Isabel Rose Mary Pocock was born on July 23, 2022, at King’s College Hospital in south London to Suzi, 34, and Jamie Pocock, 37
Isabel, who was born last summer, is a delightful mix of both of her parents: she is sociable and extroverted, like Suzi, and has the big brown eyes of her father, Jamie. She’s also developed a sweet habit of echoing other people’s laughs — she giggles most when her parents do “silly things” in front of her — and was delighted over Christmas to finally get to play with her 12 adoring cousins.
Her parents found it difficult to agree on a name. Jamie favoured traditional ones, while Suzi wanted one that was a bit more unusual. Isabel means “pledged to God” in Hebrew; her middle names, Rose and Mary, are a nod to both Suzi’s mother, Rosalind, who passed away in March, and Jamie’s mother, Rosemarie.
Penelope Grace Garner was born on March 24, 2022, at St Thomas’ Hospital in south London to Kate Walters, 48, and Dan Garner, 44
Having contracted Covid-19 before she was due to give birth, Kate was in isolation in hospital but was lucky enough to have Dan with her, and a private room with an amazing view. “I was awake with Penny in my arms all that first night watching the river and the passing of the hours on the clock hands of Big Ben,” she recalls. “It was magical.”
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Penny is a huge animal lover. “Last month she had a very intense conversation with a bald eagle,” says Dan. She is also a bit of a rebel — as evidenced by her punkish mohican — and Kate hopes that she’ll go into 2023 maintaining her disregard for conformity.
Other new year’s resolutions are to grow some teeth and to travel to New Zealand to meet her cousins, James and Evie.