Portales couple's second baby is 2015's first

As they took turns holding Ezra James, Gregory and Rebecca Aguilar briefly gave their bios. She’s a stay-at-home mom, and he’s in graduate school for school counseling.

“I graduate May of next year,” Gregory said, before his wife laughed.

“No, this year,” she said. “It’s 2015.”

Staff photo: Kevin Wilson

Ezra James Aguilar joined the family Thursday at Plains Regional Medical Center, along with parents Gregory and Rebecca Aguilar and older sister Olivia Aguilar. Ezra was the first baby born at PRMC for 2015.

“That’s right,” he said, while holding his sleeping newborn. “May of this year.”

Not everything about 2015 had hit the Aguilars just yet, but being parents for the second time certainly had. Born at 12:10 p.m. Thursday at Plains Regional Medical Center, 8-pound, 7-ounce Ezra James Aguilar was the first child born at the hospital this year.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Ezra will come with his mother back to their home in Portales on Friday, where he’ll be the newest in a family of four that includes Gregory, Rebecca and 20-month-old sister Olivia.

The couple didn’t think during Rebecca’s pregnancy that a Jan. 1 birth would happen, and figured the expected date of Dec. 29 would hold. When it didn’t, New Year’s Day became a possibility.

“We thought, ‘No more tax deduction,’” Gregory said with a laugh only a veteran parent knows. ‘We’re going to have a New Year baby.’”

On New Year’s Eve, while most of eastern New Mexico was getting ready to count down to 2015, the Aguilars were making a 6:30 p.m. trip to PRMC just to be safe.

“We’d been counting contractions for an hour, “ Rebecca said, “then decided we’d better come up here.”

Rebecca entered active labor around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, and her water broke about 6:50 a.m. Thursday. A few hours after Ezra was born, nursing staff at PRMC wheeled in the New Year’s baby package.

Delivered in a bright red Radio Flyer wagon, the package included diapers, clothing, blankets, a card signed by nursing staff and numerous gift cards — something staff said wouldn’t be possible without numerous sponsors.

The family was joined in the delivery room by grandmothers Lugene Blue and Shannon Aguilar and aunt Alicia Aguilar. Ezra is the ninth grandchild on the Blue side of the family, and the second on the Aguilar side.

The couple doesn’t imagine they’ll do much different when raising Ezra as compared to Olivia. “Maybe feed him less sugar,” Gregory joked, before the rest of the family pounced on the fact that he had just given Olivia an Oreo.

Rebecca has a degree in education, but anticipates being a stay-at-home mom at least until the kids are old enough for school. She said that having Olivia around during the pregnancy meant she stayed in shape chasing her around, but she knows Ezra will have a great older sister once she gets used to sharing attention with Ezra.

“I anticipate she’s going to have an adjustment period,” Rebecca said.

Hospital staff did not expect any additional Jan. 1 deliveries.

According to staff records, the hospital delivered 1,237 babies in 2014.