BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Jan. 5, 2017–News reports for the start of 2017 have been largely saturated with horrific murders, but this story is an exception, focused instead on new life for the New Year.

When our newspaper visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) on Tuesday, we met the country’s first newborn baby for the year, 2017. She is Kelsey Garnett, a bouncing baby girl born at exactly 12:00 a.m. on January 1st with a healthy 7 pounds and 6 ounces to a high school student, who wished not to be interviewed or named.

The newborn’s aunt, who has been by her sister’s side throughout the pregnancy, said that this was her sister’s first pregnancy. Baby Kelsey, the newest addition to the family, will live with her grandmother and mother in Belize City.

Her mother, we are told, will return to school to complete her studies.

The second newborn for the New Year was Zander Steven Canto, born at around 3:04 a.m. on January 1 with 8 pounds and 7 ounces. He was born to Byron Canto and his spouse of two years, Roshelly Perez.

According to Canto, this is his second son and Perez’s first child.

Byron told us that baby Zander was due for delivery on Boxing Day, December 26 but there was a delay.

“I was working and I decided to stop in and check up on her, and she told me she was in pain and I just decided to bring her in,” he told the media.

“It was very nerve-wracking. I think I almost passed out,” said Canto, who was in the delivery room for two hours.

He told us that he will do the best for his child. He also told our newspaper that he will send the child to the same schools that he attended.

2017 newborns from across the country were gifted with starter kits, which include essentials like disposable diapers and formula, by the Santiago Castillo Group, who have made this their annual tradition.