This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
After having three boys, the Rossanos were thrilled to learn their next child would be a girl.
They were so excited they asked to re-confirm the gender two or three times. Monica Rossano cried with joy when she learned the news and went on a bow-buying bonanza. Her husband, Sal Rossano, took a more cautious approach, saying he'd believe it when he saw it.
Early Tuesday morning, their little girl, Anna-Sofia Rossano, was born, finally confirming their hopes. But she came with an extra surprise the Sandy couple couldn't have foreseen: She was born at 12:01 a.m. at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, becoming one of the first, if not the very first, baby born in Utah in 2013.
"It's a bit of a shock, honestly," 36-year-old Monica said Tuesday afternoon. "I was thinking I'd have an extra week to prepare, but she came when she wanted to."
In fact, Anna-Sofia burst on the scene — 20 days before her due date — amid other plans and preparations. Her parents spent Monday celebrating Sal Rossano's birthday. The family had also been preparing to host a big family dinner on New Year's Day, a tradition.
Monica had already shopped for ingredients to make stuffed shells, eggplant Parmesan and prime rib for 20 to 25 people. By Tuesday night, however, the food still sat untouched in the family's refrigerator.
"My wife's a trooper, so we may still put on a dinner this week," Rossano, who serves in the military, joked Tuesday afternoon.
Monica Rossano, a local business owner, also joked that if he still wanted to host the dinner, he could do it.
Though the couple were elated to finally have a girl, they weren't expecting so much attention from those outside their family.
Sal Rossano, 42, joked that the media interest in Anna-Sofia on Tuesday set "the benchmark way too high for attention" for the little girl.
But Monica Rossano said that as Anna-Sofia gets older, she'll enjoy telling her that the whole state celebrated her birth.
At McKay-Dee Hospital Center in Ogden, newborn Evelyn Audrey Brennan just missed becoming the first baby born in Utah in 2013, coming into the world at 12:23 a.m. on Tuesday.
Her parents, Alexis Brennan, 23, and Jeremiah Brennan, 24, of North Ogden, were also surprised to have a New Year's Day baby, whose original due date was Jan. 14.
But Alexis Brennan was happy to welcome her little girl — the couple's first child — early.
"I was ready," Brennan said. "I wanted her."
Twitter: @lschencker