Sandy

How to start processing the past few days? Hurricane Sandy has redefined the new normal for us over the past week. Michael, Alice and I have been unbelievably lucky. Essentially we had a couple of days trapped in our apartment, and a few more stuck in the neighborhood. But we have had plenty of food, power, heat, and hot, safe water. Most importantly, we have each other. The baby managed to stay put, thank God. Alice was a nut, but a sweet nut. We are whole.

Alice's First Picture of Me,

After 24-hours in the Apartment

We've slowly been able to get out and see what blessedly little damage our neighborhood faced. We lost a lot of beautiful trees, including several in our favorite park. But we are so insanely lucky.

We've been able to enjoy some fun family time this week. Michael's office reopened on Wednesday, and they offered students a little Halloween break. Alice was a little confused by the Angry Bird.

 

I am still (thankfully) in this condition, at 38-weeks:

I'm ready for this baby to come. I've been working from home all week because our office has no power, and the idea of depending on public transit to get to a hospital given the traffic is too terrifying. But going through all this, reading about all that has been lost, realizing how lucky we are... it has helped me to be grateful that this baby is safe and healthy, regardless of when he comes (and how uncomfortable he makes me).

It's frustrating to feel so helpless right now. We watch the news every night, and seeing our fellow New Yorkers suffer is heartbreaking. I am in no condition to do anything - I have to remind myself that even if I could physically get to the Rockaways and help distribute food, if I went into labor I would do more harm than good. Just sitting and lamenting the loss feels artificial, and like I'm not doing much to help my community. As a New Yorker - which, after 9 years, 6 apartments, 3 jobs, 2 hurricanes, and 2 earthquakes, I feel comfortable calling myself - sitting around and waiting for a baby to come rather than huffing up flights of stairs to deliver water to neighbors in need seems lazy.

One story has taken my breath away several times - that of the Moore family on Staten Island, who lost their 2-year old and 4-year old boys after a wave separated them from their mother. It reminds me to just feel grateful, to hold my family close, to know how important and meaningful this little unit is. My family. That's all that matters.