Neah Bay couple welcome Peninsula’s first baby of 2002

It’s a girl!

The North Olympic Peninsula’s first baby of 2002 is Faye Lynn Martinez of Neah Bay.

Proud parents Adriene Bowechop and Chris Martinez of Neah Bay welcomed their 8-pound, 1-ounce, healthy baby daughter into the world at 4:14 a.m. Tuesday at Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles.

As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, only one other baby had been born this year on the North Olympic Peninsula — a boy who has not yet been named.

He was born to Rachelle and Darrell Nelson at 10:38 a.m. at Olympic Medical Center.

“I had made several jokes about having the first baby but had no idea it would almost come true,” Darrell said.

The parents are still deciding on a name for the baby because they were expecting a girl.

No babies had been born late Tuesday at either Jefferson General Hospital in Port Townsend or Forks Community Hospital in Forks.

However, one mother-to-be was reportedly in labor at Forks Community Hospital.

Officials there declined to release any information about the mother-to-be.

In Port Angeles, Joyce Bowechop of Neah Bay was beaming over her new granddaughter, Faye.

“I kept telling her that she needed to have the first baby of the new year,” Joyce said. “And she did.”

Faye is not only the first baby of the year, she’s also the newest addition to the Makah Tribe.

The rest of this story appears in today’s Peninsula Daily News. Click on “Subscribe” to get the PDN delivered to your home or office.

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