More about Babies

Since I've already broken my unofficial rule on writing about kids many times, well, here goes. As many of my loyal readers already know, my sister Abby and her husband Chip welcomed their second baby two weeks ago Sunday, just a few days after her due date. Everyone is doing great, thanks. I'm going to take a small bit of credit for the baby being delivered when it was: I called my sister Saturday evening to see what the hold up was and I reminded her that she only had a few more days to be sure the kid was born as a Libra (like her big sister Rebecca) and not a Scorpio (like her Uncles). Mission accomplished. Abby did a good job too.

They named the baby Hannah Molly. Hannah because they liked the name I guess and Molly because it was our grandmothers' name (Of course she was always called Mona because she already had a cousin Molly who was in her class at school. They were probably the only two Molly's in Canada and there they were in one school) It's been pointed out that "H A N N A H" is also a palindrome which may be another reason they like the name- symmetry being important. As we walked her to the hospital big sister Rebecca cleverly dubbed her "Hannah Banana", before even meeting her and seeing if that nickname was appropriate. It's one of those stories she'll remember for the rest of her life because we'll keep telling it.

It was actually very exciting to go to the hospital Sunday morning to meet my new niece. Grandma and I got to watch the baby through the window of the nursery, just like you've seen on TV so many times. They keep it very bright in there- wouldn't the babies enjoy something nicer than fluorescent lights? Maybe that's why they keep their eyes closed for most of their first hours on earth. I have to admit that holding a few-hours-old baby was pretty amazing. She was nice and warm - must have been all the lights.

For the first several weeks of their lives babies do pretty much what we all would do if we could get away with it: eat, sleep and poop. What more do you really need? Everyone is also fascinated by you doing nothing too, that must be nice.

And since everyone always asks:

Sunday, October 21 at 7:42am atPennsylvania Hospital
8 pounds
20 3/4 inches

Proud Uncle Nernie