From Joanie: Cartoons for New Children, by G.B. Trudeau. Sheed and Ward, 1974. (VERY 1974)
Big congratulations to Rep. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, and her husband, Bryan Bowlsbey, on the birth of their daughter, Abigail O'kalani Bowlsbey. The young'un was born on Tuesday, but her arrival was just announced this morning. In a statement, Duckworth said:
"My husband Bryan and I are thrilled to announce that we are the proud parents of a baby girl. Abigail O'kalani Bowlsbey was born on November 18. Bryan and I were deeply honored that Senator Akaka acted as Hawaiian elder and selected her middle name. We are grateful for the love and support of our family and friends. We also appreciate the respect for our privacy during this important moment in our lives."
We figure that last line is actually a very subtly coded invitation for some wingnut blogger to sneak into the hospital and check to see whether Duckworth's room has marble countertops or some such.
And because there's just no better welcome to a new human being, we'll let Kurt Vonnegut do the honors:
Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies -- "God damn it, you've got to be kind."
Best wishes to Rep. Duckworth, Mr. Bowlsbey, and to Abigail. In whatever endeavors you pursue, may you kick ass just like your mom.
Here's a nifty video from September, when Tammy Duckworth was one of several women Iraq vets profiled in a Today Show piece. We're just jealous we didn't think of that headline "Band of Mothers" first:
