Meet Hawaii’s first babies of the new year (and their very proud parents)!

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Brace yourself for a cuteness overload. Hawaii welcomed the first babies of the new year just a few hours after the clock struck midnight.

North Hawaii Community Hospital on Hawaii Island saw its first birth at 2:08 am.

Meanwhile, little Lio Vasa — due Jan. 11 — was born at 2:25 a.m. at Maui Memorial Medical Center. He weighs 8 pounds, 10.3 ounces. His proud parents: Saumalu Mataafa and Marissa Pulama Pesas.

On Kauai, Wilcox Hospital welcomed its first baby at 2:45 a.m. Taufa Hoamofaleono Pua Melia Koli was born weighing 6 pounds, 8 ounces and is 20 inches long.

Taufa is the third child of Hawaiki Oliver and Isileli Vaka Koli, of Wainiha, and also has a big brother and sister at home.

And back on Hawaii Island Keoni Gilbert Marpuri Norita, arrived at 2:48 a.m. Sunday, weighing in at 7 pounds and measuring 20 inches.

His parents, Keaau residents Kristine and Gus Narita, say little Keoni came a full 12 days early.

About 11 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, Kristine Narita started to feel contractions and turned to her husband: “It’s time to go to the hospital,” she said.

Fireworks were going off on their 20-minute drive to the hospital.

And once they got to Hilo Medical Center, it was just three hours and four pushes before mom and dad got to meet Keoni.

Mom’s hope for the little guy: That he follows in his grandfather Gilbert’s footsteps, who was a two-star general in the Philippines before serving in the U.S. military.

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