Jim Grant/Nevada AppealHolly Thiesen and Richard Peden cuddle with their baby girl, Alyssa Wynter Peden, who was the first 2011 baby born in Carson City, on Jan. 2.
On New Year's Eve, Richard Peden met up with his girlfriend, Holly Thiesen, at the Carson Nugget where she works nights. They shared a kiss at the stroke of midnight.
At home, he had a glass of champagne and the couple watched television before going to bed.
It was a routine day, and they expected the next day would be much the same. But baby Alyssa had different plans.
Although not due until Jan. 7, Thiesen started having contractions that morning. They drove to Carson Regional Medical Center around 9:30 a.m. Jan. 1, but she wasn't far enough along to be admitted until 3:30 that afternoon.
They never expected a New Year's baby, but got excited at the idea she would be born on 1-1-11.
"I thought it would be phenomenal," Peden said.
But, again, Alyssa had her own plans. She was born at 12:29 a.m. Jan. 2, missing New Year's Day by less than a half hour.
Still, she received the distinction of being Carson City's first baby of 2011.
"It's definitely a story she can tell," her dad said.
Peden remembers the day Thiesen told him she was pregnant.
"I said, 'I know, and it's a girl,'" he recalled. "I just had a feeling. I looked at her and I could just see it."
He later had a dream that there would be snow when she was born.
"New Year's we woke up and there was a foot of snow," he said.
In honor of that, the baby's full name is Alyssa Wynter Peden.
Despite the fact that she arrived nearly a week early, her parents were prepared for her arrival.
The crib was already set up and her closet is filled with clothes, organized by size.
Alyssa will join Peden's 5-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, as well as several extended family members, including Theisen's mother and sister and Peden's mother and three sisters. Peden also has a brother who has a daughter.
"I'm surrounded by girls," he said. "But I don't care. I prefer it even."
Recently unemployed, Peden will stay home with Alyssa once Theisen returns to work. They have no formal marriage plans but are considering a summer wedding.
"We're laid back," Peden explained. "If things are serious, we take care of it. Otherwise, we go with the flow."
* Mother's last name corrected to reflect proper spelling.
