First baby of 2014 was running late

EVERETT — Thien Nguyen was supposed to be a Christmas Eve baby.

He wasn’t quite ready for the holidays.

“He waited for the new year,” his mom Trinh Nguyen said from her hospital bed Wednesday afternoon.

Her handsome boy made his grand entrance at 4:18 a.m. Wednesday. Thien was the first baby born in 2014 at Providence Regional Medical Center’s Pavilion for Women and Children.

He edged out two other babies for the title. The second baby was born at 5:18 a.m. and a third was born at 5:33 a.m., hospital spokeswoman Heidi Amrine said.

By late afternoon, two other local hospitals, Swedish Medical Center Edmonds and Cascade Valley in Arlington, still hadn’t welcomed a baby into the new year.

Around 9,000 babies are born each year in Snohomish County.

Thien was swaddled in a blue blanket and dozing Wednesday afternoon. His tiny face peeked out from under a cap. He weighed in at six pounds and was 18 inches long.

“He’s a little boy,” his petite mom said.

The Everett woman, 28, went into labor around 8 a.m. Tuesday. A week overdue, she and her husband, 33, were ready to meet their second child. Their daughter Han is 6.

Trinh Nguyen was in labor for more than two days with her daughter.

“That’s it. No more,” Nhut Nguyen said about plans for any other children.

The Nguyens said they didn’t really think about the possibility of their son being born on New Year’s Day. The day will hold special meaning now.

The Nguyens knew they were having a boy after an ultrasound about four months ago. They weren’t certain about a name until their son was born. In Vietnamese, his son’s name means “idea of God,” Nhut Nguyen said.

They hope to bring him home today. His big sister Han also is eager for the family to be home.

On Wednesday she sat next to her dad, coloring. She sprang up from her seat when her baby brother whimpered in his sleep. She peeked in on him and says he’s handsome. She’s also ready to teach him how to color.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.