Welcoming our 2026 New Year Babies: Providence Swedish celebrates first babies of the New Year across the Puget Sound
While most of us were still toasting the start of 2026, the stork was a busy bird on New Year's Day, making several stops at Swedish and delivering joy to families who welcomed healthy newborns, with the help of our compassionate and expert maternity teams.
At Providence Swedish Issaquah at 12:05 a.m. on January 1, Denise and Nathan Sanders of Sammamish celebrated the birth of their second child, Thomas Robert Sanders, a baby boy weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 20 inches long. After a 32-hour labor, Certif
ied Nurse Midwife Sally Avenson, ARNP, delivered Thomas about three-and-a-half hours after the couple arrived at the hospital.
The Sanders family (shown at right) enjoyed introducing Thomas to his almost 3-year-old brother, Micah, and shared the joy with proud grandparents on both sides. Thomas’ name carries deep meaning for the family, honoring relatives on both parents’ sides and reflecting the family’s cultural heritage with a Chinese name as well: 易信德. Micah is the first 2026 baby to join the 2,153 babies born at Swedish Issaquah in 2025.
Less than 90 minutes after midnight, at 1:17 a.m., at Providence Swedish's First Hill campus Alexandra (Ali) Kamenz and Ian Langer (below, at right) of Seattle’s Phinney Ridge neighborhood became first-time parents to a 9.5-pound, 21-inch-long baby boy named Graham.
“The name Graham came out of nowhere. Ian and I just love the name!” said Ali, who also shared gratitude for the loving support of new grandparents. After a 33-hour labor, Ali delivered the baby with assistance from Certified Nurse Midwife Rebekah Ashton. Graham is the first grandchild on both sides of the Langer-Kamenz family. The couple is also looking forward to introducing Graham home, to the family’s pup, a 6-year-old shepherd mix named Toffee.
Providence Swedish First Hill is one of the region's busiest childbirth centers and supported 6,253 births in 2025.
At Providence Swedish Edmonds, Katie and Tim Hawkins of Marysville(in photo below at right) welcomed their son, Callahan Townes Hawkins.
Callahan, a morning person, made his debut at 10:19 a.m. after a four-hour labor, weighed 9.8 pounds and measured 20.67 inches long. He was delivered by OB/GYN Randolf Bourne, M.D.
The couple are excited to introduce Callahan to his sister Berkeley, 2, their two dogs – Pre, a 9-year-old Vizsla and Chester, a 5-year-old French Bulldog – as well as extended family across the U.S. and Canada. Katie, who is from Canada, is a nurse and stay-at-home mom. Tim, who is a South Carolina native, is an engineer at Boeing. In 2025, Providence Swedish Edmonds celebrated 1,361 births.
And at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett the first baby arrived ahead of the sun at 5:17 a.m. Fairelis and Leonel Aguirre of Everett (in photo below at right) said hello to baby number three, Leinel Enrique.
Leinel was born weighing 7.3-pounds and measuring 20 inches long. He was delivered by Western Washington Medical Group OB/GYN Karen Myren, M.D., at the Family Maternity Center team at the Pavilion for Women and Children. Leinel will be welcomed home by siblings Leissibet, 14; Heder Moran, 9; and Leslie, 6.
He joins the 3,911 births supported at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett in 2025.
About Providence Swedish
Providence Swedish has served the Puget Sound region since the first Providence hospital opened in Seattle in 1877 and the first Swedish hospital opened in 1910. The two organizations affiliated in 2012 and today comprise the largest health care delivery system in Western Washington, with 24,000 caregivers, eight hospitals and 244 clinics throughout Western Washington – from Everett to Centralia. A not-for-profit family of organizations, Providence Swedish provides more than $545 million in community benefit in the Puget Sound region each year. The health system offers a comprehensive range of services and specialty and subspecialty care in a number of clinical areas, including cancer, cardiovascular health, neurosciences, orthopedics, digestive health and women’s and children’s care. For more information, visit providence.org/swedish.
