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Terrace New Year's Baby keeps up with family tradition

The arrival Jan. 4 of daughter Emily for parents Keri-Ann and Tyson Vandevelde keeps up with a generations long tradition.
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Keri-Ann and Tyson Vandevelde hold their newborn baby Emily Vandevelde who happens to be a third-generation New Year’s baby.

The vandevelde family is on a roll when it comes to births of New Year’s babies with the arrival Jan. 4 of daughter Emily for parents Keri-Ann and Tyson Vandevelde.

As the first baby born here in 2013, Emily is now the third generation New Year’s baby to be born in the family.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said father Tyson, noting that Fred Euverman, an uncle, was the first New Year’s baby in the family born in 1960 with cousin  Kierra Obzera being the second New Year’s baby when she was born in 1990.

“And now Emily, kind of interesting,” said Tyson Vandevelde. “She was five days early.”

Emily was born 5:27 a.m. Jan. 4 after a relatively short labour.

And another tradition is being kept up as both their grandmothers also had Emily in their names as well.

“We didn’t realize that at first,” said Tyson Vandevelde.

“We both really liked (the name.)”

Mother Keri-Ann says she likes being a new mom.

“It’s exciting,” she said, adding it was a relatively quick labour.

The parents first went to the hospital on midnight Jan. 4 before leaving and returning at 3:30 a.m. that day.

“She came quick,” said Tyson Vandelvelde, adding it only took three pushes before Emily was born. Emily weighed 5 pounds, 14.6 ounces.

In keeping with a common practice in delivery rooms, Tyson cut the umbilical cord.

The very first New Year’s baby in B.C.’s north in 2013 goes to baby Sarah Nicole Cornell-Martinez, who was born in Fort St. John at 12:15 a.m. Jan. 1.

In the northwest, the city of Prince Rupert boasts the first in the region as baby Jalissa Stanley-Alexcee was born at 9:43 a.m. that same day.

Kitimat’s New Year’s baby was born just one hour before Terrace’s baby Emily. On Jan. 4 at 4:25 a.m. Seamus Gardner was born at the Kitimat General Hospital.