Flying Turkey

We've been having a very nice time with Grandma and J visiting for the weekend. Meh departed this morning for Portland, but the boys, grandparents, and I had a full morning: first, just in time for my concert this evening, we picked up my newly tailored tuxedo (talk about delayed use of a birthday present, which Meh had picked out for me, um, nearly 12 months ago - sorry Meh, and thank you!). Then we drove onward to the boys' nirvana, I mean, the Museum of Flight. As Meh and I have independently confirmed, getting the boys into the car is usually at least a fifteen minute stall-fest -- but when I mentioned we were going to see the planes, I can confidently say that I never saw them get their shoes and jackets on quite so quickly.

While our initial route was blocked due to construction, soon enough we did successfully arrive at the museum. As we got out of the car in the parking lot, I saw a cute little prop plane coming in for a landing and pointed it out to the boys. Suddenly, on the parallel runway further from us (but still within a hundred yards), a huge military cargo transport came buzzing in for a landing -- possibly related to the upcoming presidential visit? Anyway, it was quite the sight, and the boys (and J) were already thrilled before we'd even gotten inside.

The museum itself continues to be a big win for the boys, as well as an exercise in zone defense for any adult trying to keep track of them. The boys generally wanted to go in two opposite directions, but somehow the three of us were able to get them to least stay on the same level of the museum. There was running around, climbing into many planes (that they were allowed to; O later continued to ask if he could climb into some of the other planes, even the ones that were suspended from the ceiling), and in general talking about all of their favorites. The museum also had a pre-Thanksgiving art activity that the boys enjoyed, making "turkey rockets": turkeys made from tracing their hands on paper, taped to a cone of paper, then put the cone on top of a soda bottle and squeeze the bottle to launch it. Both boys made one that we're saving for mommy tomorrow.

We crossed over to the annex containing the space shuttle simulator (well, we actually had an extended intermission on the bridge itself, watching traffic go by underneath while snacking) and adjacent to the actual airplanes, and the boys were thrilled and surprised when grandma and J bought them space shuttle toys at the little gift shop. Actually, O was at first super happy and then distressed that he had picked out a different toy than Z -- and one that didn't involve removal from a cardboard box (they still do love/obsess over their unboxing videos). I had to remind him several times that he'd made his choice, these were very generous and nice gifts, and that they should be profusely thanking grandma and J!

At last the boys' stomachs were rumbling and it was time to go grab some lunch. We headed out for the usual, but when we arrived (and had to park blocks away -- this was the mall location, and Christmas shopping is apparently already in full swing) the manager was at the door apologetically turning people away due to "computer issues". So onward to the next closest location, and after all of this, O actually declined to order or eat any lunch. I think he was both exhausted and maybe full of snacks from the museum, but it was still impressive to see him politely turn down the waiter's inquiry for a drink or food. Z meanwhile ate everything on his plate.

I forgot to mention, yesterday was the launch day for a certain video game console I've been working on for the past few years. On Wednesday there were festivities and fireworks through midnight (though as with new years, I was exhausted by 9 pm and headed home), the unveiling of a giant plaque with thousands of names on it (with a tripod-mounted spyglass since it's hung from a second floor atrium balcony), and a big posterboard that everyone signed as they picked up their very own special edition launch console. Hugely exciting to see my third (!) console ship, though the big work remains ahead for my team to help game developers hopefully make hundreds of great games for it!

Extreme Pond Jumping

Close college friends T and S and their super fun kids M, R, and A moved to Israel several months ago, and when I learned I'd be speaking at a conference in London, I figured that would be close by and a good opportunity to try to see them beforehand. Alas, my European geography apparently failed me slightly, as this meant a 5+ hour flight (and another 2 hour time change forward) less than 18 hours after I landed in London. Still, I got to get into London, have dinner with friends N, S, and their boys J and R, and then hop the Tube the next morning back to Heathrow, getting to friends T and S's house in Jerusalem by early afternoon!

Being in Israel was definitely a change from my last visit, which was more than 20 (!) years ago. The airport is gorgeous; in addition to the self-proclaimed largest duty-free shopping by square footage in the world, there was a giant mezuzah greeting travelers. T and S live in Baq'a, very near where I was based when I came to Israel in high school. In fact, on our first evening, we drove past the new home of the education facility where I'd stayed (which is now the second story of a car dealership). The visit was a nice combination of visiting with the family, playing tourist, lite shopping on Ben Yehuda Street, admiring impressive indoor and outdoor artwork at the Israel Museum, eating excellent kosher meaty food (the big new thing in Israel is apparently fancy burgers with dozens of different sauce options; they looked disappointed when I just asked for ketchup), and getting a brief dose of immersion with R's evening school activities, a doctor's office visit, and general hanging out. It was so great to get to spend time with friends as they adjust to living in a new country and culture. Of course I couldn't leave without a few souvenirs for the boys: a kippah with Pixar Cars, and another with Curious George. Oh, and some rugelach from an excellent bakery. Full pics here.

Back to London, where I had a good and productive conference, and got to see my friends once more before I head back to the US. A good but exhausting trip; very happy to be getting ready to board the plane back!

Virtual Toys

The boys' obsession with cars and trucks continues unabated despite the cars remaining on extended holiday (due to some pretty dramatic tantrums and constant fighting). They have a new favorite Curious George episode where he plays with cars (actually giving them a car wash, which the boys experienced in person last week with mommy -- Z apparently loved it, O got scared of those vertical scrubby cloth strips). And yesterday, they asked for "double decker buses on the TV"; sure enough, the Xbox YouTube app supplied us with video captures of both London and Brighton bus routes, and then motorbikes ramp-jumping over a series of double decker buses. The boys loved the latter so much that I found them a few other monster truck and stunt videos that they can watch again and again (but hopefully never imitate?). But their very favorite was a video of an evaluation of the "Cars 2" line of die cast toys. The boys continued to ask to watch the toys being removed from their plastic boxes ("here we go, opening presents!" said Z) and then stored inside of the larger Cars 2 playset storage Double Decker Bus. It's no tamagotchi, but these boys clearly have a favorite new virtual set of toys.

(And incidentally, more than a million hits on both of these videos?! Perhaps we're not the only ones with kids who are into toy unboxing.)

Around the World in 10 Days

One conference deserves another, so I've been off to Tokyo for the second of three work conferences. Between the short required duration (the conference was a single day, and not too many additional meeting asks had cropped up) and the short time since we'd returned from London, I performed a bit of an experiment this time, effectively cutting out the "travel recovery" day -- which inevitably leads to jet lag the next day but overall a more complete transition to the new time zone. I flew Wednesday (arriving Thursday evening), presented Friday morning, and fly home today. So far it's actually worked out pretty well -- I'm feeling okay as of Saturday morning, though hoping there is sleep to be had on the plane, since I'll return home (due to the international dateline) about 50 minutes ago on Saturday morning, and have a full day to get through.

I did get to chat with Meh and the boys several times during the trip -- O has unfortunately been sick with a fever, though it sounds like he's slowly on the mend. And apparently all of the sudden he sings "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" -- Meh noticed him doing it at the dinner table tonight, and with some encouragement he sang it several additional times. Super cute, I'm looking forward to hearing that later on (er, earlier on?) today!

Changing of the guard

Grandma flew home early yesterday morning, and this afternoon mima and papa arrived from their cross-country drive all the way from Florida! They were accompanied by their fearless chihuahua Lola, which Zachary reportedly excitedly called "Yo-la", then followed around saying "dah-dee" (doggy), "ah-ah" (arf-arf), and "niiiice". She steered clear of him -- go figure.

Mima and Papa's boxes and second car should be following in the next day or so, but for now it was nice to have a day together with the family! Interestingly, Zachary has taken the opportunity to renew his interest in our family photo album, with increasing name accuracy:


In other verbal news, Zachary's been really rolling on his ABCs. He even does the "now I know my ABCs" bit, despite getting a little bored in the videos Meh caught. My favorite part remains "L-M-N-O" coming out as "Elmo".

The sincerest form of flattery?

I flew back home yesterday from my brief trip to Japan (though I'm not sure if "brief" is quite how Meh would describe it!). The conference itself went great, and the rest of the trip was an interesting adventure of long flights with drunk and/or rude seatmates, yummy sushi, entertaining Japanese sweets (Men's Pocky or lamb caramels, anyone?), and of course many meetings. While in Tokyo, I did get to speak with the family several times via our favorite chat software. Zachary several times eagerly said "deh-ee!" before running back to play with his toys.

While I was gone, Zachary apparently picked up a new, um, word. After hearing Owen cry several times (usually related to car rides, which he seems to hate nearly as much as his brother once did), Zachary has started saying "Nahhhhhhhh...". It's generally preceded by a cough (since Owen often sputters a bit before the crying starts), and it might almost be cute if he didn't also do it while Owen is crying. But I've thankfully been seeing mostly the opposite from Owen since I got back -- he seemed genuinely happy to see me, and we even got to see some of his excellent giggles!

You're So Vain

Owen got to meet many of mommy's coworkers in yesterday's family outing to the library. Zachary wasn't as interested in socializing as running around and climbing up and down the stairs, so he and I tired ourselves out on the wide staircases (perhaps to the dismay of other patrons trying to get up and down them) while mommy made the introductions.

More progress on the adapting-to-a-new-sibling front: this morning, Owen hung out in mima and papa arms while Zachary had breakfast, and Z was suddenly very interested and smiling at the tiny little man. And mommy can read Z books successfully without him having to be in her lap (which was a challenge when Owen was already there). So definitely some improvements!

In preparation for Owen's bris on Monday, I put together a folder of pictures for the Xbox to cycle through (figuring folks likely won't get much of a chance to spend much time with him in person). I tried it out today and Zachary immediately sat down, started watching, and now loves it perhaps even more than his favorite TV show. He keeps pointing at the TV and labelling people and objects in the pictures. For Owen, I was proud that he eventually started saying 'ba-ba' (baby), though not yet his actual name. Almost more entertaining was what he *did* label. One picture had his lego set just barely visible in a corner of the frame, and he kept pointing it out ("wa-ka!"). But he's been great at identifying the people and objects in pictures as well. Of course his favorite pics are of himself.

Grandma arrived today from Michigan today (and Aunt I is due in in a few hours from Maryland). Zachary readily identified grandma as "ga-ga", and was happy to have another fun family members to play with! Grandma was of course delighted to meet her second grandson and spend some quality time with both of them. Despite the communal lack of sleep, I was finally in town this year for the Harmony Sweeps competition, so with Meh's permission (and the very supportive Mima and Papa handling Zachary's bedtime routine) I'm going to push through and head down to Olympia tonight to cheer on my favorite all-Microsoft a cappella group -- good luck Baudboys!

Never tell me the odds

Yesterday we headed back to ye Swedish flat-pack furniture store to pick up the little man's new table and chairs, an early birthday gift from mima and papa! They're super cute, tiny, and he of course has little interest in sitting on/at them at the moment. But still, the chairs got approval when he tried to push them around the room. Time to pick up some felt pads for the feet.

On the drive down, we were listening to a little man CD that we hadn't heard in quite some time. When "Old MacDonald" (heh, gotta dig the Wikipedia link) came on, Meh mused that we had at least five versions of it, including pseudo-James Brown and Italian-translated covers.

So it was of course statistically bound to happen: this morning, Zachary's randomly shuffled music mix on the Xbox happend to pick three separate versions in a row - out of 200+ tracks no less. When the third rendition came on, I had to skip to the next track. There's only so much barnyard music one can handle at 5:45 in the morning.

As you might have noticed from the super-clear (and actually new) images in this post, our new camera arrived on Thursday! It's tiny (I know, we'll try to avoid a repeat of our last small camera's fate) but otherwise very similar to the last camera. The main new feature I found was that you can actually zoom while shooting videos. But it's digital zoom only, and no refocusing, so our mileage may vary. All of the pictures so far have of course featured Zachary. Yesterday, Zachary and I played at the park, and all three of us were hard at work preparing the grounds, house, and tasty foods for our friends M & K's visit and their baby shower later today!

Round, round, get around

What started innocently enough as slowly orbiting the ottoman for snacks has quickly escalated into full-on cruising around the house. We're trying to keep up with the baby-proofing as Zachary discovers cabinets, drawers, display shelves, vent covers, entertainment center gadgets (he detached an Xbox controller the other day - I was so proud...), shelves under the kitchen's island, and the refrigerator, but he's always one increasingly sure step ahead of us.

A few days ago, Meh clocked a Zachary free-stand at eighteen seconds. Today he circled the music room unassisted (holding onto walls, chairs, and his push cart), then the entire kitchen and dining room. Meh helped him out with the empty space across the kitchen by spacing two chairs on a line directly across the room. He used them like a pro to make his way across to the opposite wall.

A few child-proofing highlights so far:

• Zachary started showing an interest in some outlets, so out came the plastic outlet covers. Pretty straightforward, but then...
• He grabbed and managed to lift up a vent cover, which I can't quite figure out how to secure.
• He then moved into the living room, and was opening (and pinching his fingers when he immediately closed) drawers in an end table. Meh's creative out-of-the-box solution was to remove the drawer pulls for the time being.
• Meh thought our heavy metal bowls under the kitchen island would be safe, but he started working them towards the edge of the shelf. Over they moved into a higher cabinet.
• He discovered the cute ladder we'd displayed tchochkes on. I came home, and the ladder had been moved out of sight.

I think we're about out of safe spots to hide objects and large furniture at this point!

Ignorance is bris

Today was Zachary's eighth day of life by the Jewish calendar and therefore his brit milah. (The Jewish calendar is lunar-solar; Jewish days begin at sundown, so the fact that Zachary was born at 10:12 pm last Wednesday meant that his bris was today.) Though I've been to a few over the years, I never knew much about the traditions, and certainly had never really paid enough attention to know about the various roles. Luckily, our mohel (a local Conservative doctor) was extremely helpful and patient in the planning and explanations of various traditions. He also uses topical anesthetics and novacaine to make it a bit less painful and traumatic for the baby (and perhaps almost as much so for the parents). Zachary's two grandmothers acted as the kvatters (bringing the baby into the ceremony), and his grandfather (papa) was the sondek (who holds the baby during the ceremony). [Trivia: I found it interesting that two of the designated roles aren't even Hebrew words; sondek is Greek and kvatter is Yiddish.]

As the opportunities for actual baby viewing and holding before/after a bris are pretty minimal, I was able to use a bit of my geekiness to help somewhat with that, putting a bunch of photos from our various online albums (including those taken by our friends) onto the Xbox 360, which uses fancy Ken Burns-like panning effects to make them look even a bit fancier. My bubbie was basically placing orders for her favorites from the slideshow, and I think all of the grandparents want it turned into a DVD or something. Now we just need to figure out a soundtrack...

It was so wonderful to be surrounded by so many supportive friends and family. On the family front, my brother, mom and Meh's parents were of course here (Meh's mom spent much of the actual ceremony offering support upstairs with Meh). Wait, let me start over -- as I've been frequently forgetting, all family relationships now reset to reflect Zachary's point of view; this is going to take some getting used to! So his uncle and two grandmothers were there to support him. His great-grandmother (bubbie, who I think is still being called bubbie, or perhaps great-bubbie?), great aunt and great uncle had flown in from Maryland as well, and they were all so supportive and loving.

As far as friends, we had more than thirty in attendance, all of whom were so supportive and warm (not to mention many of them skipping work to join us for the mid-day ceremony) -- it really made the fact that minor surgery was going to happen a bit more bearable and less stressful. Everyone wanted to help out -- two friends catered the entire event spectacularly (we've got an enormous collection of bagels, lox, caprese tomatoes, and couscous to plow through in the next few weeks), others helped us with setup, bringing a few items, shlepping of chairs, and shuttling one of my closest college friends from/to the airport, who himself flew in from Los Angeles just for the day. (I teased him about "pulling a Scott", since my USC course had featured many such Seattle-LA day trips.) He actually ended up acting as the "anesthesiologist", offering Zachary a piece of gauze soaked in sugar water/wine during the ceremony.

True to form, Zachary was quiet (and possibly dozing) during all of the ceremony, only getting a bit fussy long afterwards, when the mohel discussed care and such. Everyone was so supportive and the mood was actually quite happy and joyous, with lots of singing (so many great singers in the room from our various choirs, Meh said she really appreciated hearing the beautiful harmonies from upstairs) and then dancing after the baby naming, with everyone circling and dancing around us and Zachary.

Speaking of the naming, the bris is also where you announce a son's hebrew name. Zachary's is is Hallel David. Hallel (הלל , 'praise to G-d') is for both of my grandfathers (whoops, Zachary's paternal great-grandfathers), who were both named Henry. David (דָּוִד , 'beloved') was Zachary's paternal paternal great-grandfather's middle name -- and of course Zachary's own English middle name too. I realized afterwards that Hallel also works well with my own Hebrew name Pesach (פֶּסַח , 'Passover'), since Hallel is a part of the seder (the meal-oriented observance on Passover), and actually the part where most of the singing occurs, so that works for the musical parents too!

Okay, enough Hebrew etymology for the time being. Thank you once again so much to all of our family and friends from near and far who were able to join us at the bris!