While most people were spending their Wednesday morning at home winding down the New Year's Eve celebrations, Shannon Richards-Dyson was at home giving birth to Chatham-Kent's first baby of the new year and decade.
Houston Michael was born at 3:37 a.m. on January 1 to mom Shannon and dad Cody. The baby boy was delivered in a home birth with the help of the Chatham-Kent Midwives, weighing in at seven pounds, 14 ounces.
Shannon said the couple knew it was a slight possibility they might have the municipality's first baby of 2020, but they were unsure if it would actually happen.
"It's definitely exciting," she said. "We didn't know whether or not to expect that. That's just what happened."
According to Shannon, Houston was actually due on December 30. Because of this, the family had spent the last few days waiting anxiously and made sure to put any new year's festivities on hold.
"We didn't really make plans," Shannon said. "We were waiting on the edge."
Houston had three siblings waiting for his arrival. Shannon said his brothers and sisters were spending New Year's Day with their grandmother but are very excited to meet the newest member of their family.
Overall, Shannon said everyone is happy, healthy and doing great.
"I'd like to say thank you to the midwives," she exclaimed. "They took really good care of us."