The call came at about 2 a.m.

It was my son-in-law Ryan, reporting that his son -- our grandson -- had been born just a few minutes ago.

<em>"So are you finally going to tell us the name?"</em>

[caption id="attachment_1415" align="alignright" width="300" caption="George Bailey lassos stork."]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/stork-carrying-baby.png"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1415" title="stork carrying baby" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/stork-carrying-baby-300x233.png" alt="" width="300" height="233" /></a>[/caption]

For whatever reason, Pauline and Ryan had been very closed-mouthed about what the name of their second child would be. They had been saying all along that they weren't going to tell anyone their selection until after the baby was born. I was a little bit afraid they were going to pick something really odd, like Gustav, Wilbur or Melvin.

<em>"Lexington Wesley Kastner."</em>

An interesting name, and even though it was a unique enough name that it didn't even appear on the <a title="Nameberry" href="http://www.nameberry.com">Nameberry.com</a> site of baby names, I found myself sort of liking it. Even if naming their first child Madison and their second Lexington did leave me wondering if all my Kastner grandchildren would be names after streets in New York City.

I'm hoping they'll run out of children before they get around to Flatbush Avenue Kastner.

So the baby will probably be known as Lex, and although I tried to think of someone famous named Lex, the only one I could come up with was arch-villain Lex Luthor from the "Superman" comics.

Of course, his name was short for Alexander.

[caption id="attachment_1416" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="The most famous Lex"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/LexLuthor.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1416" title="LexLuthor" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/LexLuthor.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="199" /></a>[/caption]

And he was also serious warped after a lab accident left him bald at a very young age.

<em>Editor's note: Lab is for laboratory in this context, not Labrador Retriever.</em>

My grandson's middle name has several family connections, even though only one of them was intended. Wesley is Ryan's middle name, which I am sure is why they gave it to him. Oddly, it's also the first name of someone I haven't seen since 1952, the man who provided half of my genetic makeup.

I'm pretty sure Ryan and Pauline weren't even aware of that.

Anyway, I have two grandchildren now, and the only thing better than that would be to have three. We're planning a trip to see them in a couple of weeks, God willing and the creek don't rise. Pauline took three months off from her job as chief consul at the American Consulate in Surabaya, Indonesia, to have her baby in Seattle, and they'll be in the U.S. till just after Christmas.

Seeing them -- baby Lex, big sister Maddie, Pauline and Ryan -- will make for a wonderful time in what has been a very challenging year.

Very few years are all good or all bad, and this one should end very well.

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