Las Vegas’ first baby of 2016 had perfect timing

One of the first babies born in Las Vegas in 2016 arrived three weeks early to accept the honor.

Born at 12:04 a.m. Friday, Julian Faustino Rodriguez was expected to be born Jan. 20, his mother said. But Julian's parents, 25-year-old Alberto and 20-year-old Laura Rodriguez, were happy about the early arrival.

"His godfather is actually deploying in a couple days," Laura Rodriguez said.

Eric Chavez-Hallet, Julian's godfather and Rodriguez's brother-in-law, is in the Army and leaves Monday for Kuwait, she said.

"We told him a couple months ago he was going to be a godfather and he was like, 'You have to have this baby before I leave,' " the new mom recalled.

Not expecting the off-hand joke to become reality, Chavez-Hallet had planned to spend New Year's Eve with Rodriguez's family before his deployment.

Julian had other plans and was born at 0004, military time, weighing in at 5 pounds, 10 ounces, and measuring 18 inches long. Laura Rodriguez, who has lived in Las Vegas for 13 years, was low on amniotic fluid, so nurses in the delivery ward at Centennial Hills Hospital advised her an early delivery was the safest option.

Alberto Rodriguez immediately told his family in Sun Valley, Calif. His brother, 31-year-old William Rodriguez, picked up their mom, dad and younger brother and sister and drove the family to Las Vegas, arriving an hour before Julian was born.

Laura and Alberto Rodriguez were introduced by mutual friends and had only spoken on the phone for months when Alberto Rodriguez, who lived in California at the time, worked up the courage to visit Laura in Las Vegas in October 2012. He visited once every two weeks before proposing to her in December 2014 and moving to Las Vegas in March.

The couple married July 19.

"He's my miracle baby," Laura Rodriguez said of Julian, smiling down at him and tugging on his white, giraffe-patterned beanie.

He was conceived only a month after Rodriguez had a miscarriage, she said. She and her husband hadn't planned on having another child when they found out she was pregnant again, but felt lucky to have a second chance at starting a family.

Julian's tiny pink toes curled and spread as his mom lifted him with practiced arms into the plastic bassinet next to her hospital bed. She was experienced in child care from helping her older sisters raise their kids, she said.

Laura Rodriguez's family had prepared a lot of food to celebrate the new year at home, she said. Instead, they were all at the hospital to welcome Julian and feast their eyes on the newest member of their family, and one of the first additions to the Las Vegas community in the new year. (Mountain View Hospital said it also had a baby born at 12:04 a.m., but more details were not available.)

Julian's little face stretched and seven of his loved ones chuckled as the baby let out a yawn. Partygoers on the Strip weren't the only ones who'd had a long night.

Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @lauxkimber.