A Kingston couple started the new year by becoming parents to the first babies born in the city in 2020.
The couple’s twins were born in the early-morning hours of Jan. 1 to parents Cyndi Jones and Coady Nickerson at Kingston General Hospital..
“We were hoping they would be born in 2020, but we didn’t know we’d be the first in 2020,” Jones said.
“We expected to be induced this morning and then last night at 8:00 they said it’s happening now. So it’s kind of a wild ride.”
The new mother says it all happened fast. The fraternal twins, Artemis and Apollo, were born about 25 minutes apart. Artemis, weighing 5.5 pounds, was born at 3:26 a.m., and Apollo came in second at 4.9 pounds at 3:50 a.m.
“There are a few challenges when you have twins,” Jones said. “There’s a window of time from when the first one comes out to the second one where there can be more complications. So, challenge accepted.”
The inspiration behind the names comes from Greek mythology, Nickerson says.
“Artemis and Apollo are twins.. They are two gods that are not known to fit the gender norm,” said Nickerson.
“I thought that was kind of fitting for our family.”
The parents told Global News that they have decided not to disclose the gender of the twins, saying they want the babies to be gender-neutral.
“The gender-neutral thing we’re going for is, in the next decade, we are hoping that our society is that much more inclusive and allows people to figure out who they are, instead of telling them who they are,” Jones said.
Jones is a public health nurse, but she and her partner also share a business, working as professional videographers for weddings.
Since capturing milestones is something they do best, they decided to document their pregnancy journey as well as the birth, with the help of Nickerson’s son, Gideon.
“He was filming while she’s pushing… sending stuff off while she’s being induced,” says Nickerson.
“We just see how powerful it is to be able capture those using different media and to re-live them and cherish those memories.”
Global News asked what their hopes are for their twins in the future.
“Great poets and archers,” says the couple, laughing. “Well educated, loving and kind.”