Lev Raphael Eisner

(on the sun porch at 5 days old)

Hi! My name is Lev. I was born in Baltimore on December 19, 2006, at 1:37 pm. My parents were very relieved. I relieved myself, too, after which I weighed 3.999 kg (8 lb 13 oz).

What am I like so far? In a crisis (and there are many), I pride myself on remaining alert and calm -- during a brief interval after I finish crying. Meanwhile, please pick me up. Please? I really prefer to be held.

(on Mommy's arm at 6 days old)

Lev is a modern Hebrew boys' name, meaning "heart." It is also common as a Russian name meaning "lion" (sometimes translated as Leo). For example, Lev Tolstoy, Lev Vygotsky, and Lev Trotsky are respectively my mommy's favorite writer, my daddy's favorite developmental psychologist, and my sister's favorite Bolshevik (they share a birthday).

Below are some pictures from my first week here.

My First Hour

After enacting King Lear for the camera (here aged 7 min.), I threw off the mask of tragedy and joined my admiring family backstage: two parents and big sister Talia.

Dancing cheek-to-cheek in the delivery room.

1 Day Old

Aunt Amy and Nana helped me sleep. Whenever I slept I stopped trying to hold my head up by myself.

Then Grandma showed me a menorah, and Tali demonstrated how to score Chanukah loot. She's my hero.

Wow ... my hero gave me my very own rattle for Chanukah! First present ever. She even unwrapped it for me.

Life At Home

At 2 days old, I went home. Tali rocked me on the doorstep and sang Rock-a-Bye Baby.

I dreamed we were lighting a real menorah that evening. It smelled like Grandpa.

Nothing much changed for the rest of the week. Same old relatives taking care of me and coming to visit: Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa, Nana and Poppop, Aunt Amy and Uncle Danny, and my cousins Josie and Simon.

On day 6, my cousins Ben and Sam arrived with Aunt Karen and Uncle Jeff. It felt good to take my place in the geometric sequence of cousin sizes.

[Anyone have pictures of me from this time with Uncle Jeff, Uncle Danny, Josie, Simon, or Poppop?]

1 Week Old

I was known only as "Baby Brother" -- International Infant of Intrigue -- until my one-week birthday party, where my name was disclosed (following a minor medical procedure that we don't have to discuss). Lots of relatives and some good friends from synagogue crowded into my living room to hear my new moniker. There were songs and many, many bagels.

Great-Uncle Bill took these terrific pictures of moi (plus many more of the occasion, available on request).

Mommy, Daddy and I dressed up in blue to greet our guests.

Nana and Grandma read blessings.

This is the bit I didn't want to talk about. Except to say "thanks for holding that pillow steady, Grandpa."

Move along already, Tali,
we all know you're fascinated.

And now the good part: I become Lev Eisner at last! My daddy named me, singing the traditional text, while Poppop (his daddy) held me. Very patriarchal -- if you ignore the fact that I was named after my parents' maternal grandmothers (my initials L.R. come from Lillian and Rose).

Whoa, that was exhausting. Think I'll go plop on Poppop.

- Last Modification $Date: 2007/01/03 22:06:16 $ (GMT)