Alyssa was supposed to be born on Dec. 29, but she hung around awhile longer. Carbaugh, 25, said she did not get to see the ball in Times Square drop, although a doctor did bring her some sparkling cider after the birth.
"I didn't get to celebrate that much," she said.
Years from now, though, Alyssa will be able to watch her own birth. That's because Lonny Carbaugh filmed the event, panning back and forth between his wife and the New Year's festivities on television.
Carbaugh, 30, said he also helped the doctor deliver his daughter. When his son was born 18 months ago, he said he cut the umbilical cord.
"It was a good feeling to bring my son into the world and I wanted to do more for the second one," he said. "I'd like to do it again."
Tina and Larry Yost will have a triple celebration every year at this time. In addition to the new year, the Yosts' wedding anniversary is on New Year's Eve and now their baby's birthday is on New Year's Day.
Dalton Yost, who came into the world at Washington County Hospital weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces, was not due to arrive until Jan. 4.
"He had his own plans," Tina Yost said.
"We didn't have a chance to do anything (for New Year's Eve)," Larry Yost added.
The Yosts, who have two daughters, said they were pulling for the birth to occur before the first of the year so they could get the tax break for the 1998 tax year. But Larry Yost, 31, said he is excited about having a New Year's baby.
"It's a privilege," he said.
Tina Yost, 33, said she was not in the most celebratory mood on Thursday night. But she said she made the best of it.
"We watched the ball drop - in between contractions," she said.
Jodi Anderson did not get a chance to watch the ball drop. She was busy giving birth at Chambersburg Hospital.
Anderson, 29, said she thought her daughter would come a bit sooner than New Year's Day.
"It was going to be very, very close," she said.
Her husband, Paul Anderson, 27, said he likes having a New Year's baby.
"It's different. It's unusual, I think," he said.
Giving birth on New Year's Day draws attention, but Robin Armstrong, 20, of Harpers Ferry, W.Va., said the experience was just as meaningful when her son was born 16 months ago.
"It feels the same. It's always special when it's your baby," she said.
David Armstrong, 34, said the family marked their baby predictions on a calendar. His mark, Jan. 1, was on target.
"I guess it was just luck," he said.
