Hello, Baby Anton

On April 1st, in Kiev, my godfather, Vladimir, and his girlfriend, Oksana, welcomed Baby Anton into their life.

Anton weighs nearly four kilos. He is 55 centimeters tall. His name was inspired by the Orthodox Church calendar of names (as opposed to our last name, though it’s cool to have that association regardless).

Darling Baby,

You have entered a world of wonders and skyrocketing fuel prices, a mouldering, gorgeous country with a history as bad as all human histories, a city of burnished gold and creaking poplars. You share your birthday with Isobel Fairfax, a character in my favourite book, Human Croquet.

May you know joy, goodness, and good times. May you be true to thine own self, even in circumstances wherein it’s not particularly convenient. Be loved, and love in return. Be gentle like your father and hard-working like your mother. Be lucky. Don’t forget that you’re made of stars.

Enjoy life like you would enjoy a good mojito (when you’re old enough for that sort of thing, *cough*) – that is, responsibly. Remember that a pinch of ennui makes us human, and a ton of it makes us boring kill-joys whom no one wants to shag (when you’re old enough for that sort of thing, *coughedy cough*). Be kind, especially when you do not stand to profit from kindness.

I wish you the best of what this world has to offer, which may not be much, but it’s a start.

We have all waited for you, and now you are here. Welcome.