Bluewater Health is welcoming its first baby of the year.
Baby Riley Perry Routhier arrived into the world weighing 8lbs and 11oz at 12:16 p.m. on January 1, 2024.
"His due date was today (January 1, 2024)," said Mom Amber Routhier. "We had a surgery booked for tomorrow (January 2nd) but he decided to come early."
Riley is the second child of parents Amber and Chris Routhier who have a 17-month-old daughter as well.
Not expecting baby Riley to come as early as he did, Routhier said they were quite surprised. She figured another couple would have had their baby right at midnight.
"I think it's going to be a fun day for him throughout his life to experience that as his birthday," said Routhier. "What are the chances? out of all of the days of the year. It has been a pretty unique experience for all of us."
According to Routhier, baby Riley also shares a birthday with the OB-GYN who helped deliver him.
"It was our doctor's birthday today," said Routhier. "I think he also wanted to get the first baby of the year. He was on-call today, so we ended up getting the first baby and they share a birthday."
After the delivery, the couple returned to their room to find a gift bag with some items to make Riley's arrival a little more special. Routhier said the hospital surprised them with some baby boy clothes, toys, diapers and wipes, a teddy bear, and a blanket.
"It was a nice surprise," said Routhier. "It's going to be hard to top this year because it is already off to a great start."
