Having the first baby of the year, century and millennium caught Katie Costa by surprise in more ways than one.
"I was actually a week and a half over due," Costa said.
Plus, she gave birth to Caitlyn Chanel Costa at 6:29 p.m. Saturday. Surely, some other baby was born at Carson-Tahoe Hospital before then, she reasoned.
"I was not even thinking about (having the first baby of the year) when I went into labor," Costa said in a phone interview from her home. "I'm just glad it's over with. It was getting pretty unbearable."
Caitlyn weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 18 inches long.
Costa, 22, exercises horses at the Cutting Edge Ranch in Gardnerville. She has been off the job for six months and she won't get back on a horse for another six weeks.
"I can't wait to get back to riding," Costa said.
She already knows Caitlyn will be a horsewoman, too.
"Probably when she's about eight months old I'll have her on a horse with me," Costa said.
First babies of the year traditionally leave the hospital with gifts. Costa got some blankets and a basket filled with many things.
"I haven't gone through the whole basket yet," she said. "I know I got a lot from local retailers."
Then there was the $50 gift certificate for Butler Meats in Carson City given by the Western Nevada Cattlewomen's Assoc.
The association's president is Annalyn Settelmeyer. Her brother is James Settelmeyer, the father of Caitlyn Chanel Costa. The Settelmeyer family is a prominent ranching family in Douglas County.
"It's really ironic," Annalyn Settelmeyer said. "If Katie wanted, we could give her all the beef she wanted for free. It's one of those things. It wasn't planned.
"At least, I didn't have to worry about the mother being a vegetarian."
Katie Costa figures Caitlyn will be ready to start riding lessons when she's two years old.
