Ledger photo / JOE L. HUGHES II Tasha Boyd (center) and Jonathan Kesler welcomed daughter Ja'Niyah Makenzee Kesler into the world at 1:37 p.m. at Upstate Carolina Medical Center on New Year's Day. Certified nurse and midwife Laurie Hill assisted with the delivery. More than six weeks ago, 21-year-old Gaffney resident Tasha Boyd, pregnant with her second child, made a bold prediction regarding when her baby would arrive.

"Not thinking of it much, I said the baby would come on New Year's Day, also believing it would be the firstborn in the county in 2008," Boyd said. "I kept on saying it because of how strongly I believed it would happen."

Boyd's words were prophetic as the birth of her daughter, Ja'Niyah Makenzee Kesler, came Jan. 1 at 1:37 p.m. at Upstate Carolina Medical Center. She weighed 6 lbs. 7 ozs.

"Right now I realize the power of words," Boyd said. "This is all hard to believe."

It took a little more than five hours of labor for young Ja'Niyah to take her first breath of air, but according to Boyd that time was more than worth it.

"It feels good to have a good healthy baby," Boyd said. "Everyone at the hospital has helped out so much."

Certified nurse and midwife Laurie Hill assisted with the delivery.

Ja'Niyah is Boyd's second child. She also is the mother of another daughter Serenity Tate.

Father Jonathan Kesler, 23, said this is undoubtedly the best way to start a new year.

"Being able to see my child come into the world is a great feeling," Kesler said. "This definitely makes this the best New Year's yet."

Staying in line with tradition, several local businesses and nonprofit organizations donated items the infant would need in her first weeks of life.

"All these items are going to come in handy," Boyd said. "(Ja'Niyah) is going to be set for some time."

Donations to New Year's baby basket: Baby formula: Nestle Frame and blanket: Hartzog's Baby bag: Hospice Care of South Carolina Teddy bear: Sticky Bristle Paint Co. Gift certificate: Jameson Inn 2 infant CPR classes: American Red Cross Blanket: Interim Health Care Bath and body set: The Book Shelf

Gift certificate and 2 bibs: Trackside Diner Huggies, wipes and suit of clothes: H&E Scrap Metal