[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11963]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  CONGRATULATING REPRESENTATIVE PUTNAM AND MELISSA PUTNAM ON BIRTH OF 
                      DAUGHTER ABIGAIL ANNA PUTNAM

  (Mr. CRENSHAW asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I have some exciting news to share with my 
colleagues, and I think in a spirit of bipartisanship, we can all agree 
that this is, in fact, good news, because today the youngest Member of 
the House of Representatives, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Putnam) 
and his wife Melissa became the proud parents of a baby girl.
  Mr. Speaker, today Abigail Anna Putnam was born. She weighed 8 pounds 
and 4 ounces. She is 21\1/2\ inches long, and they are still looking 
for the first sighting of that fire-engine red hair that the gentleman 
carries around with him here.
  Just as a word of history, I want my colleagues to know, first of 
all, that the mother and the daughter are doing well. The gentleman 
from Florida is a little shaky, but I think he is going to make it.
  Abigail is the sixth generation Putnam to be born in Polk County, 
Florida, and her great grandfather, who is 92 years old, is so excited 
that he said he is probably more excited about the gentleman from 
Florida becoming a father than he was when the gentleman got elected to 
Congress.
  I know that all my colleagues want to join with me in wishing the 
gentleman from Florida and his wife Melissa and their new baby Abigail 
a wonderful life together.
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. CRENSHAW. I yield to the gentleman from Indiana.
  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, and 
I want to add my congratulations to the growing congressional family, 
to Melissa Putnam for putting up with the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Putnam), and to the happiness. The knowledge that children are a reward 
from the Lord is something we are pleased to acknowledge, and we send 
prayers and best wishes, Mr. Speaker, to all of those who share that 
sentiment.
  Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. CRENSHAW. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.
  Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise to extend my congratulations 
from the Commonwealth of Virginia to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Putnam) and Melissa Putnam on the birth of their baby and wish them 
much strength through the next couple of months of interrupted sleep.

                          ____________________