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I fell behind on more than just the blog over the last two weeks….but for good reason. My brother was in town along with a crowd of friends and family for his marriage to my friend Natasha. The week of the wedding was as much of an event as the day itself. Brian married a good friend from my days working at Medsite (they originally met at our own wedding in Brooklyn). A few highlights from the week:
- Meeting Natasha’s family at our backyard BBQ, and beating her dad and brother at a game of croquet. (They both quit after I went ahead. I guess that’s how they roll in their town.)
- Wine tour on Seneca lake. Special thanks to the owner of Damiani wine cellars for what felt like a 2 hour tasting. They know how to entertain a group.
- Hosting our cousins and their dogs at our house. In all, we had 6 cousins, 4 dogs and 3 babies under one roof. And it felt normal. I’m ready to put an extension on the house and create a family compound. (I think they have other ideas about that though).
- The ceremony, party and perfect weather in the Plantations.
- The bride’s best friend calling my brother Bridezilla during her toast at the wedding.
- Bonfire and S’mores after hours the night of the wedding.
- Seeing my brother & Natasha happier than I’ve ever seen them before.
You’re officially a Piece of Ash, Natasha. Congrats B&N.
(The picture above is from their fantastic wedding photographers (Tatjana & Charles of Wrinkle in Time Photography)
At 9 months, Eli feels more like a family member than just a baby in our lives. His personality is coming out, he’s exploring everything he can get his hands or mouth around, and he’s on the move. He has the knee crawl down, but he moves faster on his belly, and usually prefers that mode of transportation. He’s standing and walking around tables, chairs and anything he can use for support. And if there is anything unbolted to the ground, he’ll grab it, put it in his mouth and then throw it across the room. As parents, we’re spending more and more time chasing him, pulling things out of his mouth, and picking up the path of debris he leaves behind him. The result is a new kind of exhaustion. Not the sleep exhaustion from the first 3 months, but something new. The closest thing I can compare it to is the mental drain you feel after a tough exam. (One you didn’t study for…)
Here’s a video of his new favorite activity – the shoulder bounce:
Since this blog is primarily intended as a life update for our friends and family, I thought I would send a quick message on the events of the last few days. Over the past 11 days, I’ve been fighting a nasty stomach bug, which appeared to travel to my lower intestines over the weekend. After some tests and a diagnosis, we thought we had it covered and I went on antibiotics. But on Tuesday afternoon, I ended up in the ER due to chest/arm pain and shortness of breath. I was put through several tests, but the pain went away and I was kept overnight for observation. At 2am on Wednesday, the nurse came into my room because my pulse had dropped and she wanted to make sure I was okay. At that point, I experienced what must feel like a powerful heart attack. My chest felt like it was being crushed, I had trouble breathing, my left arm ached and then went completely numb, and I began to shiver and shake all over. The nurse gave me nitroglycerin and morphine which didn’t seem to change anything. After 30 more minutes, she gave me a drug called dilaudid, which brought me very quickly out of the shock and pain. From there, things went from scary to confusing, as I was put through a series of tests ranging from a CT scan to a cardiac catheterization. The theory of my cardiovascular surgeon was that I was being rocked by a nasty virus and suffering from something called myocarditis (inflamation of the heart muscle). As the day and tests went on, everything seemed to confirm this theory. And at 1:30pm on Thursday, 48 hours after being brought to the hospital, I was headed home with Rachel. Even now, we don’t know exactly what caused the myocarditis. Over the evolution of this condition, I’ve tested positive for two known bacteria and one assumed virus. Since you can’t cure the virus, I’m now at home with antibiotics to fight the bacteria, and a supply of ibuprofen to keep the pain and swelling down. Overall, I feel tired, a little sore, but relatively normal.
Thanks to everyone for the calls, the well wishes and the visits, and thanks to the staff at Cayuga Medical Center. It was indeed a scare, but also a healthy pause and reflection on what matters most. And if this experience was a test on recognizing the important things in life, the answers walked through the door when Rachel came home with Eli yesterday evening…
I took a trip to Milwaukee last weekend with my brother and a few friends, in advance of his wedding next month.
A few thoughts from the trip:
- Milwaukee: My new favorite city in the midwest. No hurt feelings, okay Chicago? At least you have Carlos Boozer. Overall, a nice-sized town, with waterfront, green spaces, great food, and a friendly people.
- Best Brunch: Trocadero Gastro Bar – Great food, cool neighborhood and an awesome garden patio.
- Best Bar: The Old German Beer Hall. While you’re there, be sure to play a game of hammer-nail-into-stump. It’s a pretty bizarre yet gratifying game.
- Cheese Tasting: Wisconsin Cheese Mart. Conclusion? Wisconsin cheese good. Very good. German cheese bad. Now I know why it was funny that my grandfather used to stick limburger cheese under my mom’s pillow as a kid.
- Frisbee Golf: We stumbled on a store after brunch called “Art Smart’s Dart Mart.” Obviously, we had to go in, and Art convinced us to take up the game of Frisbee Golf. 4 frisbee sales later, a city bus ride to the park, and we were on the first tee of an 18 hole frisbee golf course. It was nearly as fun as regular golf, but much less frustrating-and free.
- Best Breweries: Rock Bottom Brewery for best outdoor space on an inlet, Lakefront Brewery for best brewery tour and fish fry (so we’re told…we only tried the beer), Milwaukee Brewing Co. for waterfront patio and a real nice flight.
- My Brother: Could you really be getting married? How can that be? It feels like just last week that we were catching fireflies and playing GI-Joe football. Natasha will have a life of fun and laughter living with you. (Okay, there will be some headaches too). But it was great to have a weekend to be kids again. Congrats little brother.
Well Eli, with the amount of travel you’ve been through over the last few months, we’ve been joking that your future memoir will be titled, “Growing Up in the Back Seat of a Volvo.” Between work, weddings, family visits and vacation, you’ve already logged in over a thousand miles in your car seat. And fortunately, you’re a pretty good sport about it all. Right now we’re in NJ visiting your grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles on your mom’s side. Tonight your incredible cousin Noah is giving a speech at a fundraiser for his non-profit organization Calcutta Kids. I’m sure you’ll visit him in India with us someday soon.
Last weekend you met your cousin Robin for the first time and saw your Uncle Brian & Aunt Marilyn. Below are two clips from your travels and visits. One at your music class and one in the Westfield pool. You seem to be really taking to music and water. Is it a sign that you’ll be a great swimmer like your mom and a great musician like your cousins Tim, Mira, Dora and Noah? Can’t wait to find out…
We took a trip down to Cape Cod with my father’s side of the family. It was my first visit to the area in 15 years and Eli’s first time to the Atlantic. At a time when we’re living through the worst oil spill in our nation’s history, it seemed appropriate to bring him to some clean ocean water while we still have it.
While Eli is still only 7 months old, I’m beginning to understand what it means to live through your child’s eyes. As I get older, and a trip to the beach gets a little less exciting, I now get to watch my own son go through all these experiences for the first time. On top of that, we’re able to share his happiness with our parents and extended family. And there was something about having him around that made everyone feel a bit closer.
Rachel and I took one afternoon for ourselves and a trip to a town called Wellfleet near the tip of the cape. The town was recommended to us by a friend from the office where Rachel and I met each other. Her family lives in the area runs a seafood business called Mac’s Seafood. Welfleet is a perfect little coastal town and Mac’s is a perfect little seafood shack. We stuffed ourselves with fish tacos and fried clam strips. Then we bought 4 pounds of scallops and cooked them up for the family meal that night.
All in all, a perfect break from the giant to-do list that keeps filling up at home and Rachel’s big work event in NYC coming up next week. Eli- For the record, you hit a few milestones on this trip: First toe in the Atlantic, first taste of watermelon, first meeting of the Clark family, and first 6 hour road trip. You’re a blast to have around, little buddy. Even after 6 hours in a car.
We appear to be turning a milestone corner with every day now. In the last few weeks Eli has shown off his ability to sit upright, crawl (or something resembling a crawl), scream, hold his own bottle, and today he stood for the camera (with a little help). As for parenting, we feel like we’ve been in a sweet spot for two months, right after sleeping through the night, and right before he turns fully mobile and begins terrorizing everything in his path. Oh, and one other big development, this boy has developed from his father’s chicken legs to a pair of meaty thighs. You can thank your mom for that someday, Eli. She’s excited to teach you how to use those in the pool this summer.
Video of his new tricks (& thighs) below:
Knock on wood, we seem to have a pretty happy boy on our hands. Ever since his first smile and laugh, he hasn’t slowed down. Sure, he can throw a fit and a breakdown with the best of them, but overall he seems to enjoy himself. After traveling for the last 7 days, it was great to come home to the family and warm weather in Ithaca. Here’s a clip from Russert’s new favorite game of tug on the bottle. Eli is a huge fan.
I was back in New Orleans last week for the second time in a month. But this time Rachel traveled with me and we stayed an extra day as the trip coincided with The New Orleans Jazz Fest. This was our 3rd Jazz Fest and it holds a special place as it was our first vacation when we started dating.
Two highlights from the visit:
1. Dinner with my work colleagues at Arnauds with Ed Helms sitting next to us. Just sitting next to Ed Helms (who plays our favorite Cornell alumni character as Andy Bernard in The Office) wasn’t the highlight. The highlight was watching my wife go giddy star-stuck when he visited our table (she has a bit of a crush on ‘Andy Bernard’). But when one of my co-workers offered to take their picture she got shy and said no. After he left the restaurant and she was kicking herself for missing the photo-op, we discovered that he left his hat at the table. So we didn’t get a picture of Rachel with Ed Helms, but we did get about 6 pictures of Rachel in Ed Helms’ hat.
2. The performance from Elvis Perkins in Dearland at Jazz Fest. We saw Perkins perform when we lived in Brooklyn, but there was something about the atmosphere of Jazz Fest and their energy on stage that made this an incredible show. Here’s a video from their set, and that’s Maggie Gyllenhaal in the floppy hat standing in front of us. (Yes, Rachel went speechless around her too).
Video is from iPhone, so turn your speakers down because the sound quality is a little rough:
Our Family Band Album Cover
Rachel and I visited my brother & his fiance in Chicago last weekend. We spent the weekend exploring Bucktown; the area of Chicago they call home. A few thoughts:
On Chicago:
- It’s a real city. It has it’s own unique food, a recognizable skyline, classic sports franchises, and corrupt politicians.
- After reading Devil In the White City, I was pumped to visit the location of the Chicago World’s Fair and to see what remained of the beautiful lagoon described in the book. The lagoon was a waterway and park designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (Landscape Architect/Central Park). And I hate to judge the Chicago Parks after one visit to their historic site, but it was a mess. There was garbage everywhere and they’re going through a controlled burn of the park, but it just looks destroyed. Fred Olmstead would be pretty pissed if he came back and saw what they’ve done to his lagoon.
- It’s not worth going to the top of the Hancock Building. Save a half hour and spend it drinking Chicago beer
On Bucktown:
- Love it. It has an odd mix of historic and post-modern architecture. But it has a small-community feel on the outskirts of a big city. It reminded us of the tree-lined streets & brownstone neighborhoods in our favorite parts of Brooklyn.
- A few good restaurants: Big Star for Mexican, Piece for Pizza and Brewery, and Revolution Brewery for beer
On Brian & Natasha:
- Two thumbs up. A very nice couple. I would visit them again.
- Congrats, and welcome to the family, Natasha. See you both in August for the big event.
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