By David Bruzzese
Special to The SUN
Josh Miller and Candace Etcitty with daughter Kenzie Rae Miller.
The staff at Mercy Regional Medical Center’s Family Birth Center recently welcomed their first baby of 2014. Kenzie Rae Miller, daughter of Candace Etcitty and Josh Miller of Pagosa Springs, was born at the hospital at 6:47 p.m. on New Year’s Day.
Etcitty and Miller were in Farmington, N.M. celebrating the holidays with Etcitty’s family when she began to feel like the baby might be on the way, so they headed to Mercy in the early afternoon on Wednesday. Little Kenzie arrived later that evening. She weighed 7 pounds and measured 20.5 inches in length when delivered by Certified Nurse Midwife Amy Ginn of Southwest Midwives and Family Birth Center staff nurses.
“It was shocking to have the first baby of the year,” said Etcitty. “There were other people here before us, so I guess she stole the race,” she joked.
In the Mercy Family Birth Center tradition, staff presented the “first family” of 2014 with a gift basket full of baby items, including a hand knitted “2014” cap.
Reflecting on the birthing experience at Mercy, Miller said, “If everyone was as nice as the people here, it would be a more peaceful world.”
“Everyone has been so good,” added Etcitty.
Etcitty, 25, works at Wolf Creek Gift Shop, and Miller, 27, is a heavy equipment operator.
Kenzie is the couple’s first child.