Tara Jeffrey
Blake and Stephanie Karnas may not know it yet, but the two-week-old cousins are destined to be best pals.
After all, they eat at the same time, sleep at the same time, and just happened to arrive at the same time at Bluewater Health.
“We’ve pretty much done everything together,” said Vanessa Karnas, 27.
She and husband Joel are the proud parents of Blake Arthur Karnas, born at 8:10 p.m. on June 8, while Joel’s big brother Glenn and wife Katie had a baby girl, Stephanie Eileen, less than two hours later.
“We got married in the same year, had our baby showers together...” Katie Karnas, 28, said with a laugh. “So it’s pretty neat that our babies will share a birthday.”
The Karnas babies were expected to arrive two weeks apart -- Katie was due on May 25 while Vanessa’s due date was June 7.
Vanessa’s water broke the night of the 7th, while Katie - then two weeks overdue - was scheduled for an induction the following morning.
The Karnas sisters-in-law wound up two rooms apart on the maternity floor.
“I kept wondering what was happening with (Katie)... and we wondered if the nurses were getting confused, with two Karnas’ on their charts,” said Vanessa.
She eventually had to undergo a caesarian section, after which she and Joel were taken back to the maternity floor, just as baby Stephanie made her grand entrance at 9:58 p.m.
“We were going by their room when I heard the first cry,” said Joel, 29. “I knew (my brother) just became a dad.”
Both families praised the nursing staff at Bluewater Health, and noted the “amazing” work of Dr. Baljit Singh, who safely delivered the babies that night.
The Karnas’ have settled in at their Sarnia homes -- enjoying parenthood and getting as much sleep as they can.
“We can’t complain. They’re really good babies,” said Glenn, 34, all smiles and holding his newborn daughter.
The Karnas cousins won’t have to go to far for playdates and birthday parties, either.
“We only live across the park,” said Glenn. “So we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”