SAMANTHA'S DAY: CAPE COUPLE HAS AREA'S FIRST CHILD OF THE NEW YEAR

Oh baby.

Samantha Leigh Ferguson, 8 pounds, 15 ounces, is the first baby of the new millennium born in Cape Girardeau.

Mother Jessica Ferguson delivered her at 3:53 p.m. Monday at Southeast Missouri Hospital after 11 hours of labor. The birth was without complications.

Little Samantha had some challengers for her title. Some other mothers-to-be came to the obstetrics unit expecting to deliver, only to discover that Monday wasn't the day.

"Two others came in, but they sent them home," said paternal grandmother Mary Ferguson. "They weren't ready."

"They had us worried for a little while," said grandfather James Ferguson.

The grandparents Ferguson hovered by the entrance to the obstetrics ward, waiting for permission to see their new grandchild. The sound of the baby crying came from their daughter-in-law's room.

The grandparents, of Marston, Mo., had been waiting at the hospital since 5 a.m. Monday. But it was not a bad wait, they said. Samantha's 21-month-old sister, Sydney, had been delivered after a 15-hour labor.

A half-hour after delivery, the grandparents were allowed inside the unit. Jessica, 23, and husband Michael, 27, of Cape Girardeau, held their new daughter together. Samantha was red-faced and crying.

Jessica reported, "I'm feeling fine ... now."

The Southeast Missouri Hospital obstetrics unit delivered an estimated 1,600 babies in 1999 and 1,550 babies in 2000.