Baby of the Decade

HARLINGEN — For Johanna Mendoza, her toughest pregnancy gave her her first boy, Harlingen’s first baby of the new decade, she said Friday.

Isaac Anciso Jr. weighed in at 10 pounds, 6.8 ounces, stretching out to 20.7 inches when he was born by repeat caesarian section at 10:02 a.m. at Harlingen Medical Center, where his parents arrived at 8 a.m., nurses said.
Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen’s first New Year’s baby — a 6-pound, 4 ounce girl — was delivered at 2:02 p.m. Friday, hospital spokesman Mike Swartz said.

“Oh, it feels good,” said Mendoza, 25, of Weslaco as she cradled her son after a pregnancy during which she said she developed gestational diabetes. “He’s big so it was painful.”

But Junior’s size might set him on his way to a career as a professional football player, Isaac Anciso Sr. said.
“I want him to play football so one day he’ll be a Weslaco Panther,” said Anciso, who said he played for the Panthers until 10th grade.

The proud parents said Junior’s their first boy born into a family of 4- and 5-year-old girls.

“That’s it for having kids,” Anciso said with a chuckle. “We were waiting to have a boy so my little girls would have a big brother.”

Mendoza says she prays for her son as he starts on his way into the second decade of the third millennium.

“I think it’s moving more toward war. If there would be a lot more peace it would be better for everybody,” she said of the world.

“With the way it is now, young kids are doing all these bad things, going to jail and getting in trouble. I want to steer him in the other way.”

Anciso said he wants to teach his son to respect others and stay in school.

“The No. 1 priority is school,” he said. “I hope he picks the right road so he grows up to be successful in life. It’s all about how you raise your kids.”