Toddler celebrates 1st birthday by reuniting with deputy who delivered her
— -- To help celebrate her first birthday, a Texas toddler has reunited with the sheriff's deputy who delivered her roadside in dramatic fashion.
Deputy Constable Mark Diebold of the Tarrant County police joined Evelyn Hall for a special tea party photo shoot on July 21 -- just days after the anniversary of their very first meeting in a gas station parking lot, when the officer welcomed her into the world.
"She loved clinking her little tea cup with him. They had a bonding moment there for sure," mom Destiny Hall of Granbury, Texas, told ABC News today. "Mark Diebold, without a doubt, is one of the most genuine, loving, thoughtful and caring [people] we have ever met. He is quick to think of others and we are so blessed to call him friend and family."
While pregnant with Evelyn, Destiny Hall went into labor in the early morning hours of July 18, 2016.
As he sped to the hospital, Caleb Hall, Destiny's husband, was flagged down by Diebold, who insisted on escorting the couple.
But during the drive, it became clear the baby wanted to make an early appearance.
"[Destiny] said, 'Pull over, I'm having the baby,' and I said, 'No!'" Caleb Hall told ABC News in an interview last year, shortly after the delivery. "When she told me that it was happening, we were behind Officer Diebold and he had his lights and sirens going. I kind of had a small glimpse of hope that maybe we would make it."
The Halls pulled into a gas station parking lot where Diebold assisted in Evelyn's birth.
Evelyn Joy Deborah Hall weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces.
Shortly after the birth, the parents honored Diebold by having Evelyn photographed leaning next to his badge.
"It was amazing," Diebold told ABC News in the same interview after Evelyn was born. "It was heartfelt and it was a big deal. That photo shoot reminded me that [police work] is what I need to keep doing until it's my time to stop."
Destiny Hall said her family and Diebold's have developed a friendship and that her kids refer to him as "Uncle Mark."
"Evelyn's birth has blessed us in countless ways, but our friendship with the Diebold's is one of the biggest ones," she added.
