Santa Babies There’s Always A First Time For A Visit To Santa Claus, And Many Valley Newborns Had Their Chance Sunday

Most of the time, you didn’t even need earplugs.

Of the 350 or so people who showed up at Valley Hospital and Medical Center for Sunday’s “Afternoon with Santa,” many were babies. Big-smile babies, scared-of Santa babies, ham-it-up babies. It could have been a talent search for the next face fo Gerber.

But even when traffic was stroller-to-stroller, the tykes made nary a peep.

There were, of course, exceptions. But those come later.

For five years, parents have brought little ones born at the hospital for a first-time chat with Saint Nick. Along with the babies often come brothers or sisters.

The Maddox family was just such a crew. Adam, 8 months old, was joined by big brothers Aaron, 2, and Andrew, 4.

“Did you guys come to see Santa?” asked a red-capped volunteer.

Aaron wasn’t sure about the rest of ‘em, but yeah, that was his idea. He practically tackled the jolly old elf.

That surprised dad. “He really didn’t want anything to do with Santa last year,” Justin Maddox said. “This year, it was like, ‘Whoa!’ “

Little Adam wasn’t as eager to get next to the big red enigma in the wooden rocking chair. But once up there, he did fine. Dad made faces from behind the photographer. “Big smile,” he said. Adam’s brown eyes brightened. “We call him Mr. Happy.”, This particular Santa has been at the job 15 years. (Small children might want to skip the following paragraphs.) His real name is Doug Rose. He has so much holiday experience under his big black belt that even his own grandkids can’t see past the wispy beard.

Teri Pitts, manager of the hospital nursery, said that’s why Rose always gets the thumbs up to return.

“Last year, his grandson came, sat on his lap and gave him a long list,” Pitts said. “He had no idea it was Grandpa. We just roared.”

During the first years, the Big Red One must have been lonely. This year was the second that Mrs. Claus, a white-haired nurse named Barbara Walker, sat by his side.

(All those literate little ones can start reading again.) As a plastic boombox played a tinny “…look at Frosty go…” in the background, Pitts’ 4-year-old son, Reece, got ready for his Santa visit. Reece had an in, after all. His mom was running the show.

Mrs. Claus recognized him right away. “I looked at your list. It’s quite large. We’ll have to get your mother another job.”

Like Reece, kids of all ages show up to see their new-to-the-world counterparts meet Father Christmas. As it does every year, Valley Hospital sent out invitations to all parents who had a child born there in 1995. Kids born in previous years are also welcome, if mom remembers.

And what’s a Christmas these days without at least a little commercialism? Outside the picture room vendors hocked diapers, books and even financial planning. Apparently, it’s never too early to invest.

Alisha Mathisen, 5, has been through this ritual before. So she was the perfect coach for her 10-month-old brother, Ryan.

Only he was asleep.

Done with her Santa session, Alisha excitedly chattered at her mother, April. Her velvet holiday dress was a dark blur as she zipped around the room.

“Mom! Mom!” Alisha pointed at some green circles on a table.

“You want some Mr. Yuk stickers?” her mom said. “OK.”

But somewhere in the exchange, the baby awoke. Ryan’s peepers reluctantly opened, first a slit and then round. He was a little teary-eyed, but didn’t holler.

Alisha, pointed again, this time at the baby. “Now he,” she said decisively, “…wants a teddy bear.”

Mom had Ryan’s picture taken with the Christmas couple. Alisha watched the Polaroid image in her mother’s hand go from soupy haze to opaque recognizability. It was Ryan, tear-streaked and mouth agape.

“Alisha, you looked just like that in your first picture with Santa,” April said.

On it went from 1 to 4 p.m. The line grew. A boy sort of sang Jingle Bells to himself - “Doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo…” - as the kids old enough to talk said “cheeeeezzz” to camera flashes. Some younger ones cried, albeit without making much racket. Crying turned out a bonus for 9-month-old Thomas Vernon (who looks a little like the red-haired boy on “Picket Fences”). He ended up with two pictures.

“A good one and a cry one,” said his mom, Sheri. That could come in handy when he’s say, 14 or so.

Sometimes it wasn’t Santa that set off the wee visitors. Reece, now helping his manager mom with pictures, was charged with ringing a sleigh bell for the babies.

A little guy almost a year old climbed up on Santa’s lap. He was Logan Dammel, all blond hair, blue eyes and overalls.

Now it was time for the snap. Reece didn’t jingle the bells, he wailed on them like Quasimodo in the tower. The curve of Logan’s mouth changed from smile to thin line and then down in a frown. His lower lip started to quiver, then his whole face erupted in a tremor. His lungs followed suit.

“Reece! Not so hard,” Pitts told her son.

Too late for scolding, though. Santa already had Reece’s list.

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