Powell River's first baby of 2017 is here and it did not take her long to arrive. Edith Caroline Dean was born on Sunday, January 1, at 2:43 pm to proud parents Jennifer and Martin Dean.
The Cranberry residents and their two-year-old daughter Hadley welcomed Edith a week earlier than her expected due date. She weighed six pounds, eight ounces at birth.
"We kind of joked about her being the New Year's baby, but we didn't think she actually would be," said Martin, who is originally from the United Kingdom.
Jennifer, who was born and raised in Powell River, said it was not long after the family rang in the New Year that she knew Edith was coming. She and Martin first went into Powell River General Hospital shortly after midnight on New Year's Eve.
"It was a bit of a long night. We went in the first time around 1 am and were sent home, then we ended up going back to the hospital at about 4 am, and that's when the fun really started," laughed Jennifer.
The Deans spent just over 24 hours in hospital and were sent home when staff members were confident that mom and baby were doing great, said Martin.
Edith is the first Powell River baby to be born on New Year's Day since 2012, when Savary Island residents Fiona and Chris Miller welcomed their daughter Penny into the world at 6:26 pm.
Last year's New Year's baby, Maxwell Carl Hammer, was born on January 2.
The Deans said new big sister Hadley is excited to have Edith around the house.
"Hadley has been really excited and curious, and very sweet about everything," said Martin.
On Tuesday, January 3, Peak staff presented the Deans with gifts from local participating businesses, as well as a subscription to the newspaper, while Edith enjoyed an afternoon nap.
"She's like this all of the time," said Jennifer. "All she does is sleep."
