New Pictures

Montly Pictures from the End of October

Halloween has come and gone. Here are some photos from this week, including friends, family, and much cuteness. Bris photos still to come - I need to collect and arrange 'em.

Happy Halloween

Halloween seemed like fun. Paul was dressed in his best pumpkin outfit. When out of the blue, Snuffy came from nowhere! "Stay back," cried Paul. "I will not be trampled by your furry feet!" Luckily, Snuffy had come just for tea.



It was daddy Paul needed to be weary of, with his striped shirt and vampire kisses...

Out Into the World

The weather here was perfect yesterday, a rarity in New England Octobers. So we went out for a walk. Our first field trip that didn’t end with a doctor’s visit! Paul slept through it all, and didn’t mind the bumpy ride in the carriage at all. Just wait until we go sledding at 4 months old! (Just kidding, mom).

Welcome to Your People

As is our custom, we paraded our 7 day old cutie-pie in front of 40 new people, sang in a language he had never heard, and then surprised him with a teeny tiny public surgery. It was great. Paul was a very good baby, Uncle Eric and Aunt Andria brought him in, Aunt Margie sat in the chair of Elijah, the two Bubbies gave him kisses, the two grandmas held the pillow, and Grandpa Steve held him nice and tight for the act itself. Cantor Pessaroff performed the ceremony while Rabbi Bill Hamilton helped with the baby naming. I explained the choice of names to the guests, and mommy tried not to have a breakdown. It was wonderful to be surrounded by friends and family. Thank you to all who shared the day with us, and to all who have sent notes of congratulations.

Plenty of photos and video were taken, but I only have a few of them. If you have digital photos or video, I'd appreciate it if you could send them to me

The Night Before the Snipping

The Gang's All Here

We had lots of visitors today - dear family coming before Paul's bris. He met his Bubbe Rose, Aunt Margie, Grand-aunt Phyllis, and his mommy's great friend Jodi. Safta Sheila, Bubbe Barbara, Grandma Shelly, and Grandpa Steve were also there. Take a look at these great photos. My favorite is the video of Bubbe Rose singing a Yiddish lullabye.

Paul Meets his Aunt Margie!

Paul got to meet his Aunt Margie today! She was so excited to see him that she flew all the way from Florida. I picked her up from the airport, and when we parked at the house, she ran in to meet him. She made him a very special book with lots of pictures and love.

I'm sure they are going to have a lot of fun together. She is going to be a fantastic aunt.

Hello from Paul's Mommy

Eat, pee, sleep. Eat, pee, sleep. And that's just me. . .

Just wanted to say hello.

Many, Many, Weils

The gang all came to town. Six Weil's in a single shot! Asher and Sophia meet their baby cousin Paul

Goin' to the Doctor

Paul teaches me something new every day. Today I learned that babies don't like to get blood taken from their heels, even at the doctor's office. I would never have imagined. That is why there should be a manual for this stuff.

Life at the Weil's

We're home! Life at home with Paul is certainly different from the hospital. For one thing, the nurses don't come nearly as often. Also, there is a lot more random stuff that needs to be put away. Finally, Beren and I are the ones who are ultimately responsible for his well being.

Thanks to many loving friends and family members, we have a house filled with baby accoutrement--and many cardboard boxes. Now to figure out what to do with all of this stuff, and where to put it all!

Last Day at the Hospital

Last Day at the Hospital

New pictures posted. Enjoy!

We're Home!

(Don't Cry For Me, Boston)

Paul had enough of a tan to be discharged this morning. Yey!

We packed everything up, took an obligatory "official" photo, had one last consult with the nurse, and then they let us out of the hospital. Strapped into the car bed (he’s a bit to small for our car-seat). No instruction manual. No warranty. No extra parts. They obviously don’t know us very well.

It was a nice homecoming. Safta and Bubbie had purchased half of Target and K-mart. House is a bit, well, disorganized. But it is comfortable, and Paul fits in quite nicely. When he’s awake, he’s been looking around at his new world. I know that his vision isn’t perfect, but I think he’s interested in what he can see.

Safta and Bubbie Come to Town

We had more visitors Tuesday night. Safta (a.k.a. Grandma Sheila) and Bubbie (a.k.a. Great-Grandma Barbara). They claim they are going to spoil him rotten. It sure seems like they like him...

Time for a Tan!

Who knew you could have too much bilirubin? Paul's doctor did. So, he gets another night in the post-partum ward, enjoying the (fake) sun. He's only 1/2 mile from Fenway - maybe he wanted to stay for the game tonight? Home will have to wait until Thursday.

What's In A Name (2)

Ashkenazi Judaism has wonderful naming traditions. Typically people of Eastern European Jewish ancestry will name children after departed relatives. Because of this, names can stay in the family for generations.

I mentioned yesterday that Paul is named for three people. The first is his grandfather, Paul Ornstein. Paul, in turn, was named for his maternal great-grandmother (Perel Gologorsky) and (I need to check this when I get home) his paternal great-grandfather (Nachman Ornstein). Paul’s middle name is Andrew, after his great-uncle Andrew Rosenblum. Andrew, in turn, was named for his great-grandfather, Aaron Hyman (Aharon Chiam) Meltzer. We’ve taken Chiam for the Hebrew middle name. I’m not sure who my great-grandmother, Chaika Broitman, was named for, but I’m sure it was somebody special.

For the record, those folks were little Paul’s “third great-grandparents” (i.e., his great-great-great-grandparents).

I hope that one day Paul will have his own namesake. Hopefully that will be 100 years from now!

Spa Treatment

Paul's First Bath

Today was a busy 2nd day for Paul. They gave a demo of a bath in the post-partum ward, and Paul was the star attraction! The real spa treatment: Shiatsu massage, sponge bath, and hair treatment.

He also had a hearing test. I asked the audiology technician a lot of silly technical questions. Exposure to speech science and auditory perception stuff in grad school made me sound just informed enough to be a real pain.

After that, he enjoyed bonding time with mommy, sleepy time with Snuffy, and music time with me. Safta and Bubbe are coming to visit tonight, and we are all excited.

What's In a Name? (1)

Paul is a lucky guy. He is named after three wonderful people whom we miss. His English name is Paul Andrew, his Hebrew name is Peretz Chaim ben Shemarya Aharon H'Cohen v' Batya Gila.

The first is Beren's father, Paul, who passed away just this year. We never wanted to name a child after him, but there is no greater way to honor his memory. Paul's Hebrew name was Peretz Nachman.

The second is Beren's uncle, Andrew, who passed away in 2001. Andrew was funny, loving, and generous; we hope that our child shares those qualities. Andrew's Hebrew name was Aharon Chaim. We chose Chaim rather than Aharon because my middle name is Aharon.

The third is my great-grandmother, Chaika Broitman. Although I never knew her, I've heard stories for years about her. Chaika is a Russian Yiddish version of Chaya; Chaim is the masculine equivalent.

Peretz means "Burst Forth," which is actually how he came into this world (three big contractions and he was out). In the Torah (Genesis 38:29), Peretz was a son of Judah and Tamar. Sometimes transliterated as Perez, it is actually not Spanish. Chaim means life. We feel it is a auspicious name - and an integral part of Fiddler on the Roof.

All in all, we think the names suit him well.

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Pictures!!!!

Paul's First Day!!!!!

Take a look at my pictures!!!!! Click on the picture up there!

He's a Baby!!!!!!

I'm fantastically happy to announce that Paul Andrew Weil decided to come into the world a few weeks early. Here are the stats:

• Born: 3:31PM on October 22, 2007
• Weight: 6lbs 10ozs
• Length: 18 1/2 inches

Mom and baby are doing great! Pictures coming!

He's A-Coming

Even though we didn't expect him till November 17, Flicker's made up his own mind to join us. Labor started at 9:15 this morning. We got through rush hour traffic just in time for the contractions to get nice and painful. It's 5 1/2 hours later, and we're coming to the end of the first stage of labor. Thank you Mr. Epidural.

News and photos to follow!!!

Not Here Yet

Flicker's not here quite yet. Not until November. He's in there, though. For now, here is a picture of his excited and nervous parents-to-be.