Boy number one was sleepy, tucked away in pleasant dreams. Being the first one to arrive was exhausting work, apparently.

Boy number two was perky; as child number seven in the family, being on the alert surely will be a helpful trait.

And baby number three, the only girl of the bunch? She played the diva, letting company know when she’d had her fill of all the strangers in the room.

They were the first babies officially to be born in Piedmont Fayette Hospital’s brand new maternity wing.

Two of the babies have hospital ties: baby boy number one, Jeremiah Kristian James, was born to Piedmont Fayette nurse Kristi McFadden-James and her husband, Reginald James of Jonesboro.

Baby boy number two, Joseph Alfred Goza, was born to doctors John and Mary Sue Goza, the former who is a surgeon at the hospital and the latter who is a consultant for the hospital having previously served as an ER doc before heading up a household of what has become seven children.

When he grows up, Joseph Goza can boast he’s one of a select few to be a 100 percent Fayette County native.

It used to be that being a Fayette County native meant that you started life as a commuter: with momma driving outside the county to another hospital for delivery. Babies were born at Piedmont Fayette only in an emergency when there was no time to get anywhere else.

The first baby girl, Malorie Nikole Ochoa, is the first child to Nicki Weston and Victor Ochoa of Centerville. Thursday afternoon, the couple was learning all about who now calls the shots: baby Malorie.

“She told us a couple of times before she came,” said new mom Nicki, noting that she had premature labor that was treated with medicine and bed rest well before Wednesday’s blessed event.

Jeremiah was born first at 12:26 p.m., followed by Joseph at 3:19 p.m. and Malorie at 3:48 a.m. the next morning, hospital officials said.

Mom Mary Sue Goza was pleased at Joseph’s arrival, which came 10 days ahead of schedule, giving her some early relief. But dad John Goza was already joking about expanding the family further.

“This is the start of our second series,” he said.

“He says all sorts of things,” Mary Sue replied, with more than a hint of skepticism in her voice.

Baby number one, the sleepy Jeremiah Kristian James, got a ton of visitors because coworkers on mom’s floor at the hospital have been stopping by. Mom Kristi said she kept her husband up all night with her contractions, but she knew she’d be able to hold out long enough to bring her son into the world at her hospital.

Jeremiah came in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces while Joseph weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces. Malorie weighed 7 pounds, 2 ounces.

All three babies got a special visit from Brian Finneran, a receiver from the Atlanta Falcons, who brought special Falcons baby blankets adding to a gift basket provided by the hospital.

The babies were delivered by doctors William Cook and Mironda Williams, two of 20 physicians with OB privileges at Piedmont Fayette Hospital. Between labor/delivery, nursing and mother/baby staff, the hospital has hired more than 35 new employees to care for families at the maternity center.

The maternity center has three private birthing suites so moms can labor, deliver and recover in the same room. There are also two surgical rooms for cesarean sections and seven private mother/baby rooms for postpartum care.

The center has a full-time lactation consultant and will offer childbirth education classes and “Moms in Motion” exercise classes. For more information, call 1-866-900-4321 or visit www.fayettehospital.org.

The facility was opened after a community push from a task force called “Babies for Fayette.” Ironically, Dr. Mary Sue Goza served on that group, which has donated a variety of items for the maternity center including artwork. A local quilting club is quilting baby blankets and hats, and local Girl Scouts are compiling sibling packets.

“Our staff is thrilled to be a part of this momentous occasion,” said Darrell Cutts, president and CEO of Piedmont Fayette Hospital. “The community should be proud of its effort to bring this much-needed service to families in this area.”

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