More About Abe

"And Abraham believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith." (Gen. 15:6)

"I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day." -- Abraham Lincoln from Lincoln Observed: The Civil War Dispatches of Noah Brooks

We left out a few details on our last blog... sorry about that! At birth, Abraham was 7 lb, 9.2 oz. His length was 19 & 3/4 inches (but his long toes and fingers foretell he'll likely be lankey). He reminds me of a little Mr. Magoo, with his fair skin, squinty eyes, and almost bald blonde hair. He has an adorable yawn (full and wholehearted, like his mom's) and a lower lip that quivers so cutely when he cries.

We had settled on the name Abraham some time last month (and were still contemplating girl names were he to be a she). Aunt Esther actually suggested the name and we liked it for a number of reasons. Of course, there are a couple great Abrahams for little Abe to emulate, in the Bible and in history. We liked that the Abraham of the Bible was a man of faith who was ready to leave his comforts to follow God into new lands. Abraham is recognized both by Christians and Muslims as a "friend of God." (He is the only prophet who has this designation in Islam, according to a friend of ours). As you probably know, Abraham means "father of many."

Frank was chosen after my (Rachel's) beloved uncle Frank who went to be with the Lord this February. (I wrote about Uncle Frank on my first blog). I took a pregnancy test in the hospital shortly after Uncle Frank had left us, and found that I was positively pregnant. Amazingly, Uncle Frank's birthday was October 3, so little Abe was almost born on his namesake's birthday! (Instead, he shares his birthday with Gandhi). I look forward to seeing which of Uncle Frank's many talents this child will adopt (Frank in latin means "free spirit")-- his care for the opressed, his vivacious laughter, his love for literature, or his captivating storytelling abilities.

For now, we'll be content with little Abe's stupendous talent for sucking, pooping, and cooing!