Yesterday Abby and Nathan welcomed their first child into the world: Finnegan Safir Nicholas Elfarrah. Because they live just minutes away, Aileen and I were able to be there shortly after his birth to rejoice with them and to meet our first grandchild. We are thrilled beyond measure. And he is cute beyond belief. They chose the name Finnegan mostly because they just plain liked it. As for Safir, Nathan’s family is Middle Eastern and culturally the child’s grandfather gets naming rights. Nate’s dad deferred the first name and took the second, going with Safir. Nicholas is, of course, Abby’s tribute to her brother. Little Finn came in at just over 7 pounds and is healthy and well. While I know grandparents don’t always get to pick what they are going to be called (that usually seems to fall to the oldest grandchild) I hope to be “opa.” I am not Dutch but grew up in Dutch churches and surrounded by a Dutch community and “opa” is a form of tribute to the wonderful grandfathers I saw in those years. I always wanted an opa and now hope to be a good one. As I write these words it strikes me that I began this website shortly after Abby was born and a good part of my motive was to share photos and updates about her and her brother for the benefit of my family. I remember sharing news of Michaela’s birth here the day she was born. Now all these years later, even though…See AlsoWeekend A La Carte (May 25)A Summertime Family Update (And Guess Who’s Going To Be a Grandfather!)O Little Child of Salem