After a slight delay, the county’s official first baby of the year made her way into the world at 4:51 p.m. on January 2.  Cedar Hill, the first child of Malad residents Chris and Aubrie Hill had an original due date of January 1, but overshot the mark slightly.  

The delivery was reported to be good, without any problems, and a healthy 5-pound, 14 ounce, 18 and a half inch baby girl was the result.  Cedar, a name the parents had originally picked out for a boy but which was determined to be an equally good name for a girl, was delivered at Logan Regional.

Cedar’s grandparents are Becky and Kelly Hill, and Matt Nielsen.  

While still early on, Aubrie has already noticed that she seems to share some personality traits with her dad Chris.  “She’s just a lot like him,” Aubrie said.  “Almost the spitting image.  When she gets mad, she acts just like him.”

Asked about the experience itself, Aubrie remarked, “it ended up being a lot easier than we expected it to be.  We’ll probably do it again,” she laughs.  Asked what the best part of the new addition has been so far, like any parent, she said, “the most important thing is that she’s happy and healthy.”

Asked about anything unexpected, Aubrie said, “We were expecting a 7-pound baby and we got a tiny 5-pound 14 ounce baby, so we had to have the family get some preemie clothes for her until she grows a little.  And we were expecting a brown-haired baby, but she came out blonde.  Her dad was blonde too until he was about five or six,”

The First Baby of the Year (and her parents) will receive gifts from many local merchants and sponsors, including the Malad Drive-In, Do It Best Hess Lumber, Subway, Nell J. Redfield Memorial Hospital, Hair By Lisa, Daisy Hollow Floral and Gifts, KC Oil and RV Park, NAPA Auto Parts, Hess Truck Auto Ag, Central Service Sinclair, Allen Drug and Variety, Oneida Family Dental, Tiny Tots Daycare, Salt Creek Realty, Thomas Electric and Furniture, Edith’s Collective, and The Idaho Enterprise.