Fresh faces greet 2014
It’s said that every time God closes a door, he opens a window.
Sophia Reyes experienced that firsthand on New Year’s Day when her newborn was the first baby of the new year born in Glendale.
“It’s a blessing,” she said, adding that her aunt had passed away just the day before.
Reyes’ son, Solomon Reign Simmons, was born at 6:14 a.m. at Glendale Adventist Medical Center, weighing 7 pounds, 9 ounces and he was 20 1/2 inches long.
Reyes, of Adelato, said her son’s original due date was Jan. 6. However, while she was visiting family in Glendale on New Year’s Eve, she started experiencing pains.
She decided to go to Glendale Adventist just to check out how she was doing because her obstetrician, Dr. John Artenos, works there.
And then, there was a special delivery, which was Reyes’ second child. She also has a 6-year-old daughter named Mailauni.
Reyes and Solomon’s father, Brandon Simmons, have been together for 3 1/2 years.
Looking to the future, Reyes said she’s still considering whether she’ll add to her brood.
“All I’m saying is, I’m gonna think about it,” she said.
Over at Glendale Memorial Hospital, Mika Urtasun gave birth to her daughter, Nova Monroe, at 10:44 a.m. on New Year’s Day.
Weighing 8 pounds and 1 ounce, her newborn measured 19 inches.
Urtasun used to work at Glendale Memorial, working with children who had behavioral problems, she said.
After living in Glendale for a short time, she now lives in Covina and works with special needs children at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services in Culver City.
“I always liked working with special needs children and I just ended up working with kids with behavioral (problems) and disabilities,” she said. “It just kind of went hand in hand.”
Nova’s original due date was Dec. 28, so she arrived a little later than expected. When Urtasun started going into labor around 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 31, she headed straight to Glendale Memorial where her obstetrician, Dr. Ryan Lee, works.
Nova is her first child. Urtasun chose her daughter’s names for two reasons — her first name for the Chevy Nova and her second name after Marilyn Monroe.
“I come from a Chevy family,” Urtasun said.
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Follow Mark Kellam on Twitter: @LAMarkKellam.
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