Steve called a few minutes ago. He had a nice Christmas and New Year's Eve. Sonya and Ava are doing well. They went out to a restaurant in the Annex a few days ago, and brought Ava along. At one point during the meal, Ava got a little restless, and they were afraid she might start to cry, but she didn't. Steve and Sonya take turns looking after Ava in the middle of the night. It sounds like she's a pleasant-tempered young lass. The only trouble she's had is with breast feeding. Steve says she's already showing signs of change, with more movements, etcetera. She doesn't smile yet.

I'm meeting Steve on Wednesday at the Duke of York. We'll have a couple pints, chat, and I will pass along a sleep-apnea monitor that our mutual friend, James, is lending him. James, incidentally, called Steve today from London. He told him that Steve's sister took out a birth announcement in the local newspaper. Steve had no knowledge of the announcement previous to James's phone call.