Zachary James Hansford took his time entering the world but when he finally made his appearance he laid claim to the title of first baby of 2012 in Prince George.
"Our baby was due on Christmas Day so he was a little overdue," said proud new mom Sherisse Hansford, 25. "We weren't expecting him to be the New Year's baby because he didn't come until the
afternoon."
Little Zachary James became the newest citizen of Prince George at 1:13 p.m. on Jan. 1 at the University Hospital of Northern BC. Zachary weighed in at seven pounds, six ounces.
"We thought that there would be at least a few babies before us," said mom, a nurse at University Hospital, who had many of her coworkers rooting for her.
It's the first foray into parenthood for Sherisse and Ryan Hansford, 26, graduates of Duchess Park High School in 2004. "I was there the whole time holding her hand coaxing her along," said Ryan about the 14-hour labour. "It was an
exhilarating experience.
"For me," he added after glancing at his wife of a year and a half.
The couple were grateful to little Zachary for allowing them to spend Christmas with their families instead of at the hospital, but Ryan was glad to finally meet his son and talk to him without a barrier.
"It was pretty cool at the end because you could almost feel his foot through the skin," he said.
The first baby born in British Columbia made her appearance just three minutes past midnight in Vancouver at the B.C. Women's Hospital. Isabella Marie Payne is the official 2012 New Year's baby in the province.
