Let there be light - and it was Lucas
Special delivery:
The birth of a Cantabrian couple’s son is the turning point for them after a hard few years – and he has a name to match.
Kelly Penny, 30, gave birth to Lucas Ethan Penny at 4.44am on Christmas Day at Christchurch Women’s Hospital.
The new arrival has been named Lucas, which means light, and Ethan, which means strong, to symbolise the qualities he is bringing into the world and what his parents hope he will be.
Penny, and her husband of 11 years, Matt, said welcoming their first child was a turning point.
‘‘It’s been quite a hard few years in Christchurch . . . having Lucas is coming to the end of this. It’s the light at end of the tunnel,’’ she said.
‘‘We hope he will be a light to other people and be strong.’’
The couple’s property in South New Brighton is on TC3 land and the house was damaged by earthquakes. Matt Penny said they could not bring a newborn home to the increasingly ‘‘damp and cold’’ home so they had moved in with his wife’s parents.
Cradling his newborn son in his arms, he beamed.
‘‘[Lucas] was crying, I picked him up and he straight away stopped. He calms down really quickly . . . there’s another life.’’
The couple, who celebrated their wedding anniversary last week, were transferred to Burwood Hospital after the birth.
They were planning on having a mini-Christmas celebration in the hospital, where they would introduce the first grandchild born in both their families to everyone.
Lucas was the fourth of seven babies born between midnight and noon yesterday.