5/31/06
Pimp My Stroller?
WEDNESDAY, MAY 31 -- Margery nixed Dan's idea to take the new stroller to West Coast Cars to have it truly "pimped out" with the spinners and a 12-speaker stereo system and maybe an XBox or two in the headrests. So, instead, Dan improvised, taking the iPod's portable shelf-speaker and dropping it into the crib, blaring Rob Base Dan Zanes and Friends, a new CD from a local Brooklyn hipster-rocker, who makes music CDs for kids that parents can actually listen to without wanting to drive their head into the side of the crib, over and over. It was hard to tell, because Gabe was laying down, but it sure looked like he was bobbing his head in time with the music. But, given his parents' rythmn genetics, it's more likely that his head was being bobbled involuntarily by the uneven sidewalk. Parents see what they want to see, right?
Story Time
MONDAY, MAY 29 -- Not sure if Gabe understood what was going on when we read him the classic story "The Hungry Little Caterpillar." But he did seem to enjoy the different foods listed (a sign he's going to be a good eater?), and when we got to the book's money shot -- the "he became a beautiful butterfly!" page at the end -- he was transfixed at the picture. Or perhaps the way Dan's voice went up two octaves while delivering the kicker.
5/28/06
Gator Gabe!
Can you believe that it's taken almost two weeks for us to get Gabe into Gator gear? (Thanks for finding something small enough, Holly!)
I'm sure this is just the beginning of a long career of Gabe wearing Gator stuff around.
Gabe Gets Drunk!
Just kidding. But he DID spend the afternoon at Cobble Hill Brooklyn's famous Gowanus Yacht Club, an outdoor beer garden that is one of Margery and Dan's favorite spots. We wandered over in the stroller (in between feedings/changings) and sat down for beers and hot dogs. Yum. Gabe, of course, had a dog with everything on it and the day's special on tap.
Actually, when we got there, we were the only couple with a kid/stroller in the place. But don't call US the "grups" -- within 20 minutes, a large party strolled in (literally) with three infants (AND a dog!), and the Shanoff trio knew when to make a timely exit, maintaining our street cred even as other parents overran the bar and had non-parental patrons glaring. (But not at us!)
5/27/06
Hey Baby, What's Your Sign?
Great-aunt Nechama and great-uncle Billy bought Gabe this very cool "Gymini" playmat. It's got a lot of animals on it, it plays Mozart, it makes a few noises, it has some hanging things and a mirror. So, worried that we've already set Gabe back on his intellectual and emotional development, we busted it out and had some serious play time this afternoon.
Was he over-stimulated? Maybe just a wee bit. But it's a fantastic toy and it has already found a place in Gabe's room. I'm sure it'll be something we use with him for months to come and he becomes more and more aware of what's going on around him.
For now, Gabe is able to concentrate on one of our voices when we talk to him. He'll turn his head and look at us. Either that, or maybe we're just seeing things. But there's no question that every day he seems to add a new wrinkle to his talent repertoire (and lose a wrinkle or two from his original saggy bod!).
Hanging with B.B.C.
On Saturday afternoon, Gabe's friend Brendan Braun Connelly ("BBC") came over with his parents, Kristin and TJ. They live in Manhattan, so Margery and Dan were grateful they came all the way out to Brooklyn to visit Gabe.
Brendan is almost 1, and he's turning into quite the active little guy. It's a great preview of how Gabe will hopefully develop over the next year. After less than two weeks, it already feels like Gabe is developing and changing by the day.
The six of us went out to lunch (Gabe's second meal in a restaurant in three days) at Teresa's, a diner around the corner from our apartment. Gabe had a peirogi and a bite of Margery's egg sandwich...
...Ha ha...just kidding. Who do you think we are, Britney and Kevin? Gabe sat in his carseat attachment to the stroller quietly, eyeing his new stroller mobile suspiciously. The rest of us had lunch and tried to keep up with Brendan. Being 1 means never having to say you're sorry -- or keep your hands clean!
Then we went back to the apartment to eat some of Margery's great-aunt Esther's delicious cake (arrived here Tuesday...almost gone already! Mmm!) and put some of Gabe's new toys to good use.
Hopefully, BBC will come back again... when Gabe is a little older (and bigger), I hope they'll be able to play together more.
Out to Lunch
On Thursday, Suzki, Dan and Margery took Gabe out to lunch with his friend Sadie and her mom, Brook. Actually, it was Gabe's first lunch out, and fortunately for him, it came on an expense account. When it comes to Babies Who Lunch, the only place to be is Bubby's in Dumbo (which is like Michael's in Midtown for the media elite, only for hipster Brooklyn babies).
And so we wheeled in with our two Bugs and though there were no Grups in the house, there was one cliquish-looking table of mommies nearby, lunch already in progress. They weren't particularly welcoming to our posse, but their kids were well-behaved (which is all you can ask for).
And so we parked our rides on either side of the table and settled in for Cobb salads (Mim, Brook) and grilled cheese (Suzki, Dan). Comfort food at its finest.
Anyway, Gabe was the best-behaved baby in the place (Sadie, too, of course), and his first lunch out of the house was a huge success. If we can continue to battle the ridiculously bad pavement on the walk down to the restaurant, I'm sure Gabe will soon become known as a Bubby's "regular."
5/24/06
First Checkup: Big Boy
OK, break out your office-pool sheets: What number did you have for Gabe's weight at his pediatrician's checkup for his first week?
A little background: Gabe was born 7 pounds even and left the hospital two days later at 6 lbs, 15 ounces. Got a guess yet?
When put on the scale, our little fatty weighed in at a whopping 7 pounds 13 ounces, which means that either Margery's milk is laced with HGH or the kid converts food into tonnage like a pro.
(It might be noted that his father's metabolism is similar, if on the opposite end of the spectrum: While Gabe is packing it on to fuel his growth, Dan is packing it on while eating Cocoa Puffs and sitting on the couch.)
5/23/06
Bris Mania
Attempts to live-blog Gabe's bris today were probably ill-conceived. For example: What do you type when the mohel makes the cut? "Gabe says 'Waaah!'" Actually, that's not fair to Gabe: He was AWESOME. Cried for about five seconds before settling down. I don't even want to credit the various creams, injections and food he was given to numb the pain -- well, not give them ALL the credit. But we had figured that Gabe's personality would be conducive to dealing with the bris.
I think it's important to boldface-name (Is that a verb? I think it is) the attendees: Margery, Dan, Suzki Suzy, Pops Gary, Grammy Carolyn, Grandpa Barry, GG Lil, Aunt Emily, Uncle Mark, Uncle Seth, Aunt Linnea, Uncle Benjamin, Great Aunt Nechama, Great Uncle Billy, Great Great Aunt Edith, Billy's mom Sylvia, cousins Sandy and Marisa, cousin Vivian and more.
Friends in attendance included college pal Meryl Perlman, Fordham friends Kristin Connelly and Abby Gaunt, Book Clubbers Brook Gesser (and Sadie!) and Lori Goldberg, longtime friend Julie Sturm, and celebrity pal-of-187 Hicks Rachel Sklar.
Special thanks to Rabbi Leonard Sharzer, who did a phenomenal job as Gabe's mohel. We'd recommend him to anyone having a bris! And thanks to Congregation Mount Sinai in Brooklyn Heights for opening their doors for us on this special occasion.
So you might be wondering: What, no detail on the bris itself? Suffice to say cuts were made, winces were made, prayers were made and a new little Jewish boy was named: "Gil Kalman" (Gabe Kalman), for Margery's grandma Gertrude and Dan's grandfather Kalman. In Hebrew, "Gil" means "Joy," and we hope Gabe is filled with it throughout his life.
5/22/06
Bath Time
On Sunday morning, we gave Gabe his first bath at home. He handled it with his trademark equanimity while we gave him the once-over. Very simple process, as explained by our nurse at St. V's hospital: A little warm water, a few cotton balls, dry him off as you go. With a process this easy, keeping him clean will be fun.
5/20/06
The Return of Grammy
After zipping into town on Tuesday with Dan's dad ("Grandpa") to share the first few hours of Gabe's life, Dan's mom Carolyn ("Grammy") came back for a weekend visit, stopping by the house before heading over to GG's house. As usual, Gabe was asleep for most of the visit. Even after a rousing to eat and get a quick diaper change, Gabe was back to dozing before he could even get unlatched from MIM/Mom's tap.
What Are the Odds?
Dan: What are the odds we'll run into Suzki (Suzy) and Pops (
MIM: Better that we will than we won't, I'd say
(10 seconds later...)
How to Spend a Saturday Morning
After a day and a half in the house, it was time to finally test-drive the Bug and give Gabe his first glimpse of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. The weather was a little colder than it has been, but with his hat and stylin' jacket, Gabe was all set.
Pops Is In the House!
Gabe's grandpa Gary ("Pops") arrived in Brooklyn on Thursday night, joining his wife Suzy (who Gabe will call "Suzki") . From the first minute, he was sympatico with the kid. Now begins an 18-year tussle between father-in-law and son-in-law over whether the prodigy progeny will go to the dark side (engineering) or the joyous side (writing). Fortunately, they both can agree that Gabe will be a Florida Gators fan.
Prison Break
On Thursday morning, we were finally cleared for discharge from the hospital. It happened to be a really sunny, warm day, but we had already picked out a cool-kid outfit for Gabe weeks beforehand, so there was no turning back from the fashion commitment. Thanks to a car-seat loaner from Gabe's new friend, Brendan Connelly, we were ready to get in our car service and make the trek back to Brooklyn!
Hospital Highlights
One of the highlights of our two days in the hospital was when we got to give Gabe his first bath. After having swaddled him (between diaper changings!) for his first 24 hours, we hadn't really gotten a chance to see him in all his "natural" beauty, so this was a pretty fun time. Like everything else we've thrown at him so far, Gabe displayed his already-characteristic equanimity. (Let's hope it holds out!)
Do you like that kind of cheesecake shot? Be sure to check out Gabe's photo archive here. (Look for the group of shots named "Gabe's Glamourshots.")
Start Spreading the News
Once delivery was over, we quickly moved into a swanky private room. There would be no roommates for this family! With that kind of privacy, Dan could curl up on the fold out chair and Margery could spend her time catching her breath... oh, wait a sec: Who has the time for THAT when there are so many people calling to say hi and wish us congratulations?
Arriving from her Brooklyn pied a terre, Margery's mom Suzy ("Suzki" to Gabe) was happy to help out, providing much-needed advice, errand-running and -- of course -- lots of love for Gabe, her new favorite baby of the family (sorry, Benjamin!).
Meet the New Family!
This is the very first picture of the new Shanoff threesome: Dan, Gabe and Margery. Doesn't Margery look pretty good considering she just went through more than 24 hours of labor? For the record, she only had an epidural for four of the 24 hours because so many women were having babies the night of the 15th, they didn't have room for us in a delivery room -- and so they couldn't administer any pain relief. Ouch!
Welcome to Gabe's Blog!
After exactly 40 weeks of waiting (sometimes patiently, and sometimes not), we very happily welcomed Gabe Kalman Shanoff into our family. He was born at 4:05 am on May 16, 2006. At a long and lean 20 inches and 7 lbs., we think he's something else.
For lots more pictures of Gabe, be sure to check out his page on Flickr.
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