Shmulevich

Savta Arrives

2009-05-18T20:18:00.007-04:00

Ruthy and Moran arrived on tuesday. noa was obviously excited to see them both, especially moran. moran is noa's special friend. noa is basically addicted to her. after a da of blissful catching up, moran and ruthy headed for brooklyn to look for an apartment, and noa and i to Boston to see Kim and Sarit. Doda kim is going through a difficult period, so noa and i hoped to cheer her up by driving to Boston. we had so much fun, and only wish we could see her more often. we hung out at the mall and went to a park as well. kim also brought noa a cool toy that plays music, and noa loves music. we also met up with sarit as she lives in boston as well. she actually met noa for the first time, and noa bonded quite quickly. sarit will make a great mom. noa did so well on the drive. we drove to boston during her first nap and returned around her bedtime, so she slept through the entire trip. on friday, we came together for a photo shoot organized by our very own photographer, casey ragan, as a going away gift for janelle and melissa. the kids were all very cute and cooperative. noa wore a dress her savta brought gave her. group photos have there challenges for different reasons at every stage. they are currently so active, we cant get them to sit and forget looking at the camera. noa had a busy friday. when she woke up from her afternoon nap, we headed for a carnival in bethel. if there was ever any question as to whether or not noa belonged to elad, the doubts were put to rest at the carnival. noa is officially a purse holder. i took on her the big slide, and she flipped out before we even slid down. she just felt the height, and knew it was not her can of beans. elad then tried to take her on the carousel, and she disliked that as well. mike and i entertained everyone, though, by going on a ride. if you know me very well, then you know how much i love the adrenaline rush from a good carnival ride. at the end of the ride, however, i realized i had aged a bit since my last carnival ride. the experience left a bump on my head for a few days. on sunday, we celebrated our friendship with janelle and melissa and mourned their respective moves, janelle to cincinatti and melissa to boston. kerri and nick were fabulous hosts, and nick's "special" tour of the basement was enlightening.

indoor parks, outdoor parks, central park parks

2009-05-11T10:51:00.007-04:00

as a big walking girl, she needs a place to explore, so we met up with the twins at playscape. it wasn't her first visit, and i am starting to think we need to get a membership. the playscape is an indoor gym with endless fun attractions. to name a few, they have a track for ride-ons, slides, jungle gym, ball pit, kitchens, dress up, and many more. noa loves sitting on the ride-ons while we pull or push her around the track, especially the yellow truck. she also loves sinking into the balls and riding the little roller coaster. most recently, she likes the fireman hat. noa is officially a big girl. she and i met jo at the mall and she window shopped and said hi to everyone. later that night, we celebrated jo's birthday at an indian restaurant in brewster. it goes down as one of the best, especially the rhotti bread. and if you are by chance new to the blog, noa loves indian food. we can finally go outside to play. it has been a long winter, so playing outside is a new concept, and we are excited about the new venue. we met up with friends at meckauer park in bethel, and they played. i feel like it is one of the first times she really played at the park. they played in the sand box, which is so messy. i think its impossible to clean all the sand. even after you clean them thoroughly, the sand shows up and sometimes it shows up in the oddest places. mike found sand in liv's poop, for example. noa discovered the tunnel, and likes to crawl quickly to one end and then turn around, which is quite the work out for me. while at the park, i looked over and noticed a girl spoon feeding noa something. as i got closer, i could see it was sand. sunday was mother's day, and it was a glorious day. we went to city for a champaigne brunch. we ate crepes and a scrambled eggs with salmon dish. everything was delicious. after brunch, we strolled around the park, and took in all the sights and sounds unique to central park. we walked to the fountain to photograph noa, and we met our first of many israelis. she walked around with her shades on as if she owned the place. we later went to 68th place park, which is age appropriate for noa. it makes such a difference. shelly then met up with us, and we window shopped until we met shelly mendel for dinner at an italian eatery. all in all, a very good day.

and she is walking more than crawling

2009-05-03T21:33:00.010-04:00

after returning from az, we joined friends at the park. it always takes us too long to recover from a trip and unpack. but somehow, we managed to get up, lotion up, get dressed, pack a lunch i hope she will eat, pack up, and head to ridgefield. at the park, we see her friends and she especially enjoyed her reunion with pike. he likes to hug, and noa doesnt seem to mind. these days, she is growing fonder of the swing, but still prefers the slide. she played in the sand, and i think it was her first time. on sunday, we headed out to the pool at jo and simon's for the first this summer of many trips to their pool. we brought noa a little blow up pool, and she had the best time splashing away. she discovered watermelon, and could not get enough. she chewed on the rhine to soothe her sore gums. she has at least two teeth coming out. noa is reaching out to grab everything, so sunday was no different. this time, however, she reached for my hot chocolate, and it spilled on her. we dunked her in the pool quickly, and except for a near heart attack all ended well. noa's favorite video is collection of israeli children songs (yeldut israelit) with animation. she is walking more now, so the other day i caught her dancing and swaying to the music. i like to read the weekend paper, and it turns out noa does as well. her style or approach, though, is a little less organized. we invited the jankowski family for an impromptu barbecue on saturday may 2. this day will go down in shmulevich family history. in attempt to keep up with rylee, noa turned a corner and stepped up her game. she started walking more than crawling. the next day, we volunteered on mitzva day. noa helped us organize books, and later in the day we celebrated yom haatsmaut (israeli independence day). she thought the face painting was funny, but would not allow the girl to draw on her face.

arizona in april

2009-04-23T20:52:00.001-04:00

noa and i travelled to arizona to defrost, visit family and friends, and experience a little county fair. i was so excited to leave the cold and enter the warm or hot even. the first two day were devestatingly disappointing as a cold front moved in and the temperature was in the 70's. but it turned around quickly, and i enjoyed a few days of 90's. where to begin.... mimi spoiled noa right off the bat. she took her to the grocery store sprouts and bought her everything in the store- just in case she might have a craving for this or that etc. she also introduced her to a snack cup, and it didnt take noa long to figure it out and become quite attached. lola played really well with noa, and noa even says lola (which has to be one of the funniest things to see and hear- her tongue sometimes fogets to stop and comes out lolalolalolol). she really fell in love with rhett, though. she loves babies, and maybe she realizes she is bigger. well, actually, he is technically bigger even though he is 9 months younger. he must seem like a big teddy bear to her because she couldnt stay away from him. and you can understand her because rhett man is so smiley and cuddly, you just look at him and he laughs. then there is mimi's hopped up, chromed out, and strobe lights underneath golf cart, which noa could not get enough of. it would be an understatement, to say noa loved riding in the golf cart. we went to the county fair, where i showed pigs and dairy cows for nine years. it was easily one of my favorite experiences as young person. i could write a book about milking cows at dawn, fresh upside down lemonade, water gun fights, fair crushes, the annual dance, cleaning pins, washing pigs, clipping cows, boys roping girls as they walk by, green sweaters, showmanship, testing the rides for the "carnies", kissing behind the barn, holding hands on the ferris wheel, and all the people. so, my expectations were high and naturally disappointed. the fair grounds seemed a bit dead, but some things never change. i probably knew half of the people there, maybe more, maybe less. noa enjoyed all the sights, sounds, and smell of course. she most enjoyed a little train ride with dawn, lola, and grace. she was so stimulated, she took a nice nap in the afternoon in the shade in her stroller near a picnic bench across from the indian fry bread. the days grew hotter, so we headed the fountain on main and cooled off. noa fell in love with papa and mimi. she was fixated with my dad. she would say papa papa papa and look for him. she followed him, wanted to sit in his lap, go outside with him. she definitely likes her papa. but her and mimi had a few laughs as well. and if we had stayed one more day, i think she would have preferred her over me. the night before we left, we got to see jeff and monica. they were busy all with the fair as she is the lamb superisor. we saw them in the fair of course as well. they took noa and i out for dinner at a very cool restaurant, and the food was delicious. it had an aquarium and flamingos outside. the restaurant is next to the wildlife zoo, and it was great to see little ben and grace again. noa did not take her food this time, so no tears were shed- only silly grins and smiles. and i must not forget to tell you about my lovely saturday. as facebook takes over the world, i decided to test the waters recently by just barely dipping my toes. it turns out that is enough to be sucked in. for efficiency purposes, i wrote on my wall when i would be in arizona. well, a friend from college who also happens to be from az but currently lives in colorado saw my note. this friend realizes i will be in az during her baby shower so she invites us. naturally, noa and i are not the type to turn down an invite that involves baby shower games, good food, and socializing with old college friends. well, the day did not exactly go as planned. it will suffice to say that my day involved getting lost in a hummer in the middle of nowhere while low on gas, and noa removing the cell phone from my bag and putting it in my friend's bag, and finally a three hour round trip drive in the hummer with a hungry and restless baby to retrieve the cell phone.

should i eat my food or play with it???

2009-04-12T20:22:00.002-04:00

just as football accompanies thanksgiving, one must go to brunch on Easter Sunday. we joined our friends nat and magnus for a lovely brunch in redding. as you can see above, noa has fully embraced the "feed yourself" stage. i, on the other hand, have decided she is not ready for this stage. it took me 2 hours, a phone call to my mom, and every cleaning solution in the house to clean the chair.

a tooth sighting and 7 steps

2009-04-11T19:42:00.000-04:00

isaac and noa

yosel and noa

noa singing "ma nishtana" as the youngest

alana and noa

noa had quite the big week. we can see and feel her very first tooth coming, but it has still yet to arrive. while at the mall with jody and the twins, she stunned us by taking 7 steps out of nowhere. since, she has continued to crawl for the most and take steps here and there. she is definitely in the drunk sailor stage. sadly, she had another first this week. she and i both vomited on wednesday after the passover seder and michael and varda's. we recoverd quickly though and all is well. we celebrated passover this week on two nights and one morning. we went to seders in connecticut and brooklyn. we are really grateful to elad's extended family. they make us feel very welcome and loved. noa was a trooper on both nights. we put her to put in the stroller around 8:30 each night, and then transfer to the car when we left. we didnt get home from brooklyn on thursday night unitl 1am. thankfully, elad didnt work on friday. and then on saturday, noa hosted her first matza brine party. the twins came over for a matza brine brunch. noa also started cleaning her ears with her finger, which makes her seem so big. she also says "ah, oh", lola, dawn, and even rhett once. she doesn't seem to like the letter m though, so we dont hear ima very often.

shelly moves to the big apple

2009-04-05T09:39:00.000-04:00

hey, why do you have to go

scrapbooking party

making a mess in the kitchen

brewster playhouse

talking on the cell phone

ballard park in ridgefield

elad's little sister shelly moved to the city this week from israel, so all three shmulevich kids are now on the east coast of the the united states. on tuesday, we were all so excited for a nice day, so we celebrated at the park. elad joined us during his lunch hour, and we enjoyed a little sunshine and 60 degrees. i hosted a scrapbooking night this week, and initially there were only two people interested in coming. im not sure how the party grew. i think it might have something to do with a later annotation that wine will be served. anyhow, the evening was not productive at all, but we had fun. and finally on thursday we were able to see shelly belly. she moved to nyc to work for el al airlines at jfk. our visit was not as much fun as we had hoped. someone backed into our car, and i mistakenly exchanged insurance information and failed to call the police. a small oversight that will hopefully not turn out to be an expensive mistake. apart from that however, we enjoyed nice walk to soho from chelsea. noa learned how to put the phone up to her hear. of course she would learn this from shelly. noa puts it up to her ear, slightly lifts her shoulder, and says hallo/alo. on friday, we went to one of the coolest indoor playareas we have been to yet. as you can see in the pics above, noa had a great time. she has an adventurous side to her, and she likes slides and speed. on a scary not, i sent noa down the tunnel slide on her own, and she tumbled forward sliding down face first. naturally, my heart stopped, but she was fine. no tears. just a scared and confused look for a moment. yes, she still likes slides, but she is not fond of swings. she is still a demolitionist by nature. she empties cabinets and drawers and then gets inside. on saturday, moran flew to israel for a visit and visa purposes before her residency begins in june. noa was sad to see her leave, so she tried to hide in her suitcase.

2009-03-30T09:39:00.005-04:00

simon

nat and elad

jody, myself, nat, and jo

on my bday at elad's work

with kirsty at ruby tuesday's

noa enjoyed more quality time with moran this week. she often prefers her over me. yesterday, i was trying to take her from moran and she screamed/screeched. we ran lots of errands this week and noa was a trooper. she is now accustomed to falling asleep in the car and me moving her from the car to her crib without waking up (even if i remove her coat and shoes). this was her first week with no baby food, and she did really well. she can throw her food further and further each day. she reached an important milestone this week. she overcame her fear of stew leonard's cow. she now screams or yells at him. we are back in swim lessons, and i wish i had access to a pool apart from these lessons because i am convinced i would do a better job. we enjyed meeting kirsty, jo's friend, this week for lunch. noa definitely like french fries and british accents. noa doesnt like carousels though, especially when the horse that moves up and down. though, she seemed to like it more towards the end. noa often needs to do something a few times before she likes it. she seems to like the water. she scared me this week when the door to the garage stairs was left cracked, she opended it, and crawled right up to the edge. i turned around in horror and shock and jumped or leaped to her rescue while she laughed. pretty scary. i turned 32 this week, so thursday was quite the fun day for me. i slept in and moran took care of noa, and this was truly the best gift. i woke up around 10ish and worked out and then took a long shower. when i did finally make an appearance, i walked downstairs to the aroma of chocolate cake. moran and noa made me a chocolate cake, which i caught elad giving noa the other day because she wouldnt eat her dinner- but that is another story. we then met elad for dessert at his work. noa is always excited to see elad during the day. after that, we went to the mall and moran bought me a very cool t-shirt, starbucks, and a godiva truffle. and it doesnt end here. it actually continues for a few days. that night, i went out with the girls for some drinks and had a good time. the next day, we went to ali and layla's to celebrate her and keri's b-day. the weather was great, so we spent a little time outside in ali's beautiful yard. on saturday, we went to the park with the twins, and talked their parents into joining us at bobby q's for another birthday celebration. our amazing neighbors watched noa for us and we ate barbecue and enjoyed a few drinks along with some grateful dead music. she did so well at the neighbors. i just dropped her off, and she went to bed well for them and slept all night. elad grabbed her in the morning. they said she is a sweet heart. jo and simon were too generous. they gave me godiva truffles and a gift card to candlewood spa. cant wait to us that. someone asked me the other day if noa signs, and said of course. she points to what she wants, screams if she is not content, throws her food if she doesn't want it, and shakes her head as well if she doesnt want something.

she likes tofu tikka masala and beer

2009-03-22T09:34:00.016-04:00

shabbat across america

noa's new shoes

bonding with jessica over indian food

are you sure it's warm enough to be outside?

she arleady knows how to chug

i love chocolate cupcakes

she plays peekaboo with one hand (she peeks)

she is doing the motion to song where you raise your hands
yadiim lemala al haroshnoa and i celebrated st patty's day at the corner pub with friends. she knows how to celebrate. i put a beer on her tray for picture purposes for two seconds, and she managed to grab it with both hands and nearly take a drink. then she pointed to the beer all throughout the meal telling me she wanted a drink. on wednesday, we all headed for the great outdoors to celebrate the warm weather. it was 60 degrees, and when i spoke to kim earlier in the day she was complaining about the cold weather. it was 79 degrees in ca. we had another birthday party on friday. we celebrated pike, olivia, sydney, and sophia's birthday. they were all born on st. patty's day in danbury hospital. noa and pike of course opted for chocolate cupcakes, and they along with olivia thoroughly enjoyed their deserts. noa has a big mouth for chocolate, but her feet are tiny. she wore a size two until saturday. we took her to the mall, and found some very cute shoes at clarks. later that day, we met up with michael, varda, and jessica for an impromptu dinner at kolam, and indian restaurant. on that note, i cannot emphasize enough how much noa likes indian food. she likes the spices and flavors. her favorite these days is tofu tikka masala. on sunday, we went to borders to buy ima her book club book and noa her first passover book. moran is still with us, and noa is becoming very attached. she cried the other day when i picked her up instead of moran. i guess im becoming the boring mom while moran is the cool aunt. still no teeth and not walking. stay tuned.

moran comes home

2009-03-15T20:26:00.005-04:00

noa with jo's mom

moran always knows how to make noa laugh

will's birthday party

elad bathing noa and noa watching yuval the mevulbal

this week, was all about moran for noa, who came after her vacation in sunny ca. noa lights up when she walks in the room. moran took her step 3 usmle test on thursday and friday. we had brunch with jo's parents today, and noa definitely likes the british accent because she quickly warmed up to jo's mom. she had another birthday party on friday. this week was will's turn, and she wanted to explore the house so bad that she pushed down the gate. at the party, i showed everyone noa's new fixation with my stomach. if she sees my shirt slightly raised, she quickly makes her way to me, lifts my shirt and rests her face on my stomach. then she kisses my stomach and laughs. earlier in the week, noa and i went to check out a school. yes, a school. preschools apparently now have a two's programs, which noa might be eligible for next year. i hadnt even given any thought to preschool until my friend invited me to this orientation disguised as a playdate. noa, though, had a grand time playing. she crawled from toy to toy. i just cant believe we are even thinking about schools for noa. on thursday, i went out with the girls for book club and we enjoyed dinner and a drink. we had so much fun we extended the evening and went bar hopping. we only hopped to one bar, but nevertheless life after kids is not so bad.

4 parties in 4 days

2009-03-09T21:48:00.015-04:00

noa and maddie on the rocking horse at leah's b-day party
leah is wondering why she didn't receive a chocolate cupckae

noa is a vietnamese girl at the purim party
this was a big week for noa, developmentally, socially, and nutritionally. she is no longer stricly "noa the destroyer." i think she has a future in demolition, but she can now put things back and in etc. she started putting the balls in her elephant toy, and the shapes in the box, and even the rings on the stacker pole. well, this was very exciting to witness, and she now helps put her toys away (with much guidance from me of course but its a start/breakthrough). she also started drinking from a straw and seems to enjoy drinking more in general, which makes our life easier. and on the social side, she had a busy weekend. noa attended 4 parties in 4 days, 3 birthday parties and a purim party. she definitely knows what cupcakes are now, and when she saw her friend riley not eating hers, she just reached over and took it. at the second party, she enjoyed the big gathering drum, steve's fun rocking skills, and the cantaloupe. yes, we discovered she likes cantaloupe, so what did we do? what every loving parents would do. we went to costco and bought three, and surprisingly enough she still likes it and can't get enough. she is quite the finicky eater these days. one meal she wants to feed herself, the next she wants me to feed, one meal she likes baby food the next she doesn't, one she prefers an adult spoon or my fingers, and the other her spoon etc. she has also learned the art of throwing her food or placing it in hard to find creases of her high chair. but on to the important stuff, she is officially weaned. yesterday morning, we were about to the start the day, when elad said why dont you stay in bed and i will take noa milk instead. around 12 months, i moved from three to two feedings, and then excusively the morning for a few weeks. elad was eager to stop breastfeeding, while i was dreading the last feeding. i knew i would never be ready and i was tired, so in a moment of weakness, i agreed to stop. enough about breastfeeding and silly milestones. noa is quite the adventurous baby, plunging from the changing table and diving down stairs, but she has her share of quirky fears. one of them was the vacuum cleaner until this week. she is still at odds with the vacuum cleaners of our household, but she no longer cries when they come alive. most recently, she proceeded to charge the dust buster and make some sort of babbling growl.

a cold week in danbury

2009-03-01T15:35:00.003-05:00

"getting" sophia and playing peek a boo

shopping at stew leonards with olivia and sydney- worked well until noa started standing like the girl in titanic

apart from two days in the 50's, it has been a fairly cold week, and we are expecting a snow storm this evening which spoiled our plans to take a day trip. we are definitely anxious for warmer weather. the weather may not be changing much, but noa's behavior is indeed. she probably started to change just before we went to israel, but this week she has taken more noticable steps in a different direction. she crinkles her nose all the time as if she is disgusted with you, and she screams for no apparent reason. she will also get this crazy look on her face and throw a toy or excitedly raise her arms and throw them down. its a new side of noa and the jury is still out on whether or not this is a positive change. stam hahaha her behavioral changes are natural and exciting for us because we are witnesses to her personality previews (stay tuned there is more to come). noa is fearless when it comes to climbing, crawling, and diving to the floor from the changing table. she may be scared of vacuum cleaners big and small, but she has no qualms about plunging to her death while i am changing her diaper. the other day i changed her diaper with one hand on her stomach (and im not always so vigilant or careful), and the next thing i know i am holding her by her right foot and she is dangling inches from the floor and laughing. a scary moment. note to self- buckle her in or change her on the floor. she is now quite gracefully pulling herself to stand and using her toys and walker to support her while she walks and sometimes tries to run, which leads to a not so graceful face plant. falling is an integral part of her life these days. like most babies or toddlers at this age, she is obsessed with opening and closing, which is quite cute unless she jams her fingers or breaks something etc. she is still the little destroyer, happy to tear everything down and take everything out. we are still working on stacking and putting things in the bag or basket. she started playing peek a boo, and the other day she played with her friend sophia. she hid and then charged sophia to "get" her and then returned to her hiding spot. they both laughed the deep belly laugh, and it was pretty precious. still no teeth, but nevertheless making progress with chewing or gumming. she likes to eat whatever we are eating. she started eating big kid cereal (cheerios) in a bowl with milk with abba while he eats his morning cereal.

family visit and more birthday celebrations

2009-02-15T22:08:00.008-05:00

wow, aunt dawn is fun

i always did this to dawn when she was little

mimi with with three of her five grandchildren

just some friendly wrestling between cousins

she liked this gift

she liked mimi and papa and rhett and her party and the cake and gifts, but not her hat

silly mimi she grew to be very fond of cupcakes in time for the group birthday party

we had a very full house this week as my sister, her two children, her college friend, and my father arrived. luckily the weather was nice, so the airport pick up was uneventful apart from greeting the guests. noa slept in a pack n play in our room at the foot of the bed, my sister, her friend broooke, and her three month old rhett slep in noa's room, and my parents and my sister's 23 month old slept in the guest room. it was one big pajama party filled with three different nap schedules and various eating stages/preferences (breast milk, baby jar food, chicken nuggets etc.). lola is quite energetic, so noa had lots of engaging play time. she enjoyed poking at rhett and surviving play time with lola who loves to hug. fleeing lola's hugs may have inspired her to cruise because she really stepped up her game this week. noa is now officially cruising. she is walking around the house leaning on anything that will support her. she is also standing up next to her walking toys and pushing them. in the past, we would put her in front of the wagon and she would push it and walk, but now she initiates. noa is unfortunate to live far from grandparents and cousins, but she made up for loss time in this week packed with family bonding. mimi spoiled her at the mall buying her a cute spring outfit from janie and jack. lola taught her all kinds of useful tricks like where the snacks are, so now she goes to that cabinet and pulls out snacks ALL THE TIME. we celebrated noa's birthday as a family on saturday, the 14th. we prepared a brunch, noa had some cake, opened gifts, and received lots of hugs and kisses. she was very lucky to have her aunt moran, mimi, papa, aunt dawn, and cousins lola and rhett attend, but other family and friends came as well. michael, varda, isaac, ruth, alana, harry, nat, magnus, tami, sabrina, and cassie all joined us to celebrate noa's big day. noa especially enjoyed opening her gifts. thanks again to all of you for making it a very special day for us. later that evening, leah came over to make cupcakes for the our playgroup birthday party the following day. it would be an understatement to say that our first frosting concoction failed. there was a bit of an explosion, a sugar rock was involved, and fortunately everyone survived the ordeal. tami saved the day with an easier frosting mix that turned out great. leah and i were up for the challenge, but time constraints forced us to think realistically. we had only one jumbo cupcake pan, so we strategized and assigned a unique color combination to each each child while a one batch was in the oven. the following morning, leah showed up bright and early with very pretty and as it turned out delicous chocolate cupcakes, and we frosted. elad offered his steady and meticulous hands to the project, and wrote each child's initials on their cupcake. the oh so well planned party was such a success. i could write and write. casey ordered delicious food, enlarged amazing pics of each child, and created a year book. leah set up a hand prints booth. janelle decorated perfectly. oh, casey also made a slide show, leah brought music, and someone set it all up on a telivsion. kerri organized the place, and the ride-on toys were so much fun. noa couldn't get enough. and then ana and her famous song leading skills entertained the little ones. and we will never forget how much noa enjoyed her cupcake. ana said her face reflected pure joy as she squished it in her fingers and stuffed it in her mouth.

noa's playdate party

2009-02-08T21:19:00.012-05:00

noa and i arrived home safely last sunday. she was an angel on the plane ride home. i did, however, let her do pretty much whatever she wanted. i gave her cookies for the first and last time. i let her crawl all over the plane. she looked like a homeless kid by the time we arrived. naturally, i changed her clothes upon arrival for the sake of elad's health. we hurried home to watch the big game, and sadly our cardinals fell a little short. on tuesday, a snow storm greeted mimi's arrival to connecticut. she came to celebrate noa's first birthday and help with all the birthday preparations. after trips to stew leonards, costco, party depot, and a & p, everything was in place for a playdate party worthy of noa. i didnt want a perfect party, just the party little noa deserved. moran came to our place the day before to help with food preparation. the day before noa's party, i started acting a bit crazy, so i placed a 911 call to moran and she came through big. she made platters, salads, glutten free cupcakes, and a cake for noa. mimi made a few decadent deserts that were so successful, the girls asked her to make one again for the group party. we transformed the family room into a playroom, hung baloons, adorned the place with "big one" decorations and her "welcome to noa's party sign."abba was big help the day before and he even surprised noa during his lunch hour. in the end, all went well at the party. her friends, rylee, riley, sophia, layla, will, and pike and their moms attended the party. she loved it when everyone sang to her, and she was relieved when i gave her chocolate cake after disappointing her with an angel food cake with strawberry frosting. after she had her cake, we stripped the babies down to their diapers and set a hill of cupcakes in the middle. we thought it would be more fun for them. the girls (except for layla and noa a little bit) showed little interest, but the boys on the other hand dove in with both hands. so, her special day went really well, and it was great to have her mimi and aunt moran here to help and celebrate. the following day, our friends jo and simon came over to see noa and congratulate her. they came bearing too many gifts, but noa did not complain. on sunday, we went into the city for brunch and window shopping, and noa did so well. she slept in her stroller on the way in the train, and then took her afternoon nap in her stroller on the go in the city. two b-day celebrations down and two to go....

2009-01-31T21:04:00.000-05:00

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."

2009-01-21T12:48:00.002-05:00

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.

2009-01-13T12:43:00.000-05:00

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?

2009-01-04T20:37:00.000-05:00

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.

2008-12-28T10:51:00.000-05:00

happy anniversary to us. elad and i have been married for 5 years. to celebrate we headed for the mountains to enjoy one of our favorite hobbies, skiing. fortunately, our amazing little girl, noa, loves her aunt moran so much that she hardly noticed we were gone. i am certain it was more difficult for us than for her. it was the first time, we left noa for a few days, and every baby and little kid we saw on the slopes led to, "oh, i miss noa." but we reminded ourself how important "alone time" is in order to nurture our relationship. we returned home refreshed and anxious to see noa. while we were gone, she refused to drink formula, and lately she is a bit more discriminate in her taste. or in other words, she has become a bit less predictable and more colorful.

2008-12-28T10:17:00.000-05:00

noa woke up to more snow sunday morning, and she was very curious to look out the window. she seemed to like the snow until we took her outside. she was not too crazy about the temperature. i think she is also annoyed with all the extra clothes you have to wear when the white stuff or snow is outside. noa, like most babies, prefers the less inhibited option of no clothes. the following day, noa hosted her first hanukkah party on the second night of hanukkah. leah, olivia, and sydney joined her to celebrate the miracle of hanukkah. the girls surprisingly lasted for over an hour with no breakdowns. considering they were out so close to bedtime in a less familiar setting, we were very proud of them.

2008-12-20T23:55:00.000-05:00

Danbury's first snow storm of the year arrived yesterday, so we went sledding after noa woke up from her nap today. she was a trooper as usual, but you could see in her eyes that she thought we were a bit crazy. as the front rider on the sled, she bore the brunt of the snow splash as we slid down and neared the bottom. she was nearly covered in snow. in the festive spirit, the shmulevich family headed off to the mall to brave the crowds and traffic after our sledding adventure. we made our usual rounds at the mall: play area, pet store, and toy/mechanical ride-ons. we strolled with our lattes, breathed in the holiday ambiance, and felt like the day couldn't be more perfect. but our euphoria was abruptly interrupted by the red brake lights congesting the parking lot. it took us an hour just to exit the parking lot, but it was more than worth our fun winter day as a family.

2008-12-17T15:50:00.000-05:00

yesterday was a big day for the shmulevich family. we removed noa's helmet for the last time. she put in the time and graduated. we celebrated at our favorite italian eatery called sinapis. noa sampled tiramasu for the first time. she wore the doc band or helmet for nearly four months. we are happy we chose this route of treatment, and we are very proud of noa as she was so brave and patient throughout the entire treatment. she also wore it well, and we will miss how cute she looked with it on. we are, however, happy to see her entire face and her pretty hair, which has grown so much since she started wearing the helmet. i am also happy she now has unobstructed vision, and she doesn't need to raise her head to see things. we drive out to clinton on friday, weather permitting, and officially graduate from the helmet. as much as we have not enjoyed the long drive to clinton, the office has always greeted us so warmly that noa and i will miss them all, especially lynn and cathy.

Noa does not like the cold

2008-11-22T19:18:00.004-05:00

I wrapped our comforter around her and put her on our bed after she crawled into the bathroom crying. When I shower, I put her favorite video on and put her on the floor with a few toys. She is normally fine for at least the length of the shower, but on this particular day she was not content to stay in the bedroom. After I picked her up, I realized she was shaking a bit. Like her mom, she does not like to be cold and the winter has arrived, so I jokingly bundled her up with our comforter just to play with her and calm her down. I realized she was quite comfortable and content, so I set her up on our bed. Leaning against the chair pillow and surrounded by the comforter she sat there like a big girl until I finished getting ready. This week I also gave her some bread for the first time. I gave her a frozen eggo to chew on, and she actually ate part of it. Choking scares me, so I am very cautious when it comes to introducing solids. She also scares me with her dramatic responses to chunks in her mouth. I could describe it in eloquent detail, and it would not be sufficient. You have to see it for yourself. And if you ever spend any time with her, even limited, you will likely witness her frightful response or aversion to anything she dislikes inside her mouth. On Wednesday, we joined the group for a demo at Gymboree. Apart from Sam's famous and always entertaining Opera renditions, Noa pulled herself to stand for the first time. She was enjoying the big floor drum on her knees when she decided she needed to stand in order to fully appreciate the instrument, so she stood. She really seems to like musical instruments (or maybe she just likes to make noise). Noa and Rylee wore outfits from the same line of Gap clothes, so they sort of matched. I am surprised it doesn't happen more often. Today, we returned to Gymboree for an open gym and met others from the group. Abba joined us today, so it was especially fun.

2008-11-14T21:07:00.004-05:00

Noa is quite the host. She had Rylee over for Sunday football and then hosted friday play date. On this play date, she shared her table as the others looked on. While the moms talked about book club, upcoming holiday party, and other provocative sujects, the kids moved around as they are becoming more and more mobile. Elad and I definitely need to put up gates and other baby-proofing gadgets.

2008-11-07T20:54:00.000-05:00

We attended one of the endless number of demos (free classes) that one of our resourceful "boob" group members found. Noa really enjoyed the class. She loves instruments. She always gravitates toward them. In this class, she would not leave the keyboard. One of Noa's favorite activities at home is playing the piano on my lap and dancing on the keys while I hold her.

2008-10-31T19:55:00.000-04:00

Noa's first Halloween was loads of fun. We joined Sophia and Layla (and their moms Ali and Keri) in Ridgefield to trick or treat. The weather was great, there were still enough leaves on the trees to create a picturesque setting. Noa is our sweet little munchkin, so we thought she would be perfect as a bee. When she reached in the basket to take candy, she surveyed all the options forever before she would finally choose one. She took so long at one house that the woman said we needed to move on. The day after Halloween we went to a party and Sydney and Olivia's house (jody and mike), and we went as noa's bee keepers. Noa was terrific. She played with all the kids on the floor and patiently smiled for all the pictures. During the photo shoot, I stopped taking pictures to admire all the doting parents. We looked like the paparazzi.

Noa is crawling

2008-10-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

Noa started crawling on October 30. It was a bit unexpected because she has been on her knees moving back and forth for quite a while, so I was beginning to think she might go off to kindergarten before she crawled. I was changing her clothes, and before I could put her pj's on her she started scrambling a bit. She seemed to still have a little energy in the tank, so I just moved out of her way. And she was off just like that: hand, knee, hand, knee. She has great technique.

2008-10-09T11:16:00.000-04:00

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.

Jaundice, Second Trip to Hospital

2008-02-09T14:50:00.000-05:00

At our very first check up at the pediatrition, the doctor immediately commented on her color. She resembled a "mango" in her words. Noa was too jaundice, so we had to check her bili rubin count, which requires a blood sample. I cried when they pricked her little foot. When the doctor called to give us the results, she said Noa needed to be hospitalized. I was quite scary, but the hospital staff was very accomodating and Elad and I were able to stay over night with her. They put her under the blue lights to reduce her bili rubin count. Every time Noa had a bowel movement, her bili rubin count would go down, so we cheered every time she pooped. She struggled to latch, so her breast feeding sessions were pretty long, so they had a special blanket with blue light to drape over her while she ate. When the doctor explained the danger of jaundice, she went into great detail but Elad and I only heard blah blah blah mental retardation. It was an emotional beginning, but she was sent home with a clean bill of health.

Noa's Arrival

2008-02-06T16:34:00.000-05:00

2/06/08

Eleven days prior to Noa's due date, I woke up at about 3 am to use the restroom. I stood up and realized I leaked a little. My first thought was "wow" I havn't done this since I was a little girl too busy to go the bathroom. Then it just came gushing out, so I looked over at Elad to say I didn't make it the restroom. And then I shouted, my water broke call the hospital. We called and they said we should come in the morning unless the pain is unbearable. So, I jumped in the shower to shave my legs and Elad was instructed to start cleaning the house because guests would now be arriving earlier than expected. Towards the end of my shower, I felt a little pain, and I told Elad it must have been a contraction. It didn't hurt very bad at all, so I thought labor wouldn't be so bad after all. Elad then rushes in with a paper and pen, "how far apart are they?" They seemed to be close together already but that didn't make sense, and then suddenly the pain was "unbearable." I told Elad we must head to the hospital immediately. He tried to persuade me to stay longer, but I was not interested. We arrived to the hospital a few minutes later. We live 1.5 miles from the hospital on the same road. When we arrived, I ran in telling everyone I was pregnant and they instisted on a wheel chair and remained calm (which i couldnt understand). We finally arrived to the labor and delivery floor and they directed me to a room. I couldn't understand, however, why everyones faces greeted me so nonchalantly. I don't know if I wanted them to seem more excited because I was in pain or because I simply expected a different response. On tv, at least, they always jump up and rush you into a room. I arrived to the room, stripped of my clothes, threw my feet in the air, and started pushing until a nurse with a very raspy voice reprimanded me. She asked me what i was doing and told me to stop pushing. She and her voice confused me. After what seemed to be ages, a doctor (finally a doctor) came in and said I was 9 cm dialated and I was ready to start pushing. Oh ,and I left out a small part. When I entered the room, I immediately and decisively communicated how much I wanted medicine (not an epidural but"medicine). The doctor said I was very close and asked if I wanted to try without it. I agreed because I wanted a natural birth from the beginning. I wasnt doing so well, though. It was uncomfortable and I kept turning to the side. Dr. Barry then suggested I take a spinal tap in order to relax and push more efficiently. That sounded good to me. I didnt need much persuading. The anasthesiologiest, however, seemed to take forever. He finally arrived, and I will always love that man. I then pushed for maybe 20 minutes and little Noa arrived. Elad was beside me the entire time. He did think, however, he would have been a better pusher. He kept explaining how I need to push from the bottom and not my face. And in the end the smell caused him to feel a bit faintish, so he took a breather for about 15 seconds. As he leaned back to sit down, out came our perfect little Noa Ella Shmulevich. She weighed 6 Ib and measured in a 19 inches.

How we became Elad and Amy Shmulevich

2003-12-24T16:57:00.000-05:00

In the spring of 2001, Elad's father and Elad's friend Guy persuaded Elad to attend a conference at Biola University in La Mirada, CA about the recent fighting between the Israelis and Palestinians. Finding a wife was the last thing on his mind to say the least. Elad was only trying to appease his friend Guy who was convinced a trip to Biola would be a mind blowing American adventure complete with drunk women and bras flying out the dorm windows. As they approached the school, the large cross was the first indication the experience might be different than they anticipated. They were, however already on campus, and they drove over an hour to get there, so they stayed. At the end of the evening, Elad and Guy invited my friend Kim, Hadas, and I to go out, but we were not interested. I thought they were a bit young, and it seemed they still needed to sew their wild oats. But we would meet again. Thankfully, Elad was not too upset over our last meeting, so he and I danced the night away at a Yom Haatsmaut party at the Bar Fly in Los Angeles. At this party, he invited me to play beach vollyball one Saturday, and this time I said yes. But we never actually played. He called and called and called, but I didn't call him back (yet). And we would meet again at a mutual friend's b-day party, and again (thankfully) he was not too upset over me not returning his calls. We were about to make plans to meet up, and the police came to break up the party. Everyone scattered and we lost each other. But this time I called him. We talked for a bit, and then Elad said lets meet. I lived in Brea and he lived in Los Angeles, so we met half way and talked until the place closed. And then we dated and Amy broke up with Elad and dated and Amy broke up with Elad and dated and Amy broke up with Elad and then Elad proposed on Thanksgiving Day 2002. We were then married in Beverly Hills on April 17, 2003 and again on December 24, 2003. We also celebrated our marriage in Buckeye on April 7, 2004.