after family home evening we went to Dairy Queen and each got a little treat. But for a little guy, mine aint so little. I did pretty good on it though!


Mommy had her 38 week check up today and she has now dilated 2cm. The doctor was impressed but mommy was hoping for a bit more. At least she is progressing though! If the baby doesn't come by next Monday, Feb 27, the doctor said we are welcome to schedule an induction so that could be interesting. We could essentially pick my baby brother's birthday and plan a lot of things out instead of playing a guessing game. So yes, there are advantages to this but one disadvantage is that mommy has to be huge and uncomfortable for more than another week. Keep us in your prayers and we'll keep you updated!

2 weeks and counting

Me probably watching a youtube video on Dad’s phone. I am completely capable of unlocking dad’s phone, accessing the you tube application, choosing a video that looks good (usually something to do with elmo) and playing it for myself.


I think I am pretty funny when I fall and get stuck in my toy box.


A couple of weekends ago, I was able to go up to Draper twice to visit with Smiths and Grandma and Grandpa Campbell who were visiting to celebrate Auntie Richelle’s 50th birthday. On Saturday, Larissa and Daria babysat me while mom and dad went to a movie with the other adults. I was such a good boy and really enjoyed playing and spending time with them. Larissa and Daria are so good to me!

Mommy is now 38 weeks along which means in two weeks or less I can finally meet my baby brother!! At her 36 week doctor’s appointment, the doctor determined that she was over 1cm dilated and about 60% effaced. The doctor also had to go pretty low to hear the baby’s heartbeat and said he was definitely moving his way down. If mom remembers correctly, this is almost the exact report she received one week before I was born. However that doesn’t mean that my brother will come in a week…just all good news.

Mommy has another appointment on Tuesday and if she still has not progressed much, they might strip her membranes to help move things along (mommy doesn’t really know yet what that means but she hears it is not the most pleasant experience – but she is happy to do anything to moooove things along).

On Feb 7, mommy turned 26! The day started out extra special just for her: she got extra sweet morning snuggles from me after I went to bed quickly the night before and slept all through the night; she woke up to a nice card and birthday balloon from Daddy; and received beautiful pink roses from her visiting teachers (mommy loves her visiting teachers!!). Then the day continued pretty much as a normal Tuesday with mom and me going to Story Time at the library, playing outside, eating lunch and taking naps. When daddy got off work him and the babysitter arrived so that dad could take mom out on the town. I was so excited to see Chelsea, my babysitter, it made it quite easy for mom and dad to leave and take a nice break. First they went to Tacanos, a really nice Brazilian restaurant. Then they went to a near by establishment that was having a karaoke night. Mom and dad each did a solo and then did a very cheesy duet of A Whole New World. Afterwards they went to the theater to watch the new Shirlock Holmes movie which they highly recommend. Mom had an amazing night and is so grateful for daddy and his never ending sweetness!

Here are all the wonderful surprises mom received on her birthday… thanks again to all those who made her day so special.


A week later, our family had a nice valentine’s day. Mommy made cupcakes for our friends and a super yummy cake for us and daddy’s work buddies (vertical layer chocolate and strawberry cake). She also got to break out her new cake decorating set she got for Christmas and had lots of fun with it. I didn’t end up having a nap that day which means I was ready for bed around 7. That was nice for mom and dad to then have a nice evening to themselves eating pizza, watching a movie and being goofy as usual.

Fun with Friends

Two weeks ago mom had a doctor’s appointment and it was determined from an ultrasound that my baby brother was breech (head up instead of down how it should be). Since mom was only 32 weeks along, the doctor was not worried about him turning, but mommy was! Most breech babies are delivered via c-section and mom does NOT want a c-section. Luckily at her 34 week appointment, another quick ultrasound showed that the baby had flipped and mom was relived. The doctor was doubtful that he will flip again…phew! Going into the doctor, mom had suspected the baby had flipped because she felt more kicking movement up by her ribs and a huge mound (head) did not stick out the top of her belly anymore.

I love going to the doctor with mom and always remember that I get to hear my baby brother’s heart beat.

For a while after we got back from Christmas holidays I was on a really late schedule and mom and dad had mixed feelings about it. The awesome part was I was sleeping in until about 8 or 8:30 every morning. That meant I wouldn’t get tired for a nap until about 2 or 2:30. The worst part was, I wasn’t going to sleep until about 9:30 or 10pm every night. It wasn’t that I was being a brat or anything, I just wasn’t tired until then. Even though mom liked sleeping in, the later nights were hard on her because she didn’t have anytime to herself or with daddy since she was going to bed very soon after me. Luckily, one Sunday I just refused to nap so mom and dad put me down early for bed and I have been on a better schedule every since, going to bed at around 8:30 or 9. That still may seem late, but all efforts on mom and dad’s part to put me down earlier simply do not work.

A couple of weeks ago, some friends invited us to go bowling. This was my first time, and I had tons of fun. Mom and dad both enjoy bowling as well, so we might have to start going more often.




Yesterday, we also had a fun Saturday with the same friends (Kate and Kent and their children Afton and Stone). We invited them over for a dinner of appetizers and we had quite the feast. Mom and dad started their preparations in the morning and really enjoyed spending some quality time together all day in the kitchen. While they were busy, I played with a buddy of mine named Rusty. He is just younger than me and we play so good together. Plus we made a royal mess of my toys. Afterwards, Kate and the kids stayed to play and Dad and Kent went to a very intense BYU basketball game. Overall it was an amazing Saturday!

This sort of feast was unusual for daddy as of late because he has started dieting to loose some weight. It has now been well over 2 weeks and he has lost well over 10 pounds! Mom and I are very proud of his new healthy habits.

Finally I wanted to share my latest obsession. Some children are attached to blankets or stuffed animals that they insist on sleeping with. I, however, am attached and must sleep each night with a hard plastic fireman’s hat. Mom and Dad are not quite sure where this came from but they find it quite amusing. The best part is in the morning when I come into mom and dad’s room, hardly able to walk or keep my eyes open, but I never fail to have my fire man’s hat on. It is sure a sight for sore eyes and mom wouldn’t want to wake up any other way. Yet, she just makes me take it off before I come snuggle with her. Also they find it pretty hard to get mad at me during bed time when I sheepishly come out of my room, head lowered, puppy dog eyes looking up and that darn hat on.


P.S. my new favorite movie is LION KING (thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Cooper who gave it to me for Christmas)!! I make mom sing Akuna Matata almost every night before bedtime.

New Years at Ashley Lake

The day we travelled from Alameda, CA to Ashley Lake, MT was a long one but everything went surprisingly well. Our flight was at 6am so mom was up at about 4am getting everything ready. Granddad drove us to the airport at 5 and Grandma Cari was nice enough to help mommy and me all the way to security. Mommy only has so many hands so she really appreciated it. Even though we were both tired, we stayed in good spirits for both flights (first to Salt Lake and then to Missoula). Papa Schlenker was nice enough to pick us up in Missoula and drive us back to the Lake (over a 2 hour drive). I had my standard 45 minute nap in the car (I never sleep longer than that in a car seat) and didn’t go potty in my pants at all. Mom was so proud of me.
When we got to the lake, We were able to spend a day with the Smiths and 2 days with Grandma and Grandpa Campbell before it was just members of the Schlenker Family at the cabin. I get along great with my Schlenker Cousins (Ashton, Nick and Beckham) and they always included me when they played. I even got to sit on the big bar stools with Ashton and Nick for each meal. In particular, I think Nick and I are going to be good buds as we grow.
The night we got there we opened gifts and I got spoiled once again: camo sweat suit (matching my cousins), aqua doodle pad, hockey sticks/net, 2 trucks that drive themselves, zoo zoo pet, blocks, and a special book that has grandma and papa’s voice recorded to read to me.
The only downer at the lake this year was that there was not a lot of snow. This made our tobogganing efforts limited but other than that, we found lots of fun things to do. I loved going to the neighbors park and going “up, down” on the see saw.


Mom’s favorite part, as always, was skating on the lake. Thanks to my cousin’s skate trainer, I did pretty well too.
Grandma and Grandpa Campbell

Grandma pulling my on the sled.

Uncle Derek



Daddy arrived from a long day of travel on New Years Eve and we were so excited to see him. After working all week and waking up that 4am that morning he was exhausted. He helped how he could with the rock work (see pictures below) but when my bedtime arrived, he took me to bed and never came back up. Who can blame him!

The rock workers ended up working over 16 hours on the fire place and finished just after midnight and the announcement of the New Year.

“Happy New Year!”



Auntie Laurel and mom also stayed up for supportive purposes and celebrated New Year with ice cream and hot chocolate. They were very impressed by our men’s hard work and good attitudes throughout the day.



One day, Grandma Schlenker and Uncle Derek went skiing and on their way home they picked up fire works. We set them all off on the frozen lake with our neighbors on New Years Day.


It is never a complete Ashley Lake experience without a “Royal Rumble”. They are getting so big, they had to move from the media room to the down stairs living room (luckily it isn't furnished yet). It is always the little guys vs the big guys. Here is a little sample:

The rule is we wrestle until at least 2 boys are crying.
Ashton getting slammed.

Me getting smooshed.

Nick getting thrown.

Beckham loving life.


Another favorite activity is obviously quadding at the lake. I was able to go with daddy, papa and even ride myself a bit on Ashton and Nick’s little quad.



Our last morning, the men went ice fishing so Auntie Laurel, mom and all the little boys decided to venture out to the middle of the ice to visit them.




It was a beautiful day and it ended with another wonderful skate on the ice as the sun set. The next day, Grandma and Papa took us to the airport to pick up our rental car. The drive went pretty smooth even though it was long and I was such a good boy the whole way. I even had 2 45-minute naps!

Christmas in California

After a couple days of packing and cleaning, it was time to start our Christmas vacation! On December 22 we drove to Draper to spend the night at Smiths. They were so nice to let us crash in their basement and then drive us to the airport very early the next morning. We arrived in Oakland about 8:30am totally exhausted but super happy to be with Daddy’s side of the family for Christmas. That evening, after everyone had arrived we went to a special part of Alameda called Thompson Street. Each year this particular street has each house beautifully and creatively decorated in Christmas lights and decorations. The whole evening was awesome with beautiful weather and yummy pizza to follow.


The next morning was Christmas Eve and Daddy, Uncle Tim and Uncle Adam were invited to go play touch football with some old friends. Near their completion, we went to the park where they were playing to visit and saw daddy killing it as usual. They had lots of fun but there was also a lot of moaning and groaning afterwards.

That night, traditions began at Grandma and Grandpa Coopers with potato soup, sandwiches and lots of goodies. We also opened gifts and enjoyed singing some classic Christmas songs. Mom got my favorite on tape:

Even still I like this song sung to me a couple times before nap or bed time.

Luckily we didn’t stay out too late because the next morning was going to be an early one. I had sort of a rough night with a nasty cough so mom and dad felt bad waking me up at 7am to open gifts but it was worth it because I got spoiled!

Santa brought me a tool bench with lots of tools. From mom and dad I got a cow ball that I can bounce around on. From other relatives I got trucks, puzzles, a train set, clothes, a stuffed Sully (from Monsters Inc), books, Lion King DVD, art supplies, and a cool a wooden car ramp. As you can probably guess, I am a big fan of opening presents.

After 2 hours of gift opening, the extended family came over for a yummy breakfast consisting of breakfast burritos and pastries. Since it was Sunday, it was a little crazy trying to eat, visit and get ready for church, but we amazingly made it there on time to listen to some beautiful Christmas music and hear an excellent talk. Soon after naps, we made our way to Vastolas for games and a yummy (as always) dinner. I was pretty tired after my overwhelming day but I was still a good boy.

Daddy took me home early partly to put me to bed and partly because he had an early flight to Dallas, TX the next morning. BYU’s football team was scheduled to play in a bowl game the following Friday so dad had to meet up with them to start work again. Mom and I were super sad to see him go but were happy to hang out with family while he was gone.
The next day was jam packed especially for mommy. While she went on a hike through the Oakland hills with some of the family, I stayed back with Granddad, Ryan, Kit Kat and Uncle Tim. I love hanging out with granddad! We watched cars together and then he put me down for a nap. Then I played with my cousins until mommy came home and Granddad took us both to a very cool place. Granddad has a membership to the famous USS Hornet from WWII which is docked in Alameda. Because of my love of boats and airplanes, Granddad thought it would be a good place for me to visit and was he ever right!









This is a picture of me snuggling with Grandpa Cooper on our last day in California. We were sad to say goodbye but excited to go to Montana to see Mommy’s side of the family.

Baby Boy #2 Update

Mom is finally in her third trimester and is happy to be at this point. She is feeling pretty good as long as she gets a good night sleep and doesn't feel as huge as she did when I was inside of her. I'm sure that won't last as my baby brother is growing fast and could be anywhere from 2-3 pounds now! He is quite a mover just like I was and mommy loves it most of the time. Once in a while he tries to actually break the skin of mom's belly and she doesn't like that very much. BTW my brothers due date is MARCH 5 and not the 7 as many thought before. This was even news to mom at a past doctor's appointment.
Over the Holidays we are first flying to Oakland to celebrate Christmas. Then Daddy heads to Dallas, TX for the BYU bowl game and mom and I will fly to Montana to see the Schlenker side and celebrate new years. Daddy will join us after the game and we will drive back to Utah in time for school to start again. We are SO very excited to see so much family but that much travel with me (a two year old) and mommy 7 1/2 months prego will be interesting.