She uttered a breathless, “oh my God” the first time she saw her little one.

And she plans to spend the next year changing diapers and filling bottles.

But she still doesn’t know if it’s a girl or a boy.

Carla’s baby is a 9-day-old monkey.

“The baby will be in our house, eat dinner with us and sleep in our bed for the first year of life,” she said. “It will actually be our child.”

As yet unnamed, the baby is the first monkey born at the Charlotte Metro Zoo near Rockwell, owned by Carla and Steve Macaluso.

The real mother is Cassie, a 3-year-old Patas monkey, and she’s keeping the baby’s gender a secret.

With baby clinging to her fur Wednesday afternoon, Cassie sat in Carla’s lap while the Macalusos talked about the surprise birth.

“We didn’t even think she could get pregnant at her age,” Steve said. “A friend of mine said they had to be 5 (years old).”

Carla said she noticed Cassie was putting on some weight.

“I went in her cage one day and rubbed her belly,” Carla said as Cassie sipped orange Gatorade from a cup. “I told Steve, ‘Cassie is getting so fat.’ ”

A few days later, a zoo visitor told Carla that a baby monkey was stuck in the chain link.

“I said, ‘What baby monkey?’” Carla said.

She ran to Cassie’s cage and found the newborn monkey, which had toppled out of Cassie’s sleeping barrel. She helped the new mother pick up the baby and then sent a 911 message to Steve’s pager.

“Then we called everyone affiliated with the zoo and said, ‘We’ve got a baby!’ ” she said.

Since helping rescue the newborn, Carla is the only person Cassie will approach with the baby.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Carla said as Cassie picked through the woman’s hair. “You never know how animals are going to react with their babies, especially monkeys.”

The Macalusos soon will take the baby from Cassie and raise it themselves. They want the baby, and all other zoo animals, to welcome human contact.

“The mother won’t be thrilled,” Steve said. “I’m not sure what will happen. I’ve never pulled a baby from a monkey before.”

Some owners sedate the mother before taking the baby, Steve said. But they hope that sometime next week, Cassie will let Carla take the newborn.

As for Chester, the baby’s father, he’s in monkey time-out.

“This is kind of like a 12-year-old girl getting pregnant,” Steve said. “We’ll keep them separated for awhile.”

Steve said he needs to research monkey birth control but eventually the couple would like another baby from Cassie and Chester.

Although they will keep this newborn, the Macalusos said they would sell a second baby to another private zoo. Patas babies are worth about $2,000, Steve said.

“We’re not breeders,” he said. “But there is a great demand for baby monkeys.”

Although the newborn monkey has caused quite a stir, baby animals are nothing new at Charlotte Metro Zoo. They’ve had about 100 births since opening in 1995, Steve said.

Visitors played with two tiger cubs Wednesday afternoon in the grass while a week-old lion snoozed in a playpen.

The zoo welcomed a litter of wolf pups two days ago.

And Bianca is breaking hearts as the first bearcat born there.

“Bearcats are from Southeast Asia,” said Danielle Lee, 12, as the 3-month-old critter climbed up her arm and perched on her head. “Her parents are right over there.”

Danielle, who volunteers at the zoo, pointed to two creatures resembling wolverines near the zoo entrance.

People can see the baby animals for free Aug. 11 when the zoo hosts Rowan County Appreciation Day. All county residents with proof of address are welcome at no charge, the Macalusos said.