Brooke Addison Buzga has the distinction of being the first baby born in South Peninsula Hospital in the New Year.

Born at 8:29 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 4, she wasn’t exactly on time for New Year’s Day. However, Brooke surprised her Anchor Point family by coming well ahead of her Jan. 11 due date. They had no idea she’d be the first New Year baby, said her mother, Jaimee Buzga.

Brooke joins her two brothers, 5-year-old Blake, and Bradley, who will be 3 in March.

The boys are excited about having a sister, according to their father, David Buzga. While Bradley was a bit too young to fully grasp the concept before Brooke arrived, David said their older son has been waiting impatiently for his new sibling.

“He was probably more excited for her than Christmas, actually,” David said.

“And then, when he was getting ready to leave, he was like, ‘I need to hold her one more time,’” Jaimee added of the brothers meeting their sister.

The family has had Dr. Katie Ostrom for the birth all three of their children, even before she had moved to Homer herself.

Jaimee said the birth went well and that the family is grateful for all the gifts pitched in by area businesses, a tradition for the first baby of the year. From homemade blankets to a $100 gift card to Ulmer’s, several businesses along with the South Peninsula Hospital Auxiliary pitch in to help celebrate the year’s inaugural infant.

Brooke’s arrival into the world was otherwise unusual in that, for the better part of six months, her parents had the majority of their friends and family believing that her name would be Brisket.

It all started as a joke, David said. When the family was attending an ultrasound, the technician revealed they would be having a girl and asked if they had a name picked out, he said. They didn’t, so David said the first thing that popped into his head: brisket.

He and Jaimee thought the technician would understand it was all in jest, but the name stuck. The soon-to-be parents of three decided to keep up the charade outside of the hospital. People thought it was odd at first, David said, but after about three days no one questioned the name.

Soon, even members of their church were coming up to the parents and asking when little Brisket would arrive, Jaimee said.

“Everyone is shocked that we didn’t name her Brisket,” Jaimee said. “… All the nursing staff here was like, ‘You didn’t name her Brisket?’ It’s like, you thought we were serious …”

When asked if Brisket will become a nickname for Brooke in the future, the Buzgas answered, “100 percent, yes.”

“Our little girl is going to be named after a cut of meat,” Jaimee joked.

Reach Megan Pacer at megan.pacer@homernews.com.

The Buzga family, from left to right: David, 5-year-old Blake, newborn Brooke, Jaimee, and 2-year-old Bradley, celebrate the addition to their family at South Peninsula Hospital. Brooke was the first baby born at the Hospital in the New Year, on Jan 4, 2018. (Photo by Katie Cannon)