"Helping families and communities prevent and cope with infant and young child loss, one baby step at a time"

John’s dad, Steve is a heavy equipment operator. He can operate anything, but primarily operates a CAT finish blade/road maintainer. The day we decided to start planning a family Steve started keeping an eye out for an infant CAT outfit.

Whether we had a boy or a girl, they were coming home in one! When we found out we were having a boy there was no question…he would be leaving the hospital wearing something that had a CAT logo on it!

About two months before John was due, Steve was starting to get anxious about finding an outfit. We were not finding what he wanted. So I went online to the Caterpillar website & started to search for a newborn outfits. The smallest I could find was a 6 month, white onesie with the CAT logo in the middle. I was fine with ordering it but kept putting it off.

I wasn’t worried about getting it before he was born because of the size. I didn’t think John would wear it for a few months. I finally ordered it; after Steve asked everyday for two weeks. I ordered it 6 weeks before he was due & it was going to take 6 weeks to arrive! It was delivered 1 week before he was born. (Thank goodness he was overdue!)

His dad was determined he would wear it home! So we packed it in the diaper bag and took it to the hospital with us!

At 8-days-old, 9 lb. 3 oz. & 21 ½ inches long, John was being released from the hospital. Dad got the 6 month CAT onesie out & put it on him. It was obviously too big but dad didn’t care! He was SO proud to see John wearing it!

Nina Cecila, the professional photographer who comes around the hospital to take pictures before newborns leave came in & suggested that John be only in a diaper for them. So for a couple he was, but he of course had to have most of them taken in the CAT outfit!

Though John is not here for his dad to physically show him how to operate equipment there is no doubt in my mind he is watching his dad all the time & he will know exactly what to do with heavy equipment!!