Mazel Tov and Conferences

First of all, a big Mazel Tov to Lisa (of LISA fame) and Nafi Balsam on the birth of their daughter on Monday! This is all very exciting. First of all, it means Lisa doesn't have heartburn anymore. So obviously she is very relieved. Second of all, it means Nafi is NOT going to kill me. So obviously I am very relieved. Relief and happiness all around! Mazel tov mazel tov! Kiddush!

Why was Nafi going to kill me, you ask? Oh, you didn't ask? Too bad, I am going to tell you anyway. See, a few weeks? months? ago... Hmmm. I often lose track of time (Yaakov watched "Thomas" HOW many times in a row?) Anyway, some time ago, I had a dream that Lisa had a girl. I of course told Lisa about this dream. Nafi took this as a nevuah, but warned me about what happens to false prophets. I was very nervous that should the baby be a boy, I would see a horde of robe-and-sandal-wearing zealots striding purposefully down Sderot Chashmonaim in order to do me bodily harm. Fortunately, I knew they would be waiting for the elevator in our building for SO FREAKING LONG that I would have time to formulate an escape plan before they could come up. (Stand very still, arms outstretched, with jackets and umbrellas draped over myself in an attempt to pass as a coat tree.) So I guess I wasn't so nervous about being killed. But still. Anyway, we are all very eager to meet Soon To Be Named Baby Girl Balsam. I was going to visit Lisa today in the hospital but Yaakov woke up with a fever (hence the many Thomas videos) and I figured even in Israel they probably would frown upon bringing sick children into the maternity ward.

On Tuesday I had Ariella's parent-teacher conference with the one, the only, the inimitable, Morah Maya. Morah Maya, for all of you who were wondering (and that includes me and Donny), lives in the better Modi'in - Modi'in Elite. Anyway, Tuesday was conference day for all 32 little angels that inhabit her class. Luckily, our report was pretty good. Ariella has picked up the language and Maya said that in every area Ariella is ready for first grade. She loves math (just like her mama. Ha!), she plays with the kids nicely, and she has overall made tremendous progress since September. I would say! September Ariella's Hebrew consisted of knowing how to ask for milk and water. May Ariella speaks beautiful Hebrew (although she knows her vocabulary is limited compared to her friends; she often asks me how to say things, and I sometimes think if we could combine my vocabulary with her knowledge of how to actually speak it, we'd be unstoppable!), she can recognize and write all of the letters and knows how to spell by sounding out the word - a much more successful endeavour in Hebrew than in English, I can tell you - and even understands the content of the lessons at gan. Recently, she came home and told me the stories of Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shimon - it was the first time she was able to relay an actual lesson from gan. Maya said that Ariella is a "yaldah maxima" (which does not mean she's fat; it's has an "awesome" kind of meaning.)

Morah Maya did say that Ariella has a mind of her own, and can be a bit stubborn. Hmmm. That's like standing outside in Eilat, in August, at 2 PM and saying, "A bit toasty, no?" At least we see that the true Ariella has come out, which is kind of comforting, in a strange way. She also mentioned that Ariella's pencil grip is not good and that might be why she is resistant to writing, and we should possibly have her evaluated for grapho-motor skills. Just add it to my List of Things To Do... (By the way that is the actual name of my list. "Things to do." It's a very unfancy Word document in which I keep my daily list of...well, you get it.)