Welcome!

Of course, readers of this blog will know that its name is a blatant theft from an excellent Beatles song.  Continuing the trend of plagarizing ... err .. paying homage great Brits, I feel compelled to quote Winston Churchill: 

"This is not the end.  In fact, it is not even the beginning of the end.  But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

That famous phrase seems appropriate as the Penny Family (the protagonists of this blog) near the addition of a brand new member.  Baby Addison is due to arrive in about 3 weeks, and our whole family is bursting with anticipation at her joining us.  This space on the Internet is going to be dedicated to the joys, accomplishments, triumphs, and, yes, occassional troubles of our family as we join the community of parents and children. 

And I do consider it a community in every sense of the word.  From what little I have seen so far, parenting appears to be the most cooperative and most independent vocation on which we will embark.  Everyone has a kind word, a piece of advice, a kernel of truth they wish to impart on new parents.  And we welcome such words of wisdom, rookies as we are at nurturing and raising a tiny human being.  At the same time, the responsibility for such nuturing falls to Mandi and me alone, and that singular goal will likely govern all of our decisions for some time.  What could be more personal and solitary?

Philosophizing aside, soon we will be part of a giant tribe of families, many of whom we will turn to and with whom we want to share our chapter of the human story.  This blog is dedicated to that effort -- and allowing the occassional comment from the peanut gallery.  I hope you enjoy what you find here, and hope you'll offer us your piece of advice.  We take all comers.