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MASSARO: First child of '90s grown up

By Gary Massaro, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 1, 2009 at 12:05 a.m.

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Dennis Stepanich III, who turns 19 today, jokes with his girlfriend, Krissa Fuentes, while playing video games with his family including mom, Jackie, left, and dad, Dennis Jr., while home in Arvada during college break on Tuesday.

Photo by Preston Gannaway / The Rocky

Dennis Stepanich III, who turns 19 today, jokes with his girlfriend, Krissa Fuentes, while playing video games with his family including mom, Jackie, left, and dad, Dennis Jr., while home in Arvada during college break on Tuesday.

Dennis Stepanich III was Denver's first child of the 1990s. Below, Stepanich at 19 today.

Photo by Special To The Rocky

Dennis Stepanich III was Denver's first child of the 1990s. Below, Stepanich at 19 today.

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The baby that caused Jackie Stepanich so much trouble in pregnancy 19 years ago has given her so much joy.

The baby, Dennis Stepanich III, was the first child of the 1990s born in Denver.

The baby's dad, Dennis Stepanich Jr., was popping buttons off his shirt from pride on New Year's Day, 1990.

Mom was out of it.

"I was very ill. I had toxemia really bad," Jackie said. "I don't remember two, three days after I had him. It wasn't an easy pregnancy. I threw up for nine months, 20 times a day."

It's gotten better since then, of course. And as any parent knows, the years have flown by. Dennis III - who's known by his dad's nickname, Bub - plays on the offensive line for Adams State College in Alamosa, where he's majoring in business.

Little Bub started playing football as a peewee at the age of 8.

But it wasn't until he was in eighth grade that he got a feel for the game, started really having fun at it.

That made his transition into high school simpler. He was on the varsity team as a sophomore. When he finished, he was on the Jeffco all-conference team.

In Alamosa, he and his buddies hang out at the local Wal-Mart. Hey, it's in the San Luis Valley. What do you expect?

So he goes fishing with some buddies, including teammate Mike Vaughan, with whom he also played in high school.

Each summer, he and his family go on a fishing trip around Granby.

He and three other cousins have birthdays within a month of each other. So one of Stepanich's most memorable birthdays came when he was 8, or maybe 9 - he's not sure, because the families threw a joint celebration.

"I got a bunch of race car stuff," he said. "We're big into racing."

Grandpa Dennis races. So does Big Bub. Little Bub goes with his family to Colorado National Speedway to watch them race.

"My cousin and I are basically the pit crew," he said.

Two others cousins and an uncle also race.

It's a tight family. Little Bub has a little sister, Amanda, 16. He calls her "Derr," as in Amand-er.

"I can always remember, from when he was little, his first thought was always his sister," said Big Bub. "We'd be going somewhere and he'd always ask, 'What about Amanda?' "

His dad had tears in his eyes when he dropped off his son at college, and again last fall when Adams State had a bye week. The family still goes to high school football games. And they were at one, surrounded by friends and acquaintances, when Little Bub showed up and surprised them.

"I cried. He cried. The people all around us cried," Big Bub said.

But the emotion ends there. The first baby of the decade to Little Bub? Not that big of a deal.

He summed up his life so far in a few words.

"I've enjoyed hanging with family and friends," he said. ""I've enjoyed the last 18 years, just being young."

His mom has enjoyed watching him grow and grow and grow. He weighs about 280, but it's solid, as he lifts weights every day.

"He's a good person. He's a good student. He's a really good brother," Jackie said. "I can't ask for more."

He'll spend today, his birthday, "just hanging out with a bunch of my family," he said.

For 2009, he said, "I'm looking forward to going back to school, getting back into football and getting into all the things, like family."

massarog@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5271