Metro babies make their ’09 entrance

Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune

Jim Huber and Jill Macioch with their daughter, Jordyn Huber, at St. John's Hospital in Maplewood.

A girl born one second after midnight is the metro area's first baby of 2009. A set of triplets was not far behind.

By JEAN HOPFENSPERGER, Star Tribune

Last update: January 2, 2009 - 8:10 PM

With two of her three children having Dec. 29 birthdays, Jill Macioch thought the baby she was carrying might make an appearance the same date, too.

But one second after midnight on New Year's Day, Macioch gave birth to the metro area's first baby of 2009 -- named Jordyn Huber, who weighed in at 6 pounds, 13 ounces and measured 20.5 inches long

"We thought if she was born on Dec. 29, we could maybe get someone [a journalist] out," joked Macioch, who on Friday was still fielding calls from news reporters at St. John's Hospital in Maplewood.

"She knew she'd be special, either way," said Macioch, of White Bear Township. The baby's father is Jim Huber.

Less than two hours after Jordyn's birth, the number of New Year's babies quadrupled when Jodi and Chris Main became parents of triplets at United Hospital in St. Paul.

The oldest, Jackson Christopher, weighed 2 pounds, 12 ounces at 1:49 a.m., followed by Kylie Jo at 2 pounds, 4 ounces. Then came Austin Michael at 2 pounds, 5 ounces. The triplets will remain in the hospital until they are able to eat and breathe on their own, said their mom.

"They're doing well ... and I'm wonderful," said Main, 25, a nurse from New Richmond, Wis. "I've talked to a couple of triplet families and they told us what to expect."

With just one new baby, the new year will be simpler for Macioch. But she still marvels at the timing of her daughter's birth. She arrived at the hospital New Year's Eve afternoon, fully expecting to give birth within hours. But with the clock approaching midnight, everyone synchronized their watches with the baby monitor in the delivery room.

Said Macioch: "We knew it would be close, but not this close."

Jean Hopfensperger • 651-298-1553

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