Noa and I are at the end of our stay in Israel. The second half has been a bit busier but equally as fun. As there are very few prepared baby food options in Israel, Ruthy has made her various purees, and we give her samples of whatever we are eating or whatever we find in the fridge. Naturally, we gained confidence until we looked over at her while eating at Mantina to see red blotches all around her mouth and puffy pillows below her little eyes. We suspect it was tuna, but either way it slowed us down a bit (that is until she grabbed the falafal out of savta's hand and stuffed it in her mouth). As I mentioned, this week was filled with excitement. Every day, when noa woke up at 11am, we headed off to meet with friends and family at a local cafe or restaurant and tried to return in time for noa's nap. and most nights this week, i went out with friends after noa went to bed. i ate too much chocolate with tovi and ronit, drank wine with tara, enjoyed "gedera pita" at sarit's chena, and danced the night away while eating pebbles that tasted like chocolate in a cave while celebrating the wedding of none other than sarit and josh. one night before noa's bedtime, we visited shelly at work and noa felt right at home behind the bar. chanan came home early from work one night (he wouldnt do this for just anybody) to bathe noa and put her to bed. noa gave him various questioning looks, smiles, and a laugh while he went forward with confidence and held the shower head over her head while she struggled to breathe as the the water poured down her face. he later read her a story and put her to bed, and from then on she seemed to be in love with saba. on a sad note, we drove to rehovot to visit ronit's mom, sylvia, in the hospital. later that day, we celebrated chanan and noa's birthdays, and noa enjoyed her first chocolate cake. On shabbat, we drove up to tsipori to visit the segev family, which is fun because there are friends for both ima and noa (and saba and savta). it is also reminds me of home in az, so i always enjoy the trip. as always, the food was delicious. shlomit's kitchen and hadar's deserts are like a kitchen from tuscany or martha stuart or something more authentic. while there we visited a sheep farm, and after noa adjusted to the sight and feel of pens full of lambs she let a lamb suck her finger. we couldn't get enough of the beach, so we tried the ramat poleg's beach front restaurant with gal and yifat. the deep couch seating, view of the beach, and sun made for a fun outing. noa also bonded with rachely, yifat (who needs to make children's music), eitan and all his sweet hugs and kisses, and of course ziv (my big sister in israel). and lastly, thanks to savta for all the "pinukim."

Noa and I have been in Israel now for 8 days, and we are loving every minute. Savta Ruthy is making Noa all kinds of food. Upon arrival, Noa was greeted by a big basket full of toys, puzzles, and books. The only downside is for me to see what Noa is missing out on back home with one grandma in AZ and the other here in Israel. I have been spoiled as well with extra time to read and sleep and enjoy local coffee shops. The weather has been fabulous (high 70's), so Noa only needs one layer. She has also enjoyed playing outside in the sun and chasing the cat (tsitsi) and dog (lucky). Last friday (which is first day of Israel's weekend), we went to Arana (waterfront mall with restaurants) and ate brunch outside. Noa ate nearly everything Savta offered her until she was full and then she fed the birds, which mezmerized her for at least a few minutes. Guests have been popping in almost every day to visit Noa. Her friend Eitan came over and brought her a balloon and chocolate and even gave her a hug and a kiss before he left. I felt like Noa had grown a bit as she sat in the kitchen with Eitan (16 months) and they both ate grown-up food (salad, cottage cheese, and an omellete). Noa stood on her own for the first time yesterday or the day before. i was quite surprised because she doesn't seem that stable yet on her legs. she is, however, quite the climber. you should see how she conquers the stairs. her tecnique and determination are both cute and impressive. i believe she started saying, "bye bye" before we came, but she is saying it more consistently now. today, we went to downtown natanya for a few errands. Noa enjoyed the shuk (an outdoor market), where she tried and succeeded on a few occasions to touch and sample all the colorful vegetables and fruit on display. She also ate falafel and seemed to like it. she is not at her best, though, and we are not sure why. she had a fever for a few days and she is a little fussy. i wouldnt say she is sick, but the fever and fussiness is lingering. who knows. pics to follow.

our little noa is becoming a ham. when she sees the camera or after the first flash, she is often quite willing to entertain us and perform for the little box we call a camera. she has become a good eater as you can see the food on her face and bib. she is even eating table food and chunky food. we took moran out for dinner a few days ago to celebrate the arrival of her diploma from medical school, and i gave noa a bit of chicken tikka masala. where is the camera when you need it? two tears immediately rolled down her cheecks and her entire face was in shock. she ate it though and seemed to want more. speaking of moran, we are very proud to announce that she completed all the requirements to receive her doctorate of medicine, and we will celebrate with her in may at her graduation ceremony. she is currently studying for her usmle step 3. moran has stayed with us between rotations and after her last rotation while studying, and noa has become quite attached. she even reaches for her when i am holding her, and noa's face lights up when moran enters the room. she has also exposed noa to interesting foods and surprisingly noa has not objected. in short, noa is very fond of her aunt moran. this week, we joined abba for lunch and went to a hockey game with friends. noa was up way past her bedtime, but responded so well. we were very proud of her. she was all smiles. her and riley most enjoyed watching the hockey game from up close. noa even decided to suck on and lick the see through barrier/wall for whatever reason. and now, we are off to israel tonight for nearly three weeks. just noa and i. the flight should be interesting. we are travelling for sarit's wedding on the 29th and to visit family and friends. ruthy is on sabatical this year, so she will have extra free time to bond with noa. i think they are both excited. stay tuned for updates from israel and pics when we return on feb 1st. noa is almost one, can you believe it?

we have definitely enjoyed the holiday season as we have seen much more abba than usual. we met him for lunch. he joined us at gymboree. we drove to clinton together for noa's last official cranical technology visit. her head shape looks great by the way. we ran errands together. we played and played and cuddled and played some more. it will be sad for noa and i when he returns to work tomorrow. one day this week, she wore my childhood outfit. wasnt the 70's a great fashion statement? we also got the chance to meet simon and jo's friends james and vanessa. noa developed a little crush on james. you can see the evidence on our picasa site.