Grandbaby #3

I've heard it said many times and, the older I get, the truer it seems to be: "They grow up so fast!" I'm talking about babies, specifically, my children and grandchildren. It doesn't seem so long ago that my oldest daughters were babies, yet, here they are, grown women living independent lives. And my first grandson, Tobin, was just born, wasn't he? Yet, he will be four years old on Friday. And our little Evelyn must still be a baby, but here she is, two years old, and a big sister already. Lydia Joy is the baby now, one week old, settling into life at home with her family.

Both Meagan and Andy claim to have chosen her name. I think that's a good thing, don't you? "Lydia" is a feminine first name of Greek origin, meaning "woman from Lydia."  Lydia was mentioned in the Bible as a woman of God; she loved to hear God's word and put it into action. She also sold expensive purple clothing to the only people who could afford to buy it--the high ranking government officials and people of royal birth. Our Lydia's name gives her much to live up to as grows and matures. I hope that she will prove to have a joyful outlook on life, too, as her middle name suggests.

Lydia Joy Stobel, born at 5:27 p.m. on January 19, 2016. 7 lbs. 2 oz.

Lydia is a beautiful baby, of course. Don't all grandmas say that about their grandchildren? When she is sleeping, Lydia looks just like her big sister, Evelyn, whose baby pictures are nearly identical to those of her mother, Meagan. It is an understatement to say that there is a family resemblance. Right after she was born, Andy went so far as to say that his newest daughter is a clone of Evelyn. But, when baby Lydia opens her eyes, it is obvious that she is her own person, because her big, dark blue eyes are shaped more like her brother, Tobin's, eyes than like those of her sister. She has more hair than either of her siblings had at birth; right now, it is light brown in color, with blond highlights, just as Evelyn's was when she was born. Before too many weeks pass, Lydia's soft, wispy hair will probably fade to the same white-blonde of her siblings.

Baby Lydia has long, slender fingers; perhaps she'll be a piano player someday like so many others in the family. Her feet are wide like her dad's, with long toes like her mom's. But these obvious physical characteristics don't matter nearly so much as her other attributes.

Part of me wants Lydia to grow fast, so I can see a glimmer of who she will be as her personality emerges. But another part of me wants to savor this newborn stage. I so enjoy holding a newborn baby, watching her sleep, gazing into her eyes during those rare wakeful moments, patting her back to comfort her when she is fussy, gently rocking her to sleep.

When Evelyn and Tobin first met baby Lydia

I realize just how privileged I am to have my grandchildren living close by. I didn't have to hop on a plane or endure a tedious car trip so I could meet my newest grandchild for the first time. I can back my car out of the garage and zip out to their house any time I want to. I don't have to rely on Skype or Facetime so I can see how much my grandchildren are growing. I don't see them every day, but I could, if I wasn't concerned about driving their whole family crazy with my constant presence. I'm sure I'll be making that short drive a little more often in the coming weeks, though, because, if I don't, I will miss seeing Lydia's day-to-day growth, and Tobin and Evelyn's interactions with their new baby sister, and Meagan's adjustments to being the full-time mom of three young children, and Andy's tender care for all of his children. I intend to savor this time of my life, because they really do grow up too fast.