Marathon Complete

Waiting patiently (at the time of this picture)...not so patiently by 38 weeks and really struggling with patience at 40 weeks!

Marian has been a wonderful helper and loves
to hold her baby brother!

Sofia continues to just love to shower
Timothy with kisses.

Well not a real marathon, I feel like pregnancy is a marathon (although I've never run one so its only my assumption of a marathon) and this race is done.  There is adrenaline when you start, sometimes accompanied by a sick feeling wondering what you just signed up for then the long haul of miles/months to get to the finish line which is crossed at a sprint (labor). 

Tuesday July 3rd Timothy Duraikan Samuel made his appearance at 5:24am after only 4.5 hours of labor.  Considering my past two labors were 28 and 18 hours you can imagine my surprise but also my joy at how quickly the finish line came up!  He was a bit smaller than his sisters at 8 lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long, but he looks very similar.  As our friend, who happened to also be our discharge nurse from the birthing center, said "He's definitely a Samuel baby."  It seems our babies all look alike. 

There is something precious about baby feet.

The name of our first male child has been determined since before Mark and I were dating.  At one point Mark had told me he wanted to name his first boy Timothy Duraikan, by the time we started having kids it was just expected that would be the name if the baby was a boy.  Mark liked Timothy because of the relationship between Paul and Timothy in the Bible.  Duraikan was Mark's grandfather's (Samuel Duraikan) last name but for some unknown reason, Mark's dad ended up with Samuel as his last name.  I guess the immigration system wasn't to blame after all...it's what we've thought for years!   Since Mark's aunts were the only ones given Duraikan as a last name and their names were since changed due to marriage, the only way for the name to be passed down in the Samuel family is through middle names.  Mark's brother Paul has the middle name Duraikan, as does his son Nathanael.  Now Timothy has it as well.

We are grateful for all the help we received by family and friends that made sure Marian and Sofia were well taken care of so we didn't have to be anxious while focusing on labor and enjoying those first few hours and days with our newest edition.  Personally I'm grateful for the effort everyone put into learning how to care for Marian, God's peace that he's with Marian even when I'm not, and his grace in allowing a quick physical recovery for me.

My Little Man :)

Maternity and Newborn pictures done by Photography by Susie.  Love them!  Thanks ladies!