Sunday, October 19, 2008

Circus Fun

Eliana: Today Grandma took us to the circus. I loved it! I sat, spellbound, and watched the whole thing. My favorite part was the cown (clown).

I tried to share my cucumber with Ami but he wasn't interested.



After I ate my lunch, Grandma bought me an ice cream. I took off my shirt so it wouldn't get dirty. Good thing, too, because by the time I was done my belly button was full of sprinkles!



Towards the end I really got into it and danced along with the performers.









One of the ushers was so impressed with my topless dance that she gave me a bottle of bubbles.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Mitzvah Menschen Missing Zayde

Tonight my Zayde had to go back home to Michigan on a hair-pane. Gamma started preparing me a few days ago. Yesterday afternoon when she put me down for my nap I started yelling "Dat! Dat! Datty!" and pointing to something under my crib. Gamma put me down so I could find what I was looking for. It was a picture of Zayde that had fallen out of my photo album. (For the last few days I have been sleeping with my photo album in my crib. I put it in a particular spot near my pillow.) I would not let Gamma put the picture of Zayde back in the photo album and insisted on sleeping with it in my hand.

After Shabbat ended Zayde wanted to go say goodbye to the Kotel so we all went too. It was Ami's first trip to the Kotel. Gamma held me while we davened. I took a note out of the kotel and put it in my pocket. Then I took it out and ripped it in half and put the pieces back in the Kotel.





Today we were counting all the mitzvot Ami has done since he was born. He had a brit mila, heard the Shofar blown, shlugged kapparot, did Tashlich, and ate in a Sukkah.

Zayde calls Ami his "Little Buddy" (like the Skipper called Gilligan, apparently) and totes him around everywhere. He even ate his lunch with Ami on his lap today (and got chulent all over him). Gamma says Ami has worry lines on his head because Zayde left. When Zayde was going I was sad and didn't want to hug him or say goodbye, but finally I did let him hold me and I gave him a kiss and went downstairs with him to meet his taxi. I'm going to miss him - but not as much as I'm going to miss Gamma!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

A girl's best friend

Eliana: Today we ate lunch at a restaurant Sukka. On the way home I got to hold Coby's leash.












Ami: I missed the whole thing but I'm not complaining because I was with my Zayde. He carried me to and from the restaurant and held me throughout the entire meal!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Yom Kippur

Yesterday my diaper was wet so I took it off. Gamma decided if I could take off my diaper it was time to try panties (which I can say now - no more "pit-teen)! I was so excited to wear my new panties that she brought me from America - some Elmo, some Disney, and some solid colored Hanes just like Mommy's.


But I made peepee in them twice last night and a bunch of times today (and a couple of poops too). I said I'd tell her when I had to make but there is too much going on and I don't remember until it's too late. Grandma says it's lucky the floor is tiled. Mommy said I have to sit on the potty every 10 minutes if I want to wear panties. I didn't like that idea so I had to wear a diaper for the rest of the day. But before bed I did ask to sit on the potty twice - and made a peepee and a poop! One of these days I'll get there. I'm just not quite ready yet.

Today is called Yom Kippur but we lit candles last night just like we do for Shabbat, so that's what I called it. I said "Shabbat!" and that reminded me of a song we sing at school, so I asked Gamma to sing "Bim-Bam." Mommy likes it that I am learning the same songs she learned growing up.

Gamma took me to shul today and I played with my cousins Oded, Anat, Tal and Alon. When I came home I told Mommy about "Ded." I also told her about some friends from school - Eewa (Meira), Keddy (Shakked) and Shomo (Shlomo).

In the evening I held out my arms for Baby Ami and Mommy let me give him a big hug. Then I climbed up on the couch and asked her to put him in my "yap" (lap). I loved holding him - it made me feel so big!

Mommy is happy because she thinks Ami is nursing a little bit better today.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Chickens and Turtles and Fish, Oh My!

Today Grandma, Mommy, Daddy, Ami and I piled into the car (there was no room for Zayde!) to go see some chickens. We had to stop along the way to run some errands and I kept wanting to get out and see the chickens, so Grandma placated me with a "pop" (lollipop). When we got to the shuk (open-air market) all the chickens were gone and there were only feathers left. We wandered around and I kept asking for "chickens, chickens." Mommy was sorry she'd told me there would be chickens and thought we might have to go to the petting zoo behind the park if we couldn't find any kapparot to shlug. Daddy did some research and then we drove around awhile and Grandma spotted some chickens in boxes on the side of the road so we pulled over.

The grown-ups swung the chickens over their heads and said a prayer transferring all of the year's sins to the chicken, which would later be slaughtered and donated to poor families to eat. I was getting cranky by that point, but eventually warmed up to the chicken and grabbed its foot, which looked quite interesting. (Grandma said they used to eat chicken feet in the olden days! I'd like to try that.)




People walking by saw Ami doing Kapparot and asked what he could have possibly done wrong this year. Daddy said "this year? He's only two weeks old!" When we were done, the chicken man noticed that Ami was smiling. Grandma said that's because he's a Tzaddik (righteous person). Mommy has been training her to say he is a Tzaddik or a mensch or a good sport instead of saying he's cute. When I was a baby and people called me cute Mommy told them my middot (virtuous characteristics) are what's important. The chicken man turned on his megaphone and announced for all to hear "Tzaddik Gadol" (Big Tzaddik).



After that we dropped Grandma off at home so Zayde could come with us to Tashlich. We drove to the Botanical Gardens and walked down to the water. Mommy told me there would be duckies but there was only one big black swan. There were lots and lots of big, giant fish, and also some turtles with big red eyes. I enjoyed throwing bits of bread (symbolizing our sins) in the water and watching the animals eat them.





We came home with no more sins left. A clean slate for the new year.