Haida Gwaii’s first baby of the year is already living it up islands-style.
Born on Jan. 7 to parents Ashley Furland and Eugene Mckenzie, little Angus Mckenzie is an easygoing baby who enjoys the beach.
“He was a week old when we went to his first bonfire,” says Furland.
Furland said that after living on Haida Gwaii the last seven years, she wanted to have her first child on island. Along with a straightforward pregnancy, local midwives Celina Laursen and Shannon Greenwood were a big part of making that happen.
“It was super thorough,” said Furland. “They’re very diligent.”
Although they had really wanted the more private setting of a home birth, Furland said they had go to the Haida Gwaii Hospital / Ngaaysdll Naay to better monitor Angus’ heart. All went well, and he was born 8 pounds, 10 ounces, with light brown hair.
While Eugene has Scottish roots, Furland said they chose “Angus” mostly because it’s not a super common name, and has a nice old-school ring.
“He’s a pretty chill little dude,” Furland added, noting that Angus only ever squawks when he’s hungry or needs changing. So far he has travelled all the way north to Port Clements to hang out with an eight-month-old, and Furland said they were looking forward to meeting other young families at their first Baby Steps dinner in Queen Charlotte — an Islands Wellness Society dinner for new and expecting parents held at the end of the month.
Angus is also a pretty good sleeper, said Furland, nodding off as long as four hours at a time.
“That’s amazing,” she said.