Alaskan Living

"Live From The Changing Table" - World's Youngest Podcaster

ARI SPEAKS OUT
Ari Jacob Kaufman, only 17 days old, granted a rare public interview this morning. Dubbed the world’s youngest podcaster, the newborn prodigy discussed his views on topics as far-ranging as whether the new Pope should blog, controversial plans to drill for oil in the Arctic Refuge, what his recent experience in the womb can teach us about global warming, and tips for a heart-healthy, 100% dairy diet.

Ari chose alaska.org, the new Alaska vacation planning

Breastmilk--The Anti-Diet

We took Ari for his 2-week check-up today. Infants can lose 10% of their body weight after birth. By the time of their 2-week check-up, you hope they’re back to birth weight.

Not our Ari. He wouldn’t settle for such a modest goal. Our milk-sucking machine has slurped in enough of mama’s white gold to gain 2 lbs 2 ounces since his last

Mt. McKinley Flightseeing

One of the nice things about living in Alaska is you can have afternoon adventures that most people would be lucky to experience once in their lifetime. My parents wanted to get out and see a little bit of Alaska before returning home, so we took them flightseeing up to Mt. McKinley from Anchorage. Of all the Alaska travel experiences one could have, I think this Alaska scenic flight is probably the most memorable. It's humbling.

If you're interested in planning your own trip, this page on our Alaska travel planning site should help you. If you're headed towards Denali, I recommend going from Talkeetna.

Ari's Bris

First, some photos from the bris.

Most people haven’t been to a bris. Brit milah (or “bris” for short) is the Jewish ritual of circumcision which has been practiced in an unbroken chain for 4000 years. The Torah says, “Throughout your generations, every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old.” Here we are today, 130 generations later, and it’s amazing that this covenant between Jews and God survives. The bris is

Introducing...Ari Jacob Kaufman

It’s official. I went down to medical records and filled out the birth certificate. Yael was comfortable with the name from the start. But it was hard for me to settle on a name. Nothing felt natural. How do you reduce all those feelings towards your newborn son into a name? Giving him a name almost made him feel like a stranger. I’m sure that at some point in the future, “Ari” will become second nature. When I hear it, it will bring up all the feelings of love and hope I have towards my first-born son. I’ll look back and wonder how it ever felt unfamiliar.

However, while I was down there at medical records all alone, I did consider making a little mischief.

Baby Homecoming!

The pediatrician came by today and told us it was time to go home! When I was in NY last fall, Yael’s mother showed me a knitted pink sweater as small as my hand. She asked if I could guess what it was. I couldn’t. Then she told me it was the outfit Yael came home from the hospital in. I melted. So today, when we dressed baby to come home from the hospital, I realized this outfit could become a family heirloom his future wife would treasure. And boy did he look good! (Do you think I might be thinking a little too far ahead?) 

The pediatrician also told us a new study says it’s safe to let

Baby Day Two

I’ve only known my baby for one day, and it’s hard to believe I could love any person so much after only knowing him for such a short time. At one point today, I gently lifted baby out of the bassinet and laid him down next to me on the couch bed, my face six inches from his. For 10 minutes, I just studied his face as he slept.

His features as so tiny, but they’re all there—even wrinkle lines on his forehead (but so faint you can barely make them out.) I just stared as he twitched his eyes, shifted his lips, and swung his clumsy fists (with perfectly-formed fingernails) up to his cheek. I put my nose under his and tried to smell his breath, but I couldn’t make anything out. I guess his breath is still pretty light, this being the first day on the job for his tiny little lungs.

BABY!!!

A feeling you can never describe. 35 hours after the initial contractions, Dr. McCeary comes into the room and says, “This baby’s ready to come out. Yael, you’re going to push hard, I’m going to help work it through the opening, and we’re going to have this baby in the next 15 minutes.” I’ve never seen a doctor take charge so impressively.

Yael and I looked at each other and started to cry. After 9 months, finally, the moment we had always dreamed about—meeting our baby.

Minutes later, I watch Dr. McCreary pull an alien-looking human being out of my wife’s body. She holds it up for me to see. All choked up, I try to tell Yael, “It’s a boy.”

The baby looks like a little old man, his skin bluish, wrinkled, baggy, flaky. It has a mat of brown gooey hair on its head. His blue eyes open and shut.

Getting Intense In Here

We’re doing well, but it’s going to be a long night. Yael’s contractions are getting painful—some bad enough to make her vomit. (She says the vomiting’s actually good—it distracts her from the pain for a second.) She can’t decide if she’s got the chills or hot flashes. I keep telling her this is her body preparing itself for her to become a mommy, but honestly, there’s not much I can say or do to console her.

Baby is doing well. The nurse just pressed my fingers into

To The Hospital

The book says not to come to the hospital until contractions are 5-8 minutes apart, but we came by anyways. Ours are only 10 minutes apart right now, but they’re getting more intense.

Mike called us on the cell on the way over. He told me, “Bobber, you realize you’re crossing the Rubicon and you can never go back. Take a deep breathe of the air before you walk in, because it will never be just the two of you again.”

“This is one of the defining moments of your life, one you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Seldom do you know that in advance.”