South Tahoe’s New Year baby takes her time

By Kathryn Reed

For now, 2-year-old Oumy N’Doye must call her baby sister just that – baby sister.

This is because in her parents’ native country of Senegal the naming of a newborn occurs one week after the birth and with a big family celebration. With modern technology, the ceremony will be via Skype.

This infant seems to know her hometown well already by embracing “Tahoe time”. As the first baby born in 2013 at Barton Memorial Hospital, she didn’t arrive until Jan. 4 at 1:25am.

Alima Gueye with her newborn daughter. Photos/Kathryn Reed

With practically a full head of wavy jet-black hair, the little girl weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and measured nearly 21 inches.

Not making a peep, she slept quietly next to her mom in a crib of sorts. Even when Alima Gueye went to pick her up and her sister bounced around the hospital room, the newborn’s eyes stayed shut.

Mandoye N’Doye’s boss at Harrah’s Tahoe said he couldn’t come to work on Friday – to instead be at the hospital with his wife. He is a steward supervisor at the hotel-casino.

Mandoye N’Doye holds daughter Oumy as Alima Gueye holds their newborn.

Even though N’Doye has gone through this three times before, he wanted to get his wife to the hospital Thursday afternoon when she started feeling contractions. She told him it wasn’t any big deal and to relax. At 7pm he had enough and the Stateline couple drove to the South Lake Tahoe hospital.

Their older children, ages 4 and 8, live in Senegal because they were born there. But with passports having been secured for them, they will join their parents and sisters in Tahoe this summer to live.

As for the naming celebration, N’Doye said, “They do some praying. We make a lot of food.”

They also got to participate in a U.S. tradition by receiving a wagon full of gifts totaling nearly $2,000 that was donated by various businesses and community members.