Some families start the New Year with resolutions, and some families with new babies.

While many people celebrated the birth of a new year through New Year’s Eve and into Jan. 1, 2005, Patricia and Petty Officer 2nd Class Rick Avalos labored for, and celebrated, the birth of their daughter, Jasmine Peralta Avalos, born at 3:56 a.m., Jan. 1, at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station’s Hospital.

Jasmine is the fist local baby born in the new year.

“It was intense,” Patricia said. “It was fast, but it wasn’t fast enough. In my head, I just wanted to push her out.”

As her first birth, Patricia said she had only seen births on TV, but felt prepared to face the labor with the help of her husband and the naval hospital nurses.

“I was so tired,” she said. “But as soon as she came out and just seeing her smile and cry and stuff, I’m like, ‘Oh, my God!’ You forget about the pain, and you think, ‘I can’t believe I did that.’ ”

Jasmine, 6 pounds 14 ounces and 20 inches long, came out with a full head of dark hair and alert eyes, and as her mother says with a smile, “her little moods.”

Patricia said Jasmine was due on Dec. 23, but chose to hold out for publicity’s sake and wait until the new year. The only conflict with that is her father must leave in a week for a six-month deployment.

“I’ll send him pictures,” Patricia said.

But for the moment, they are all enjoying each other’s company and adjusting to life as a family.

A few hours after Jasmine arrived at the naval hospital, Whidbey General Hospital’s labor and delivery nurses greeted their first baby of the new year, Kira Laren Thomas.

For the Thomas family of Oak Harbor, their stork flew from Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, on into the New Year and safely delivered their small bundle at 8:35 a.m. on Jan. 1. After the long labor and delivery, Lisa and Jerry Thomas finally held Kira in their arms. Born 7 pounds, 11 ounces and 19 and a half inches long, she already owns the hearts of her parents and her 5-year-old brother, Sid.

Lisa said when Sid first heard Kira cry he said, “I’ve waited my whole life for this.”

In honor of his sister’s birth, Sid drew a crayon and stick figure family portrait and included his little sister holding hands with himself and their parents.

Kira is the first girl in the Thomas family. Jerry said he comes from a family of four boys and there are only boy grandchildren. Lisa said her husband didn’t think it was possible for them to have girls.

“Tradition has said in this family, we don’t,” Jerry said.

Jerry said he still feels strange to have a daughter and has aready felt the protective instincts for his little girl when someone mentioned boys looking at her.

Lisa said when Kira came out, Jerry asked the nurses if he could hold her and as he did, she said he just looked so natural with her.

“I’m very happy,” Jerry said.

This new year is the start of more than a measurement of time for these families. It is the start of a new life, new adjustments, new challenges and the beginning of their children’s first year of life.