Friday, May 29, 2009

Officially Phoebe




On Friday, May 22nd, 2009, Phoebe sat on my lap in front of a New York City judge for the signing of her official re-adoption papers. This is mainly a formality. Phoebe has been officially my daughter for all but 4 months of her life. She became a U.S. citizen when she stepped foot in the country on February 1, 2008. (Her certificate signed by George W. Bush who actually managed to spell his name right :) What this procedure does is give us a U.S. birth certificate with her American name: Phoebe Ellis Horowitz. For a girl with a Vietnamese name and a Hebrew name, this one matters most. It will make her entry into school as seamless as any other kid. She is a real New Yorker now and not just because she likes pickles and Herring and bagels. All four Grandparents and our lawyer, Cliff Greenberg were on hand to share the moment with us, as well as Phoebe's favorite companion, Bunny Rosen. We celebrated with, what else? Bagels after the ceremony.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Mother's Day 2





We spent a lovely Mother's Day at the Birch residence on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. With sweeping views of the Hudson River, Jeff's Mom's place is the perfect compliment to my Mom's view of the East River. How lucky Phoebe is to have both in her visual lexicon. And commuting just across town for Mother's day is a treat anyone who ever had to schelp to Long Island or the surrounding boroughs knows all too well. Just a few of the reasons I felt so very lucky on this Mother's Day. Not only do I have an adorable daughter, a handsome man who gave me the best present of taking Phoebe out all morning and letting me sleep in, but we were able to share this day with two Grandmas. Grammy Eastside and Grandma Westside :) I briefly felt a bit of melancholy with the knowledge that these amazing Grandmas won't last forever. This moment is so precious to me that I want to just drink it in and appreciate every minute that I get to be a Mom with my Mom so close by. Jeff's Mom is a beautiful bonus to all this and we're so happy to have her in our lives. So here's to the Moms and the Grandmas too. The day was ours to celebrate with 3 lovely men who shared it with us; Jeff, Dad and Jonfer. How very fortunate we are.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Little Mad Hatter





It's a fact that has proven itself in a new generation: all Horowitz's look good in hats. It could be a baseball hat, a cap, a cowboy or fedora, but Phoebe sure fits the mold. Like her favorite Grandpa- whom she loving calls "Bob," that girl can rock a hat of any shape size or color. A few items of evidence are submitted here for your viewing pleasure.