At the risk of being self-indulgent, please allow me to share a little bit more about my new granddaughter.

In speaking with a friend the other day, she remarked that I needed to provide an update, because people were wondering how she is doing. Born on January 15, Lorelei is now a little more than six weeks old, growing and changing every day. She has dimples, bright blue eyes, hair with a little reddish tint, a cowlick inherited from her dad, and a quizzical frown when she is frustrated that is a mirror of her mother.

She gained a couple of pounds in between leaving the hospital and having her first well baby check and the pediatrician said she is currently measuring in the 90th percentile in terms of height – thanks to her well over six foot tall dad. Neither my daughter, who is just a touch taller than me, nor I mind that at all; we welcome the height. I claim five-foot-two but that’s kind of stretching it so it will be nice in the years ahead when my granddaughter can reach stuff on the top shelf of the cupboard for me instead of ‘Grammy’ having to drag a chair across the kitchen to get it.

For less than two months old, Lorelei has been one busy little girl. My daughter wanted to go to the beach for her recent birthday (February 17) but her husband Judd and I talked her out of that, offering instead a shorter trip and a hike at Pinecrest Lake. We took the baby, their dog Sonny the Corgi, a picnic lunch and enjoyed a brisk day in the woods just up the hill. Ally had asked me to take the day off work to help celebrate her birthday and it was definitely a fun trip; lots of videos and photos, memories created for that first ‘big’ outing. And my daughter got her way a few days later, as friends from Arizona arrived for a visit and they did a trip to the beach and Santa Cruz on the Sunday after her birthday. Baby Lorelei is a good little traveler already, she has logged quite a few miles in a very short time.

I love that she knows the sound of my voice. It makes sense, of course, since during her pregnancy I saw Ally nearly every day; my voice was one that Lorelei heard on a regular basis even before she was born. She’s usually snuggly and I can often coax a smile out of her when I hold her. Lorelei also has a definite routine and Ally says she is very talkative in the morning, has a fussy time at night when she doesn’t want to settle down but for the most part, is a very happy, content baby. She enjoys tummy time, holds her head up, and loves to focus on you when you talk to her. Not to mention, she’s pretty darn cute … I literally could just stare at her face all day.

It’s truly amazing how one little being can make your heart so full.

My daughter has found out, as I did after I had her, that it’s hard to remember your life ‘before’ baby. That tiny human becomes your focus; all your energy goes in to making sure they have what they need and it’s a love that is truly indescribable. Even now, as a mom, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my daughter and I know she feels the same way about her own.

So, there you have it; the update. Thanks to my friend Winnie Mullins in Valley Home for suggesting I offer one. Ally thought it was sweet but warned me that I can’t turn my Marg-Ins into a “baby column”. I assured her, no worries, just the occasional mention. Lorelei’s worth it.

Marg Jackson is editor of The Oakdale Leader, The Escalon Times and The Riverbank News. She may be reached at mjackson@oakdaleleader.com or by calling 209-847-3021.