Courtesy Bradley Garrett

Everyone wants to start the new year on a good note. At the strike of midnight, fireworks fill the sky and people toast to possibilities.

At 1:56 a.m., though, Hunter and Bradley Garrett were in Utah Valley Hospital for the birth of Carter Garrett, the hospital’s first birth of 2022.

“It’s hard to find words to describe it. Surreal is probably good; (it) just feels so special and miraculous. We’re just very, very excited and overwhelmed,” Bradley Garrett said.

Carter was born weighing 7 pounds, 14 ounces and measuring 21 inches long. He was born with long fingers, Hunter Garrett joked.

“First thing the nurses said was he could palm a basketball,” she said.

Courtesy Bradley Garrett

Right after the calendar turned to 2022, there were three other people in labor around the same time, and the nurses placed small bets on who would give birth first, according to Hunter. She added that her nurse had faith in Carter to be born first.

The new mother also joked that those hours between watching the ball drop in Times Square and having her son felt like 1,000 hours, adding to the shock of being the first baby.

In fact, Carter bucked expectations by being born on his actual due date. When hearing that was the expectation, both families wagered guesses to when they would meet their son/nephew/grandchild.

“We thought he was going to come on Friday, Dec. 31, at night. Took a little longer and it was a little unexpected,” Bradley Garrett said.

The couple are both students at BYU ready to start classes for the semester on Monday. Knowing not to expect hours of uninterrupted rest, both parents are still eager and excited to start Carter’s life and see what comes next.

First, though, Hunter Garrett said they are looking forward to every experience, namely taking him on a walk to meet their goats.

“We’re waiting for this for so long and it feels surreal to be here,” she said. “We’re just excited to do all of the things with him.”

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