This October, we travelled to Israel for the Jewish holidays. It was Noa's first trip to Israel (she has already been to Arizona twice and Barbados once- she has more frequent flier miles than abba), and she was quite the trooper. She was all smiles. As some of you know, flying with infants is an adventure. Noa was great, but she was not interested in sleeping. On the flip side, we were so tired when we arrived to Israel that we had no problem sleeping and adjusting to the time change. Noa's savta Ruthy planned an amazing party for Noa. The theme was bedouin inspired, and around 100 guests came too meet Noa. She did not disappoint as she pretty much smiled the entire party (except for when a little boy bit her). While in Israel, Noa finally started eating solids. Moran and Savta Ruthy went to great lengths to persuade Noa to eat. Savta made her homemade soup and fruit combos daily (in addition to a little chocolate on the side). One of Savta's strategies was to sing "Yossi bakinor" and use a pot as a drum (see video in picasa). We took Noa from house to house for visit after visit, and she really enjoyed all the attention. As a result of the solids in her diet, she experienced her first real "poop" (hard vs. soft), and I will never forget the expression on her face. A look of surprise came over Noa as her face turned beet red, and she looked as I felt when I pushed her out of me while in labor. Noa also learned a very important lesson. Many of the kids were a bit older than her, and they would take toys away from her until she learned to pull back. It was quite the epiphany.