For one Wyoming couple, New Year’s Day is the time to get things done.
Dalton and Rubi Van Pelt of Rawlins got married in a blizzard on New Year’s Day two years ago. Their second wedding anniversary turned into something more memorable Wednesday when they had their first baby in the wee hours of Jan. 1, 2025.
Dalton, 30, said keeping track of his anniversary was never going to be an issue anyway with it also being New Year’s, and now the day is doubly special.
“I was not really having any trouble remembering it anyway because it is the first of the year,” he said. “But now it’s her birthday, so the anniversary takes the back seat.”
Van Pelt’s wife Rubi, 28, gave birth to Emery Leonora Van Pelt at 2:38 a.m. on Wednesday at Banner Wyoming Medical Center in Casper. She also was Natrona Countys first 2025 baby.
The couple said they had made the 111-mile trip from Rawlins nearly a week earlier on Dec. 26 just to be in the area for the birth. That’s because the hospital in Rawlins doesn’t offer maternity services.
“We didn’t want to get stuck in Rawlins with the weather and the road conditions,” Dalton said. “And we had no clue when the baby was going to show up. There are no labor and delivery options in Rawlins.”
Right On Time
Rubi Van Pelt’s due date was Dec. 31, so little Emery was pretty much right on time.
The new mom said she felt it was either going to the “last day of 2024 or the first day of 2025.”
She spent 14 hours in labor before little Emery arrived in the world at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 20.5 inches long.
The couple said they appreciate the care they received at the hospital.
“The team was great. I loved the doctor, and I loved the nurses,” Rubi said.
Dalton, who works as a corrections sergeant at the Wyoming State Penitentiary, and Rubi, an employee in the Carbon County Assessor’s Office, said they are all prepared for their new arrival. The couple found an online birthing class that they took to help them get ready for their new roles.
Family and friends had a shower for the new baby in November providing new outfits and support supplies. And the couple had the week off prior to their daughter’s arrival to get her room prepared for their life together.
Rubi said she chose the name Emery after it came to her in a dream in October. The middle name Leonora is from a Spanish soap opera character that Dalton said he liked.
The couple said they are OK with missing out on a tax deduction for 2024now that they have their baby in their arms in the new year.
It’s a great way to start it,” Rubi said.
The Van Pelts said moving forward they will probably celebrate their anniversary on a different weekend and keep New Year’s Day special for their little one.
Banner Wyoming Medical Center spokesperson Mandy Cepeda said in addition to the Van Pelt’s daughter, three other babies were born thereNew Year’s Day.
Contact Dale Killingbeck at dale@cowboystatedaily.com
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
