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Baby boy first in 2010
New Year’s child born about 8 a.m.
firstbaby1527
Ashley Audette holds her son, who was born just before 8 a.m. Jan. 1 at Northside Hospital-Forsyth, making him the first baby of 2010. - photo by Submitted
Forsyth County’s first baby of the new year is “beautiful.”

Just ask his mother.

Aiden Ari Audette Rider was born just before 8 a.m. Friday at Northside Hospital-Forsyth. He weighed 6 pounds and 12 ounces.

“Everything’s wonderful,” said his mother, Ashley Audette. “He’s got big, big hands and big, big feet.”

The 23-year-old mother said she didn’t expect Aiden, her first child, to arrive until Jan. 16.

“I had one of my friends tell me he was going to be born today, but it was definitely a surprise,” she said Friday afternoon. “I waited a long time to come to the hospital because I didn’t want it to be a false alarm.”

Audette and Aiden’s father, Greg Rider, live in Dahlonega. They chose to deliver at Northside because they like the facility.

Audette said their son has his father’s mouth and hair “for sure.”

“I haven’t seen his eyes open yet, and it looks like he’ll probably have a nose like mine, unfortunately,” she said. “He’s beautiful.”

Rider, 28, said the baby was doing well and “going back and forth between angry and sleepy.”

Katherine Watson, a spokeswoman for Northside, said the hospital gave the family a gift basket that included bath products, diapers and a teddy bear. They will also receive a free photo package.

The local hospital opened its women’s center on Aug. 6, 2008, welcoming 100 babies within its first month.

For 2009, Watson said, there were 1,925 babies born at the facility.

“I know everyone there was very excited,” she said. “It was a very busy year.”