I finally feel like I have a minute and the last couple of weeks have flown by and gone unnoticed by this busy Ima...not so. Just too tired, too busy, too caught up in life to get my act together to do anything.
My almost 20-month old daughter gets cuter and cuter by the day. Her hair is long and beautiful and always needs to be pulled up in a style out of her face. She is tall and wears her clothes adorably. She knows how cute she is and loves to smile and play games.
Our newest game started because I was trying to get her excited about seeing Aba at home. On the last stretch I began: "Guess who you are going to see at home?" She smiles. "Are you going to see Grandma?" She shakes her head yes. I say, "Noooooooo" "Are you going to see Auntie Kimber? She shakes her head yes. I say, "Noooooooo" "Are you going to see Savta? She shakes her head yes. I say, "Noooooooo" "Are you going to see Grandpa? and on it goes until we are just about home and I shout "It's ABA!"
So now, any time I ask her a question starting with "Are you....ready for bed, ready for a bath, going to see Miss Alyssa? She starts to shake her head yes, smiles, and says "Noooooo!"
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Food continues to be an interesting endeavor. She knows what she likes and what she doesn't like. Sometimes she's adventurous and will try new things. Other times she says no right away. She eats a variety of things but sometimes not a whole lot in a day! Today was mostly a fruit and milk day. Her latest craze was pizza...from Costco, which she devoured 1/2 of a piece in a sitting. That was her weekend lunch and dinner. Nothing else would do. French fries are becoming interesting to her now that her Aba has taught her how to dip them in ketchup! We don't have them often, but as soon as she gets one, she looks for the dip so she can suck it off and dip again. It's very cute. She learned it from one time in a restaurant over a month ago.
Lesson learned: be careful what you teach her because she learns quickly and doesn't forget!
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Baby Dolls and imaginary play has exploded in the last 6-8 weeks. She is constantly with a baby doll or stuffed animal. It must have a blankie, usually her loveys, and she covers it and pats its back and says "night night." At daycare she spends hours with the babies and blankies and carrying them around. She has begun singing to them the same song she is sung to for nap time. She also sings to us and pats us on the tummy or back to put us to sleep. It's adorable. We love seeing her smarts and transfer of information!! We also bought her a kitchen and loves making things and sharing her bucket of food from Grandma! She thinks it's hysterical that we "eat" the food and she brings it to us with a plate or fork. I can't wait to see how much more sophisticated it's going to become in the coming months!
May 28, 2008
May 10, 2008
Conversation
I was doing my hair in the bathroom when Yiftach came in with my waffle covered in PB on a plate and was carrying his plate of challah with cream cheese and chocolate spread. He handed her lego waffle piece, plain.
She looked at mine and let me know she wanted it.
"Honey, I am sorry but you can't have that; it has peanut butter on it."
She pointed at Yiftach's and willingly took his piece with cream cheese.
We tried her plain waffle when she was done.
No go. She let us know she wanted more of his.
"Oh, do you want a dip on your waffle?" I asked.
I dipped her piece in the chocolate spread and gave it to her.
"Thank you!" she said and devoured the entire thing in one bite!
She looked at mine and let me know she wanted it.
"Honey, I am sorry but you can't have that; it has peanut butter on it."
She pointed at Yiftach's and willingly took his piece with cream cheese.
We tried her plain waffle when she was done.
No go. She let us know she wanted more of his.
"Oh, do you want a dip on your waffle?" I asked.
I dipped her piece in the chocolate spread and gave it to her.
"Thank you!" she said and devoured the entire thing in one bite!
May 5, 2008
Polite Police
The Polite Police are in full force in my household in the form of a 32 inch long haired beauty who doesn't really speak too many words. I should be grateful to her fabulous daycare for instilling in her manners that we reinforce at home. I should try hard not to laugh at her cute face when she drops her pacifier out of her mouth to remind us to cover ours...but it's so funny!
Our little miss is very big on covering your mouth when you sneeze, cough, yawn, or anything that resembles some sort of action like that. She is most on top of this in the morning when hanging out with us in bed. If we cough, she stops whatever she is doing and puts her hand over her mouth until we cover ours. She sometimes covers our mouth with her hand if we don't respond.
Then she goes about her business when we're done. It's very adorable and I really really really hope that it will last forever...
Our little miss is very big on covering your mouth when you sneeze, cough, yawn, or anything that resembles some sort of action like that. She is most on top of this in the morning when hanging out with us in bed. If we cough, she stops whatever she is doing and puts her hand over her mouth until we cover ours. She sometimes covers our mouth with her hand if we don't respond.
Then she goes about her business when we're done. It's very adorable and I really really really hope that it will last forever...
Apr 26, 2008
Passover with Cousins
The first seder fell on a Saturday night, so we decided to spend it in Chico with my cousins whom we rarely see because they live so far away. Wendy and Eddie are my first cousins, children of my Aunt Judy z"l (who just passed away 3 weeks ago) and Uncle Ron. We were raised 8 houses apart and spent 13 years closely united.
Not able to take any time off from work, the 3 of us flew to Sacramento at 8:30 PM on Friday. We spent the night with Eddie, his wife of almost 5 years!!! Jeannie, and Jacob (almost 4). Hadarya is an amazing traveler who slept the entire plane ride, transferred to the car, and then to a new bed on the floor at their house. We had a delightful morning playing in their beautiful house and getting to know Jacob. Hadarya and Jacob played so well together!
We borrowed their car and drove just under 2 hours to Chico to be with Wendy, Cassidy (9) and Callie (4). It was a fun, busy, 24 hours in Chico! Hadarya could not enough of playing with the big girls. She really loved Callie's kitchen and slide.
Callie was amazing at sharing her toys and really had a ball with Hadarya. She enjoyed the goats, the hammock (but not walking across the grass to get to it!), and drawing on the sidewalk with chalk.
The seder itself was ok. It was the typical seder my dad likes to run but not so conducive to young children and not so inspiring to read words from a book. We forgot our bag of plagues and so things were rushed and hurried and the best part was dinner. Being with our family was what was important this holiday. It was great fun to watch Hadarya search for the afikomen with her cousins. She figured out how to look by watching them and grabbing something.
We drove back to Sacramento to spend the afternoon and evening before our flight with Eddie, Jeannie, and Jacob. Hadarya loved playing outside in the sandbox and exploring the stairs and new toys! Jacob was so sweet about sharing his toys and did a great job at pulling off his Spiderman mask when Hadarya needed to make sure he was still there! We flew home at 8:30 PM and Hadarya stretched across our laps and slept the whole way...into the car...and into her own bed! It was great.
Both sets of cousins are going to visit us in San Diego this summer (June and August) and we can't wait to show off the fun in our town with them. It's going to be so much fun!
G.G.'s Gift of Love
G.G. is Great Grandma Jeanne (Nana's Mom) who lives in Canada. She has never met Hadarya but showers her with cards, gifts, and handmade items anyway.
Upon her arrival into our lives, she knit a gorgeous pink and white blanket that is so big, we are saving it for her when she is in a big girl bed and needs an extra blanket. It is beautiful.
One of her favorite books is the one G.G. sent that makes animal sounds. The Pig and Rooster are going to get broken from over use!!
The latest gift... just because; is a poncho, hat, and purse that all match. The best part is that Hadarya can take them off herself! She thinks she's the big girl pulling things over her head to get changed. While trying it on today, she said "hot, hot" many times. I don't blame her...it was over 80 degrees in our house!
Thank you G.G. for your labor of love and caring about Hadarya so much!
Upon her arrival into our lives, she knit a gorgeous pink and white blanket that is so big, we are saving it for her when she is in a big girl bed and needs an extra blanket. It is beautiful.
One of her favorite books is the one G.G. sent that makes animal sounds. The Pig and Rooster are going to get broken from over use!!
The latest gift... just because; is a poncho, hat, and purse that all match. The best part is that Hadarya can take them off herself! She thinks she's the big girl pulling things over her head to get changed. While trying it on today, she said "hot, hot" many times. I don't blame her...it was over 80 degrees in our house!
Thank you G.G. for your labor of love and caring about Hadarya so much!
Where did my BABY go?
Yesterday afternoon Hadarya and I were hanging out in her bedroom...well I was putting things away and cleaning up as fast as she was throwing (her new skill) toys around. I discovered a bag of uber cute summer clothes that I bought a few weeks ago but it got too cold to wear so they were stuffed in the bag in the back of the closet. It includes 2 new bathing suits for the summer.
Have you every tried to get an 18 month old to try on clothes? She doesn't like to get out of her pajamas in the morning, so why I thought she'd think this was fun is beyond me.
I managed, without difficulty, to get her in her new suit because it had fishies on it. Then she had fun saying fishy, fishy, fishy. She did not want to take it off. She put on her bright green headband and headed out of her room to the bathroom. My baby girl pulled up the step stool to the sink and pushed it against the cabinet. She grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste and proceeded to brush her teeth.
I just stared at her. I couldn't believe that she was this 32 inch tall child standing on her own doing personal hygiene. She still likes to be cuddled...sometimes. She still likes her pacifier...all the time lately. She still babbles incoherently...most of the time. But she is no longer a BABY. She is a little girl with clear ideas, thoughts, and actions. She works hard to communicate with us, adding to her vocabulary daily, and developing a keen sense of imaginary play.
I miss the baby but I LOVE the little girl so much!
Apr 13, 2008
Rest Your Body - special guest post by Yiftach
The teachers at Hadarya's daycare center, the SDSU Children's Center, are responsible for putting dozens of kids down for their naps every day, so they have to have a system. The nap room is darkened, there's calming music, and it's often necessary to help the kids relax by repeating a mantra, bringing them down from their high-energy activity level to where they can fall asleep. The teachers often simply repeat "rest your body" over and over again as they pat the kids' backs or just sit next to their cots. I'm not the kind of person who can repeat a phrase like that without getting creative, so the other night, when I was putting Hadarya to bed, I came up with the following:
The Rest Your Body Song
(to the tune of Oh My Darling, Clementine)
Rest your body, rest your body, rest your body and your head,
Rest your body, rest your body, rest your body in your bed.
Rest your arms and rest your legs and rest your feet and rest your toes,
Rest your hands and rest your fingers, rest your knees and your elbows.
Rest your body, rest your body, rest your body all the way,
Rest your body, rest your body, and tomorrow we will play.
(repeat as necessary)
The Rest Your Body Song
(to the tune of Oh My Darling, Clementine)
Rest your body, rest your body, rest your body and your head,
Rest your body, rest your body, rest your body in your bed.
Rest your arms and rest your legs and rest your feet and rest your toes,
Rest your hands and rest your fingers, rest your knees and your elbows.
Rest your body, rest your body, rest your body all the way,
Rest your body, rest your body, and tomorrow we will play.
(repeat as necessary)
Apr 8, 2008
18 months old today
A full fledged toddler is who resides in our household now. A walking, breathing, talking, whining, smiling, toddler who knows what she wants, has a ton to say, and loves to play with us.
We are constantly amazed at her language development and skills that seem to emerge daily.
Here is a long list of the word she currently says...most of which are extremely clear. NOT in any particular order!
1. aba (daddy in hebrew)
2. more (and she signs this)
3. mama
4. stop
5. snack
6. ow
7. belly
8. pupik (belly button in yiddish)
9. eye
10. nose
11. hand
12. bye
13. duck
14. book
15. please
16. ama (for ima, hebrew for mom)
17. hi
18. up
19. nana
20. baba (saba, hebrew for grandpa)
21. hat
22. apple
23. jacket
24. doggy
25. g'pa (grandpa)
26. ball
27. baby
28. hot
29. flower
30. pee pee
31. car
32. no
33. tata (safta, grandma in hebrew)
34. ssh...with the finger to her lips
35. Hada (for Hadarya)
36. Tay (school friend)
37. Nino (school friend)
38. Babee (Gabby...school friend)
39. imba (auntie Kimber)
40. cracker
41. stuck
42. uh-oh
43. Elmo
44. cookie
45. onah (Jonah, her cousin)
46. neck
Hadarya signs please, milk, more, thank you, wash hand, blows kisses, and waves good bye in the utmost of princess fashion.
She LOVES music and insists on the radio the minute we get into the car by pointing and whining...I sure hope she learns to say radio soon! She dances and shakes to the beat. She moves her head and slaps her hands on her knees.
She does the motions to songs like Wheels on the Bus, Slippery Fish, Bim Bam, and knows the names of every one of her classmates (she can point to anyone if you ask where is______?)
She knows her body parts...eyes, nose, mouth, hands, feet, ears, neck, and we are working on tongue! She can follow one-step directions and loves helping put things away. She has become very good at tossing her diapers and turning the diaper champ. She also loves sitting on her potty and has gone several hours with dry diapers. Potty training is definitely close at hand!!
We delight in our miracle every day and every night (even when it's a sleepless one and she wakes up every few hours!). Her sunny, funny personality is a joy to be around and her social love of people makes it fun to take her out.
It's just so hard to believe that we are closer to 2 years old then we are to the infant we waited so long for. big sigh...
We are constantly amazed at her language development and skills that seem to emerge daily.
Here is a long list of the word she currently says...most of which are extremely clear. NOT in any particular order!
1. aba (daddy in hebrew)
2. more (and she signs this)
3. mama
4. stop
5. snack
6. ow
7. belly
8. pupik (belly button in yiddish)
9. eye
10. nose
11. hand
12. bye
13. duck
14. book
15. please
16. ama (for ima, hebrew for mom)
17. hi
18. up
19. nana
20. baba (saba, hebrew for grandpa)
21. hat
22. apple
23. jacket
24. doggy
25. g'pa (grandpa)
26. ball
27. baby
28. hot
29. flower
30. pee pee
31. car
32. no
33. tata (safta, grandma in hebrew)
34. ssh...with the finger to her lips
35. Hada (for Hadarya)
36. Tay (school friend)
37. Nino (school friend)
38. Babee (Gabby...school friend)
39. imba (auntie Kimber)
40. cracker
41. stuck
42. uh-oh
43. Elmo
44. cookie
45. onah (Jonah, her cousin)
46. neck
Hadarya signs please, milk, more, thank you, wash hand, blows kisses, and waves good bye in the utmost of princess fashion.
She LOVES music and insists on the radio the minute we get into the car by pointing and whining...I sure hope she learns to say radio soon! She dances and shakes to the beat. She moves her head and slaps her hands on her knees.
She does the motions to songs like Wheels on the Bus, Slippery Fish, Bim Bam, and knows the names of every one of her classmates (she can point to anyone if you ask where is______?)
She knows her body parts...eyes, nose, mouth, hands, feet, ears, neck, and we are working on tongue! She can follow one-step directions and loves helping put things away. She has become very good at tossing her diapers and turning the diaper champ. She also loves sitting on her potty and has gone several hours with dry diapers. Potty training is definitely close at hand!!
We delight in our miracle every day and every night (even when it's a sleepless one and she wakes up every few hours!). Her sunny, funny personality is a joy to be around and her social love of people makes it fun to take her out.
It's just so hard to believe that we are closer to 2 years old then we are to the infant we waited so long for. big sigh...
Mar 27, 2008
Just Like I Wanted
Our very dear friends have 3 children ages 2, 4, and 6. They have lived in San Diego for 5 1/2 years and we've been close since their son was born 4 years ago. Every time we would go to their house, their Grandma's house, or they came to our house, it was the same thing over and over and over again. Will you read me a book, please? EVERY TIME. Again and again and again. To this day they still gobble books and want the same story read over and over, while the adults talk, during dinner, as soon as you walk in the door.
I remember thinking it was so awesome as I read Jack and the Beanstalk for the 7th time while trying to hold a conversation with an adult or how cool it was that each kid got their own adult to read to them while parents were cooking dinner. We even have a fantastic photo of Shayna sitting on my shoulders looking at the book I am reading to them while Nadiv sits on my lap. It's extremely precious.
I remember wanting my children to want to read so much that TV wasn't the focus and we had to read at dinner and whenever they would need it. My friends weren't specific on what exactly they did to make their kids devout readers. But they have a household full of books and read all the time.
Well, I got exactly what I wanted without knowing exactly how I got here. Hadarya LOVES to read. We were panicked when she was younger because we thought we didn't read enough to her. The other night at dinner she was not having anything to do with her food and kept signing please please please. I picked up the book at the table and she devoured it as she devoured her dinner. It was the tribute book for Rabbi Rosenthal's 20th anniversary! Then yesterday she woke up at 7:00 AM and as soon as she was lifted out of the crib, she got off my lap and picked up a book and insisted I read.
I got what I wanted... a daughter who loves books, turns pages, laughs at funny parts, and soaks it all up. I can't wait for more!
I remember thinking it was so awesome as I read Jack and the Beanstalk for the 7th time while trying to hold a conversation with an adult or how cool it was that each kid got their own adult to read to them while parents were cooking dinner. We even have a fantastic photo of Shayna sitting on my shoulders looking at the book I am reading to them while Nadiv sits on my lap. It's extremely precious.
I remember wanting my children to want to read so much that TV wasn't the focus and we had to read at dinner and whenever they would need it. My friends weren't specific on what exactly they did to make their kids devout readers. But they have a household full of books and read all the time.
Well, I got exactly what I wanted without knowing exactly how I got here. Hadarya LOVES to read. We were panicked when she was younger because we thought we didn't read enough to her. The other night at dinner she was not having anything to do with her food and kept signing please please please. I picked up the book at the table and she devoured it as she devoured her dinner. It was the tribute book for Rabbi Rosenthal's 20th anniversary! Then yesterday she woke up at 7:00 AM and as soon as she was lifted out of the crib, she got off my lap and picked up a book and insisted I read.
I got what I wanted... a daughter who loves books, turns pages, laughs at funny parts, and soaks it all up. I can't wait for more!
Mar 20, 2008
Fairy Dust for Purim
Tonight was Purim. It is the fun holiday where everyone dresses up in costume, boos at the bad guy in the story, and eats triangular shaped cookies filled with jelly that are supposed to represent the hat the bad guy wore. It is the telling of the story of Esther...the queen who along with her cousin Mordechai saved the Jews from persecution.
Last year Hadarya was 7 months old and as cute as a bug (literally a ladybug for this holiday) and we had a lot of fun with Nana and Savta at Ohr Shalom.
This year we "accidentally" purchased a costume when we were in Arizona two months ago. We were hanging out at the mall with Cousin Janis and went into Ima's favorite store: the Disney Store. Of course one cannot shop without seeking out the sale rack and there was this adorable Tinker Bell costume at 50% off. Who could resist adorable green with purple and gold flecked trip, see through cap sleeves, a skirt of layers with tulle, and wings attached? It was too good to pass up for 12.99. She will have it to play with later on. So I was convinced that Hadarya would be Tinker Bell for 12.99 and we'd have fun at Purim. It was even sweeter when I went to the register and the total was $4.29 including tax!!! Woo Hoo did we ever score.
Fast forward to the big night: TONIGHT. We decided to go to Tifereth Israel this year as they do a huge Purim Spiel and this year it was the Megillah according to the Beatles. We figured it was close to home, earlier, good music that H would like, and we could always cut out and be home quickly if she needed to go to bed.
We dressed up our angel as a fairy and she sprinkled fairy dust on everyone she met. Complete with a gold want (thanks Meltzers) and new sparkly green/purple/gold hair ties. She charmed the pants off everyone who dared cross her path. Then she sat in the front row in our laps for 1 hour enjoying the show. 45 minutes past her bedtime and way over stimulated with cheering, music, dancing, and shaking her grogger, she hit her wall and we left as the closing act finished.
It took awhile to get her to bed. Lots of water, a cup of milk, yogurt (midnight snack on her body time!) and our bed. But look at these photos and dare say it was not worth keeping her up past her bedtime. Go ahead I dare you!
Mar 16, 2008
BFS and AFS
After our whirlwind weekend of simchas, Hadarya woke up at 3:00 AM on Tuesday with a 102.9 fever. We gave her burning, screaming body some tylenol, held her close in our bed, and scrambled our brains with figuring out what to do for Tuesday about work and daycare. She woke up at her usual time 7 AM and was in a great mood with no fever. So, we did the irresponsible thing and sent her to daycare as we couldn't figure out who should stay home and what to do since she seemed fine.
Well, as I posted...it was the irresponsible thing to do as she promptly took a nap after breakfast and woke up at 11 with a 100.7 fever. Yiftach picked her up, brought her home and then brought her to me at 1:30 when my students went home. She was drinking a lot and not so interested in eating, but her fever was somewhat low and so we gave her tylenol and put her to bed at her normal time.
I do not like the nighttime when my daughter is sick. They stink. Hadarya burned up all night long and cried and whined and could not sleep. She wanted out of her crib. Not to be held. Not in our bed. At one point we put our screaming child on the floor in the family room because we were so exhausted from being up every hour and she refused to be held or anything! She cried and screamed for about a minute and then settled into my lap on our couch and fell asleep. I sat on the couch with her for 2 hours and then was able to move into our bed for another 1 1/2. She woke up feverish and sick and we knew we were in for the long haul.
On Wednesday morning Yiftach took her to the doctor because we knew our nephew had been diagnosed with strep throat on Monday (his birthday party was in LA on Sunday) so off they went. Her throat was pink but the doctor said she was too young to get strep. He still did a throat culture that would not be back for 48 - 72 hours.
She had a fever every night for 5 nights of no less than 102.4 and as high as 103.1. There were no other symptoms and no other things that would explain this issue. She drank and drank and drank tons of water and sometimes milk. She began to eat less but still liked applesauce and yogurt.
We were at our wits end by the high fever on Friday night. 5 nights after a days that were ok was just not right. We had our answer on Saturday morning when we called in to get the lab report and it said that the test was positive for strep. After we got over being angry that it took a week of our daughter suffering to get a diagnosis, we had to wait about another 3 hours for the prescription.
The good news is that after 2 doses, our BABY is back!!! She woke up once last night at 3 AM to a very cold house and therefore did end up in our bed. She slept until 7:30...delicious for us! She is funny again. She is eating again. She is sleeping again.
So we divide our week into Before Sick and After Sick.
What a week for us... the best news is that I am on Spring Break and Hadarya is going to daycare to play with her friends. Ahhhh.
Well, as I posted...it was the irresponsible thing to do as she promptly took a nap after breakfast and woke up at 11 with a 100.7 fever. Yiftach picked her up, brought her home and then brought her to me at 1:30 when my students went home. She was drinking a lot and not so interested in eating, but her fever was somewhat low and so we gave her tylenol and put her to bed at her normal time.
I do not like the nighttime when my daughter is sick. They stink. Hadarya burned up all night long and cried and whined and could not sleep. She wanted out of her crib. Not to be held. Not in our bed. At one point we put our screaming child on the floor in the family room because we were so exhausted from being up every hour and she refused to be held or anything! She cried and screamed for about a minute and then settled into my lap on our couch and fell asleep. I sat on the couch with her for 2 hours and then was able to move into our bed for another 1 1/2. She woke up feverish and sick and we knew we were in for the long haul.
On Wednesday morning Yiftach took her to the doctor because we knew our nephew had been diagnosed with strep throat on Monday (his birthday party was in LA on Sunday) so off they went. Her throat was pink but the doctor said she was too young to get strep. He still did a throat culture that would not be back for 48 - 72 hours.
She had a fever every night for 5 nights of no less than 102.4 and as high as 103.1. There were no other symptoms and no other things that would explain this issue. She drank and drank and drank tons of water and sometimes milk. She began to eat less but still liked applesauce and yogurt.
We were at our wits end by the high fever on Friday night. 5 nights after a days that were ok was just not right. We had our answer on Saturday morning when we called in to get the lab report and it said that the test was positive for strep. After we got over being angry that it took a week of our daughter suffering to get a diagnosis, we had to wait about another 3 hours for the prescription.
The good news is that after 2 doses, our BABY is back!!! She woke up once last night at 3 AM to a very cold house and therefore did end up in our bed. She slept until 7:30...delicious for us! She is funny again. She is eating again. She is sleeping again.
So we divide our week into Before Sick and After Sick.
What a week for us... the best news is that I am on Spring Break and Hadarya is going to daycare to play with her friends. Ahhhh.
Mar 13, 2008
Is it only the middle of March?
What a week we've had. A screaming child at 3:30 AM on Tuesday broke any semblance of normalcy in our household. Burning up at 102.9, we realized we had a sick child. Tylenol and our bed seemed to do the trick because she woke up happy as usual at 7 AM.
SO, being slightly irresponsible parents, we sent her to daycare and we went to school. We haven't been faced with making last minute arrangements for a sick child and this is my last week before a two-week break and open house was also this week.
Needless to say, Miss Alyssa called at 11 AM to say that Hadarya had eaten breakfast, taken a nap for two hours, and had a 100.7 fever. So began our three day saga into the world of a sick toddler.
Tuesday night was the worst after Auntie Kimber put her to bed and she slept well for her. Then we got home from our teaching and board meeting and she woke every hour, became inconsolable at around 3 AM. She cried at her bed, cried at our bed, cried being held, cried being rocked, we finally laid her on the family room floor and let her scream a little. It was terrible and heart wrenching and helpless. She wanted only Ima and only wanted to sit in my lap on the couch. Within 20 minutes she had nodded off that way and slept with blankets around us for 2 hours before moving into our bed.
Wednesday found us at the doctor's office where she was pronounced ok...slightly pink throat and ears but clear lungs and probably something viral. We took a 3 hour nap from 2-5 PM and boy did that feel good.
Today Savta and Grandma took shifts taking care of her so we could go to work. Boy is it good to have family in town! She slept on Yiftach from 8:30 - 9:30 and then 11 - 12:45 in her crib. She laughed all afternoon and played independently and did not ask for her video. She went to bed at 7:30 and is sleeping soundly...Oh, did i just right that???? I should have learned that could mean I jinxed myself. I hope not. She is going to school tomorrow.
: ) Whew, I am so glad spring break begins at 2:30 PM.
SO, being slightly irresponsible parents, we sent her to daycare and we went to school. We haven't been faced with making last minute arrangements for a sick child and this is my last week before a two-week break and open house was also this week.
Needless to say, Miss Alyssa called at 11 AM to say that Hadarya had eaten breakfast, taken a nap for two hours, and had a 100.7 fever. So began our three day saga into the world of a sick toddler.
Tuesday night was the worst after Auntie Kimber put her to bed and she slept well for her. Then we got home from our teaching and board meeting and she woke every hour, became inconsolable at around 3 AM. She cried at her bed, cried at our bed, cried being held, cried being rocked, we finally laid her on the family room floor and let her scream a little. It was terrible and heart wrenching and helpless. She wanted only Ima and only wanted to sit in my lap on the couch. Within 20 minutes she had nodded off that way and slept with blankets around us for 2 hours before moving into our bed.
Wednesday found us at the doctor's office where she was pronounced ok...slightly pink throat and ears but clear lungs and probably something viral. We took a 3 hour nap from 2-5 PM and boy did that feel good.
Today Savta and Grandma took shifts taking care of her so we could go to work. Boy is it good to have family in town! She slept on Yiftach from 8:30 - 9:30 and then 11 - 12:45 in her crib. She laughed all afternoon and played independently and did not ask for her video. She went to bed at 7:30 and is sleeping soundly...Oh, did i just right that???? I should have learned that could mean I jinxed myself. I hope not. She is going to school tomorrow.
: ) Whew, I am so glad spring break begins at 2:30 PM.
Mar 10, 2008
March Madness Has Begun
We kicked off March with a crazy filled weekend in two cities and several parties.
We began with a fun filled dinner at Corvette's Diner to celebrate Maital's 2nd birthday. Then we hustled to services for the Simcha Shabbat at Tifereth where Hadarya had a ball playing with all the kids, singing, and dancing, and running around.
Shabbat we spend at Ella's bat mitzvah at Ohr Shalom. She was wonderful, the shul was packed, and Hadarya took an early AM nap in her fancy party dress. When she woke up she enjoyed Shuli Shabbat (a special tot shabbat program) and made a beautiful torah breastplate. After a buffet lunch with festive colors and balloons, we were off to Los Angeles so Hadarya could nap in the car (she did for over 2 hours!) and we spent a delightful evening with our cousins Marsha and Wayne. They spoiled Hadarya something fierce and delighted in her giggles and joy. She fell asleep in my arms at 7:30 and went right down in her pack and play for the night. : ) Happy Kid and Happy Parents.
Sunday morning found us at our nephew's 4th birthday party at an indoor play area. Hadarya has never been before and was she in heaven. She didn't know what to do first! Many of the toys were too big for her, but she loved running around and trying things.
The party ended at noon and we were back in the car for her nap and trip to San Diego to make it to Maital's birthday party. That was a fun music themed party and Hadarya painted, did spin art (became a grogger for Purim) and danced with the tamborine. It was a wonderful weekend and we were glad to be home in the extra daylight hours.
We began with a fun filled dinner at Corvette's Diner to celebrate Maital's 2nd birthday. Then we hustled to services for the Simcha Shabbat at Tifereth where Hadarya had a ball playing with all the kids, singing, and dancing, and running around.
Shabbat we spend at Ella's bat mitzvah at Ohr Shalom. She was wonderful, the shul was packed, and Hadarya took an early AM nap in her fancy party dress. When she woke up she enjoyed Shuli Shabbat (a special tot shabbat program) and made a beautiful torah breastplate. After a buffet lunch with festive colors and balloons, we were off to Los Angeles so Hadarya could nap in the car (she did for over 2 hours!) and we spent a delightful evening with our cousins Marsha and Wayne. They spoiled Hadarya something fierce and delighted in her giggles and joy. She fell asleep in my arms at 7:30 and went right down in her pack and play for the night. : ) Happy Kid and Happy Parents.
Sunday morning found us at our nephew's 4th birthday party at an indoor play area. Hadarya has never been before and was she in heaven. She didn't know what to do first! Many of the toys were too big for her, but she loved running around and trying things.
The party ended at noon and we were back in the car for her nap and trip to San Diego to make it to Maital's birthday party. That was a fun music themed party and Hadarya painted, did spin art (became a grogger for Purim) and danced with the tamborine. It was a wonderful weekend and we were glad to be home in the extra daylight hours.
Feb 23, 2008
Shabbat Breakfast
There is nothing as good as homemade chocolate chip pancakes. They are our favorite and usually a Sunday morning treat with Grandma and Grandpa, fresh fruit, and tea. But we made an exception today. I don't think she cared a wink!
We've Got A Hairstyle!
Hadarya's hair has grown and grown and grown. While it would be totally adorable with bangs and cute bob look, we have decided to grow her hair and just see what happens. Once we do the bangs, we're done for sooo...we have tried the clips (which she usually pulls out) and headbands (pulled out totally!) and now we have this. We love it and it's totally cute! AND she leaves it in!
Feb 15, 2008
103 degrees HOT
My baby's got a fever. A HIGH one that came out of nowhere. She had a great day at daycare. Ate a lot...even more than usual and her teacher commented on the fact that she must be growing. Well, that may be true but a 103 fever after a great day is kind of scary! We tylenoled and put her to bed.
We ended up spending Shabbat hanging out at home, which was nice. We don't like to do household things on Shabbat and try to make the day different from the rest of the week. BUT we decided to make good use of our down time with a sick sleeping baby.
She hung onto a 100 fever until mid-afternoon. And then it just went away and she was her usual self. I think she was sending us a signal to slow down and be at home together. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon and she shows no signs of being worse for the wear with the high fever...and definitely no teeth to show for it! Man, I wish those fangs would get here already!
We ended up spending Shabbat hanging out at home, which was nice. We don't like to do household things on Shabbat and try to make the day different from the rest of the week. BUT we decided to make good use of our down time with a sick sleeping baby.
She hung onto a 100 fever until mid-afternoon. And then it just went away and she was her usual self. I think she was sending us a signal to slow down and be at home together. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon and she shows no signs of being worse for the wear with the high fever...and definitely no teeth to show for it! Man, I wish those fangs would get here already!
Feb 14, 2008
Cute as a Bug
Hadarya is soooo cute I sometimes can't stand it. We traveled to LA on Monday for the bris of our new nephew on Tuesday. We were staying in a hotel and spend a lot of time in and out of the car. Baby doll was amazing and adorable and cuter than cute throughout it all.
She took an incredible nap all the way up to our lunch at the Hillel house at UCLA. It was wonderful to see Rabbi Chaim (who participated in our wedding 5 years ago) and we ran into a friend of Yiftach's from his days at UCLA. It turns out that I also knew this friend from a totally different link to UCLA before I ever met Yiftach. It was wild!! AND good to run into him. We look forward to getting reaquainted with him.
After checking into our hotel in the Marina we headed to meet our new nephew. The highlight of the evening was the pure joy Hadarya got from playing with her almost 4 year old cousin Jonah and eating up a storm at the table filled with 11 people. She delighted in the crowd, the food, and being with the family.
It was a rough sleeping night even though she fell asleep quickly. She woke up very upset at her cousins house and only calmed down back in the car on the ride to the hotel. But the metal crib, double beds, and floor maksehift bed only lasted so long. We were all tired at 7 AM.
After a scrumptious breakfast at Maxwell's which offers veggie sausage we headed to pick up the 6 lb challah and to the bris. While Hadarya missed her AM nap, she delighted in being dressed up and I am positive the photographer got some delicious photos of her twirling about and being cute.
We headed to the park in the late afternoon to catch up with some friends and then back to say good-bye to the family before heading home at her bedtime. She only had a slightly less than 2 hour nap after all the excitement and was beyond ready for bed at 7 PM. She slept soundly all the way home and until the next morning in her own crib.
She was fascinated with her new cousin and loved saying hi to him while he sat in his bouncer sit. Ziv Benjamin is a cutie too and I am sure Hadarya is going to love watching him get bigger!
She took an incredible nap all the way up to our lunch at the Hillel house at UCLA. It was wonderful to see Rabbi Chaim (who participated in our wedding 5 years ago) and we ran into a friend of Yiftach's from his days at UCLA. It turns out that I also knew this friend from a totally different link to UCLA before I ever met Yiftach. It was wild!! AND good to run into him. We look forward to getting reaquainted with him.
After checking into our hotel in the Marina we headed to meet our new nephew. The highlight of the evening was the pure joy Hadarya got from playing with her almost 4 year old cousin Jonah and eating up a storm at the table filled with 11 people. She delighted in the crowd, the food, and being with the family.
It was a rough sleeping night even though she fell asleep quickly. She woke up very upset at her cousins house and only calmed down back in the car on the ride to the hotel. But the metal crib, double beds, and floor maksehift bed only lasted so long. We were all tired at 7 AM.
After a scrumptious breakfast at Maxwell's which offers veggie sausage we headed to pick up the 6 lb challah and to the bris. While Hadarya missed her AM nap, she delighted in being dressed up and I am positive the photographer got some delicious photos of her twirling about and being cute.
We headed to the park in the late afternoon to catch up with some friends and then back to say good-bye to the family before heading home at her bedtime. She only had a slightly less than 2 hour nap after all the excitement and was beyond ready for bed at 7 PM. She slept soundly all the way home and until the next morning in her own crib.
She was fascinated with her new cousin and loved saying hi to him while he sat in his bouncer sit. Ziv Benjamin is a cutie too and I am sure Hadarya is going to love watching him get bigger!
Feb 8, 2008
She's Got Language
Without any doubts Hadarya understands a multitude of things and can say, sign, and babble a ton of words. She follow simple directions: Please take this to______.(Fill in any important person in her life's name).
She understands things in Hebrew and English as well as signs.
A month later update: March 10th
Here are the words she can say:
up
bye
hi
book
quack-quack
duck
Aba
Mama
ball
more
please
g'ma
Nana
Baba (Saba and banana)
cracker
bubbles (not totally, but it means this for sure)
nose
eyes
She signs: wash hands, more, please, thank you, book, milk.
VERY exciting business in our household!
She understands things in Hebrew and English as well as signs.
A month later update: March 10th
Here are the words she can say:
up
bye
hi
book
quack-quack
duck
Aba
Mama
ball
more
please
g'ma
Nana
Baba (Saba and banana)
cracker
bubbles (not totally, but it means this for sure)
nose
eyes
She signs: wash hands, more, please, thank you, book, milk.
VERY exciting business in our household!
She Shimmies
My daughter shimmies. Mind you, not just dancing. She actually shimmies her body to any tune she hears. It is the most adorable thing you have ever seen. The other day Auntie Kimber was over and they were sitting on the ground playing, when Hadarya actually shimmied her upper body to some tune Auntie sang. It was utterly adorable.
She has a leap frog fridge farm that she LOVES to hear Farmer John's tune while shaking her booty. She jiggles more than shimmies to that one. She also has a sports center that the basketball makes real music like the beginning of a game...dunh dunh dunh, etc. That illicits major wiggles as Ima and Aba shake their booty too, so she does a sports dance. She also got a fridge phonics that we just pulled out and she dances in circles to the ABC's. My daughter has a music bug and it shows!
BUT the best is the shimmying. She has the way that moves her upper body ever so slightly in the cutest fashion. Sing to her and she shimmies. Play recorded music (especially her Pooh radio) and she shimmies. Push the button on the farm or ABC to distract her and she shimmies.
It's the movement of the week. I wonder what she'll do when she hears the Barchu in shul tomorrow?!
She has a leap frog fridge farm that she LOVES to hear Farmer John's tune while shaking her booty. She jiggles more than shimmies to that one. She also has a sports center that the basketball makes real music like the beginning of a game...dunh dunh dunh, etc. That illicits major wiggles as Ima and Aba shake their booty too, so she does a sports dance. She also got a fridge phonics that we just pulled out and she dances in circles to the ABC's. My daughter has a music bug and it shows!
BUT the best is the shimmying. She has the way that moves her upper body ever so slightly in the cutest fashion. Sing to her and she shimmies. Play recorded music (especially her Pooh radio) and she shimmies. Push the button on the farm or ABC to distract her and she shimmies.
It's the movement of the week. I wonder what she'll do when she hears the Barchu in shul tomorrow?!
Jan 31, 2008
Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Grandma likes to have her song with Hadarya and teach her things. While we are trying to get her to understand that we like to sing the same songs and she does not "own" the exclusivity on them, she can by all means teach her fun things and sing them a lot with her.
The first one was the Eency Weency Spider, to which Hadarya has been doing all the hand motions for about 3 months. It's very cute and she always claps at the end.
Her newest song is Monkeys Jumping on the Bed that my mom actually reads to her from a book. We've been told that there are some gifts coming that go with the song, so it's important that Hadarya learns it.
Hadarya loves this book. Each time the monkey does something different (jump, dance, sing, etc.) but the monkey always bumps his head. My mom sings, "10 little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off..." and as she says "bumps his head," Hadarya bumps her head with her hand. It's very cute. AND she does it again and again.
Well tonight she'd sung the song and done her part enough times. She was sitting on my mom's lap on the chair with Auntie Kimber on the floor across from her. Yiftach was next to Auntie Kimber and I was next to him by my mom.
Hadarya squirmed out of Grandma's arms as she was reading the "fell off AND..." we all said "bumped her head" as Hadarya went running arms outstretched to Auntie Kimber. We THOUGHT she was running for a hug, but instead she bumped Auntie Kimber on the head!! It was so hysterical. My kid so gets more language and meaning than any of us realize. She is too darn adorable!!
The first one was the Eency Weency Spider, to which Hadarya has been doing all the hand motions for about 3 months. It's very cute and she always claps at the end.
Her newest song is Monkeys Jumping on the Bed that my mom actually reads to her from a book. We've been told that there are some gifts coming that go with the song, so it's important that Hadarya learns it.
Hadarya loves this book. Each time the monkey does something different (jump, dance, sing, etc.) but the monkey always bumps his head. My mom sings, "10 little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off..." and as she says "bumps his head," Hadarya bumps her head with her hand. It's very cute. AND she does it again and again.
Well tonight she'd sung the song and done her part enough times. She was sitting on my mom's lap on the chair with Auntie Kimber on the floor across from her. Yiftach was next to Auntie Kimber and I was next to him by my mom.
Hadarya squirmed out of Grandma's arms as she was reading the "fell off AND..." we all said "bumped her head" as Hadarya went running arms outstretched to Auntie Kimber. We THOUGHT she was running for a hug, but instead she bumped Auntie Kimber on the head!! It was so hysterical. My kid so gets more language and meaning than any of us realize. She is too darn adorable!!
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