POSTED: Tuesday, Jan. 05, 2010

Bellingham couple likely has state's first baby of decade

BELLINGHAM - Winter came early this year for Gary and Terry Holloway - eight days early, to be precise.

The couple had their son, Winter Brouillet Holloway, just as revelers were welcoming 2010.

"He was due Jan. 9, but we kind of had a sense he would be early," said Gary Holloway, 34. "(Birth) is an amazing experience to begin with, and to add in the factor of maybe being the first baby born in the county, it's pretty exciting."

Born in their Bellingham home at 12:01 a.m., according to Holloway's cell phone, Winter Holloway is likely the state's first baby of 2010, and of the decade. The Department of Health has not yet recorded the New Year's Day births to confirm that.

The Holloways don't mind too much if they had the state's first baby of the year or not; they're just glad he's joined them.

"We couldn't have asked it to be any more beautiful or smooth," he said of the birth. "Mom and baby are both healthy. That's all we were hoping for was a healthy baby. Everything else is a bonus."

At about five minutes until midnight, Gary Holloway wasn't sure if the baby was going to be born in 2009 or 2010. He and friends had been joking the week before about whether the couple would have a New Year's baby, and suddenly it was happening. Winter, who weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces, was welcomed by his father, mother, their midwife and his older brother, 2 1/2 year-old Forrest.

Gary Holloway had his last day as market manager of the Bellingham Public Market on New Year's Eve. He is taking some time off work to help Terry, 37, take care of the boys. The whole family is thrilled about their New Year's boy, he said.

"It's kind of exciting," he said. "Everyone gets to count down to your birthday."