Random notes on being a new grandparent

There's nothing more peaceful than watching a baby sleep.

Babies are cool because of what they do to adults. Hard-nosed people get all giggly, light up, and generally act totally out of character.

I'm very grateful that it is up to the young to have babies. I get worn out when I think about what Jordan and Janelle are going through right now -- worry, sleeplessness, attempts to stay up on baby care information.

I realize once again that babies are tougher than they look. Evan has a lot of strength when he twists around, and when he wants mom and dad to pay attention to him, he has no problem letting them know.

I'm glad some things have changed when it comes to childbirth. When we had our two sons, there was very little choice of birthing methods, rooms, care, and follow-up. Today it's different. Jordan and Janelle had many more options. Their hospital room was so comfortable and cozy, for example.

There are times when Evan reminds me of a little old man. He sleeps, he sucks his cheeks in and out, he seems pretty uninterested in the rest of the world. I swear there were times when Jordan in his first few months reminded me of Winston Churchill.

A baby is good as a dream producer. I think about all the things I want to do with him some day -- fish, make obnoxious sounds with both ends of our bodies, put blocks together carefully and then knock them down in a rush of male testosterone, laugh at cheesy movies, create roads outside in the dirt and play with cars and trucks there , cheer on favorite sports teams, read books to him, listen to music together, play board games.

There is no such thing as too many toys. Now when I walk past the toy stores, I see all sorts of things Evan should have. How to choose? I want the toys that we could play together with -- gotta have blocks, cars and trucks, games, a baseball. I saved some toys our kids used, so I'm planning to bring some of them out when appropriate -- Transformers, Legos, a pirate board game, car racing games, Nerf guns.

I'm looking forward to times when I show up at Jordan and Janelle's house and ask when they answer the door, "Can Evan come out and play?"

Our grandson is here

It seems like every one of my blogs has been serious, dealing with current politics, challenges to Christianity, cultural drift in America. But something amazing happened this week to change my focus -- the birth of my grandson, Evan William Zacharias.

I was teaching a class at Palomar College when my cell phone rang. I had told my students not to have cell phones active during class, but I also told them there was going to be an exception for me that day since I knew my daughter-in-law Janelle had gone into labor a few hours earlier. I stood there talking to my wife Sharon with a stupid grin on my face as I repeated the key statistics for the whole class to hear -- 7 lbs. 9 oz., 19 inches long, a great head of hair. After I hung up, I told them, "I'm a grandpa. His name is Evan, and he and his mom are doing well." I got a round of applause, the first time that's ever happened to me in the classroom.

That was a long morning. I had a hard time concentrating on anything to do with English when there was something far more important waiting for me at Pomerado Hospital. The hours dragged by until we had a chance to go down that afternoon to see our son Jordan, Janelle, and Evan.

Now, keep in mind that I am not a real baby person. I like looking at them, and I am happy for the new mom and dad, but I'm a typical guy -- babies don't seem particularly interesting to me. That all changed when I held Evan for the first time. I told Sharon that I could have spent hours holding him and looking down at his sweet face.

The whole "miracle of life" cliché came to life that day. He was so perfect, the fingernails were tiny but formed so precisely, his ears were delicate, his skin was soft, his eyelashes were beautiful. He was a living work of art. And just as every work of art needs an artist, he had to be formed by God, the ultimate artist who painted such an incredible universe. They say there are no atheists in foxholes; I don't think there can be any atheists holding a baby.

Jordan and Janelle have started down a challenging road as they raise Evan. As grandparents, Sharon and I want to help them. All our friends who have grandchildren tell us of the joys ahead, so we are looking forward to playing our roles. We will spoil him, support his mom and dad, brag about him, play with him, listen to him, pray with him, and do all of the other cool things grandparents get to do. When the diaper is full, when he gets cranky -- that's the time to hand him back to his parents.

Evan reminds me of something important. In the middle of tough economic news, political mismanagement, and global upheavals, he is a reminder that life is worth living. He is a vote for the future. He is a gift from God, letting us know someone far greater than us is in charge. Thank you, Evan, for changing my heart and helping me see beyond the chaos of this world. Sleep peacefully in the arms of your parents--you are loved by us and by God.