so...
on tues last as i was looking at the e-mails id gotten barbara approached slumped up against the wall and announced that her contractions that had started at around seven a.m. were getting serious... this was about nine a.m., we hung around the house as long as possible went to the midwifes at around noon... midwife stacy said this was it for sure and that we should perhaps return home to which barb replied "I dont think so" long story short AKIRA born 4:44 p.m. on july 15 which im told is the same date as Johnny Thunders among others... those in the baby know will appreciate the shortness of the labor, really only four hours of the heavy stuff... believe me the word 'labor' is an understatement... stacy gave a final tug just as barbara was giving a push and akira whose squooshed head had just emerged came literally shooting out hanging suspended in the air for a fraction of a second that felt much longer, landed on the bed and was instantly whisked up by the nurse...
and that was that... 8 lbs. 1 oz. with a full head of dark hair... she's soo cute and gorgeous its appalling, she's the best baby in the universe etc etc etc... you who've been through it might have a slightly better idea but i guess everyone can imagine how i feel, im so proud of barbara also, the birth was 'natural' without any drugs, she just went in and 'did it', very no nonsense... thats the basics, maybe barbara will post some of her comments on "MYSTERIOUS MYSTERIES", her site, and i'll get some pictures of akira up soon... no i didnt video the birth, to me that feels weird, i dont think i'd particularly want to see myself emerging from my mother and standing behind a camera wasn't how i wanted to experience the event... we stayed at the center for two nights and are back home getting into the rhythm of baby care, godmother debbie came by on saturday, akira seems to enjoy certain kinds of bell like sounds, the wind chimes on the porch sent into a deeper trance than the one she's usually in, im gonna try the acoustic guitar for her soon, see if she likes that
   thats it for now, im going to get back to the fifty or so messages i've got left to read... a few of you have sent stuff and we cant thank you enough, by now we really have as much baby stuff as we need so if you really want to do something material for akira at this point i guess you could send funds to any aids charity in her name
i'd just as soon get things in e-mails from you, for ex rob wooten sent me an amazing picture of a rock he found on a beach that looks like a crying babys head...
as usual thank you all sincerely from all of us, those of you who sent stuff i'll try to write to but things are a bit chaotic here so if i miss any one please forgive and write to me
   love
chris
ps
i have gotten a bunch of e-mails reacting to my comments on france... the tone of these is generally that "lets not forget those french would be speaking german now without the united states..." and im certainly not going to dispute that very basic concept, (though i think the politics of WW2 are way more complex than what is popularly understood) let us NOT FORGET THAT IF IT WERENT FOR FRENCH SUPPORT IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION we might all be going to mc donalds fish and chips etc etc... the facts have nothing to do with any of this nonsense; the world is too small for borders