We don't get many special bulletins around this joint, so it's with great pleasure that I get to announce the arrival of Azra Bacvic, born July 21 at Sibley Hospital to proud parents Andrea and Djenno Bacvic.

Those of you who read the piece I wrote in the Washington Post last year will remember Djenno for providing a truly touching coda to my story. I wrote, "Just the other day, I received an e-mail from a photographer looking for an internship. His short note almost brought me to tears: “I come from Sarajevo, Bosnia, and my life has put me though many challenges. I am saying this because I have had the chance to see the worst in humans and was lucky enough to survive it. Since then, I have made it my goal to help people record their happiest moments, because those moments are rare and precious, and one never has too many of them.” After I received this email, I hired Djenno as our first official summer intern.

Well, I couldn't be happier to report that Djenno now gets to have one of his own "rare and precious" moments. Azra, whose name in Arabic means "one who levitates," weighed in at 7 lbs. 7 oz. and 20 3/4 inches long. She is cute as can be.

     
And since nothing on The Dark Slide comes without a bit of serendipity, as I've noted many times, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the birth of little Azra came on the very same day that one of the world's worst mass murderers, Radovan Karadzic, a man responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Bosnians, was finally apprehended. Djenno said to me a few minutes ago, "I saw my daughter being born--I cut the umbilical cord--and on the same day something I've been praying for since 1995 happened as well. Amazing."

In Belgrade, a very bad man is caught and in Washington, D.C., a very cute girl is born. All in all, a good day, yesterday.

Congratulations, guys!

Matt

p.s. Since Djenno's family is in Bosnia, we've posted a little gallery so they can see Azra. Click here.