Rob's family

One has to be particularly careful when selecting nicknames. I look back over my childhood and I recall the nicknames of my siblings: Julianne (aka Juln Ms. Coleman aka Princess Queen Ishcabible (sp?)) Tom (aka TC aka Kinnies aka Snaggletooth) Rob (aka Big Robs aka Robert the Brave) Susan (aka Bug) If one looks at these nicknames with a careful eye, at least one pops out as perhaps a nickname the recipient of which might not want to go into the cold cruel world with. Interestingly enough, I believe it is also the nickname that stuck the best. With that observation, I am (understandably) a little concerned about the nickname that Tracey and I have bequeathed upon our first born. It fits the criteria (as I see them) of a nickname: It's cute It's a diminutive It's easy to remember What more could one want? Well, Tracey grew up with Wunk and Teek (TK), my daughter has started life with "Booga". If you recall one of my earlier notes, one of Dad's favorite songs

Melinda is still wonderful. I was a little premature in saying several emails ago that Melinda laughs. It is more correct to say that Melinda laughed (once). One night a couple weeks ago, while Tracey was changing her, she tried the game of peek-a-boo. Melinda had a ball. I came running in and watched for five minutes. She laughed each time we did it. Since that time, we may get smiles, but no laughs. Every night when Tracey or I put Melinda to bed, we say to each other, "we are so lucky." Not because she's a wonderfully behaved, beautiful girl who makes her Daddy smile from ear to ear (which she is), but because she sleeps - when we want her to. We put her in the crib around 8:30 or 9:00 each night, and she wakes up some time between 7:30 and 8:30 in the morning. No night feedings, no waking up. The secret? No idea. She decided that she wanted to do it around 2 months and has never looked back. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop and for her to turn int