Twice Is Nice

Minnesota has them. Doublemint has them. Jennifer Lopez has them. The Olsen family has them too. And in March, so will my sister and brother-in-law. That's right: I'm going to be an uncle again — and again — because my sister is pregnant with twins! Identical ones.

You may recall how excited I was when my sister was pregnant with her first child. Well, double it. I knew I'd be an uncle again someday, but twins is just so cool. It's two for the price of one. It's two times as much fun. It's twice as nice. And one day, when I've got my niece, Abby, and my two new nieces or nephews (I won't know which for a couple weeks) chasing me all over the yard or crawling all over me or sleeping on me ... well, that'll just be the best. And it'll also be fun to figure out which is which, or to dress them up as Thing 1 and Thing 2 or Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, or to make all the obvious other twins jokes. Ha ha ha ... I'm already laughing at the fun I'm going to have with these two.

Holy cow. If you thought I was a doting uncle before, just wait until I've got three kids to spoil. It's gonna be awesome. I'm so excited.

More! More!

Abby has learned some new words since I last saw her (in June): "More" and "No." She said both many times this weekend while she was here in Boston for her family's now-annual Labor Day Weekend visit to Boston. Nothing was ever enough, and she knew what she wanted (and what she didn't want). Suffice it to say, a great time was had.

Abby's an exhausting little girl now, but an endlessly fascinating (and fascinated) one. I loved watching her walk all over — my apartment, an open field, a playground, Farry & Barrah's apartment, the Pru and Copley malls, the Public Garden, Boston Common, the B.C. campus ... you name it, she was there exploring every nook and cranny. Abby's been to Boston before (most recently in January) but each time she comes, she's more aware of and curious about her surroundings. I could sit and watch her wander around for days and days. And that's pretty much what I did.

And, as if Mitzi and Jason didn't have enough to tire them out with chasing Abby around, they also got a little bit hooked on my Wii (Mitzi especially). Who knew they'd like it so much? It's safe to say that when the three of them left on Monday, we all wanted a little bit "more" time to spend together. Alas, real life beckons. Thankfully, we'll always have the pictures to remind us of the great time we had (click here to see them). Till their next visit ...

Happy Birthday, Abby!

Today is Abby's birthday and I've learned in the past week that my niece and I don't share something very important in common: a love of cake. On multiple occasions, Abby has not shown much interest in eating it. How sad! But no matter. Abby has enough sweetness in her as it is. And I'm sure that today, on the first anniversary of the day Abby was born, she'll find plenty of other ways to celebrate.

What a great year it's been since Abby was born, and how quickly it's flown. I can say with full confidence that my life is a better place with Abby in it; of all the great things that have happened to me in the past 12 months, her birth tops the list.

So, as she turns one today, Abby may not like cake as much as her uncle does, but her uncle sure likes her, and he'll have two pieces of cake — one for him and one for her — to celebrate. Happy birthday, Abby!

There's a Name for That

I was home in New York this weekend because 11 months after she was born, Abby finally had her Naming, where she received her Hebrew name. (Usually this happens much sooner after a baby's birth.) It was also a significant weekend for me because for the first time since Abby was born, I slept overnight at my sister and brother-in-law's house, which was a lot of fun — even at 6:15 on Saturday morning, when I woke up early to greet Abby. It was also amusing being there Saturday night when she spent about an hour babbling in her crib, telling her best bud, Quackers (a stuffed duck), all about her day, and wouldn't go to sleep. Ahhh ... babies. Abby's still so great, and she and I just have a really special relationship. She always remembers me, and lights up when she sees me. I am one of the few people, it seems, who can consistently make her smile and laugh. And then there are the quiet times when I just sit there holding her, and she just relaxes without fidgeting. It's adorable, and it excites me to no end. And of course, that's partly why I take so many pictures of Abby when I see her. So yes, I thought I'd share this weekend's collection. Enjoy.

Slanket Sadness

Life's been so good lately that I knew eventually I'd have a setback. I just never expected it would come from my niece, Abby.

You see, when I got a Slanket, I thought to myself, "Abby will love being cuddled up in this thing!" I mean, it's so soft and comfy. What nine-month-old baby wouldn't love being wrapped up in it? So when I went home to New York this past weekend, I brought the Slanket with me to test out my theory. Well, suffice it to say, the kid didn't like it. I got the Slanket on, laid down on the couch, and took Abby in my arms. And what did she do? She got fidgety and antsy. And then she cried until she was picked up. The first time we tried it, we chalked it up to Abby being tired. (Which, I know, doesn't make much sense. After all, I've fallen asleep wearing it.) But after her nap, things didn't change. She was just as unhappy. It practically broke my heart.

So ... while the kid and I are real tight otherwise (and we really are), on this we have to agree to disagree. Maybe when she gets older, Abby will come to appreciate the wonder and magic that is the Slanket. As her uncle, I think it's my responsibility to teach her this important lesson.

Baby New Year

As problems go, this one is not really a problem. Abby came to visit for a few days this weekend to wish me a Happy New Year, and she had gotten so cute (cuter than the last time I took photos and even cuter than the last time she was in Boston) that my camera just kinda went nuts while she was here. (Saturday we even did an impromptu mini photo shoot when she was cuddled up against me in my apartment.) Now I've got a surplus of great photos and I'm not sure which ones are the most frame-worthy. It's a definite quandary, especially because I've already got a few photos of her framed and, you know, when do you replace the older ones of her when she was younger with the newer ones now that she's eight months old? I just can't figure out what to do. Help me: Check out the latest collection and tell me which ones are your favorites. It's a tough choice, eh?

The Year of Martin

I can't believe 2008 is already over, mostly because when I look back on the year, I remember it as being as a great one in the life of Martin Lieberman. Three big things happened: I bought a condo, my niece was born, and I got a new job. All three were huge, life-changing events. I mean, my niece being born ... yeah. But the condo purchase came after more than six years of living in the same place, and the new job came after more than seven years with the same company. So I guess there's very good reason for some of my friends to be calling 2008 "The Year of Martin."

But there was more. My memories of 2008 also include fun times at Mardi Gras in Galveston, Texas, at the star-studded grand opening of the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, and at spring training down in Florida. In addition, I continued my streak of picking Tony winners to interview for Continental magazine and my blog received a ton of traffic thanks to links on Boston.com (and UniversalHub.com, of course). Oh, and how could I forget the election, which thoroughly engaged me, and made me very excited and hopeful. And sure, I ended the year by not being in a very festive mood and thus, decided to skip a year of "A Very Marty Christmas," but now it's New Years and I have plenty to celebrate.

Before the calendar changes completely, let's review some other year-end stuff.

Of the 53 movies I've seen this year, here are my top five favorites, in order:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Man on Wire
3. Slumdog Millionaire
4. Milk
5. The Wrestler

And here are my favorite CDs of 2008, in no particular order:
* Viva la Vida – Coldplay
* We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things – Jason Mraz
* Gossip in the Grain – Ray LaMontagne

And finally, my top-10 favorite TV shows of 2008, in order:
1. Brothers & Sisters
2. Lost
3. 30 Rock
4. Gossip Girl
5. How I Met Your Mother
6. The Office
7. Countdown with Keith Olbermann
8. The Amazing Race
9. Flight of the Conchords
10. Saturday Night Live

I hope that wherever and however you're celebrating the new year tonight that you can also look back and be happy. Personally, I can't wait to see how 2009 will top the past 12 months.

Happy New Year, everyone!

It's Only Been Six Months?

It's hard to believe it's only been six months since my niece Abby entered the world. It sure does feel like a lot longer, and I mean that in the best way possible. I was home in New York this past weekend to celebrate that special occasion — and another milestone for my mother with a six in it — and I took my camera with me. Click here if you'd like to see my latest batch of Abby photos. Or, click here to see pics from the entire past month (including ones from Halloween). Abby is so much fun nowadays. I love her big, round eyes and her smile, and I loved how in synch we were this weekend, since we both were battling a cold. I love everything about this little girl. Enjoy the photos.

Baby in Boston!

She's not yet four months old, but already Abby's come to Boston to see her uncle. Mitzi and Jason brought my niece up for a couple days and we had a great time taking her to some of the important baby-friendly Boston-area spots, like Johnny's and Coolidge Corner. We never made it to see the Make Way for Ducklings ducklings, but I bought her the book and hopefully we'll go on her next visit. Of course, Abby also got to see my condo and to tour the neighborhood, and she enjoyed some beautiful Boston weather. Heck, I may have even turned her into a Red Sox fan. (No? Alright. I'll keep trying.) Most fun, though, had to be making her laugh. All it took was waving my arms around animatedly and taking a deep breath with my mouth wide open, and it was totally worth the workout it provided. If you're like me and you can't get enough of my niece, click here to check out the rest of the photos from her visit. Come back soon, Abby!

Crazy Uncle Martin

So I guess it's official now: I have turned into that person who everyone hates, the one who can't stop taking pictures of his adorable niece and then sharing them with anyone who'll look. But really, just look at that picture I've posted above. Can you blame me? This kid is beyond cute.

I was in New York this weekend to hang out with Abby and the rest of the family. Now that she's 12 weeks old, Abby is showing signs of a personality, not just sleeping and eating, like she was doing the last time I visited. So of course, my camera was working overtime — much to Abby's parents' chagrin. One day, my niece will forgive me for being such a shutterbug. And Mitzi and Jason will be thankful to have so many great shots of their daughter. Until then, I'll keep looking at these pictures, showing them off to my friends and all you readers, and I'll be thinking of when my next chance to see Abby will be. Hopefully it won't be too long from now.

Click here to see my photo album from this weekend.

Waah Waah Waah

A small favor to ask of all the mothers, helpers, and others who may be wheeling around babies and other young’uns: If your child is crying — and not just crying but wailing — and you’re about to get on a crowded T during rush hour, please think twice. Don’t be like the woman who wheeled a crying baby onto the B line this morning and did nothing to quiet the kid down as we rode all the way down Comm Ave. Please, out of common courtesy to your fellow passengers, many of whom are still half-asleep or are trying to enjoy some last “quiet” time before they get to the office, have the decency to tend to your child — or better yet, wait until he/she has quieted down and then get on the train. Thanks.

Oh, Baby

Oh, to be a baby. All my niece Abby does is sleep, eat, and be, ahem, babied and pampered by her parents, grandparents, Uncle Martin, and other family and friends. When she's unhappy and she starts to cry, people run to make her feel better. She's showered with gifts. Every day people tell her how adorable she is. I have to say: it's a good life. And I wish I got to spend more time enjoying it than just a day or so this past weekend. Sunday I got to sit with Abby sleeping in my arms for about a solid hour. I kept looking down at her, at how tranquil and peaceful she looked, at how comfortable she was. She just laid there against by body, very still, grabbing ahold of my shirt, our breaths in synch, and she slept and slept. She didn't even drool! Every now and then she'd readjust herself ever so slightly, but for the most part, she was so comfortable sleeping on my chest. I tell you, I've had a lot of good times in the past few months, but this was one of the best. As much as I want Abby to grow up soon so we can talk and laugh and play, this part of her life is really special. I'll have to go back to New York real soon so I can be a part of it again.

(To see more pictures from the weekend — because you know there are plenty — just click here.)

Happy One-Week Birthday, Abby!

My new niece, Abby, spent her one-week birthday weekend much like she spent the rest of her first week of existence: sleeping and eating (and apparently, crying in the middle of the night too). She also met some cousins, modeled some adorable outfits, and of course, posed for many, many pictures, which you can see if you click here. I just can't get over how cute and perfect and fun and little and awesome this girl is. She's my niece, my sister's daughter, my parents' granddaughter. Wow. It's still amazing to think about that. Have I mentioned yet how cool it is to have a niece? I'm still on a high. (If you'd also like to see Mitzi and Jason's pictures from week one, click here.)

Tasty Tunes

I bought Abby her first CD last week: Snacktime by Barenaked Ladies. It's the band's first full-length CD for children, but I bought a copy of my own as well, and I have to say, listening to it while driving down to NY on Saturday made the trip so much more enjoyable. If you're a longtime fan of the band like I am, you likely miss the novelty and fun that marked their earlier albums, particularly Gordon. Well, that sense of whimsy is all over Snacktime. There's a song called "Popcorn" that's basically a solid minute of the word "pop" over and over. The song "Crazy ABCs" is a typical alphabet song, except the lyrics start out like this: "A is for Aisle, B is for Bdellium, C is for Czar" and continue in similar fashion, with none of the words cited sounding like they begin with their first letter. Many of the 24 songs are two minutes in length or shorter, and nearly all are about things kids can get into, like "Vegetable Town," "Bad Day," and "Allergies," which lists all the things a child can possibly be allergic to (bees, dust, wheat, etc.). Most songs work on multiple levels, like the best of the Disney movies do. For example, one of my favorite tracks is simply called "Eraser," and it celebrates what that thing can do. Toward the middle of the song, there's a break in the upbeat tune, and Steven Page sings, in his most deadpan serious style, the following lyric: "If I wrote you a letter, but I made an error, I could fix it ... and make it better." It's humor that may go over most kids' heads, but if you're a parent (or a childless adult), you'll appreciate it. As children's music goes, this is the kind that doesn't grate or annoy. Snacktime is fun, tuneful, and, um, tasty. It's also one of my favorite BNL albums. I can't wait till Abby hears Snacktime and enjoys it on her own. Until then, I know her parents will love it. And so will I.

Welcome to the World, Abigail Jordan!

I'm beyond happy to introduce you all to my beautiful new niece:
Abigail Jordan Davis
Born Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 2:22 a.m.
6lb 12oz
19 inches

It was a wild weekend, to say the least. On Wednesday, it became clear that The Baby Formerly Known as Fetus would not be waiting until her expected due date (around Memorial Day) to arrive, and would likely come within the week. Then on Saturday at 6 p.m., when Mitzi was admitted to the hospital, it became clear that TBFKAF would be coming even sooner than expected, within the next 12–24 hours. So I hopped in my car, drove to New York, and at 11 p.m., TBFKAF's arrival became imminent. At 1 a.m. we got the call to come on down to the hospital. Less than an hour and a half later, I had a niece named Abby and I was an uncle. Hooray!

I have a ton of friends who have children and I've written previously about the miracle of birth. But when it's someone in your own immediate family who has a baby, that's something else entirely. It's pretty amazing that Saturday morning Abby didn't exist, and now she's the center of our world. And it's also amazing how the timing of it all worked out so perfectly, so that I could be there for the birth. And it's great for Mitzi that it all went so quickly and so easily (all things considered). It's all just so exciting. On the way down to New York on Saturday I stopped at Pottery Barn Kids and picked up some big, soft, cuddly stuffed animals and couldn't wait to give them to Abby. (I expect there will be plenty more where those came from.) And I can't wait to go down to New York again next weekend to celebrate my sister's first Mother's Day. And I can't wait for Abby to grow older so we can talk and play and laugh, and I can tell her stories, and she can chase me around the yard, and we can have a grand ole time. I love that Abby's here. I love that she has her mother's feet: long with thin toes. I love how little and cute she is. I love just about everything about her. And I'm totally amused by the fact that Mitzi just had to have her hair done Saturday afternoon, just in time to go into labor.

So, yeah. As weekends go, this one was really exhausting (I only got about 3 hours of sleep), but it was really great. And if you want to see more pictures of my niece, just click here or click here.

Pregnant Pause

In the category of Pleasant Comedies, you can add Baby Mama. It's a better than average film, with some decent laughs — none of which come close to, say, Forgetting Sarah Marshall — that's never quite as good as you want it to be. That's because the script isn't as sharp as it should be; unfortunately, it strands stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in Mediocre Land. We've definitely seen them better on "Weekend Update" back on Saturday Night Live.

Baby Mama is the story of Kate (Fey), a successful single woman who has decided that after years of putting her career first, she now wants a baby. Learning that she is unable to conceive, Kate hires Angie (Poehler), a working-class woman of questionable morals, to be her surrogate. This seems like a setup that could let Fey make fun of celebrity adoptions and career women and other timely subjects. If she had written the script, maybe she would have. But instead, writer/director Michael McCullers aims his arrows at subjects like Jamba Juice and Whole Foods–like stores, and they don't really stick. Fey and Poehler have real chemistry and are generally enjoyable to watch — more so than Steve Martin, who looks embarrassed in an unbilled role as Kate's boss — but they almost look pained to be put in such lame situations. Hopefully these two will get the chance to star in a Fey-written comedy in the future. (That is, another Fey-written comedy — both appeared in Mean Girls.) For now, their Baby Mama only rates a B– from me.

The Cautionary Whale

If you enjoyed the raunchy unplanned-pregnancy comedy Knocked Up earlier this year but wished it was a little bit sweeter, then Juno is the movie for you. It's the very funny story of a sardonic high school girl (Ellen Page) in Minnesota who gets bored, has sex with her awkward best friend (Michael Cera), and then finds herself pregnant. Not ready to deal with being a mother (and an adult), Juno decides to give the baby to a seemingly perfect couple (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) she finds in the Pennysaver.

Alright, so maybe that first paragraph does a disservice to the movie. In actuality, Juno is one of those quirky little films that packs in a lot of laughs and a lot of heart, and announces the arrival of an original new voice and a great young actress (it's sort of like this year's Little Miss Sunshine). That's the hype you'll be hearing from now until the Oscars, but it's actually true and well-deserved. The writer is Diablo Cody (a former stripper making her screenwriting debut here), and she has crafted a screenplay that is so packed with laughs and strong characters that it reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite in that every other line is quotable and hysterical. And Ellen Page (who was in, among other things, the third X-Men movie) plays Juno confidently, but as the character begins to learn more about herself and the people around her, she becomes more and more endearing. I'm sure we all can remember a person from high school who acted like and thought they had everything all figured out, but really was very unsure of him/herself. That's Juno, and Page captures all of that uncertainty in a star-making performance. Both women will be Oscar-nominated for sure.

Of course, there are other folks in this movie, and it's worth noting that my girl, Jennifer Garner, also acquits herself quite well. She and Bateman (reteaming again after The Kingdom) are at first the perfect adoptive parents — so perfect they're quite scary — but as with Juno, beneath the surface they are not what they seem. Michael Cera is more awkward here than he was in Superbad — just check out those shorts — but he, too, is sweet and endearing. And Rainn Wilson (from The Office) makes a brief appearance early on and utters what will likely be the film's most quoted line, "That's one doodle that can't be undid, homeskillet."

I suppose it'd be wrong to overlook director Jason Reitman's work here because a good screenplay is only half or a third of what makes a movie great. But Juno's screenplay is so good, so quotable, so original, so funny, so winning, so clever, and so dominant here that it's impossible to really notice anything else. It's that tandem of great words and a perfectly-cast actress that makes Juno a real must-see. I'm giving it an A–.

She Ain't Heavy, She's My Sister

At last it can be revealed ... I'm going to be an uncle! That's right, my sister is pregnant and expecting her first (of what I hope will be many) child(ren) sometime in late May. As you might imagine, I'm real excited about this news. Sure, it's great for Mitzi and Jason, and my parents and his parents, blah blah blah, but don't forget, this is my blog, where everything is all about me, so I'm going to tell you that no one's as excited as I am. Holy crap, I can't wait to be an uncle. An actual, born-in-the-family uncle — as opposed to the "uncle" of my friends' kids. This baby's gonna be spoiled like nobody's business. I can't wait to head over to Pottery Barn Kids, just like I've done so many times before when my friends have had babies, and buy out the store. Can't wait to run around in the yard with him/her. Can't wait to play airplane, make him/her laugh, teach him/her jokes, share my favorite Disney movies, read stories, introduce him/her to the greatness of being a Red Sox fan (as opposed to the heartache of being a Mets fan), and do all that fun "uncle stuff." Stuff his/her parents won't let him/her do. Stuff that will probably get me in trouble. Stuff I'm gonna love doing. Yeah, this is going to be one awesomely cool kid who is going to love his/her Fun Uncle Martin. Hey, I like the ring of that: Fun Uncle Martin. I can't wait. So congrats to Mitzi and Jason (and the rest of our families). And to my future niece/nephew, I say this: hurry up, kid, and get born.

It's a Miracle

Two of my friends are due to give birth this week. One of them is having twins. Which means that by week’s end, there will be three more little babies in the world. Life’s amazing, ain’t it?

Oh, Baby

I know I'm late to the discussion on this, but since I've been asked a couple times today, let me add my two cents ...

Say what you will about her father, but Suri Holmes Cruise (or whatever her name is) is one adorable baby. As What Would Tyler Durden Do? says, the only way the photos from Vanity Fair could be any cuter would be "if there was a baby tiger and a baby panda dressed in little Halloween costumes in the background. The tiger would be dressed as a pirate and the panda would be a ghost in a sheet with holes cut out for eyes. And then they went to the house and the person ran out of candy after giving candy to the baby pirate tiger, so the baby ghost panda didn’t get any, so then the baby pirate tiger would share his candy with the baby ghost panda. Other than that, I think the cuteness is pretty much maxed out." Click on this link to see all the sickeningly sweet cuteness. (Or click here if the other link has been taken down.)

Good for Katie, I say. If this is the type of child she produces, Katie can procreate with me any day of the week if she'd like to. Otherwise, fine, I suppose I'll settle for Jennifer Garner. But damn. I can't get over how f'in cute this baby is.