Adams Couple Welcome North County New Year's Baby

By John DurkaniBerkshires Staff
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Natale, left, his younger brother Antonio LeSage, their father, Steve LeSage, and Molly Downing pose with New Year's baby Harley. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Steve LeSage and Molly Downing's beautiful son Harley entered the world early into the new year at North Adams Regional Hospital.

Harley is the firstborn for 2013 in North County and the second baby for Berkshire County.

Downing, 21, and LeSage, 31, arrived at the hospital around 9 on New Year's Eve and Harley, weighing in at 7 pounds and 7ounces and measuring 19.5 inches long, was delivered at 5:55 a.m. He was initially due on Jan. 15 but Downing entered pre-term labor at the end of November.
 
Harley and his family have been visited by numerous relatives already. 
 
"My grandma wouldn't give up the baby," Downing said, while holding her newborn, who was sporting a New York Giants hat.
 
Downing's family have had a couple days of excitement. On New Year's Eve, her cousin Nicki 
Vitro-Fischer also gave birth, but in New Jersey.
 
Downing was raised in North Adams but she and LeSage live in his hometown of Adams. 
 
Natale and Antonio LeSage playfully greeted their brother with opposite attitudes.
 
When asked if they were excited, Antonio exclaimed, "No!" while Natale energetically jumped up and dow, letting out a resounding "Yes!"
 
Paul Hopkins, the director of community relations for Northern Berkshire Healthcare, said the hospital delivers roughly 300 babies a year. He said although most years a New Year's baby is born, it's not guaranteed.
 
"It is not at all unheard of going a day or two into the New Year without a baby," Hopkins said. The 2012 baby in North County missed New Year's by four minutes.
 
The larger Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield often claims the honor of delivering the county's New Year's baby, as it did this year. The Berkshire Eagle reports Kaylyn Rose Cormier, daughter of Travis Cormier and Kelsey Lehtinen, both of Peru, was born at 1:11 a.m. Kaylyn weighed 9 pounds 7 ounces and is 21 inches long. Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington also delivered an infant at 5:57 a.m. — two minutes after Harley.

Tags: baby,   holiday story,   NARH,   new year,   

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Companion Corner: Lucy at Second Chance Animal Shelter

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

ARLINGTON, Vt. — There is an excited and energetic pup looking for her new family.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Lucy is an 18-month-old heeler/terrier mix with energy to spare. She has been at the Second Chance Animal Shelter for about a month.

Lead canine care technician Alaura Lasher introduced us to her.

"She is a very energetic girl. She loves to play, and as you can see, she came to us from animal control," she said. 

Lucy was not in a great situation before coming to the shelter and they are still trying to learn more about her.

"They had seized her from a pretty neglectful situation. She was actually technically abandoned. She just came to us this last month, so she's still showing us all of her energy she has," Lasher said.

Lucy is able to go home with a dog-savvy cat and older children as she can be a bit jumpy with her bounds of energy.

"The perfect home for her is one that is able to give her a ton of attention and a ton of time playing, she loves her time outside," said Lasher. "She can run forever and not get tired. She can possibly live with another dog who is used to more of a pushy play style. She can be a little pushy when she plays, just because she's so hyper."

Since she is young, she is still learning and training with the staff and might need more with someone who takes her home.

"To the best of our knowledge, she's just a healthy young girl, because she's only a year and a half old, she still got a little bit of learning and training that she could use."

But Lucy is always happy to see anyone and immediately wants to play and say hi. Her endless energy makes her a great companion to play outside with and then hang out after a long day of fun.

"She's just a super sweet girl again. She'll need some help with the training, but as long as you've got time to burn out her energy, she'll make a great family dog," she said.

If you think Lucy might be the girl for you, reach out to Second Chance Animal Shelter and learn more about her on their website.

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