Photo by Karin Elton Angel Meza and Izzy Sandoval of Marshall are the proud parents of Jonas Meza, the New Year’s baby, who was born Jan. 1, 2020, at Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center.

MARSHALL — Jonas Meza made local history at 6:49 a.m. Jan. 1 by becoming the first baby of the new year at Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center. Jonas is the son of Izzy Sandoval and Angel Meza of Marshall.

Sandoval said she went to the hospital around 11 p.m. and didn’t notice until 2 a.m. that the New Year had arrived.

“I told the nurses, ‘Happy New Year!'” she said.

Meza said that prior to the birth everyone around him kept saying it was going to be a New Year’s baby. The official due date was Jan. 4.

Angel Meza said he was grateful to the staff at Avera Marshall.

“They’ve treated us like royalty,” he said. “There is a great staff here.”

Meza said Izzy’s doctor, Dr. Jane Willett, was especially pleased at the birth. “She said in her 28 years in Marshall, it was her first New Year’s baby.”

The Meza-Sandoval family is enjoying all kinds of firsts this year.

“This is the first year in a long time that we have been together over the Christmas-New Year’s holidays,” Meza said. Immigration problems have kept the family apart, he said, but thanks to commendatory letters from employers and friends Meza was reunited with his family last March.

Jonas was greeted at home Thursday afternoon by his siblings, Cesar Meza-Sandoval and Aliya Meza.