December in Baltimore

What a fun month!

I saw my first snow:























And I had my first Hanukkah (the book is from Grandma and Grandpa):

My family from California came to visit.

I had lots of fun with my cousins Shiva and Eshaan.

Nani and Nana gave me this onesie. I must say, I am a little genius. Don't you agree? (Click twice on the arrow to play the video.)

Baltimore Aquarium

I went with Mommy and Daddy to the radiology department holiday party at the Aquarium.



We discovered I am about the size of a grouper:



I always insist on a view of the harbor while dining.

Week 8

Baby Einstein:

Week 7

Grandma came up to Baltimore to help take care of me over Thanksgiving. She brought along a little gift...a t-shirt from Daddy's alma mater!

Week 6

I took my first car trip this week to Philadelphia. I was very good; my parents only made one stop for me along the way. I was quite a party animal--I went to a bar with my parents' friends and stayed out until midnight. This is a picture with Aunties Lanette, Noelle, and Alyssa. As you can see, I'm quite a ladies man...

The next day we went for a walk in Rittenhouse Square, right next to my parent's old apartment. This is a picture of me with my frog friend (I'm also wearing my frog suit, but you can't see it):

Don't mess with me -- I'm a boxer!

Week 5

We celebrated my first Diwali today by lighting lots of candles and eating delicious food. I also wore my first pair of jeans (and striped hoodie) sent to me by my Nani in Sacramento. Dad built another fire.

1 month

Today is my one month birthday! To celebrate, mom bought me a cake and dad built a fire! Following the cake, we had a bowl-a-thon with my new animal bowling pins (thanks Marcus, Kim, Isabella, and Evan!). Dad bowled for me and got us a strike. Mom didn't even hit one animal (claims it's because of her post-partum state).

Anu Masi is the 7th pin.

Week 4

Today was my Pidyon Ha-Ben, an ancient ceremony in which, as the first-born son, I was redeemed from my obligation to serve the priests. My dad "bought" me back from my cousin Ben Doochin (who represented the priests) for 8 silver dollars. My dad was redeemed from Ben's dad using the same coins!

This is a picture of the Abramson cousins (including cousins Laurence and Hazel who flew in from Chicago, cousin Ben who flew in from Nashville, and Uncle Mike):

I also met some new friends...Sophia (with Auntie Jacqui) and Lachlin (with Uncle Dan):

Another picture of Sophia and me:

Day 26

It's my first Halloween! I dressed up as a pumpkin during the day (courtesy of cousins Jane and Howie), and a pea-in-a-pod for the evening. No trick-or-treating for me this year, but my cousins Shiva and Eshaan in San Diego collected candy for me!

Day 13

More pictures of me!

Day 8

The past week has been a bit of a blur, but all of my grandparents have been in town to take good care of me. Today was my bris, and my family from Atlanta flew in for the event.

40 weeks/Day 1

I'm here!! My official name is Alexander Saurav Abramson, but you can call me Alex. I was born October 5, 2007 at 6:17 pm. Unfortunately for my mom, I was a big kid--8 lbs, 6 oz and 21 inches tall. Here's what I looked like when I was 4 hours old -- click the arrow twice to play the video:



Everyone says I look just like my daddy. I'll let you be the judge! Here's a photo of my daddy circa 1972, and one of me circa 2007:



I don't know what everyone's talking about -- I'm clearly much cuter.



My hands and feet are definitely from my mom. In fact, as I came out, the first thing my Aunt Anu said was, "He has Vandana's feet!"



Here is my foot compared to my daddy's. (Mom wouldn't pose for this photo -- she says her feet are still too swollen.)



Well, what can I tell you about myself? I'm a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of guy. I enjoy drinking milk, burping, and going to parties, especially when they are thrown by my Nana and Nani in my honor:



I also enjoy hanging out with my Grandma and Grandpa and my Aunt Anu:



I like relaxing with my daddy and mommy:



Oh yeah, one more activity I really enjoy -- sleeping!! Speaking of which, I am pretty tired from the move . . .

38 weeks

Some statistics for the last 38 weeks: Mom has gained close to 40 pounds. Dad was up a few pounds initially (see the week 19 entry), but is now net negative--probably because Mom eats all of the food off of his plate. Mom's waist is now exactly 10 inches larger than Dad's (and it was "definitely" smaller than his before I entered the picture--at least that's what she says). Thankfully, for Mom's mental well-being, she still weighs less than Dad--although not by a lot.

36 weeks

This week my Aunt Anu and my mom's good friend Alyssa threw my mom a fabulous baby shower (in my honor, of course) with afternoon tea at the Rittenhouse Hotel in Philadelphia. Both grandparents flew in--the grandmothers attended the shower while the grandfathers went to a Philly's baseball game with my dad. (I have a feeling this is the last time I'll be going to afternoon tea with the ladies over a baseball game--especially if my dad has anything to say about it!) Mom got to spend time with many of her favorite women, and her friends showered her with basically everything that I need for the next year of my life.

I got a serious sugar load after mom had some of this:


The best aunt in the whole world...


Click here for the rest of the photos from the shower.

35 weeks

And mommy thought she was big before!

My parents celebrated their 4th wedding anniversary this weekend with a trip to Washington D.C. This will be their last trip without me!

33 weeks

I love kicking my mommy from inside!

Here's what I use to kick her ... my big strong foot!




I kick Mommy when I'm hungry, and I kick Mommy when I'm full. I also love to kick her at night when she's trying to fall asleep!!

27 weeks

This week, my parents and I shared in a first...our first Amish festival in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Mom had her first funnel cake and watched (but certainly didn't take part in) an ox roast.

Dad and I shared our first drive-in movie at the oldest drive-in the country. We saw "Ratatouille." (Mom saw E.T. at a drive-in about 25 years ago.) Click here for the rest of the pics.