My Blog -- Back By Popular Demand

My life is returning to normal - whatever that is. The year twenty-O-six is gone and buried. Long live twenty-O-seven! The week of revelry and family and friendly togetherness has subsided and the house will soon be empty of guests and quiet once again.

It was just a few days but it seems like it went on forever. We picked up Michael at Newark. He had flown in from L.A. to spend the holidays with us, to see his new nephew again and to take some time off from his busy, long-houred work schedule as a sound engineer with film crews on location. He arrived at 10:30 pm and we drove back to Brooklyn via the Holland Tunnel, across Canal Street. Before we ventured out of Manhattan, however, we stopped on Mott Street for some Chinese food at a longstanding, family eatery, Wo Hop.

This was to be a very busy week - everyone wanted to get a glimpse of Ethan. So Stacey methodically planned a schedule, allowing our big and burgeoning family the opportunity to meet him in person.

Tuesday was for her side of the family: her brother Peter and his wife, Lori, her daughter Chiara and boyfriend, Tom. A Jewish dinner was cooked and served: latkes, pot roast and kasha & varnishkes. Just two days before we had celebrated Christmas at Lori and Peter's. They always throw the greatest parties and that one was no exception. Now they were returning the visit by taking the subway to Brooklyn to dine and to meet the new baby.

Lori was the perfect hostess at her Christmas Party on December 24th.

Lori and Peter at their Christmas party.

Singing carols at Lori and Peter's Christmas party.

Chiara and her boyfriend, Tom.

Our new brownstone has a small living room. It's no easy task to assemble nine adults, two dogs (Dani and Erik brought their pooches with them) and a baby, but we did it and had fun doing it.

The next night, Wednesday, it was the other side of the family's turn. Fortunately or not, Lee and Alexis had flown south to St. Martin to spend a week or two in the warm Caribbean sun with Marlo and her family. So we had the rest of Weinsteins over: Jessica and her husband Ed along with the two children: Jordan (a big girl of three now) and the new Benjamin. Also, Corey and her new husband Alex. That made a total of nine adults and three kids and two dogs. Oy! But it, too, worked out fine and we had a second Stacey-made dinner, this time with an Italian flavor: chicken cacciatore.

Jessie, Corey, Alex and Mike are waiting for dinner as Stacey takes care of the last minute details.

Mr. & Mrs. Corey and Alex Shurchin - newlyweds!

Here's everyone (except me): Jordan, Jessie, Ed, Corey, Alex, Mike, Stacey, Dani, Erik and the brand new Ethan.

Two beautiful nieces - Jessica and Corey.

Of course, this is my lovely great-niece, Jordan.

Now here's something very nice: Dani and Mike, at home again. Sister and brother....yes!

I guess my readers are eager to hear about my new grandson. Given that he's 150 miles away from us, near Albany, we don't get to see him every week. About two or three weeks pass in between visits. That's bad. But the good part is one gets to more clearly gauge the changes in his development just because we don't get to see him every day. This time there were quite big changes: much more alert, much more eye contact, the beginnings of a sense of humor with smiles and what seemed to be a laugh. There's a quizzical look in his eyes as if to ask me who I am and why I keep making those funny faces. Also I detect, and this may be totally subjective on my part, a sense of growing familiarity with me when he fixes those blue eyes on mine. I know that will grow over the next months and years but, still, it's thrilling to see it aborning!

It's also wonderful to watch Dani and Erik on the road to parenthood -- sharing the chores of baby care: nursing, cleaning and dressing Ethan, hugging, cooing and ogling him. It's just delicious.

These gatherings were a chance for the family to see the new baby: Ethan James Lundberg, along with the new parents, Dani and Erik.

My daughter as new mother. Wow!

In my next installment, the week continues....Lonnie and Monique visit us for dinner at the neighborhood pizzeria, we take a nightime stroll to see the holiday-lighted entrances to Prospect Park and we drop in on Aunt Sissy.