News: Heard it on the Grahamvine

Quoting directly from my brother's letter: "Molly Patricia Graham Born 10-17-04 at 8:53pm. She is 6lbs 10oz 19in long. Mom, Dad and Baby are home and everyone is Very happy and healthy"
*smiles contentedly*

News: other good things of shiny newness

Today we found a new apartment to move into when we have to leave here. Hopefully all will check out. We left a piece of the security deposit (conditional on approval) to claim the place.
It's relatively roomy (an entire second floor of the building), warm (even the basement is warm...dry, too), and friendly (the landlord talked for an hour...I've already heard more from him than from my current landlords all total...and all of it nicer and demonstrating a concern for something besides money and property values and their time/effort)...

Also, Sherri's finally found a new job...which starts the same day she's supposed to be moving to our new place. Okay, so the timing has some kinks to be ironed out.

I would write more, but much packing to do. Convention went great, report thereof is in progress of being written during stolen moments.

be well, everyone.

A Blessing for Molly (I hope no one is troubled)

A Blessing for Molly
May she always know what to say to make other people smile.

May she never fear monsters, nor ever have need to do so.

May she always know who she can depend upon, including her family.

From generations lost in misty time, back until their first gray homes in the stony crags of Scotland, the men of the line of Graham have chosen women with a fiery spirit, wives that brought forth equally strong daughters... fire can be fearful, but it has many faces. Fire can warm the hearth that succors life. Fire can shed light to reveal knowledge, to push back darkness, to lead the way.

Molly Patricia Graham-- named for the mother of her father and the mother of the Son .May her flame glow brightly and burn strongly and lose no duration to its intensity. May her life be a blessing to the world.

thank you.

Some Advice for Peter and Jen (from someone who's never had kids, but knows people who do)

Sleeping like a baby actually means you get up every few hours all night long. Try alternating nights when it's your turn to get up. Molly might still wake you up a bit, but if you know the other parent is handling it, you can go back to sleep easier before you wake up all the way.

Don't work so much you hardly ever see your child. You know you're trying to provide for her future, but she only knows you're not there.

Start saving for her college now. When you're done with that, help her start saving for her retirement. The economy is only going to get worse over the long term, despite occassional upswings or bubbles to the contrary.

A happy loving childhood can make a huge difference in how a person sees and interacts with the world when they're an adult.

The younger a human is, the faster they learn (and the more they need to learn). Children see *everything* and there's absolutely no telling how much or which things they'll remember. You are their first introduction to this existence...what is done at home is presumed to be typical of what is done by humans beings everywhere. It's best to have a good reason *why* she shouldn't do anything in particular that you do in front of her that she shouldn't do, too. Having good reasons is vastly easier, however, than doing everything perfectly.