Home Alone

Today I took my first bus ride.






Mindy, Denny and I went to the city center to do some errands. I liked riding on the bus, eating a bagel with cream cheese, and watching street performers.



Tonight was the first time a babysitter stayed with me while I was awake and then put me to bed. The other two times I've had a sitter it was while I was asleep (or supposed to be asleep). My relatives or friends have watched me, and once Mindy put me down for a nap, but this was a real milestone (for Mommy, anyway).

Mommy, Daddy, Mindy and Denny went to a Netanya Tigers game. They lost. Daddy says it's because their good luck charm (me) wasn't there.

Shacham (my sitter) and I played, ate dinner, and then I cried for about 15 minutes in my crib before going to sleep.

First Tooth

My first tooth popped through today. Or maybe it was yesterday. Nobody noticed it right away - not even me. I haven't been kvetchy or giving any signs of "teething." I don't seem to realize anything is different. I continue to chew on my thumb.

Sing & Sign turned into a pool party today at Maayan's house! I had so much fun. I crawled right into the pool and plopped myself down in it with no help from Mommy. I kept sticking my face in the water and then coming up for air.

Peek-a-boo is one of my favorite games. Usually I use my blankie, but anything will do. Today I used a towel.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

I went out to the ball game.
I went out to the crowd.
I ate a burger and lots of fries.
I enjoyed it all and I did not cry.
I root- root- rooted for the Netanya Tigers
because they're named after my mom.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're pasul
in a baseball game.


Today I went to my first baseball game! This was a monumental occasion for our family because it was the first time any of us had been to an Israel Baseball League game. This is the first year of baseball in Israel.



We root for the Netanya Tigers for three reasons: Mommy's name (of course), Saba's hometown, and the name of Mommy's hometown team (the Detroit Tigers) - even though we are Cubs fans at heart.



We won 17-6! YAY, Tigers!

We had lots of nosh. Mommy and Daddy couldn't eat meat because it's the nine days, but they let me have a hamburger because I needed to eat "real food." I thought I understood the whole "mourning period" concept, but now I'm not so sure. If the grown-ups are so sad about the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, how come they eat ice cream for nine days?

True to Israeli form, there were no peanuts and no cracker jacks. No hot dogs, either, but they ran out of hamburger buns so I had my burger in a hot dog bun. All the ice pops were parve. I had a few licks of Daddy's. (I grabbed it with both hands. My hands and face were red and green for the rest of the game.)

Saba brought me a banana (again with the healthy food!) and I smeared it all in my hair. Even after my bath tonight, I think there is still some banana in there!

Here I am stuffing my face with French fries:

Wearing Saba's hat:

Meeting the Tigers' pitcher, Ramon Rodriguez:

When I got home from the game I played with Mindy and got ready for Shabbat. Mommy found the keys I hid under the fridge, even before she noticed they were gone!

Tonight, Mommy, Daddy and Mindy are eating lamb chops that Daddy made. I get to try them tomorrow. Yay!

Shopaholic, continued

Today Mommy and I went shopping for some musical instruments for my music class. (Mommy and I will be taking over leading the class, since it is on break till the fall.) At one store I got out of the stroller and crawled gleefully toward the shelves, grabbing lots of toys and babbling excitedly. Mommy had to buy me a ball so I would let her put the other toys back. (Then I threw the ball in the street - it's not my fault Daddy's coworkers that we bumped into can't catch!)

We went to another store and Mommy put me on the floor to play while she looked around. I took toys off the shelves and scattered them all over the place. The shoppers thought I was cute, but I think the workers were a little annoyed (even though Mommy put EVERYTHING back before we left).

I was so excited to see all the toys that I started cruising - for REAL! Mommy thought it was the shopping, but when we got home Daddy told her that I cruised along the couch to him this morning. What can I say? I'm Daddy's girly girl.

Happy Birthday to my cousins

Today we went to Kfar Saba for Yuvali and Yoavi's birthday party.

I stuffed my face with deli meat (I preferred the turkey to the roast beef), kugel and watermelon.

I played with my cousins

jumped on their new trampoline (silly Mommy forgot that you can't take a vertical video)



and had a great time



On the way home we stopped to say hi to cousins Henry, Barbara and Paulina, who are in town.

Dining Experience

I went swimming with Amitai this afternoon. We've been hanging out together a lot.



Then Mommy and Daddy and I went out for dinner with the Knolls, a family from Australia that we know. (Apparently we had dinner at their house in Sydney but I don't remember because I was in Mommy's belly.)


I tried Mommy's sushi and loved it!





I also had fun shoveling fistfulls of rice in my face.

Girly-Girl at the Family Reunion

I love to empty Mommy's scarves, bandanas, and headcoverings out of the basket and fling them around and put them on my head. I also love to pull on necklaces and dangly earrings, and play with purses and shoes. I'm a girly-girl, alright!

I put this hat on all by myself.

But it's also fun to climb on the scale and watch the numbers flash. I haven't learned yet that girls aren't supposed to like scales.

This afternoon I went to the park with Amitai.

Mindy came too.

Then we went to my cousin Dada's house for our annual Winter family reunion (Winter is Yaya's maiden name). I was very playful in the car on the way there.





I was overtired because I missed my afternoon nap and the reunion started close to bedtime. Mommy kept me from kvetching by keeping my hands and mouth full of food.

I enjoyed playing with the cousins I already know and meeting many more.
Here I am with Anat. Mommy has (somewhere) a picture of herself and Sigi from last year's reunion, with their pregnant bellies. Anat and I were born 9 days apart.

I adopted Ido till Daddy arrived.

Reading books with Ro'i (Miriam's son) and one of the Schwartzfox twins (I think it's Zvi).

Playing with Yuvali and Ta'ir:

Here is my Israel family - sans Uncle Tomer, who couldn't make it.

When it got dark outside, it was time to drive home.

On the way home I squealed and laughed happily until I fell asleep. Mommy and Daddy didn't know what was amusing me so much, but they were glad I was entertaining myself and not crying.

Who's smarter - me or Mommy?

I've recently learned that I don't HAVE to cry if I get put in my crib and I'm not ready to go to sleep yet; I can play and talk and sing. For a few minutes, anyway. I'm told it's quite cute. Mommy says she needs a periscope so she can peek around the corner and see what I'm doing.

Mommy also attached my blankie to my crib bumper so I can't throw it out of the crib and then cry for someone to come pick it up for me. She thinks she's so smart. It took me a few days, but I got it off and threw it out again, so HA!

It is SO funny when I am standing on the floor and Mommy lays on the bed because our faces are at the same level. It cracks me up!

When I was eating my lunch, every time I started to hold my challah out as if to drop it on the floor, Mommy said "no" and I stopped. Then I'd do it again, just to test her. But then she looked away for one second, and when she looked back at me the challah was gone, and Coby was walking away with a contented grin on his face.

When there is something little - a dollop of cream cheese, one last Cheerio, a pea, some juice and seeds from a tomato - on my high chair tray, I bend down and try to pick it up with my mouth. I don't know why that makes Mommy and Daddy always laugh. It makes sense to me.

Mommy put a LOT of my books in the laundry basket and loaned them to a friend on Shabbat. She hasn't put them away yet, so the basket it sitting in the middle of the floor. Every time I crawl over to it and pull one out, she reads it to me. WARNING to babies who just want to tear the pages: DO NOT fall for the books-in-the-basket trick. You will just get educated!

Mazal Tovs all around

Today we drove all the way to Kibbutz Lavi for the brit of my cousin, Yosef Menachem Noylinger. I slept most of the way there.

I was SO happy to see my Saba and Yaya, my cousin Yoavi (the birthday boy - he's three today) and especially my cousin Yuvali. My eyes light up when I see her and I reach out for her to hold me.

On the way home I played catch with Mommy for the first 5-10 minutes of the ride. I threw finger puppets at her and she threw them back. That was fun. Then I threw my cell phone at her. She didn't like that as much as the finger puppets. She said something about it hurting. In addition to pushing the buttons on my cell phone, I also tried to pick them off. (I'm quite dexterous, and I notice all the little details on things.)
Then I tried to sleep but couldn't so I cried most of the rest of the way.

Mommy's friend Sarah had a baby girl, too, and her naming is tomorrow! I can't wait to meet my new friend.

Yummy Day with Daddy

Daddy let me try strawberry yogurt this morning. YUM! It was like ice cream! Not that I know what ice cream is. But that's what Mommy and Daddy said. If this ice cream stuff is anywhere near as good as strawberry yogurt, I can't wait!

Daddy brought snacks to shul, as usual, to keep me entertained. He took out the Cheerios so I would be quiet during Torah reading, but it didn't work. Instead I started making "num num" noises, squealing, and talking to the Cheerios!

Mommy moved out of her room last week so she could sleep better. Turn out I sleep better too. I go to bed between 6 and 7 and sleep straight through till 4 or 5. Then she nurses me and I go back to sleep till 6:30.
She tried to sleep in her bed last night but I woke up 4 times so I guess it's back to the guest room for her.

Silly Time

I am learning to make all kinds of sounds. Listen to the squeal I make when I am happy or excited:



If you want to see a video of me playing in my birthday suit, please email Mommy.

Shopaholic

Today I went grocery shopping with Mommy. She tried to sit me in the cart but I only humored her for about two minutes. Then I made her carry me the rest of the time. When we got home I helped unpack the groceries. That's one of my favorite chores.

It's hard to eat an apple with no teeeth! They're fun to chase around the living room, though.

This looks like a flute but no sound comes out....

Aside from the groceries, I also ate some challah. Listen carefully to hear me making cute "num num" noises.

Busy Day

Today I went to the Knesset to help Daddy work. The security guard on the way in acted as if it was the most normal thing in the world for a man to come into the Knesset wearing his baby. I met Bibi Netanyahu and Silvan Shalom, and they competed to see who could compliment me the most. I met a lot of peopel that Daddy said were really important, but when we left Daddy said we were going to see someone much more important. He was right. We went home to Mommy.

I also learned how to climb into the toy box - but I don't know how to get out.





I also ate Mindy's lunch . . . I mean, I ate lunch WITH Mindy.





Then Amitai and I went for a sleep . . . I mean, a STROLL.

Sing & Sign

Here come LOTS of videos from today's Sing & Sign class.

Learning the signs for "sea" and "see" (and climbing on my teacher):



Dancing and playing the maracas:



Tapping out the syllables of my name on the drum:



Playing nicely with Noah while the mommies learn some new signs:



The hedgehog song (one of my favorites), and making nice to Eliah:



Not playing so nice with Eliah:



Not playing so nice with Noah: