Lincoln, Neb. ? Mom and dad are wondering whether little Emily Elizabeth is the first baby born in Nebraska this new year – maybe even the first born in the Central time zone, if not the nation.

Emily arrived at 10 seconds after midnight at Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center in Lincoln.

Hospital spokeswoman Jo Miller said Emily was born to 31-year-old Tamara Grunke-Kenning and 35-year-old Aaron Kenning of Beaver Crossing.

Miller said Emily arrived about four weeks early but weighed 6 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 19 3/4 inches long.

The time of the birth was checked against a computer that gets its time from an Internet time site, Miller said.

Although the birth was a routine, natural delivery, Miller said, the last few weeks of pregnancy were difficult for Grunke-Kenning.

“Mom said she was on quite a journey, but she said it’s been worth it,” Miller said.

Tuesday afternoon, the somewhat rested new mother said she had gone into labor on Thanksgiving Day and spent more than two days in the hospital before medications stopped the premature contractions.

They started up again on Dec. 5, so she returned to the hospital and remained until Dec. 27.

Contractions continued intermittently until Monday, when Grunke-Kenning had a morning appointment with her doctor.

“He said I would be delivering within a day, so my husband and I got a bite to eat and walked around for a little bit,” Grunke-Kenning said. “We called him back when (the labor pains) got worse, and he said to just go to the hospital.”

She was admitted Monday afternoon with contractions four to six minutes apart, she said.

Emily was staying with her in her room, Grunke-Kenning said. “She’s doing really good right now. We’re trying to get her to start eating a little bit.”

She hopes to take Emily home Thursday to meet brother Joey, who is 4, and sister Lilly, who is 1.