Easy Does It & SST

Everyone in the house is doing MUCH better today. Chicago is getting blitzed with a snowstorm so we're not doing a whole lot. "SST" stands for Simon's Screen Test, and you'll see it in the last image of this post.

We're trying to make sure Theo still gets a lot of love from us, so I took him outside to play in the snow. Unfortunately he was distracted by pieces of bread and potato chips in the yard (left by rabbits and squirrels), so he was more interested in "search and eat" than a cardio workout.





Is there enough room on the bed for all three of us?





Ain't technology great? Rachel was talking to aunt Robyn on Skype (she's in Israel right now), so we did the best we could to put them together.



Simon is not a big burper, but hiccups are not a problem. Check it out.

Thanks Grandma!

Simon wanted to say a big "THANK YOU" to grandma Janet for staying with us since he was born. She was a tremendous help and we would not be as comfortable at home without her.

Not too much to post tonight as the last 24 hours (especially the last 12) were a little rough. Rachel became ill after dinner last night and Simon was more fussy than he had been. Most likely Rachel got a 24-hour bug and is doing better tonight, but all three of us didn't get too much sleep last night.

Since I am now considered a caregiver it was recommended that I see my primary care physician for an annual exam and to have the TDAP and H1N1 vaccinations. All went well although my left arm is a little sore from the TDAP.

Another note: we have now been back home for a week. It's unbelievable how the days are flying by.





I don't think it's legal to transport our son in this bag, but it will serve many other valuable purposes. Many thanks to Jordan and Marsha Gelber for the gift.





Alright, enough monkeying around. It's time to get the blog's editor-in-chief, publisher, and writer in some photos.





What makes my world go 'round.





And finally, just chillin'.

First Fun Field Trip

We took Simon back to the pediatrician yesterday morning, and things went great. He gained six ounces in four days and she was pleased with everything else. Now we head back when Simon is one month.

Each day it seems that more of his personality is coming out. He is more awake and animated seemingly by the hour.

The "FFF" I referred to in the header is a trip to GG and Papa's today for a visit and dinner. We brought the Moses basket and Simon liked it. He'll pretty much sleep in anything right now.

Here I am not sure his mouth could open any wider.









Rachel is looking terrific only 10 days after a C-section. She's already below her pre-pregnancy weight and feeling better each day. Also, so many people have been extremely generous with gifts and well wishes. They are pouring in, and of course, Theo doesn't want to miss a minute of the action.



We think this outfit is super cute. It's a little big on Simon right now, but he'll look perfect in it very soon. Thanks Bette!

Eight Days a Week

The end of a Jewish Boy's first week should really be the eighth day, as this is when the Bris (if you want to learn more about a Bris, just Google "Bris" and you'll see the Wikipedia entry) takes place. We had the festivities at our synagogue in Northbrook, Congregation Beth Shalom. Simon was fantastic during the whole day: he made one small peep during the procedure and was passed around to all of the guests and slept the whole time (perhaps it was the kosher wine he sipped on).







With Saba (Simon's grandpa Jay Miller).



The Mohel was terrific. Very nice guy, great sense of humor, but most importantly, an expert at circumcisions. I swear it was all over in about five seconds.



This is my favorite shot of the day. Our rabbi and many others said this was the most unique Bris they had attended as there were so many interested observers. In this photo there are six OB/GYNs who wanted to get a closer look at the technique (you may wonder why OB/GYNs would be so interested in circumcisions. Pediatricians cannot do these procedures in Illinois due to malpractice insurance; it must be performed by a surgeon).



It was very special to have Simon's three living great-grandparents in attendance. This is the first appearance on the blog of my grandma, Ilse Brauer (in the red coat). She's 91 and lives in Milwaukee. Simon's middle name is partly after Ilse's father, Dr. Oscar Meyer, who was a very successful orthopedic surgeon in Germany before being forced out during the Holocaust.





Not only can my grandma hold a baby, she can also tell Simon's mother whether she has food in her teeth or not.



And now that the whole food-in-teeth thing is out of the way...







You've seen Dr. Rim earlier in the blog, but in this photo we add Dr. Rim's husband, Chris, and Dr. Sogol Jahedi, an attending physician who was two years ahead of Rachel in the residency program.



After the Bris some family came over to our condo. Here's Simon with Nana (Jay's wife, Bobby).



This morning we took Simon back to the pediatrician, and he gained a whopping six ounces in four days! What a champ. The pediatrician said he looked perfect and wants to see us in a month.

Nana made this hat for Simon, and even though it's a tad too big right now, we wanted to try it out today in the cold weather.

It Was a Very Good Year

2010 has already been quite kind to our family. We had two sets of visitors on New Year's day: our friends Aimee and David Horn, and Wendy and Jordan Yanow came by in the late morning/early afternoon. Then my brother and mom visited in the late afternoon.

My two children were simultaneously VERY needy.



Theo is never far away from his little brother. Every wimper from Simon brings heightened alert from the K-9 in charge.



Simon loves to have his hands near or in his mouth, and apparently this was the case in utero as well as many of the ultrasound shots depicted the same thing.



With grandma Janet and her BFF Wendy Yanow.



With Rachel's oldest friend (I am not intimating that she's old), Aimee Horn.



With his first girlfriend, Sophie Horn (Aimee's daughter).



With grandma Frances Laven.



With uncle Daniel Laven.





Simon had his first shabbos dinner last night, and looks pretty good with the kippah on top.



With papa Dick Bosley. I personally think this was the best photo of the evening. We might even have to submit it to GQ.



This morning we gave Simon his first sponge bath. He fussed a little bit, but was A-OK after getting dried off and wrapped up.