Introducing Emma

This past Wednesday, also known as the day after NoahDaddy's birthday, started with a plan, an uneventful plan but a plan nonetheless. Before leaving the house that morning, I spent a few minutes starting a mix of some songs to play in Mrs. Zwicker's delivery room. After minyan, the rabbi and I scheduled a time for the following week at which we could discuss the halachot of going to the hospital vis a vis Shabbat and Yom Tov. After minyan, I went to the office so I could work for an hour or so before going with Mrs. Zwicker to the weekly doctor's visit. I assumed that I would be back in the office by 11:00 and then head to Ann Arbor to do some work at the courthouse there. Well, you know what they say about man planning and God laughing.

Because we had raised the question the previous week of how big the baby was, our doctor ordered an ultrasound for this week's visit. The doctor saw that the baby was undersized, only about three pounds, and was not getting the proper nutrients. Since we were already at 36 weeks, the doctor said it was best to just deliver the baby that day. I freely admit that I went into a panic, imagining all the worst case scenarios. Even more important than our doctor and the neonatal pediatrician assuring us that our baby would be fine in the long run, it was Mrs. Zwicker's calm that brought me back from the ledge. She's the greatest.

Before I knew it, Mrs. Zwicker went into pre-op while I went into another room to don my best surgical gear for the impending c-section. Once in the operating room, I sat with Mrs. Zwicker, holding her hand and telling her how wonderful she was. Soon enough, the doctor told me to stand and look over the curtain to see our baby enter this world. I know that billions of others have had the pleasure of witnessing such a sight, but I cannot imagine anything more amazing than seeing one's own child literally emerge from its mother. Seeing our baby's head, then shoulders, then torso and finally legs and feet, is something that I will never forget. With all the blood and the way it was facing, not to mention the tears of joy in my eyes, I could not tell until our doctor declared its gender that we had a daughter. Mrs. Zwicker said through the past nine months that our baby was a girl. Sure enough, she was correct once again, and she wasted no time in telling me right there, "I told you so."

After the staff took her to the side and cleaned her and did whatever else they do when a baby is first born, I then got to hold my daughter, right next to Mrs. Zwicker's head. As the doctor told us earlier that day, it was a very good sign that we got to stay with our daughter for a good ten minutes or so. At least I think that's how long it was. I'm usually pretty good at keeping track of time without a clock but I was totally lost in the glory of the moment. By the way, I learned later that the time of birth was 2:25.

While Mrs. Zwicker was recuperating, I went upstairs to the neo-natal intensive care unit (pronounced "nik-you" by those in the know) to see our baby girl. She was long and lean, sixteen inches and a tad under three pounds to be exact, but otherwise healthy. She also had a full head of blonde hair. Okay, I will now pause so you can make your "she already has more hair than you do" cracks.

Mrs. Zwicker and I originally planned, if we were to have a girl, on naming her at a siyyum that NoahDaddy and I would make on our impending conclusion of Tractate Moed Katan. Well, with our daughter being a few weeks from going home so she could gain weight first, not to mention NoahDaddy's chronic absences from learning, we decided to just name her the next morning. We still plan on having the siyyum, at which point I will expound on whether one can console someone during the month after the loss of a wife if the widower has already remarried.

The next morning at shul, I gave our little girl her Hebrew name, Chava Emunah. Chava was Mrs. Zwicker's grandmother while Emunah is a name we just liked because it embodied the faith we did our best to maintain while trying to have a child. That same morning we announced the English name, Emma Faye. Both names come from Mrs. Zwicker's grandmothers.

The last few days have been an emotional roller coaster. There is nothing as amazing as seeing and holding our beautiful little Emma. On Friday night, Mrs. Zwicker and I each placed our hands on Emma's head and, with tears in our eyes, blessed her, asking that she follow in our Jewish foremothers' footsteps. On Shabbat afternoon, notwithstanding my less than stellar voice, I soothed Emma by singing to her and then learning the weekly Torah portion next to her incubator. I made sure she heard the part about honoring one's mother and father. Despite all of those and other moments, it has been to tough to leave her in the NICU. We cannot wait until Emma comes home with us for good.

Here is a picture of Emma at one day old in my arms. I'll try to post more pictures soon.

Imus-Kennedy or Condit?

This past weekend, the only story on the news was the Don Imus imbroglio. Among the various discussions on op-ed pages and the Sunday morning talk shows, including on ESPN, was what does the future hold for the unemployed Imus. Is his career really done or does he just get a time-out for a year or two before getting a new gig on satellite radio, like Opie & Anthony? All of a sudden, with the tragedy at Virginia Tech yesterday, the Imus story is officially yesterday's news. The question, though, remains. History is not necessarily an indication, as the stories of Ted Kennedy and Gary Condit reveal, but it will be interesting to see whether, as cynical as it sounds, Don Imus can now get some breathing room.

On July 18, 1969, Ted Kennedy was in his first full term as a United States Senator. He was driving home from a party with Mary Jo Kopechne, a campaign worker, on Martha's Vineyard. For reasons known only to him, Kennedy's car drove into a pond. Kennedy was able to escape but Kopechne was not so fortunate. She drowned. Legitimate questions regarding Kennedy's culpability in Kopechne's death arose immediately. Just a few days later though, Neil Armstrong took his giant leap for mankind and Kennedy's connection to Kopechne became much less important. While the questions regarding Kopechne's death still abound today and likely have prevented Kennedy from ever mounting a serious presidential bid, there is no doubt that he has risen to great heights in American politics. Historians and commentators have long speculated whether Kennedy's career could have survived without the overshadowing the Kopechne incident received from the moon landing.

On April 30, 2001, United States Congressman Gary Condit was in his sixth term when congressional intern Chandra Levy disappeared. During the investigation into her absence, word that Levy and Condit were having an affair surfaced. He immediately became a suspect, if not in the eyes of the police, then at least in the media. While he never faced any charges, Condit's career was effectively done. The media feeding frenzy may have lasted longer than four months had the 9/11 attacks not occurred. On that fateful morning, Condit immediately became nothing more than a footnote in the history books.

This is not to suggest in any way that Don Imus was happy to see the Virginia Tech massacre occur. I am also in no way equating Kopechne or Levy's death with Imus' statements. I am also in no way equating the moon landing and/or 9/11 with the Virginia Tech massacre. It just raises the question of what effect, if any, it will have on Imus' career. Time will tell.

A Jew Walks Into A Bar

I am proud to announce that I passed the Florida bar examination. Getting the news wasn't as memorable as when I learned of passing Michigan over twelve years ago, when I found the important letter in the mailbox and literally opened and read it standing by the curb in the rain. The news also didn't come with as much anxiety since I would still have a job regardless of the results. Even so, it's great news.

The only drawback is that there is no other attorney in Florida who shares my first and last name, thereby preventing me from blaming my indiscretions on someone else.

Pot Meet Kettle, Part Two

If Al Sharpton is good at one thing, besides for his being a shameless huckster in the race business, it's creating sympathy for someone who doesn't otherwise deserve it. When Don Imus' "nappy headed hos" flap first erupted, I didn't really give it much thought. After all, I was never a fan of his. While living in New York, I was partial to Howard Stern. Since returning to Detroit, my morning talk show favorite has been Drew & Mike. Imus just never interested me. He always struck me as angry and mocking. The controversy that he created therefore didn't really concern me too much.

That was before Sharpton once again assumed the position of father confessor for all Americans of color. As I have previously written on the Zlog here, Sharpton repeatedly gets a pass on his own virulent racism. In fact, Sharpton's racist past is much more injurious to others than Imus' recent comment. Sharpton's actions have led to deaths and the irreversible trashing of good people's reputations. On the other hand, I doubt that there were many people who now think any worse of black women in general and Rutgers basketball players in particular than they did before Imus opened his big mouth.

Post-Passover Ramblings

-On the second night of Passover, Mrs. Zwicker and I started counting not just the Omer but also the countdown to the scheduled arrival of Baby Zwicker. While at the in-laws' place this past weekend, we started discussing the custom of expectant fathers opening the Aron Hakodesh in the last month of pregnancy. When Mother-in-law asked for the reason behind the custom and I explained that it's supposed to be an omen for a easy opening through which the baby can exit, her look and reaction-"that's quite the visual"-made us laugh. We quickly moved to a new topic.

(Spoiler alert for the next paragraph)

-While "24" dragged a little after a strong start to the season, the show has definitely gotten its mojo back. On the other hand, I will not be happy if the rest of the season revolves around saving Audrey. I think I speak for most "24" fans when I say that we all knew she was alive but wish otherwise. My theory is that the United States gave Audrey to the Chinese as security and bait for Jack's return once his mission was complete. Now that Jack has secured the remaining missiles, he has to risk returning to a Chinese prison if he wants to rescue Audrey.

-Mrs. Zwicker and I caught "Reign Over Me" over the recent holiday. We gave it all four thumbs up. As I have previously written, Adam Sandler can do drama, although his uncanny resemblance to mid-80's Bob Dylan was a little distracting. I wonder if it was intentional. Anyway, Sandler was great, as was Don Cheadle, which is no surprise.

-It is utterly ridiculous that the Toronto Blue Jays pulled the below ad starring Frank Thomas. Apparently, people thought it promoted child abuse. The ad is simply hilarious. Someone who beats a kid because of this commercial is like, according to Dennis Miller, the teenagers who supposedly committed suicide in the 1980's after listening to heavy metal music. If someone takes his life because of anything Ozzy Osbourne has to say, that person is probably so far over the edge already anyway.