A Newton couple welcomed their daughter, Ella Marie, into the world Thursday morning as the first baby to be born at HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in 2026.
Ella is the daughter of Kimberly and Dustin Smithenry.
Ella Marie Smithenry was born at 3:52 a.m. Jan. 1, weighing eight pounds and six ounces and was 20.5 inches long.
Kimberly, 37, and Dustin, 39, have four other children – Lane, 11; Tate, 8; Gus, 6; and Kallie, 3 – and they love their new sibling, said Kimberly during a phone interview on Monday.
“They will not leave her alone. We just got back, so [they] got their hands on her,” said Kimberly. “They love her. They’re pretty glad.”
Dustin works as a loan officer at Peoples State Bank in Newton, while Kimberly teaches nursing at Lakeland College.
So because of her experiences, nothing was out of the blue to Kimberly besides having the new year’s baby at HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital because she was given a due date of Dec. 28.
The name Ella Marie was chosen beforehand, says Kimberly. Ella is a name both she and Duntin like, and Marie is Kimberly’s middle name.
Because Ella Marie was the first baby born at the hospital this year, the family received a special gift basket from the Women and Infants Center that contained lots of baby items such as diapers, wipes and a teether toy.