Most people wish for good fortune and joy in the New Year, but
few see their wishes realized in quite the manner Merari Contreras
and her husband Anito did on Sunday, when the couple welcomed San
Benito County’s first baby of 2006 into the world.
Hollister – Most people wish for good fortune and joy in the New Year, but few see their wishes realized in quite the manner Merari Contreras and her husband Anito did on Sunday, when the couple welcomed San Benito County’s first baby of 2006 into the world.
“At first I was really anxious about when he would be born,” Contreras said. “But it’s pretty neat having the New Year’s baby.”
Contreras, 25, gave birth to a 7 pound, 3 ounce boy, Noah Ezekiel Contreras at 3:55pm, after nearly five hours in labor.
“We got to Hazel Hawkins at around 4:30 in the morning,” said Contreras. “But the actual act of labor didn’t start until around 11.”
Noah’s due date was actually Christmas, Contreras said, but he seems to have had other plans.
“He just held on. One way or the other, he was going to be born on a holiday,” she said. “Maybe he thought it would be more special on New Year’s.”
To celebrate his birth, Noah received a T-shirt and bib set from Hazel Hawkins Hospital declaring him the first baby of 2006.
Noah’s middle name, Ezekiel, is in honor of Anito’s uncle and Contreras’ great grandfather, who share the name.
“There’s no one in our family named Noah, it’s just a nice biblical name,” Contreras said. “But it turned out perfectly, because of the weather we’ve been having.”
Noah is the youngest of three boys, after older brothers Anito Jr., 7, and Timothy, 5. Compared to her first two, Noah’s birth was the hardest, Contreras says, but well worth it.
“He’s my parents’ seventh grandson, and seven is God’s perfect number,” she said. “We only have boys on this side of the family, my parents don’t have any granddaughters yet.”
Not only is Noah Contreras’ third – and, the parents have decided, last – son, he also carries on another peculiar family streak.
“All of my children have been born on Sunday,” Contreras said. “Maybe it’s because I’ve given them biblical names.”
Contreras’ husband Anito, 29, was equally thrilled over the birth of his son.
“I’m very excited,” he said. “If I keep having boys like this, I can start my own (football) team.”
The Contrerases originally hail from Hollister – both are San Benito High School graduates and dated in their teens. The two were wed in 1997 but moved to Las Vegas in 2001, so that Anito could pursue his career as an engineer. Now that Merari has found work in Hollister as an administrative assistant and has been living here for the past three months, the couple plans to buy a home and raise their children in town, near family and old friends.
“Hollister is still a nice little town,” Contreras said. “It’s not a big crazy city.”
While the family is enjoying Noah’s 15 minutes of fame as the first local baby of 2006, Contreras says that the fun of welcoming a new addition to the family far outshines her son’s celebrity.
“This is really exciting for my kids,” Contreras said. “They don’t really care about Noah being the New Year’s baby, they’re just excited that they finally have their little brother.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
