It is a boy!
Karl Odin Moisan is Squamish General Hospital's first baby of the year.
Arriving on Jan. 1 at 3:58 a.m., the baby boy weighed 3.733kg.
He is little brother to Claudia, who is almost two years old.
Claudia, mom Lina Englund and dad Julien Moisan are well and back home in the Garibaldi Highlands.
The middle of the night drive to the hospital was smooth, but the family did come out of the hospital 24 hours later to about 30 centimetres of snow, the parents said.
Baby Karl was a few days early, as he was expected Jan. 3. Labour was quick; he arrived about seven minutes after mom started pushing.
"He was out 30 minutes after we left our house," Englund added.
Moisan said that Karl being the first baby born in the Sea to Sky Corridor in 2022 is a "fun little detail that adds to his story."
So far, baby Karl is a "calm" baby and sleeping relatively well.
Big sister Claudia is adjusting to her new role as the oldest child.
"She's very intrigued — curious and caring and also a little bit worried and needy," said Englund.
Her parents note she is taking a new sibling as well as any two-year-old could.
Both children have only known pandemic conditions, something that is not lost on their parents. Claudia arrived in February of 2020, just as COVID-19 came into our collective consciousness.
"The kids are a very welcome distraction from everything else that's going on in the world. And, you know, we're happy to live in Squamish and to have a nice healthy family. And, you know, we're trying to make the most of the circumstances," said Moisan.
Because of the pandemic, Moisan's parents in Montreal and Englund's in Sweden haven't been able to yet see the children in person.
Englund's parents are scheduled to visit in early February.
"So, we're keeping our fingers crossed that they will make it — they are triple vaccinated, and we're just hoping for the best," she said.
While it is not ideal to be so far from immediate family, friends in town have filled the gap, the parents said.
"We've had incredible support from our chosen family here in Squamish, from our friends, and that has made a world of difference for us. They made a little food train to deliver us meals on a daily basis."
