Mama I'm Coming Home

Great news! Emma's weight jumped 2.3 ounces to a whopping total of 3 pounds, 15.4 ounces. The doctor said that she can come home today. It looks like our counting down every night of the Omer worked in the end. Thank you to God for letting us bring home our beautiful baby, safe and sound. Thank you to all our friends and family who have been so supportive and helpful. Last but certainly not least, thank you to Mrs. Zwicker, for spending countless hours at the hospital, giving Emma just a small dose of the love and attention awaiting her at home. I love you both.

Emma Update

Sorry, especially to Dr. O's Fan, for the lack of postings the last week or so. With my whirlwind tour of Midwest hotspots like Lansing and Toledo, not to mention twice-daily visits to the hospital, I have not had much time to post. Yesterday, Mrs. Zwicker and I again walked the four-plus miles to the hospital to spend Shabbat afternoon with Emma. Don't worry, the nap streak is still alive. Just as important, Emma's weight as of this morning is 3 lbs., 11.2 oz., just 4.8 ounces short of coming home. At the rate at which she has been gaining weight, she should be home by the end of this week. As Cousin AJ pointed out the other day, we might want to slow Emma's weight gain. If she keeps going at this pace, she'll be 182 pounds by the time she's five years old.

Notes From The NICU

You probably cannot tell it from the pictures but Emma is growing less littler every day, thank God. As of last night she was at 3 lbs., 6.4 oz. She's been guzzling her milk like her daddy drank in law school, albeit a beverage of a different sort. The doctors hope to have her out of the isolette and taking all her feedings via bottle rather than a nose tube within a day or so.

The Cure

For the past two weeks, while visiting Emma in the hospital two or three times a day, it has bothered me that there are so many sick people in the world. I just wished that I could do something to help even one sick person. Early this morning, while driving to see Emma, I realized the answer when I heard Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper." The cure had been right before my eyes all this time. More cowbell! Now i just have to find one that I can take to the hospital and play its soothing melodies as I walk through the halls. Soon enough, Sinai Grace Hospital will have no more patients. I can then go from hospital to hospital, not just in southeast Michigan but around the world, healing all who can hear the glorious cowbell.

Every Ounce Counts

Little Emma is getting slightly less little each day. As of this morning she weighed 3lbs., 2.6 oz., approximately three ounces above her birth weight. She lost a few ounces her first few days but has gained at least .4 ounce every day but one over the past eight or so days. We hope to have her home in two weeks or so, which was when she was supposed to be born. In case you're wondering, the tube you see going into Emma's nose is just for feeding. She has been drinking more and more from her bottle and less and less from the tube. The other wires are just monitors for her heartbeat and stuff like that.

Last night I changed her diaper for the first time. It wasn't the first time I had changed a diaper, just the first time since I babysat in high school. To give some perspective on how long ago that was, I specifically remembering changing the baby's diaper while watching Mike Scott pitch a no-hitter to clinch the Houston Astros a spot in the 1986 National League playoffs.

Emma Pictures

I was never a fan of people e-mailing dozens of unsolicited pictures of their children. On the other hand, some of you have asked to see more pictures of Emma. These are for you.

For those keeping score at home, Emma was 3 lbs., 1.4 oz. as of this morning. She's on her way, bli ayin hara.

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.

The Awesome Power of MNFBBQ

While NoahDaddy did a pretty good job in summarizing another joyous MNFBBQ meeting, he missed a key component. During our most recent soiree, Gil mentioned that he had a meeting at YIOP that evening at 10:30. You may be asking yourself why any meeting would start so late. Well, there is only answer and it is "MNFBBQ."

A few years ago, when NoahDaddy and I were both on the YIOP executive board, the president told us that he had scheduled a meeting for us for the following Monday night at 9:00. NoahDaddy and I immediately both said that we would not attend because it conflicted with the MNFBBQ and we had our priorities. The president fully understood and never scheduled another Monday night meeting. We knew then just how revered the MNFBBQ was.

No Waitress, however, taught us the other night the level of respect that others understandably have for the MNFBBQ. Here he was, part of a group that was meeting to discuss our rabbi's contract and time was of the essence. Nothing, however, was more essential to No Waitress than attending the MNFBBQ. (My attendance has been far from perfect lately and I therefore give No Waitress extra props for taking his stand.) No Waitress' fellow committee members fully understood and thus agreed to not schedule the meeting until 10:30 at night. As it was, No Waitress was still at Stale Bun's house at 10:40 when his cell phone rang, as always. The caller wanted to know when they could expect No Waitress to attend the meeting.

After we all appreciated yet one more sign of the MNFBBQ's awesomeness, we engaged in a discussion of just how great is the respect we have rightfully earned. We had questions. If an MNFBBQ meeting were to occur on Yom Kippur, would the entire holiday be rescheduled or would there just be an allowance for us to eat that night? Should we now reconsider our longstanding policy of not meeting on Passover since the buns are an essential part of MNFBBQ, except when Blackjack gets to them? Feel free to offer your own questions and comments. While the MNFBBQ's membership is exclusive, we are always open to receiving fan mail.

Amazing Finish

For all the buzz about the NCAA Division I tournament, people forget that there are other college tournaments. Courtesy of DeadSpin comes this finish, from the Division II tournament championship is one of the best ending to any sporting event ever. Enjoy.

High Art

I was shocked and dismayed this morning to read in this story that the Cincinnati Symphony & Pops Orchestra was cancelling an appearance that the Dukes of Hazzard themed program that the television show's stars, John Schneider and Tom Wopat, were to make. The cancellation was because "some in the community found the show racist and offensive." This story strikes a chord with me, not because I have any great affinity towards the show, but because a well-respected artistic institution was going to have a Dukes of Hazzard themed program in the first place. What's next, The Metropolitan Opera doing a Gomer Pyle set?

Stay Classy Zlog Readers

To my legion of fans, I must apologize for my paucity of postings as of late. Before the bar exam, I was just too busy with work and studying to post. I am still quite busy at work (O's fan-ixnay on the ournamenttay) but, more importantly, I just haven't had much to say or share. I hope to rejoin the world of active blogging soon. Meanwhile, enjoy this 1970's commercial for a Cleveland news show. Besides its own entertainment value, it makes me appreciate just how well "Anchorman-The Legend of Ron Burgundy" nailed it.

A Purim Thought

On this day of Purim, when we celebrate the Jewish people's salvation from an enemy that sought to destroy us, an incident that occurred last week has really stuck with me. One of the commandments surrounding this holiday is the requirement to eradicate Amalek. This involves not just physically fighting mortal men who want to end the Jewish people but also battling the evil within us.

Last week, while waiting before one of the sections of the Florida bar examination, I was talking to the young Jewish woman sitting behind me. We were discussing children, her thirteen month old boy and the Baby Zwicker that will arrive shortly and healthy, God willing. The woman, Julie, said that her son has, in her words, the coolest Hebrew name, Zev. Upon my asking, she said that she didn't know his Hebrew middle name. I found her ignorance to be very sad. Julie is not totally assimilated. She is active in her reform temple and is even a Sunday school teacher there. Also, her son is only thirteen months old, barely a year removed from his naming.

In this day and age in the United States, there is not much reason to fear the Jewish people's physical safety. Of the individuals seeking the major party nominations for president next year, there is none whose views on domestic Judaism concern me one way or the other. (Israel, of course, is another story and a post for another day.) What does concern me, and I hardly think I'm alone, about the future of Judaism in this country is the assimilation and ignorance that threaten so many Jews. During yesterday's reading of the commandment to destroy Amalek, I thought of Julie. If she doesn't even know her son's Jewish middle name, what kind of future as a Jew does it promise him? What kind of future awaits so many others?

The war to regain our own people is like many other great conflicts, whether physical or spiritual. While there may be one decisive tipping point in any war, most wars are won and lost through many battles. Some battles are large but most are small and quick. The key is to fight every one of them. In the war against assimilation and ignorance, we must be ever vigilant to show those not as fortunate in Jewish education just how beautiful our religion is. Whether it is inviting someone to a religious event that he or she would not otherwise attend or discussing even a few words of Torah, the opportunities for us to fight this war are endless. It is up to us to seize the opportunities.

Begging For Relevance

One has to wonder what Jesse Jackson thinks of Barack Obama. On the one hand, assuming he really believes in the advancement of black people, Jackson must be ecstatic that Obama has a real chance at a major party's presidential nomination. On the other hand, Jackson must hate that it's Obama and not the good reverend himself in that position. Even more, Obama has gotten where he is without repeatedely playing the race card, much unlike Jackson and Al Sharpton.

Today's Variety online edition (I cannot believe that I am citing the entertainment trade journal for the second day in a row) is reporting that Jackson is planning a conference in April to discuss the supposed dearth of blacks in the movie industry. Jackson's announcement, coming just days before this Sunday's Oscar awards ceremony, is pretty pathetic. For example, Jackson doesn't think it's enough that five of the twenty, or 25%, of actors nominated this year are black and that three of the four winners could very well be black despite the 2000 United States census showing that 12.3% of Americans are black. Jackson also thinks that whites, who constituted 75.1% of the 2000 United States population, are overrepresented in the 69% of roles that he alleges are reserved for white actors. As an aside, I have no idea where Jackson gets that 69% figure or whether there is any such quota for any race in Hollywood.

My question for Jackson is how much will be enough? I am in no way suggesting that any one group should have a maximum quota, or a minimum quota for that matter, whether it's for jobs, education or whatnot. At the same time, this is just one more example of Jackson playing the race card because that's the all he has in his arsenal.

The Threat Of Israel

While I don't take what Variety reports as the gospel on politics, this statement by John Edwards, which he reportedly made at a recent Hollywood gathering, is pretty alarming:

"Perhaps the greatest short-term threat to world peace, Edwards remarked, was the possibility that Israel would bomb Iran's nuclear facilities."

As Jim Geraghty writes over at the Hillary Spot, "Really? Israel is the biggest threat? Not Ahmedinijad? Not al-Qaeda? Not a coup attempt in Pakistan? Not a complete breakdown in Iraq drawing in the Saudis, Turks, and Iranians?"

Yet One More Reason MNFBBQ Is For Men Only

Sorry for the light posting lately but I have the Florida bar exam in two weeks. Studying, along with trying to keep the business running smoothly, really eats into the important things in life. Anyway, I had to post this article that shows that barbecuing is a man's game.

24 Reflecting Reality

I once heard someone joke that not all Jews are dentists but all dentists are Jews. That joke always comes to my mind when I hear Muslim groups complain about their religion's depiction as violent and terroristic. It is therefore refreshing to see this morning's Wall Street Journal carry an opinion piece by Emilio Karim Dabul on the great television show "24."

For those not sadly not familiar, each season of "24" takes place, in 24 one hour episodes, in real time over the course of a single day. The focus of the show is Jack Bauer and the government agency for which he works, the Counter Terrorism Unit. As his agency's name indicates, Bauer fights terrorism. Rather than skirt around the hard reality of who is committing nearly all of the world's terrorist actions, the show's villains have often been Muslim.

Dabul's article takes a stand against Muslims who complain about these depictions:

I am an Arab-American as well as a fan of "24." The two things are not mutually exclusive, despite what the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and other such groups have to say about this season's opening episodes possibly increasing anti-Muslim and anti-Arab prejudice in American society.
Most of the terrorists represented in "24" through the years have been Arab Muslims. Why? Well, probably because most terrorists today are, in fact, Arab Muslims. As a descendant of Syrian Muslims, I am very well aware that the majority of Muslims world-wide are peaceful, hard working, and law abiding. That still does not change the fact that the greatest terrorist threat to the U.S. today comes not from the ETA, the IRA, etc., but from one group: Islamic terrorists.

And this is what makes "24" a compelling drama every week. Instead of pretending Islamic terrorists don't exist, the show presents frighteningly real worst-case scenarios perpetrated by Osama bin Laden's followers. So CAIR thinks it's over the top for the terrorists in "24" to blow up Los Angeles with a nuke? Please, if bin Laden and his crew had nukes, most of us would be way too dead to argue over such points.

Read the whole thing here.