Samuel

He's here! On August 13 at 12:30 a.m., weighing in at 4 kilos, 200 grams (9 pounds, 4 ounces)--healthy and whole, crying heartily but soon consoling himself by sucking on his hand--Samuel, our son, our firstborn, came out into the open and into our lives.

It's been a month and a half since then, and the fact that I've only now found the time to post photos just goes to show that we've been busy! (OK, it also has to do with the fact that we only recently got internet service at home.) How do we feel? All the cliches probably apply. He's a bundle of joy and sometimes a bundle of frustration, as his poor first-time parents try to figure out what's ailing him. We sleep little and lightly, but we certainly can't imagine our lives without him. God has been good to us.

P.S. Why the name Samuel? Saul and I had a hard time deciding what to name our baby until, less than a week before Samuel announced himself, Saul said he'd like our son's name to mean something like "blessing" or "answer to prayer." I did a search on the internet and found Samuel, meaning "God heard" or "asked of God." We thought it was a perfect fit.