Heather and Ryan Stone of Meadville are having an exciting start to the new year after the birth of their daughter, Zoee Elizabeth, who was the first baby born in 2009 at Hedrick Medical Center.

Zoee arrived at 1:24 a.m., weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces and was delivered by cesarean section by Janine James, M.D./F.A.C.O.G., who is filling in for Dr. Delos Clow, who is on vacation.

Heather said she began having contractions five minutes apart at 4:40 p.m. Thursday. Just under three hours later, they went to the hospital where James tried to stop the contractions with medication since the baby wasn’t due until January 13.

However, the Stones say Zoee wasn’t going to wait and the contractions continued to get closer together, making an early-morning delivery necessary.

Zoee joins three older brothers: Will, 9, Aiden, 6, and Xavier, 3 — all of whom who were anxious to welcome their little sister home.

“They are really excited,” Ryan said Thursday morning.

Heather, who is a stay-at-home mom but works part-time as a teller at the Bank of Rothville, says Zoee’s room isn’t quite ready yet.

“But it is pink,” she said, smiling.

Ryan, who works as a service technician at Dean Machinery in Chillicothe, said that having the first baby of 2009 at HMC was the “furtherest thing from their minds” when driving to the hospital last night.

And while Zoee was too anxious to wait for her due date to be born, her parents say, so far, she seems content in her role as HMC’s first baby of 2009.

“She seems to be really laid back,” Heather said, adding that their daughter is the last addition to the Stone family.

“She was worth the wait,” Heather said.

Zoee’s maternal grandparents are Jim and Jane Corzette of Meadville; paternal grandparents are Roger and Anna Stone, also of Meadville.

Maternal great-grandparents are Bob and Ruth Corzette of Meadville; paternal great-grandfather is Leroy VanSickle of Kirksville.

As the first baby born in 2009 at HMC, Zoee and her parents have been showered with several gifts from The Constitution-Tribune and several other local merchants.

The C-T presented the mother of the first 2009 baby with a dozen red roses and a year subscription to the newspaper.

The baby will also receive a baby ring from Sensenich Jeweler, and the Chillicothe State Bank will put $20.09 into a new Buckaroo Club Account for the baby.

Royal Inn Pizza is “rolling out the dough” for the first baby of 2009 and will present the mother with a gift certificate for $15.

Lauhoff Jewelry will give a silver plated baby cup to the first baby and her mother, and Hy-Vee will present a $35 gift certificate.

Citizens Bank & Trust will present a year 2009 Silver Eagle in a gift box to the first baby and mother of the year.

Piggly Wiggly will present the mother with a case of diapers (a $35 value) and Bailey Studio will give an 8 x 10 portrait and sitting fee (a $60 value) to the first 2009 baby and her mother.