Burly, long-time Richmond resident Jason Kirby admits he blushed “like a little girl” when his daughter Jade Anastasia Kirby entered the world on Jan. 1, at 4:15 a.m., to become the first native Richmondite of 2017.
“It was a rush of emotions all at once; very surprising; I couldn’t believe how fast she came. She was just so beautiful,” said the wholesale florist and avid sports fan Monday.
Jade is a second-generation Richmondite, her mother Laura (Walls) Kirby having been born in Richmond in 1982. Father Jason was born in Mission, but grew up in Richmond. Mom graduated from Palmer secondary, while dad graduated from Burnett secondary.
The two have since planted roots in the Shellmont neighbourhood.
Coming six days early, Jade burst onto the scene just three hours after Laura started having contractions, when the couple came home from a New Year’s Eve celebration at Jason’s parents’ house in the South Arm area.
“Initially, I thought I was just ill. I just wasn’t feeling good. I thought it was just my stomach; I wasn’t eating so great that night,” said Laura, a stay-at-home mom and early childhood educator.
“Everyone was like, ‘Oh maybe you’ll have a New Year’s baby.’ Everyone was joking about it,” she said.
Once the couple returned home with six-year-old son Nathan and got to bed an hour after midnight, Laura’s contractions began.
“It was the quickest night I had imagined,” said Jason.
“She came in a huge hurry,” said Laura.
Jade is the second child in the family.
“When I called Nathan [in the morning], he was super excited. He said, ‘My baby, I want to hold her.’ And the grandparents said he was looking really excited when they showed him the picture. He’s been very excited, waiting,” said Jason.
Admittedly, dad was considering pairing Nathan with a brother on the ice, to play hockey, but he’s now looking forward to playing sports with his new daughter, as well.
Laura spoke highly of the nurses and doctors in the maternity ward at Richmond Hospital, which was oddly quiet on New Year’s Eve.
“They said there was a big rush the day before, but when we got there, there weren’t too many people here,” said Jason.
“I was a bit surprised (Jade) was the first baby,” said Laura, considering she gave birth at 4:15 a.m.
Being born in Richmond, Jade is expected to live 87.4 years, according to BC Stats and Vancouver Coastal Health
Richmond Hospital delivered 2,161 babies in 2015, the last fiscal year that data is available. That’s about six babies per day, or one every four hours, on average.
