L'Shana Tovah!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I took the day off work (luckily my vacation days started accruing the moment I began at Willamette, so I was able to take the holiday off -- yay!) and Rachel and I went to the children's service at Congregation Beth Israel. We both slept in late since last night we were invited to the house of Melissa, an NU alum and the head of the board of the Oregon Ballet Theatre. Her 9-year-old daughter, Natalie, and 11-year-old friend, Caroline, really took a shine to Rachel and when dinner was nearly over, they took her down to the basement and they apparently had a ball -- Rachel had her first tea party and played with Barbies while I got to have some adult conversation. Thank you, Natalie and Caroline!

So, she didn't get to bed until 10 and I didn't get to bed until midnight, so we both woke up late -- me at 9 and Rachel at 10:15! Fortunately we made it to the morning service with plenty of time to spare.

It was a nice service but I spent much of it feeding Rachel snacks and trying to keep her from raising her voice so I didn't get much out of it. Sigh. I told Drew that I'd rather wait until he gets back to have any kind of synagogue life, apart from Tot Shabbat on the first Saturday of the month....

Later, after the grownup service was over, we got some munchies at a reception in the synagogue and met up with Melissa and her kids again, and our friend Steve Bilow. Rachel immediately focused on his colorful tie. We stayed until 1:45 or so, and by the time we got home it was naptime (she had fallen asleep in the car on the way home).

I also took a nap while she was asleep because I was very, very tired. After I took her out of her crib she insisted that I lie down on the floor while she covered me with her blanket: "Mommy go nie-nie!" she said very firmly.

Then, when I was settled in, she opened the door while standing on her tippy-toes, went into the kitchen and announced, "I make Mommy tea."

Then later she said, "I cook dinner."

While I bustled around getting dinner (you didn't think I'd really let her cook did you??), I sneezed and she said, "God bless you, Mommy."

It's times like these where it is almost impossible to be mad at her, even when she delays going to bed and refuses to eat jarred baby food that she hasn't personally witnessed me open and runs around the bedroom instead of letting me take off her clothes.

But she is so adorable!