For Squamish residents Tammy James and Chris Atkinson, the new year has already been double the fun and probably double the work.
The pair welcomed twins to the world on Jan. 4 at Lions Gate Hospital in North Vancouver. Cecilia Christine James-Atkinson and Winter Lynn James-Atkinson thus became the first babies to be born to Squamish parents in 2012.
According to James, Cecilia wanted out first and the expectant mother was happy to oblige.
"I was supposed to deliver naturally but my heart rate dropped really low and so did the first baby's [Cecilia]," she said. "We were going to go in for an emergency C-section but when I went into the operating room, the doctor told me to go on the table and I said, 'I can't, I have to push.'"
Moments later, at 8:06 p.m., Cecilia was born, with Winter joining her six minutes later. Both children weighed and an identical six pounds, six ounces at the time of birth. The birth came after 38.5 weeks of pregnancy and James said that thankfully, she can tell her girls apart.
"They're fraternal, not identical, twins," she said. "One has light hair and is long and thin, while the other has dark hair and is shorter and thin."
James said she and her partner selected Cecilia because they both have relatives named Cecil (as in Cecil B. DeMille) and wanted to honour the name. She added that Winter seemed an appropriate name because of the season that the baby was born in.
It will be a packed household at the James-Atkinson residence, as the twins will join Tammy's other daughter Alexandria James, 14, and Atkinson's two girls Sarah and Kirsten.
"Everybody's really happy," she said. "My parents actually came in from Ontario and are subletting an apartment in my complex. They knew I was having twins and are staying until March to help me with the girls."
James also thanked her doctor in Squamish, Dr. Ben Eksteen, and Dr. Stephen Kaye in North Vancouver.
"I tag-teamed doctors so that was awesome," she said. "It was really good and I was covered all the way around.
"We're just really excited and happy to welcome Winter and Cecilia into our lives."
The first baby born at Squamish General Hospital in 2012 was a boy who arrived on Monday (Jan. 9) at 3:47 a.m. The new arrival's parents live in Pemberton.
