More than $500 in gifts and prizes. A lifetime supply of bragging rights. And a pony, too?
No wonder Adelaide Pearline was so anxious to make her presence known.
Born Jan. 5, Adelaide arrived on scene in the wee hours of the morning, 3:25 a.m. to be precise, weighing in at six pounds, one ounce, and measuring 19 inches tall. And two weeks ahead of schedule, to boot.
Still, she didn’t catch parents Oshea and Andrew Vasquez by surprise. Even though Andrew and Oshea pulled up to the ferry landing moments before last Wednesday’s red-eye left the dock, and were the last vehicle allowed onboard, they arrived at Whidbey Island’s Greenbank Birthing Center with plenty of time to spare.
In fact, turns out that had a day to kill, as the intensity of the contractions Oshea felt earlier subsided.
“I felt like I was ready,” Oshea said. “I told them I’d walk around for awhile if that would help, but they just said, ‘No, come back later’.”
They were back early the next day and Adelaide arrived without a hitch.
“Everything went great,” said Andrew, who moved from Orange County, Calif., to San Juan Island a little over a year ago, where Oshea was raised, rode horses, and where family members live. “She is so little but has this full set of hair.”
Thanks to Adelaide’s early arrival, the Vasquez family is this year’s winner of the annual Journal Baby Derby, an honor bestowed upon the first baby born to San Juan County parents each new year. As winner of the 2012 Baby Derby, the Vasquez family will receive more than $500 in gifts, prizes and age-appropriate packages donated by 20 local merchants and businesses.
Adelaide, granddaugher of local artist Chinmayo, will have an extended island family to welcome her home, including aunts, uncles and several slightly older female cousins. And, of course, there is that pony.
A Shetland from Lopez that Oshea, a skilled rider, brought home recently as companion for her full-size horse. Sounds like it won’t be long before Adelaide is in the saddle.
“She better like to ride,” Oshea said
