A North Vernon couple started off the new year not by partying or making resolutions but by meeting their daughter for the first time.

At 8:05 a.m. New Year’s Day, Patrick and Lindsey Frey welcomed their second child, Emmalynn Ann Frey, into the world and their hearts.

Weighing in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces, Emmalynn was the first baby born in 2016 in Jackson County at Schneck Medical Center.

Having the New Year’s baby is an honor the Freys weren’t quite expecting.

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“My original due date wasn’t until the middle of the month, and we had scheduled a C-section for the 11th,” Lindsey Frey said.

But after her doctor ran some tests, it was decided the baby would be delivered by C-section early New Year’s Day morning.

“We were excited,” Lindsey Frey said. “But we mostly just wanted to make sure that she was healthy since we had to move her delivery up around two weeks.”

The family is waiting to find out if Emmalynn, whom they are calling Emmy, is the first Jennings County resident born in 2016, a title that would earn her gifts from that community, Lindsey Frey said.

When it came to naming their daughter, the Freys looked to their own families.

“Emmalynn Ann is made up of Patrick’s great-grandmother’s name, Emma, and the Lynn comes from multiple family members who have the middle name Lynn,” Lindsey Frey said. “Ann is Patrick’s mother’s middle name, and my grandmother’s middle name was Louanna.”

Their other daughter, Raelea Marie, also has a unique and special name derived from various family names.

“She is named from my father’s middle name, Ray, and my mother’s middle name, Leota, so when combined, you come up with Raelea,” Lindsey Frey said. “Marie is from my grandmother, whose name was Mary.”

Being a big sister is a big deal for 4-year-old Raelea, who said she loves her new baby sister very much. She has a lot of responsibilities now in helping her mom and dad take care of Emmalynn.

“She is beside herself with excitement over Emmy’s arrival,” Lindsey Frey said of her oldest daughter. “She doesn’t really seem to care that she was born on New Year’s. She was just ready for her to be here.”

Raelea has been a great helper, her mom said, and loves to be there to help out with diaper changes and feedings.

Other members of the Freys’ family, including grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins, also were excited by Emmalynn’s early arrival.

“Having the New Year’s baby was just icing on the cake,” Lindsey Frey said.

The Freys haven’t decided how their daughter’s birth will impact their plans for next year’s holiday.

“We always host a New Year’s party at our house with a few friends who have children that are around the same ages, so we will have to see what we decide to do next year,” Lindsey Frey said. “We will have to see what this next year holds as to the ringing in of 2017.”

Lindsey Frey and Emmalynn were released from the Seymour hospital Sunday, and the family continues to settle into their new routines.

Although she is spending nearly every minute with her new baby, Lindsey Frey said she wouldn’t be able to do it without Patrick, who is originally from Seymour.

“Patrick is amazing. He is my rock,” Lindsey Frey said. “It is definitely a 50/50 partnership. He helps feed, does the laundry, especially the cloth diapers, and anything and everything else I need.”

It’s all part of being a good dad, Patrick Frey said.

“I love all my girls, and I’m willing to help out in any way necessary to make sure they have the best lives possible,” he said.

The couple plan to make sure their daughter knows just how special her birth was.

“Emmy will definitely know that she is the New Year’s baby,” Lindsey Frey said. “We love to share special stories with each of our girls about their births and what makes them special and unique. This is just another story to share. We are continually blessed by God’s gift of our girls.”

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Jackson County’s first baby born in 2016

Name: Emmalynn Ann “Emmy” Frey

Born: 8:05 a.m. Jan. 1 at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour

Size: 7 pounds, 10 ounces

Parents: Patrick and Lindsey Frey of North Vernon

Sibling: Raelea Marie, 4

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