Looking back on her urge to clean up Christmas clutter and set out baby things, Darlene Hammer said her body must have known little Maxwell Carl Hammer was on his way.
Born at 11:42 am on Saturday, January 2, weighing six pounds, eight ounces, to Darlene and husband Doug, little Maxwell has the honour of being Powell River’s first baby of 2016.
“I just knew the Christmas tree had to come down and the baby stuff had to come out,” said Darlene, describing her overwhelming urge to tidy and organize the house on December 27.
Maxwell’s appearance so soon in the new year was not a foregone conclusion, however, as his due date was not slated until January 11, according to his mother.
Still, when Darlene said she felt the urge to push at 11:13 am on January 2, she said she knew she had to get to the hospital fast.
“I thought he was going to be born on the porch,” she laughed. “We ran through reception and the doctor didn’t even have time to put on scrubs.”
Maxwell is the Hammer’s second child after Peyton, four, who said he is looking forward to teaching his baby brother how to play hockey and build with Legos, although he wonders when little Maxwell will start to do more besides sleep and drink milk.
The speedy delivery of this year’s first baby represents a change from Powell River’s usual wait. Last year, Taurel Octavia Fairweather was born at 2:35 pm on January 5. In 2014, George Mathieu was born at 3:47 pm on January 4.
Now resting at home, the couple said they are laughing over the unintended result of accidentally giving their newborn a name evocative of a 1990s hip-hop singer and pop star.
“We didn’t realize we had named him MC Hammer,” said Darlene. “He shares a birthday with my grandfather Carl, and we didn’t even think about that.”
You can’t touch an experience like that.
Staff from Peak Publishing welcomed Powell River’s first baby of the year on Monday, January 4, and presented the family with gifts from local businesses.
