Grant County welcomes first 2007 baby

GRANT COUNTY — Two babies ran a close race to be named first baby born in a Grant County hospital in 2007, but one was born seven minutes earlier.

The first baby is Javier Velazquez Jr., born at Samaritan Healthcare at 12:08 p.m. Jan. 1 to Martha Velazquez from George. Velazquez received a gift basket from Samaritan in recognition of Javier Jr.'s birth.

Another baby was born minutes later at 12:15 p.m. The two babies were the only babies born at Samaritan on Jan. 1. The first born baby at Othello Community Hospital arrived at 5:30 p.m. named Brianna Ramos. She was born to Alex Ramos and Cecilia Guijosa.

Velazquez said she planned the child, her fourth. She was speaking through registered nurse Roxanne Harrison, who was translating. Velazquez said she was happy to give birth to another child, her second boy. Javier Jr. is named after his father and Velazquez's husband.

"[I feel] real content to have another baby, and good because it was fast," said Velazquez, 33.

She said she was happy to give birth to the first baby of the year.

Contractions started at 6 a.m., with Velazquez arriving at the hospital at 10 a.m. She gave birth two hours later.

Her other children, ages 7, 10 and 17, were excited to welcome a new sibling into the family.

"They'd give kisses to my belly," she said.

Her 7-year-old daughter was most excited about the pregnancy. Even before Velazquez became pregnant, her daughter would ask if she was pregnant yet and cry because she wanted her to have another baby.

"All three of them were, but mostly her because she would cry because she wanted to know when the baby was born, and I would have to say, 'No, not yet,'" Velazquez said.

Mother and baby center Director Susan Scott said 1,067 babies were born in 2006.

"Just looking at the prenatals we have so far, it looks like it's going to stay pretty busy," Scott said.