Brit Milah

Mondays have been tough days thus far for little Finley. Last Monday he had to work his way through the birth canal to emerge from the womb. Today (Nov. 23) he fulfilled a major Jewish covenant through the ritual of circumcision.

Family and friends from near and far gathered at our home to help us celebrate this rite of passage. For most people it was probably their first bris, it was mine and I think that was a good thing. I couldn't really picture what was about to happen! However, I started getting nervous about an hour before the ceremony was set to begin, but I sat with Finley in the glider in his room and we read a few books. Okay...I read the books to a snoozing Finley :) This calmed me immensely while the noise from all our arriving guests increased by the minute. Our mohel (who would perform the circumcision) arrived and she was very reassuring and thorough in our preparation.

We selected different members of our family to participate throughout the ceremony (lighting candles, holding Finley, passing Finley, calming Finley, etc.) and soon it was time to begin. Our living and dining room were packed with our guests and it made us feel so loved and supported. The actual surgical part of the ceremony happened within the first five minutes and that was certainly the most emotional part for me. Seeing our little guy there on the table was tough. Thankfully, Finley only let out one little scream and then remained quite peaceful for the rest of the ceremony. I don't what I would have done if he'd become hysterical! The rest of the ceremony was full of prayer, song, and explanation. Dan explained the choice of Finley's Hebrew name, Yakov (Jacob). Both our paternal great-grandfathers are honored through this name since mine's name was James (closest to Jacob) and Dan's great-grandfather's Hebrew name was Yakov. Then, I explained Fin's English name which wasn't too complex since we simply liked the name Finley (and this alliteration is created with Forseter) and his middle name, Hawthorne, is the same as mine since we are descendants of Nathaniel Hawthorne. I forgot to say that in an unexpected coincidence our names: Dan, Allison and Finley share the same initials as Dan's full name, Daniel Alexander Forseter. I love things like that! Not exactly numerology, but close...

After the celebratory singing of "Si-man tov u-mazal tov" we took Finley into his room for some quiet time and to allow the mohel to inspect the incision as well as to show us how to care for him over the next few days. We thanked her for the wonderful ceremony and she told us that Finley did just great. The next couple hours were spent eating delicious falafel and other Israeli treats from Rami's (Brookline, MA) and spending time with our guests. Everyone was so impressed at Finley's behavior and there was certainly a waiting line to hold the little dude. Dan's Uncle Carl was definitely the baby whisperer of the afternoon, he held a sleeping Fin for quite a while like a pro!

Later, guests began to say their goodbyes and we did our best to let everyone know how much it meant to us to have them there. Several of Dan's parents friends from White Plains made the drive and my dad's sister and her husband came down from Maine. Also, a good Tufts frisbee friend, Zach, came up from NYC for the big event and it was so special to have him there. Finley's future playmates Eliot and Henry came, too (with their moms). Dan's sister, Ellie and her boyfriend, Donny, made the trek north along with my brother, Uncle Chris, who flew up from Washington, D.C. for just a few hours to be with us. His wife is 9+ months pregnant and it was a big sacrifice for her to share him with us for those 5 hours! Thanks, Bronwyn! Finally, a great big thanks to Dan's Aunt Annette and Uncle Bernie who came up from Maryland and served dutifully as photographer and videographer, respectively.

Quiet finally took over the house as a small group remained to help us clean up and open all the wonderful gifts that people brought. Lots of books, clothes, and special treats were given to Finley. One of the most moving was from Dan's cousin's son, Harrison, who sent one of his beloved beanie babies with a note saying "Finley, Love this danny." (Harrison calls all his little beanies Dannies.) Finley also received his first menorah, a very inventive-child friendly wooden menorah from Linda and Jacob Darer. We can't wait to use it this December!

All in all, it was quite a day and one that we'll certainly remember for the rest of our lives. I didn't think that I would ever match the feelings of love and support as I had felt at our wedding celebration back in 2006, but I was wrong. Today I was overcome not only by my own emotions, but by how much love there already is for our son far beyond Dan and myself. A huge thank you to our parents for helping us put this occasion together and to everyone who joined us today.