Ramona

Erica and Jason brought over these "lovely" bows for the girls. Stella and Ramona were born a few days apart.







Stella was over 10 pounds and Ramona was 6 pounds. Look at the difference in their legs.



Cyra burping the baby. Lulu gets jealous and asks if she can "hit" the baby too.



This outfit was gifted to us by Stella who didn't fit any of her newborn clothes (thanks guys!).



The big sisters reading Ramona a story.





Baby Ramona is a complete delight. She is such a great baby. She hardly ever cries. She sleeps really well and she smells so good. I forgot how great newborns are. I love her little face and her fuzzy hair and her grunts when she's trying to burp.

The big girls get haircuts

Dad does it.





Kids (at least mine) are so vain.









Now we all look like Dora. Ramona is Boots and dad is Swiper.

Kids watch Bugs Bunny

We got a classic Bugs Bunny DVD and it's the kids' favorite. They watch it and then they talk about it for an hour. Lulu walks around saying "What's up Doc?" and "That's despicable!"





This is an outing to central park a few weeks ago when I was still pregnant.

We would like you to meet Ramona

Mehrsa had the opportunity to audition for American Idol two nights ago. She kind of stumbled upon it, actually. They happen to be holding auditions in the hospital where she decided to give birth to our new daughter. Doug, a friend from law school, was at the audition too, ready to do a number with his brother - apparently one of those duo types with a heart-felt story that always make it in front of the judges but never do very well.

Unfortunately Mehrsa had two problems. First of all she wasn't really prepared; hadn't planned on auditioning and didn't have a song. No sweat - all those sing-alongs with Les Miserables could surely produce a decent "I Dreamed a Dream" or something like that. The other problem was a little more significant, something Susan Boyle didn't have to deal with - contractions. Contraction after contractions kept breaking her focus, taking her from the zone, disrupting her visualization of looking Simon into the eyes and saying with determination "I have been preparing my whole life for this". Contraction----------Contraction-----Contraction--Contraction. It was time to go, wake up, out of bed, to the birthing center, it is for real this time.

Her sisters were like clockwork, but this girl came on her own time. Her grand entrance to the world seemed at times like a little piece of paper caught in the wind, wandering through the skyscrapers of Manhattan - some times coming and other times going, riding the breezes that snake between the buildings, neither afraid of nor hurried by the simple fact that gravity and nature would eventually win and land her in a puddle, or in a tree, or in the loving arms of tearful and awestruck parents. She was born April 8 at about 7pm, 6 pounds and 4 ounces of beauty that is so real you can smell it.

The labor was extraordinary, and, aided only by a midwife, a nurse and me as cheerleaders, Mehrsa again stepped beyond the bounds of human strength and endurance to breathe life into our little girl with such grace and penetrating beauty so as to give the universe pause. The baby came face up which didn't make things easy, and twisted in her cord which didn't help either, but she is here. She is here. Her name is Ramona, and, with Cyra and Lucia, she makes our set complete. Mehrsa is one of three sisters. I have three sisters, and now as the father of three girls I wholeheartedly wish daughters on everyone I even remotely like.

Happy Easter

Getting ready for the egg hunt.



Devising a strategy:













Not sure about this look. She said she was smelling something.





And my birthday (on the third).



Cyra and Jared made me that awesome banner in the background.







Dying eggs.



Easter baskets:

Getting ready for baby

by testing out her new gear...