ARLINGTON The first baby born in 2008 at Cascade Valley Hospital was a relatively late New Years baby, since he wasnt born until 6:13 p.m. Jan. 2, but Marysville residents Dennis and Mindy Capiendo consider their new son, Jaden Matthew Capiendo, well worth the wait.
Weve been waiting so long, said Dennis, a Navy corpsman stationed on board USS Abraham Lincoln in Everett since November. Weve been trying to conceive for so long. We already have two, but we really wanted a third child.
Jaden can look forward to being cared for not only by his parents, but also by his older brother Mark, 16, and sister Samantha, 14. Mom and dad admitted that raising a younger child again would be an adjustment, but they pointed out that they have more experience now in doing so.
You have to learn to be patient with kids of any age, Dennis said. Our older kids know what no means, though. Itll be a while before this one can understand that yet.
Hes been good so far, like our other kids were, Mindy said. He didnt cry. Our others listen. Theyre not hardheaded. We hope he can be like them, she laughed.
Jadens arrival was well-timed, since Mindy had already driven herself to the hospital for a previously scheduled medical appointment, when she began having contractions. Mindy started pushing, and 10 minutes later, she delivered Jaden, who weighted 6.9 pounds and was 18.75 inches long.
Watching him breathe is amazing, Dennis said. We miss playing with our two older ones, when they were younger. We were watching a Christmas video with them, from when they were 3 and 5 years old, and we joked, We wish you were that small again.
Were looking forward to some sleepless nights, Mindy said. Even when theyre older, theyre still kids, and theyre still entitled to make mistakes.
Its not going to be easy, Dennis said. Just from raising our teens, we know how much things have changed since we were growing up, but we want to share our lives with our kids.
The Capiendos thanked the employees of Cascade Valley Hospital for the quality of their care.