Nearly two weeks before her due date, Silver Brianne Jewelynne Ward was born at 10:32 a.m. Thursday at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center, the first Carson City baby of 2015.
“We definitely weren’t expecting it to happen as soon as it did,” said the father, Gary Ward, 28.
Suffering from respiratory problems, Silver was taken to Renown Health in Reno shortly after birth. Her parents, of Pinon Hills in Douglas County, only saw her briefly under an oxygen mask.
Nurse Cheoree Baroni got a better look.
“She has long eyelashes like mom’s,” she told the new parents.
Silver is the first child for Rebecca “Bri-Anne” Alexander-Lowe, 28, who plans to wed Ward this summer.
She said she started to go into labor a couple of days ago, but the delivery went well.
“According to everyone else, it went fast,” she said.
Her mother, Rebecca Alexander, was impressed. “Mom worked hard,” she said of her daughter. “I’ve never seen a mom work so hard to produce a baby.”
But Alexander-Lowe couldn’t help but worry.
“I’m more concerned to make sure she’s OK,” she said. “But I think that’s natural.”
Her sister, Katie, could not contain her enthusiasm.
“I think I’m bringing the excitement for us both,” she said. “And she’ll mellow out.”
It was Ward’s idea to give the baby the state’s moniker.
“I just have a fascination with the name,” he said. “I always thought it was pretty.”
