New year baby born to Fuchs family

Olivia Nichole Fuchs may be the first baby born at Jamestown Hospital in 2011, but she wasn’t the first baby in her family.

In fact, Olivia is the fifth child born to Nikki and Justin Fuchs of Jamestown.

Born on Jan. 3, weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce, Olivia is 2011’s New Year baby in Jamestown. Nurses said she’s healthy and progressing as expected.

So far, Olivia’s personality is relatively calm, like the weather that followed this area’s New Year’s blizzard. But Olivia’s dad says she’ll need to increase her volume if she expects much attention.

“She’s pretty quiet now, but she’ll have to liven up to keep up with the rest of them,” Justin said.

The Fuchses said they’d planned for a big family. Five children, however, is the limit, Nikki said, while feeding Olivia a bottle, calming a hungry 9-year-old and conducting a newspaper interview. Raising that many children can be a lot of work for the stay-at-home mom. Justin manages Schuberts Carpet One warehouse.

“They definitely keep us busy,” she said, even with the help of her mother, Robin Bohl of Woodworth, N.D.

Olivia’s brothers, Brayden, 9, and Parker, 4, help when they can. Brayden said he plans to help feed Olivia and change her diapers too.

And while Olivia’s birth attracts media attention, she’s not the first in her family whose world entrance made headlines.

Her sisters, 17-month-old twins Emma and Ayda, were two of the eight babies born at Jamestown Hospital within four days in August 2009.

“It’ll be real interesting,” Justin said. “Three girls under the age of 2.”

Since the Fuchses don’t plan on more children, Nikki said she wanted Olivia’s birth to be a surprise. The couple didn’t learn her gender until her birth. And the other surprise? Unlike her blonde-haired and blue-eyed brothers and sisters, Olivia has a full head of dark hair and two dark-colored eyes — probably green or brown.

“I was hoping this baby would be kind of an oddball,” Nikki said.

The Fuchses said they don’t have any specific goals for their children other than to follow the right path, Nikki said. And, Justin said, to stay close to home.

Sun reporter Katie Ryan-Anderson can be reached at 701-952-8454 or by e-mail at kryan@jamestownsun.com

Tags: local news, news, baby