First-time father Mark Rzasa believes he has a good idea what it will be like to raise a boy — he's already an uncle to four nephews.

Plus he and his wife, Ashley, will be able to bring up their son with a distinction — he was the first baby born in 2010 at St. Mary's Hospital in Streator.

"It's pretty cool," was how each parent described the timing.

John Jeffrey came into the world at 1:19 a.m. Saturday at a healthy seven pounds, 14 ounces and 19 inches long. Once "JJ," as his parents said he will be called, and his mother are ready to be discharged, he'll go to their Streator home.

Ashley explained he was named after the first names of his grandfathers, John Rzasa — married to Diane — of Ransom and Jeffrey Johnson — married to Robin — of Ottawa.

JJ is Ashley and Mark's first child and the first grandchild for Jeffrey and Robin.

With a due date of Jan. 24, Ashley and Mark had "no clue," as Ashley put it, they would have Streator's first 2010 baby, until New Year's morning at home when Mother Nature sent an unmistakable signal a bundle of joy was on the way. If John Jeffrey had hit his due date, he and his mother would have both been Aquarians — her birthday is Jan. 21.

"It was a surprise. It dawned on us last night (Friday night) there was a good chance we would have the New Year's baby, because of how things were progressing and there were no other expectant moms in the hospital," Mark recalled on Saturday.

Mark added it was good for his wife their son came early, because he was already at nearly eight pounds and would have been an even larger baby if his birth had been delayed to Jan. 24.

Ashley and JJ's stay in the hospital was a time of visits from friends and family, plus the delivery to their room of what Mark said was a "gigantic" basket of gifts from the community, including a blanket crocheted by a Streator person, whose name was not available, expressly for the New Year's baby.





FIRST BABIES OF THE NEW YEAR

The first baby born in 2010 in La Salle County was Boluwatito Christina, born at 12:47 a.m. Friday at Ottawa Regional Hospital to Yetunde and Adedayo Fanami. The couple were born in Nigeria and live in Aurora. The mother, Yetunde, is employed at Ottawa Regional as a respiratory therapist and was working on the delivery day. The infant weighed five pound, eight ounces, was 16 1/2 inches long  and is the couple's fourth child. 

At Illinois Valley Community Hospital in Peru the first 2010 baby was Paola Judith, born at 7:19 a.m. Friday to Gabriela and Efrain Solarzano, of Mendota. The infant weighed seven pounds, two ounces and was 21 inches long. The girl is their first child.

At Valley West Community Hospital in Sandwich, the first baby was Graham Robert, born at 3:55 p.m. Friday to Andrea and Nathan Gustafson, of Sandwich. The infant weighed seven pounds, two ounces and was 19 1/2-inches long.

OSF St. James Hospital in Pontiac would not release information during the weekend as to the first baby born there.