We [heart] Toby

Announcing.....

Tobias John Wambeke
born March 9, 2009 at 11:43 AM
6 lbs 14 oz
20 1/4 inches long

Today was the big day! Joy woke up at 4:00 AM, and said, "This has to be it." We tried to get some rest (ha!), and the original plan was to have a nice relaxing morning of laboring. Dan even (foolishly) thought he could sneak in a task or two from work. Yeah right. Things went a little faster this time around. By 7:00 we called Grandma & Grandpa to come pick up Ana, and by 9:00 we were packing up for the car. At 10:00, when we were settled in at the hospital and they were giving Joy the once-over, the nurse suddenly proclaimed, "Holy cow! You're already at 8 centimeters!" Joy grined so large after that comment she practically swallowed her ears. And, well, Toby was born less than two hours later. Joy was a champ the whole way through. I'm so proud of her!!!

So far, we know that Toby likes to sleep. A lot. And he seems to have the nursing thing under control. So that's good.

Grandma & Grandpa brought Ana around for a visit, so she got to see baby Toby for the first time. We've been talking about him to her for so long, and Ana really had gotten to the point of understand some of what was going on, so she handled it really well. She wasn't surprised by him, but was curious about him, and very careful and very attentive to his well-being - when he cried she was visibly concerned. She did ask to nurse him once, so she's not quite getting everything yet. She'll figure it out eventually. She's going to be a great "big sister," for sure.

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So, I know you're all dying to know about the name. Toby? What's up with that? Well, most of you know how fond Joy & I are of The Office. Well, lesser-known is the fact that my favorite character on that show is actually Toby Flenderson:



No, really.

Okay, the joke's up. I do have a special fondness for Toby, because on some level I see a little bit of myself in him, but that's certainly not why we named our son Tobias.

No, instead here's the scoop. Tobias, which in Hebrew means, "God is great," was a central figure in the Old Testament book of Tobit. (For you Protestants out there, go to the "Apocrypha" section in your Bible, if it has one. You'll find Tobit in there. You Catholics, just look in your copy with the rest of the Old Testament books.) He was the son of Tobit. In the story, God sends the Archangel Raphael to heal Tobit and to bring Tobias and Sarah together in marriage. Sarah had been the unfortunate victim of a demon, who had murdered each of her seven successive husbands on her seven successive wedding nights. (How's that for a curse?) Raphael gives Tobias instruction on how to cast away the demon, as well as how to heal Tobit upon their return home. The whole story's worth a read (read it here), especially the funny part where Sarah's parents basically ask Tobias, "you really sure you want to do this?" and then go dig a burial hole as they send him into what they assume will be a death-by-bedchamber-demon.

In the story, Tobias exemplifies the characteristics of honesty, devotion, and purity of heart that we hope our son will someday grow to emulate.

At our wedding Mass many years ago, Joy & I chose a Scripture passage from Tobit. It was Tobias' prayer on his wedding night:

Blessed are you, O God of our fathers, and blessed be your holy and glorious name for ever. Let the heavens and all your creatures bless you. You made Adam and gave him Eve his wife as a helper and support. From them the race of mankind has sprung. You did say, `It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make a helper for him like himself.' And now, O Lord, I am not taking this sister of mine because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that I may find mercy and may grow old together with her.
-Tobit 8:5-7

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Toby, we don't know where God will lead you in life, when you eventually leave our protective care. Wherever it may be, our prayer is that you will have developed those habits of honesty and purity of heart that will serve you and more importantly serve God. Right now, though, we're not too concerned. First things first - we've got to get to know you. And that's going to be a fun adventure all in itself...