Not only did Evan Martin earn celebrity status as Interior Health’s New Year’s baby, he was delivered in the same hospital room his father was born in 38 years ago.
In a flip remark to her boss at the Prestige Harbourfront Resort, 33-year-old Lyndsay Martin suggested she and husband Allan were thinking of having the New Year’s baby so she might not show up for work Jan. 1.
Less than 12 hours later, the Salmon Arm couple celebrated the new year with the arrival of their first child, son Evan – 10 days before his due date.
Beating out all the other babies in Interior Health, Evan arrived at 1:15 a.m. Jan. 1, weighing in at 6 lbs 4 oz.
“He’s a beautiful little baby and he knows how to cry,” says Allan, obviously entranced with the new addition to the Martin family. “But he’s a good sleeper and we’re thankful for that.”
After he called home at the end of the work day Dec. 31, Allan expected to see his wife drive up to his workplace within minutes.
Instead, Lyndsay called back to tell him, “I am not coming; you’re going to have to come and get me.”
Fortunately, Allan, who works at GM, simply borrowed a car from the lot and drove home to get Lyndsay and take her to the hospital.
“They checked her out and because she was having minor contractions, they thought it would take longer, so we went home,” says Allan. “But by the time we got back to the house, the contractions were more noticeable.”
The couple, who live within five minutes of the hospital, were home for a couple of hours, returning to the hospital at 10:30, where Allan says staff were a little surprised to see them.
Labour progressed smoothly and Lyndsay was “pretty well ready to go” by midnight.
“Everything is ready at home,” laughed Allan last Thursday where the couple was preparing to spend one more night in hospital. “Lyndsay has been nesting at home for a while.”
Allan grew up in Salmon Arm but had moved away. He and Lyndsay met four years ago in Revelstoke where she was a ski instructor and he was selling skis.
“It was the last day of the ski season and Lyndsay’s birthday,” laughs Allan.
The couple moved to Salmon Arm about a year ago and married June 21.
“We’re really thankful to the staff, they’ve been fantastic,” said Lyndsay, who was ready to take her son home.
The couple is also grateful to the Mennonite Sewing Circle in Gardom Lake from whom they received a hand-crafted quilt.
Salmon Arm shares a link to Vernon’s New Year’s baby in Grace Lynne Freeman-Peet, who made her entrance at 10:32 a.m. Wednesday.
Her mom Nadine is a former Salmon Arm resident. Nadine scored a first in Vernon Jubilee Hospital with her daughter who made an early debut, three days before her due date, but it is her second time delivering a New Year’s baby.
Nadine’s youngest son was born seven days into a new year, becoming Golden’s first baby.