So, anyway, here she is. I feel that maybe I should begin all this with a little bit of backstory...

Tracie and I decided to get married this past May; In June, we discovered she was pregnant. (Tracie es enciente?! ay, mios Dios!!!) Apparently, because we had....oh never mind. The point is that she got pregnant,(Doctors now know what causes this condition.Contact your primary physician for more information.-ed.)and we were to expect a baby sometime around Thanksgiving. So, the wait began...Tracie was racked with morning sickness the entire time. I was racked with the usual neurosis of impending fatherhood.

We found out that we were having a girl and decided on a name...It derives from my Dad's mom, Claire, and Tracie's Grandmother and Aunt, Leva Lorraine. We kept this a secret until the very end, hoping every one would like it as much as we did.

Anyway, on November 11th, after 36 hours of labour, 5 i.v. bags, 2 bags of pitocin, 978 gallons of coffee, and entirely too many cigarettes (the last 2 were mine, not Tracie's) much panic and an emergency c-setion, Claire was here. And now, if I can keep up, she will be here as well, thanks to the power of modern technology.