It's Raining!

Finally! This morning I woke up to the gorgeous pitter-patter of rain against the window. The whole country is sighing of relief. I'm still unsure about what this means for the raging fire up north (Carmiel and parts of Haifa have been evacuated and basically destroyed), but I'm praying that this means the end of it. It's also Yehuda Or's Hebrew birthday! I can't believe that 1 (Hebrew) year ago I was hanging out in the recovery ward of Hadassah hospital, holding my sweet baby for the first time! It's unbelievable.

My babysitter who comes four mornings a week while I do schoolwork (still plugging away at my B.A.) takes him to the park every day. Today they were stuck in the living room - the only downside of the rain. There aren't SO many indoor options for young children in Jerusalem. I admit, I have gone to Mamilla just for the indoor mall part to let Yehuda Or crawl around. But store owners and mall shoppers don't seem thrilled about it. Last time I just let him crawl free in the space outside of the Gap and that electronics store. He screeched at the top of his lungs and crawled in circles until his knees were black from dirt. It was great. There's also a library on Bezalel (in the Gerard Behar building). There's a children's floor that has an okay English selection (mostly from before 1980), but there's ample crawling space, and for toddlers and young school-age kids it's a nice to place to go when it's raining (plenty of kid-size tables and chairs). Malcha Mall has a few gymboree areas for babies to play in, but they're usually really dirty and being hogged by 8 year olds with no parents in sight. If anyone else has indoor ideas for a kid that's crawling and cruising but not yet quite walking, let me know!

Chanukah time is always very special here in Israel. There's something cheerful in the air. Yehuda Or absolutely loves fire (think it has anything to do with his name?), so it's been a really fun time for him. He definitely gets excited when we start to prepare the menorah. He has a really cute habit of making a "Woooooow" sound whenever he sees a flame. Or a bright light for that matter. I'm thanking Hashem right now for so many miracles. The first birthday of my son, the blessing of living in Israel, and the gift of rain! Chanukah Semeach and Happy Birthday Yehuda Or!