Things are moving quickly with Mr. Charles Oliver Thomas Miller. Above is the first photo ever taken of him without anything on his adorable face. Even when he was briefly off oxygen a while back he’s always had his NG (nasogastric) tube in his nose for feedings but as of yesterday morning he is finally off the tube and eating entirely by mouth. Woop-de-doo!! He’s on such a low flow of oxygen now that the doctors thought he could get off of it for good today and told me to take out the cannula which I did gladly. But after a while his numbers started to drop to the point where they realized he wasn’t quite ready. We’ll see where he stands as the week progresses. The really big news is that as of this morning the neonatologist thinks that Charlie can come home NEXT WEEK!! Not to tempt that damned Evil Eye or anything (I’ve seen many babies in the NICU have a planned departure date delayed because of various issues) but hot damn, we’re beyond excited at this incredible news.
Sometimes Kendall and I lie in bed and wonder how we got to
this place. How we survived all of the trauma, grief, terror, and ups and downs
of the past 127 days. Charlie’s stamina, strength, and will to live are nothing
short of miraculous, in my opinion, and I find myself more and more fascinated
by the photos I took at the beginning of this journey as I marvel at how far
our son has come. Again, I’m grateful for every positive thought and prayer
sent by so many of the people who read this blog and I know beyond any shadow
of a doubt that these positive vibes had an impact on Charlie’s progress over
the long spring and summer months.
For now, our days still revolve around the Cedars-Sinai NICU but everything is taking on a new tinge as we prepare to leave. Yesterday we took the infant CPR class that is required of departing parents. So helpful and necessary (I can’t believe I didn’t know CPR when Leah was a baby!) but terrifying to imagine such scenarios. Knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter, I found myself a little more anxious today about something going wrong. Got to get over that. In my zeal to give Charlie as many calories as possible, I overfed him during his 9 pm feeding, ignoring the signs he was giving me (if he drinks it, he wants it, I rationalized) and he ended up hurling on me for the first time. It’s clear that my newfound and often tenuous ability to Live In The Moment will continue to be tested as we go through the joys and challenges of the days, weeks, and years to come.
After such a different existence for so long, Kendall and I can’t wait to return to some new level of normalcy in our house. I am chomping at the bit to start cooking healthy meals again (I haven’t so much as boiled a pot of water in months). Obviously our lives will change with an infant at home and I know there will be difficult moments ahead. I only pray to find myself kvetching about sleep deprivation on this blog in a few months. If that is our biggest problem I will scream “Hallelujah!” to the heavens.
In other transitional news, my daughter Leah started high
school today. HIGH SCHOOL! Oy, how is that possible? Wasn’t I starting high
school just a few years ago (and by “a few” I mean…THIRTY-SEVEN!)? I arrived
early to pick her up from her first day this afternoon and sat in the courtyard
of the ramshackle campus watching the students walk by. The new seventh graders
seemed like toddlers while many of the older high school kids magically turned
into adults over the summer. I love that so many of the kids at Leah’s
progressive school march to their own drummers and would probably be considered
the oddballs at most of the other private schools in the area. This photo of
Leah was taken this weekend. I had just taken Leah to get her hair trimmed and
the crazy stylist insisted on blowdrying Leah’s hair straight (against her
will) before cutting it. She looks beautiful either way but I’m so glad that
Leah doesn’t subscribe to the ridiculous Disney version of beauty where the
wannabe princess turns from ugly duckling (curly hair and glasses) to stunning
makeover queen (straight hair and contacts) by the end of the film. Yuck. The
photo was taken at the Arclight Cinemas, one of our favorite movie theatres in
Hollywood. We are all such movie lovers in our family and I can’t wait to
introduce Charlie to the classic old films that Kendall and I hold so dear. Leah was barely out of diapers before we were watching films like “The
Philadelphia Story” and “The Graduate” together.
Following a few months of a necessary cultural blackout, I’ve been able to squeeze about a dozen movies into my afternoon breaks from the hospital over the past six weeks or so. To show that life is getting back to normal, here are my capsule reviews of those films.
Adam. Sweet and interesting movie about a guy (Hugh Dancy)
with Asperger’s Syndrome. Heart-warming and depressing at the same time (a
combo I happen to like). I enjoyed Rose Byrne as the girlfriend and it was fun
to see Amy Irving and Peter Gallagher as her parents. (Oy, when did Amy Irving
move from playing “the girl” to “the mother?” I guess some time during those 37
years since I started high school!) Hugh Dancy deserves credit for tackling this difficult role and playing Adam in an often less-than-sympathetic way. He also did a great job with that American accent. (Is that all that the Brits do these days—play Americans?)
District 9. Very disturbing film about a 20-year-old colony
of aliens living in a ghettoized district in South Africa (and, of course, I
mean real aliens from another planet, not illegal aliens, but the parallels to
apartheid and other forms of Earth-based discrimination are impossible to
miss). While I had to turn my head many times to avoid various grotesqueries, I
actually thought this was a very well done film with a smart script.
(500) Days of Summer. Clever, cutish film that mostly avoids
being cloying by turning the typical structure of a “chick flick” on its ear. I
have always liked Zooey Deschanel and think she was perfect for this film
(kudos to the filmmakers for not casting Jennifer Aniston in this role) but
sometimes I wonder if Deschanel is as annoying in real life as most of her
characters are. Joseph Gordon-Levitt survived the transition from child star to
adult quite well and was excellent in the lead. (He comes from a long line of
movie people. His grandfather Michael Gordon directed “Pillow Talk” and other
films of the era but was blacklisted for much of the 1950s.)
Funny People. Wanted to love it…but didn’t. As far as his
“serious” roles go, I much prefer Adam Sandler’s performance in “Spanglish” and
even “Punch-Drunk Love.” Seth Rogen seems like a super nice guy but I found
some of his and the other characters’ actions completely unbelievable. I guess
I’m not a huge Judd Apatow fan (and I’m not sure casting his wife in a leade
role was such a great idea). But, of course, I loved the subplot of Seth Rogen
trying to take his new girlfriend to a Wilco concert. I’m sure Wilco fans noted
the partially obscured Wilco and Uncle Tupelo T-shirts Rogen was wearing in the
film and Jeff had a song on the soundtrack so I should shut up and stop dissing the film.
Inglorious Basterds. What a surprise! I went to this film
dragging my feet and expecting to loathe it since I’m not much in the mood
these days for gruesome violence or revisionist World War II history. But I
loved every second of this film and thought it was Quentin Tarantino’s best
work by far. Brad Pitt was fine but it was the French and German actors who
blew me away. Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, Til Schweiger, Mélanie Laurent,
Michael Fassbender, Daniel Bruhl, and others were just perfect. There’s so much
about this film that I loved and I can’t believe that a Tarantino movie exists
that I could happily sit through again. But why am I so surprised that I liked
it—incredibly beautiful women slathered in red lipstick and 1940s couture
dresses going around and killing Nazis by the dozens? I’m in!
Irene in Time. Director Henry Jaglom is like a car wreck for
me—I know I shouldn’t but I can’t not look. His self-financed, self-distributed
films starring his latest protégée-slash-wife (currently Tanna Frederick)
always irritate me and yet I’ve never missed an opening weekend. Jaglom does
have a knack for attracting good actors (here he gets Victoria Tennant, the
luminous Andrea Marcovicci, and a grossly underused Karen Black), but his films
often end up being little more than vanity projects, none more than this
atrocious monstrosity. As the film blathered on I was riveted to the screen, it
was just impossible to believe that anything could be that bad. The tagline
should have clued me in: “Time Never Kills the Love of Your Life.” I’d be
vomiting right now if I weren’t afraid of being barred from the NICU tomorrow
morning.
Julie & Julia. As we all know, Meryl Streep is an acting
goddess descended from on high. Her Julia Child is pitch perfect and incredibly
poignant. While I usually enjoy Amy Adams, my main complaint about this movie
is that the “Julie” half was just so-so. I could have used three hours of
Streep’s Julia Child with lots more of Stanley Tucci as husband Paul and Jane
Lynch as sister Dorothy. I did leave the theatre ravenous for any French
cooking but if I ruled the world I would have sent Julie to the compost heap
and lavished way more attention on Julia Child’s fascinating life.
Paper Heart. I liked this fake (I think) documentary a lot
and am heartened that someone like Charlyne Yi could get a film made in this
town. Michael Cera is always good and here he plays himself (sorta) in a very
endearing story that serves to challenge Yi’s stated belief that love doesn’t
really exist. We met Cera a few years ago when Wilco appeared on “The Tonight
Show” with the three guys from
“Superbad” (who were all big Wilco fans) and when we were in their
dressing room I remember meeting Charlyne Yi who really was Cera’s girlfriend.
So maybe at least this film is based on fact?
Spread. Oh my God. First of all, when Leah and I went to this
film I should have been arrested by Child Protective Services.
In my defense, it was a boiling hot day and it was the only film playing at the
right time. When I saw that it starred Ashton Kutcher I thought it would be a
light little indie comedy. Wrong. Porn is more like it but that’s not even why
I was so offended by this piece of drek. It tries to be a modern-day take on
“American Gigolo” but only succeeds in finding one excuse after another for the
actors (especially Kutcher) to disrobe and start humping the nearest human.
Truly the worst writing I have ever witnessed in a film and if I had the energy
I would start a campaign to make sure the screenwriter never gets another gig. I actually felt sorry for Anne Heche for appearing in this film
(as a creepy cougar—was this the cause of her mental illness?). The film is devoid of any values
or moral core. There is no message here, only self-indulgence and a vision of
Los Angeles that makes Sodom and Gomorrah look like Victorian England. But wait,
that’s actually an undeserved compliment—in this film even the debauchery was
boring. Shame on you, Ashton Kutcher! Demi Moore should send you to bed without
any supper!
Taking Woodstock. I was so excited to see this film that I
was practically lining up at the theatre a week in advance. I have no complaint
about any of the acting (loved the whole cast including Imelda Staunton, Eugene
Levy, Demitri Martin, Jonathan Groff, Meryl Streep’s lovely daughter Mamie
Gummer, and many others) and the look of the film and recreation of 1969 was
absolute perfection. But, oy, the truly fascinating story of how the Woodstock
music festival was organized takes a nose-dive about two-thirds of the way
through the film and peters out in such a disappointing way. It’s still worth
seeing, but oh, it could have been so much better with a strong ending. My only
other perplexed observation is that, in my opinion, the film sort of glamorizes
1960s drug use. What makes me feel that way? Because I walked out of the film
thinking “Gosh, that LSD looks like a lot of fun! Maybe I should get me some of
that!” Gulp.
The Time Traveler’s Wife. This was also at the top of my
list of most highly anticipated films because I so loved the book when I read
it a few years ago (I’m a sucker for time travel stories). I remember wondering
at the time how something that complex could ever be made into a film. And
guess what? I was right to wonder because it doesn’t work very well. I have
no problem with leads Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams in the other films of theirs
I’ve seen but I think their chemistry is absolutely nil in this story and that
is one of the film’s fatal flaws. I kept wistfully speculating what the film
would have been like if it had starred Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes. Oh well,
at least it wasn’t Jennifer Aniston in the lead (sorry for my second diss in
one post, Jenn) even though she bought the rights to the book when it first
came out so that she and then-hubby Brad Pitt could star in it.
World’s Greatest Dad. Another big surprise. I heard this
film was raunchy and over-the-top and in many ways it was but I thought it was
excellent. (Don’t be fooled by the Disney-sounding title, by the way, this is a
very, very dark comedy that is definitely not suitable for young children.) Robin
Williams gives what I think is one of his best (and most restrained)
performances ever, he's just great in this part. I can’t believe that
his starring performance didn’t warrant a bigger release—the film has been
relegated to a few small art houses. And who knew that Bobcat Goldthwait, of all
people, was such a talented director and screenwriter? Kudos to Mitzi McCall
for her moving performance (which could have easily have been played for
freak-show laughs but wasn’t). I remember when I was five years old and Mitzi
McCall appeared with her husband on “The Ed Sullivan Show” the very night the
Beatles made their legendary debut. There are some extremely disturbing moments
in this film (teenage auto-erotica anyone?) but it is a fascinating look at what
grief, loneliness, and unfettered ambition can do to a person.
And there you have it. I guess the main lesson of my recent
cinematic adventures is similar to the one I’ve been grappling with for the
past four months. Whenever I thought I knew how something would go, I was
either bitterly disappointed or happily surprised. Moral? Drop the
preconceptions, experience things as they come, be open to new ideas, and LIVE
IN THE MOMENT!
That photo made my day/night!! (Not sure which it is at 3:25 a.m. Eastern time). He is so gorgeous! I'm thrilled for you & Kendall that he's finally getting closer to coming home with you.
By the way, my 16-year-old is devouring Kendall's book, shocked at how another girl's way of thinking was just like hers, 15 years before she was even born. Apparently it has stood the test of time.
Posted by: Edelweiss Transplanted | September 02, 2009 at 12:29 AM
This is such great news. I feel like such a creepy stalker leaving comments on your blog seeing as we don't even know each other, or live in the same hemisphere, but if the good vibes help ...
*hoping that the next post will be about charlie's homecoming*
All the best, K xx
Posted by: Kimberley | September 02, 2009 at 02:40 AM
I celebrate your joy and happiness! You ALL deserve this moment. [And, as usual, and by the way, very much enjoyed (and learned from) your movie reviews!]
Good luck to Leah as well! My, my, my - so much to be thankful for.
Hugs and smiles for a glorious homecoming of your darling little Charlie
Posted by: tamarika | September 02, 2009 at 02:45 AM
Yay that is such brilliant news. Well done Charlie, he is looking so good especially sans cannula! I hope, hope, hope that he makes it home next week. Sending thoughts, prayers and positive vibes across the ocean.
I'm still not over my attempts to force excessive amounts of calories into J. I did smile at Charlie protesting at the overfeeding.
And you've confirmed my suspicion that District 9 is probably not for me and Julie & Julia probably will be.
Posted by: Catherine W | September 02, 2009 at 02:53 AM
Look at his gorgeous little face! Wow, what a difference. This absolutely made my day!
Posted by: Sarah | September 02, 2009 at 03:30 AM
Great news about Charlie coming home soon and Leah beginning high school. WOW. Appreciate the film reviews, too. I also found Taking Woodstock disappointing but enjoyed Julie and Julia very much. The Amy Adams part didn't bother me as much as it did some others. Saw Inglorious Basterds only because my brother was in town for a rare visit two weeks ago and he practically dragged me to the theater. Neither one of us cared for it, to put it mildly. I also saw Woody Allen's Whatever Works with Larry David and thought it was OK. Likewise the documentary about A Chorus Line at a special benefit where Marvin Hamlisch spoke at the beginning of July.
It's true: we should let go of our preconceived notions. Often they hold us back.
BTW, happy birthday and best wishes for Charlie coming home soon!
Posted by: Pam G | September 02, 2009 at 04:08 AM
Fantastic news and what a cutie-pie! I knew from the photos that Charlie's been developing chubby cheeks, but now that he isn't hiding behind any tubes he looks like a perfect little cherub.
Posted by: Jeff | September 02, 2009 at 04:45 AM
Danny,
I'll go see "Inglorious Basterds" only on your word. I had given up the idea of going but you've single-handedly resurrected it.
Charlie looks alert and rarin' to go. Leah, as ever, is beautiful. High school--so I hear musicals in the background?
I have fashions for Charlie but I just couldn't get to LA with France looming on the horizon. Address? Email with address?
Later 'gator,
Posted by: La Framéricaine | September 02, 2009 at 05:10 AM
Yay, Danny so happy for you. And omigod...Charlie is just his own little person, isn't he? What an adorable baby! And thanks for the movie reviews. You've convinced me to give Inglorious Basterds a chance.
Posted by: Maria Sosa | September 02, 2009 at 05:24 AM
Oh, two other things:
1. Leah is gorgeous!
2. Are those horrible fires close to you guys? Hope you and your family stay safe...
Posted by: Sarah | September 02, 2009 at 05:42 AM
That you have the time and werewithal to write so intelligently about so many movies -- not to mention the energy to see them -- speaks volumes about both you and Charlie. My eyes well up just thinking about you and Kendall walking through that door with him in your arms.
And also thinking about this kid's indomitable will to live. He's a star, who's got a little lesson for all of us.
Mazal Tov to the whole family.
Posted by: david | September 02, 2009 at 06:53 AM
Them's some good looking kids you spawned. So glad you'll soon be able to all be home together!
Posted by: Jen | September 02, 2009 at 06:58 AM
What a face! (both Charlie & Leah!)
I think you need to moonlight as a movie reviewer (since you have so much extra time on your hands....)
Posted by: Barbara | September 02, 2009 at 07:23 AM
Ditto David's comment. A post filled with goodness.
Posted by: Erica M | September 02, 2009 at 07:25 AM
Yay! Glad that handsome little face is going home.
Posted by: Melinda | September 02, 2009 at 08:11 AM
Oh that little cute face! I just want to squeeze him and put him in my pocket!
So glad to hear this most difficult stage of your lives will soon be behind you. You four keep hanging in there and take each day as it comes. Charlie is so damn lucky to have you two as parents.
Posted by: Kurt | September 02, 2009 at 08:25 AM
Oh my God, your baby sooooo adorable. I was stopped in my tracks by his gorgeous eyes...Haven't yet read your post on my movie, Irene In Time, but wanted to respond immediately to your spectacular looking newborn. Congratulations, enjoy every moment of it!
Henry Jaglom
Posted by: Henry Jaglom | September 02, 2009 at 09:14 AM
Danny -
Charlie is so wonderful and pudgy and adorable...After 1 lb., "pudgy" I hope is a compliment to you. The transformation is such a miracle.
I have LOVED reading your blogs - and have relived my own 3 months in the NICU through you. We went home when Wesley was 6 lbs also - a week after his due date...
And I so related to your feelings of wanting to stay in the NICU with all that expert care - and extended family (families you've bonded with.) I've met so many great people through that experience..and I guess not so strangely I think I will always have fond memories of that time I was daily in the NICU -- in retrospect!
I look forward to seeing you and Kendall when you get home. I have lots of baby stuff if you want it, and would love to meet Charlie.
xo
cheryl
Posted by: cheryl miller | September 02, 2009 at 09:36 AM
Charlie is THE MOST gorgeous baby ever....have been reading your blogs constantly & praying...Our darling Judy is watching over ...My heartfelt love to all...marsha
Posted by: marsha | September 02, 2009 at 09:59 AM
Yay!!! What a beautiful little boy!
Also - yay to you seeing and loving Inglourious Basterds! Great film.
Posted by: Brett Hickman | September 02, 2009 at 10:01 AM
Danny,
It's hard for me to stop staring at Charlie's pictures. Yum! I'm hoping for only more positive developments over the next week.
Love,
Julie
Posted by: Julie R. | September 02, 2009 at 10:04 AM
Hurray! I am so happy for you, Kendall and Charlie that things are going along in the right direction. Charlie looks amazing -- he's so alert and interested in that photo -- and I look forward to reading the news that you guys have all gotten to go home and start your normal family life at last!!!
Yay.
Posted by: Kitty | September 02, 2009 at 10:38 AM
Still praying for all of you. That is one cute and precious baby boy, and Miss Leah is a heartbreaker, straightend hair or curly!
Posted by: Heather P. | September 02, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Thanks so much, everyone, and oh my God, I'm almost 100 percent sure that the above comment is not really from Henry Jaglom but from one of my mischievous friends but it's mortifying to think of any celebrity reading my negative comments on here (are you listening, Jennifer and Ashton?). It reminds me of my first few months of blogging when Kendall made me delete a reference to a less-than-flattering comment she had made about an ancient former superstar because of the extremely unlikely event that the person in question would one day see it on my blog and get hurt. Oh, the perils of blogging!
Posted by: Danny | September 02, 2009 at 11:18 AM
OMG, look at that chunky monkey! He looks like he's ready to get going and hit the world with some unrelenting cuteness...go, Charlie, go!
To Leah - I've lived my whole life with straight hair and would die for those gorgeous curls!
Posted by: Candi Ince | September 02, 2009 at 11:36 AM
Candi, I couldn't help but notice that when Leah was getting her curls straightened, there was a woman next to her who was taking the same amount of time (almost two hours) to get curls just like Leah has put into her straight hair. Why do we always want what we don't have?
And P.S. to Sarah: No, we're nowhere near the fires but can certainly see them in the distance and my car was covered in ash this morning. I worry about Charlie being released into that toxic air. A good friend of Leah's had her house burn to the ground over the weekend. Actually, her parents are divorced and they lost BOTH houses. The only thing that survived was the father's wine collection he threw into the pool as they evacuated. Oy.
Posted by: Danny | September 02, 2009 at 11:40 AM
I've also looked at the pictures from then to now, and am astonished that this cherubic-faced little boy with the great big curious eyes was once a little wrinkled space alien riding a precarious roller coaster.
By the time I make it to LA, you and Kendall should have the bubble wrap removed, and he should be ready for some Converse and extra holding. :-)
Mazel Tov, Charlie!
Posted by: Jane | September 02, 2009 at 12:01 PM
In the comment section on someone else's blog, I once dissed a comment by Larry Gelbert, thinking it couldn't possibly be the Larry Gelbert of MASH and YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS fame. Turns out it was. You just never know.
Charlie looks great.
Posted by: Kirk Jusko | September 02, 2009 at 12:05 PM
He's a beautiful, million dollar, miricle baby. So alert, so amazing he's a heartbreaker. He's come so far. We are all looking forward to his "WELCOME HOME". I will be so happy for you all.
Posted by: Patsy | September 02, 2009 at 01:05 PM
Wow! Charlie possibly home for your birthday, Danny. I couldn't wish for a better gift for the most special dad. Thanks for the movie reviews; some I agree with and some I don't, but the important thing is that Charlie may be coming home soon! pu, pu, pu
Love,
Marilyn
Posted by: Marilyn Molnar | September 02, 2009 at 01:13 PM
I love the moral of this blog post. I'm so excited that Charlie will be going home soon. He looks so great!
Posted by: churlita | September 02, 2009 at 01:39 PM
Charlie is absolutely edible, Danny. And your movie reviews made me sad that I don't live in LA, close to the source, anymore. But I will defend Julie (of Julia and Julie): as a blogger, I found her part of the film much more interesting than the Julia part. I guess I went into the movie with my critical faculties suspended, so Streep's acting didn't mean that much (yes, yes, we know she can act...and do voices...and schtick). Having watched Child on TV, Streep was, for me, just an impersonation whereas Julie actually "got" what this blogging thing is about.
Posted by: Jane | September 02, 2009 at 03:47 PM
My thoughts are with your beautiful baby boy who looks as healthy as vitamin C itself in the above picture! Preparing to welcome him into his new home sounds like a most joyous occasion indeed.
On a less serious note: Since my grandmother passed, your blog is the *only* place I can come to hear the word "Drek" used in a sentence, which is almost as joyous to me as I'm certain holding your son in your arms in his very own home where he should be, is to you and your wife.
Mazel Tov!
Posted by: Andrea | September 02, 2009 at 07:26 PM
Charlie's the kind of precious that requires you to restrain yourself from squeezing too tightly and kissing too firmly. The kind of precious you love so much, you might hurt the child if you unbridled your affection.
I can't tell you how happy it makes me to read your recent posts. [The Ted Kennedy post was wonderful too.] Leah's GORGEOUS with curly hair or straight hair. She's lucky to have intelligent, loving parents. Good luck in HS, Leah!
I'm glad you were able to watch some movies. You deserve it.
Things are looking up in this moment. Take it!
Posted by: Chris | September 02, 2009 at 07:57 PM
Charlie looks WONDERFUL and SO HEALTHY! What amazing news that he may be home next week. So excited for you all!!! =)
Loved your movie critiques. I have to agree that Meryl Streep was amazing as Julia Child -- and Amy Adams was only so-so.
Regarding "500 Days of Summer"... I didn't feel it lived up to its hype, however I really liked Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I saw Zooey Deschanel on Jimmy Kimmel last week --she really is that annoying!
My husband has been begging me to see "Inglorious Bastards"... after reading your review, I may see it. My father was a Holocaust survivor so it's difficult for me to see Holocaust films, so we'll see.
Anyway -- big xoxo to your big boy!!! What a cutie!!!
Posted by: Beth | September 02, 2009 at 10:33 PM
Ahhhh, I remember the first time I got to see my daughter's shana punim without any wires or tubes... Charlie looks gorgeous and I'm so pleased to hear the exciting news that he's heading home soon. I also remember how surreal it felt when we were actually approaching the time she'd come home, it had seemed like it would never happen and yet, we were almost there. It's been so nice following Charlie's progress and I'll be looking out for the news that he's home where he belongs. Best of luck to all of you!
Anita
(I had decided not to see Inglorious Basterds in spite of the fact that I do like QT and making fun of Nazis, but you've convinced me to give it a shot -- thanks for the review!)
Posted by: anita | September 02, 2009 at 10:37 PM
charlie looks adorable! i don't write comments much, but i've been following charlie's progress since he was still inside kendall's belly and i'm so excited for you! i'll also be sure to spit 3x so as not to tempt the evil eye.
RE paper heart - i haven't seen it yet, but supposedly yi and cera never actually dated, they were just "good friends." i guess the interviews are real documentary but the relationship between yi and cera is fabricated for the film. supposedly, anyway, according to all their newspaper interviews...
Posted by: Dorise | September 03, 2009 at 08:27 AM
OK...I'm getting excited now for Charlie's homecoming. Yes, I know it's hot weather now, but C. is going to need that baby sweater and matching hat soon. E-mail me for deets: ellblo at aol dot com!
Posted by: Ellen Bloom | September 03, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Looks like Charlie's trying to say something in that second picture. Could it be, "happy birthday, Daddy?" I know it's tomorrow, but I'm sure I'll forget to call or post.
Love,
S
Posted by: Sheila Linderman | September 03, 2009 at 04:03 PM
The pictures are amazing! Charlie's adorable and look at the gaze of his. I'm thrilled to read the hope and excitement. And movies! What a wonderful post. I will continue to send good thoughts and hopeful prayers your way.
Posted by: adriana bliss | September 03, 2009 at 04:32 PM
Looking good, Charlie! What a miracle he is.
Posted by: Julie | September 03, 2009 at 05:37 PM
can not wait to see the video when you bring him home. truly.
Posted by: gorillabuns | September 03, 2009 at 09:49 PM
To say that I am happy for your family upon hearing the good news about Charlie would be an understatement. Thrilled? Now THAT'S more like it! :)
I keep going back to see little Charlie's adorable picture "just one more time" - it makes my heart smile!
Posted by: Elise | September 04, 2009 at 02:32 AM
BEST POST EVER.
Danny, how do you do it? How do you stay so good and true and "keep yer pecker up" (as Gramps used to say) AND go see movies? No, really: how? HOW?
Happy birthday. And Charlie is gorgeous, and a champion. And Leah is gorgeous, and a champion.
I am so mad-crazy for this blog, it kills me.
Posted by: the communicatrix | September 04, 2009 at 03:09 PM
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANNY--it was just yesterday that it was 1972.
I am so happy about Charlie.
Sue G.
Posted by: sue gilbert | September 04, 2009 at 06:17 PM
I have been reading your blog for a few months...seeing Charlie's face unencumbered prompted me to write to tell you how delighted this 'someone' you don't know is so thrilled for you and your family.
Plus, I too just saw Inglorious Basterds and could not agree more with your initial trepidation and your reaction...great movie!
Thank Charlie for being such an inspiration!
Posted by: NikkiBGood | September 08, 2009 at 08:10 PM
Danny!
Such good news about Mr. Charles Oliver Thomas Miller! My God he's just adorable!
I'll have to have a long "movie conversation " with you down the road. You're observations are so close to mine I'm wondering if I'm a secret family member!!
Love to you, Kendall and Mr. Charlie!! Judy/Mom
Posted by: judy kolars | September 08, 2009 at 08:18 PM