----Source: Marshfield News Herald (Marshfield, Wood
Co., Wis.)
January 2, 2006
Transcribed by: Crystal Wendt
Colby mom delivers New Year's first baby
By Jeni Lewis - Marshfield News-Herald
|
The Fox family of Colby pose with their newborn, Heidi Joanne, who was born at 10:39 a.m. Sunday at Medford Memorial Health Center. Heidi was the area's first New Year's baby and weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces at 20 inches long. |
A Colby mother delivered the Marshfield area's first New Year's baby Sunday morning.
And although it's been 11 years since Saint Joseph's Hospital wasn't able to welcome a Jan. 1 baby, by press time Sunday afternoon, the birth center still wasn't sure when the first baby of 2006 would be born there.
In Medford, the Fox family of Colby admired its new bundle of joy -- a daughter named Heidi.
"We never thought about it," said Alvin Fox, now the father of four. "We knew it was New Year's Day, but that wasn't the important thing to us."
Karen, 32, and Alvin, 36, arrived at Medford Memorial Health Center at around 4 a.m. and Heidi came into the world at 10:38 a.m., weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces.
"It's exciting. Because I have a new little sister," said Merlin, 7.
On Tuesday, he'll be able to go back to second grade at Unity Mennonite School and tell how his baby sister was the first to arrive in 2006.
Heidi's other siblings are Doretta, 5, and Janette, 2.
Neillsville's Memorial Medical Center also did not have any babies born by press time on Sunday, but that's not unusual, a nurse said.
The last time the birth center at Saint Joseph's Hospital didn't have a baby born on New Year's Day was in 1995. A baby girl was born at 2:13 a.m. Jan. 2 that year, according to hospital records. This year, a baby was born at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 at Saint Joseph's.
Alvin, who is a dairy farmer, and Karen, a homemaker, were tired by Sunday afternoon, but it was a good tired, Alvin said.
"We'd rather be on this side (of today) rather than that side," he said.
And Merlin, the only boy in the family, wasn't disappointed that Heidi was a girl.
"Girls are OK," he said.
Last year, Emma Grace Karau was born at 9:45 a.m. Jan. 1, to Nancy Pilz and Alan Karau in Marshfield, and Angelique Dawn Poncek was born at 5:47 a.m. to Robin Poncek in Medford.