It's Been a Hard Day's Night

Actually the day wasn't hard at all, but we have been working, if not like dogs, then like grandparents.  Chana came home with the little bundle today, and they are both doing really well.  We are trying to help out- picking up Adva, grocery shopping, cooking for shabbat, etc.  As expected- a working vacation.  In between I managed to have a meeting with the president of the local Rotary club to see if they would support our project in Haiti, and we did a little tourist shopping on the Commons.  Aside from that we got our regular workout at the Y, and took Adva for supper at the CJL while the boys had karate, and Chana did alot of nursing.

Bitzy is very excited about the new baby.  Nitai seems a bit blase about it all, and Adva can't quite figure it out.  she is an exceptionally verbal little girl, who talks up a blue streak.  She finally started calling Mike by his name- "Muck".  She has been saying "Nomi" since my last visit here.  I have been spending time with her every morning when Jason and Mike go to shul.  We have a good time- dancing, watching dishes, eating breakfast, coloring, and generally hanging out.  The boys and I play games every night- Taki, Sorry, Battleship, etc.  Mike is a dedicated zaydie, giving them massages every night, and often reading them books.    We really feel like we have gotten to know them.

The plan is to name the baby this shabbat, and to make a kiddush in her honor.  We are happy to be present for the event.  We still haven't decided whether to drive into NYC on Sunday, or to go in on Monday.  I guess we will decide tomorrow.  Simplicity dictates going in on Monday, and since the Met is closed anyways on Monday, and we have no real plans for the city, I thiink we are leaning towards that.  We will see.

Have a wonderful shabbat- all of you, wherever you are.  We are thinking of you, and miss you- especially the kids and grandkids over there.

Much love,
N

i didn't take any pics today- i guess i am getting tired- but in any case- here is one from Chana's album:

and a great video of adva dancing in the morning:

link to the picture album

Tuesday's Child

Well-we finally have wonderful news. Baby girl, weighing in at 3300 grams, born at 8:55 AM.

Most of you have heard it by now, but here comes the details.  Chana went to the midwives yesterday where they told her that she was definitely "ready".  After working out in the gym for 30 minutes (yes, Chana worked out, alongside me and Mike), she started having contractions during the late afternoon and evening.  We went home, and went to sleep with the phone under our pillow.  At 3:30 AM we got the call, and hurried over ( a two minute drive).  Mike went back to sleep. I was to excited, so I stayed up, e-mailed, read, davened, etc.  We got a few updates from Chana and Jason.  After she arrived at the hospital she got an epidural, which slowed things down a bit, but all went well, and she had a very good birth, in a beautiful room overlooking the lake.  We got the call at 9 AM just a couple minutes after the birth.

We were doing the "grandparent bit"- taking care of the kids, breakfast, davening, dressing, etc.  All did well- it is amazing how easy it is for me to slip into parent mode. It fits like a glove.  The only hard part was doing Adva's hair.  I was never too good at that.  There was a reason my girls had short hair!  This morning she was very calm, and was happy for us to take her to school. She is such a loving, easygoing kid.  She is unbelievably verbal, communicating all she wants and needs, in a very understandable way.  It makes things so much easier, and less frustrating.

After dropping Adva, we picked up a few Friendly"s Fribbles (milkshakes) and rushed over to the hospital.  As we pulled in I noticed how easy it was to park, and how quickly we entered the building.  How calm and pleasant it was.  What a contrast to our experiences this summer at Ein Karem.  Chana was still in the delivery room.  It was such a lovely room that it really didn't matter.  The baby was with Jason and Chana and Chana had already nursed.  All looked great.  I took loads of pictures, but they are still on my camera, which is still in the car.  You will get treated to many views tomorrow.  I enjoyed cuddling the baby.  Mike stayed a bit farther away (a slight cold), but we both enjoyed the time with Chana and baby.  Jason went home to daven and nap.

After awhile we moved on to the Y for our regular workout.  I worked out on this amazing bicycle that has a screen, and you feel like you are biking on a scenic road, up and down mountains.  It was a wonderful workout and felt like a real bike ride (almost).  After a quick trip to the store for diapers and cereal, we picked up the boys and brought them to our house for the traditional lunch: crackers, herring, pickles.  We added a few extra goodies- salsa and tortilla chips and sardines.  Yum, yum.  Jason picked them up to take them to visit Chana, and then we crashed for a quick nap, before meeting them at the CJL for mincha and dinner.

That brings us up to right now- we came back- Mike to massage the kids before bed (he does every night- what a dedicated zaydie), and me to the blog.  We hope to get to the Chapter House tonight for a few celebratory beers and some Irish music.

By the way: " Tuesday's child is full of grace"!

monday musings

So today is monday, and it feels like another Sunday.  The kids are on vacation-teacher study day, so only Adva went for 3 hours this morning.  After waking to a freezing morning, -16 F (that is around -24 C) Mike and I took Adva to school, and Chana and Jason dropped the boys off at friends.  While Adva is very friendly generally, she was most unhappy when she realized we were the ones taking her to school.  She cried inconsolably the whole ten minute ride to school.  We kept telling her we were going to "obie" (one of the kids in school who she says over and over again), and even that didn't help. Here are a couple of cute pictures of Adva:

After dropping her, we went to our favorite Y for a workout, and a sauna.  That was really terrific this morning.  Chana also came along for a workout, and then to a checkup.  No news....

We met for lunch at the CJL after a quick shop at Old Navy.  Our bags our pretty much packed to the gills, so no more shopping for us, I hope.  This time I ordered almost everything online, but it is almost an automatic reflex to shop when we are here.  Mike and I are enamored of eating at the CJL.  The combination of not having to shop and prepare, no cleanup, and free food is just totally irresistible as far as I am concerned.  Chana and Jason on the other hand are pretty tired of the CJL food after 2.5 years, so they limit their visits there.  I imagine this week we will visit more than usual.

This afternoon we took the boys to the Museum of the Earth, a natural history museum. We enjoyed the interesting exhibits, and the plethora of fossils mostly taken from New York State.  It made me realize that climate change has been happening forever, so the current warming may just be part of a bigger picture. Who knows? I am sure that is not what they were getting at, but that was my "takeaway".

We ended the afternoon with the traditional trip to Friendly's and though the soft ice-cream machine was broken and we couldn't get Fribbles, we made up for it with milkshakes.

and now a few pics from the wintry landscape- taken Friday, but it still looks like this:

and the view from our backyard:

 and Mike in the kitchen of our cute little house:

 and relaxing in the living room:

Sunday in Ithaca

Sunday is a wonderful day in the US of A. Remember?  It started with a quiet hour at home from 6 AM-7 AM, and then a trip to the local coffee shop where Mike and I hung out with the NY times and coffee for several hours.  Mike actually departed to minyan in the middle, but I continued to "hang" until about 9:30 AM.  After a few hugs and snuggles with the kids, and some good breakfast, Mike and I headed out to Walmart for a "few" groceries and assorted sundries and goodies for various family members.  The most exciting thing I think we got was a booster car seat for our grandchildren- currently Hadar and Ahinoam will be able to use it. Meanwhile Bitzy and Nitai are trying it out.  After picking up our gym clothes at our house (more on that later), we picked up Chana and kids and headed out to the YMCA for a wonderful afternoon.  The kids played in various "kid places"- Adva calls her place "Y JUMP JUMP" because- you guessed it- that is where she jumps.  She is a remarkable child- notice I say child.  She looks and acts like a 2.5 year old, when in fact she is only 1.5.  She is very friendly- remembered me from my last visit, and keeps calling me Nomi, Nomi.  She is warming up to Zaydie Mike slowly, but loves it when he tosses her around.  Mike, Chana (yes 9.5 months pregnant) and I worked out for about 40 minutes.  I then joined the boys in the pool for a good romp and a few laps, while Chana and Mike showered.  We then picked up the kids and came home- Mike to watch a football game with Jason and the boys, and the girls to just hang out.  We will go out to eat at the CJL tonight- the first night that the students are back from vacation.


Now to back up and fill you in a bit- we had a very good trip to Newark, landing on time.  We were pulled for an "agricultural" search, and when they asked if I had any food- I said "no", figuring that the 40 krembo in my bags were not really food. I held my breath and they got through ok- but then i was "sniffed" out by a dog! Fortunately the dog handler asked if had had fruit in my bag recently, and I had, and that was that. Phew! a close call.  As you all know the krembo arrived safe and sound, and they have been a big hit.  Thanks Aliza on your good advice on how to wrap them.  I should always listen to my little sister....

We rented a Prius- the hybrid car- and travelled to Ithaca, stopping at an outlet mall for a little shopping on the way.  We arrived in Ithaca in time to pick up the boys and then head out to the house Chana had rented for us.  It is a cute little house, very nicely fixed up, and very quiet.  Not TV and no internet, and that actually suites us just fine.

Friday Chana and I spent at a long checkup- including ultrasound and monitor, and very nice conversation with one of the midwives in the group that takes care of her.  The plan is to go for another checkup tomorrow, and if nothing is moving then to induce by the very latest this Wednesday.  Chana is very calm and relaxed, and so are we all.  We are actually all having a great time.  Mike spent the morning with Jason who was sitting his last day of shiva.  They had a good morning as well.  We talk alot about Jason's dad, and the loss is very much a part of the present reality.  But life goes on, and Jason's life is very busy and full right now.

Shabbat was very cold and very nice.  Cold- yes! The weather here has been real winter.  It is amazing how it all comes back to us very quickly- how to drive in the snow, how to dress up, and while it is cold, bitter cold, outside, it is nice and warm inside.  We have already gotten used to it.  Our Cleveland training definitely comes in handy.

So now you are updated.  I am going to try to add some pictures to this post and we will see whether this blog site works better than the old one.

well, this is a picture from two months ago. it is far too cold now to be in sweatshirts, but i have not yet downloaded pics from my new camera. we will save that for tomorrow.