At 4:51 a.m. Jan. 4, the number of children in the Thibodeau family, of Oxford, went from six to seven when little Timothy Justin entered the world at Crittenton Hospital in Rochester Hills.
‘He’s what we call our lucky number seven tie-breaker,? said mom Karen Thibodeau.
Timothy’s birth certainly was lucky for the Thibodeaus because as a result, they won the Oxford Leader’s 1st Baby of 2009 contest.
Karen and her husband of 18 years, Bob, will receive a myriad of prizes from Oxford Bank, POH Regional Medical Center, Tami’s Grille, Meijer, W.R. Mason Jewelers, Katie’s Spa, Wireless Toyz, Roosters, Johnston Photography, Oxford Academy of Dance, Great Clips, and of course a complimentary one-year subscription to the Leader.
‘We’re going to use all of them,? Karen said. ‘Mom’s excited about trying out pilates (at the Oxford Academy of Dance) and the massage (at Katie’s Spa). I’m real big on massages so I’m looking forward to that.?
If little Timothy had been born on his original due date of Jan. 17, the Thibodeaus might have been out of luck.
But fortunately with a birth weight of 9 pounds and length of 20? inches, Timothy was ready to go two weeks early.
‘He needed to be early at 9 pounds. I was like, ‘No more!,? said Karen with a chuckle.
Previously, the Thibodeau household had three boys and three girls, ranging in age from nearly 3 to 14 years old.
If the family was a 1970s TV sitcom, they’d now be bigger than the Brady Bunch, yet smaller than Eight is Enough.
Karen said the children were ‘always planned? and ‘always wanted.?
‘We’re looking forward to having a family picture taken (at Johnston Photography),? she said.
Karen wished to thank her sister, Mary Kay Riley, of Oxford, for telling her about the contest.