Liora shows off her new hand-nose coordination

Liora had a great day with the family - - and spent much time on her Nana's lap. She just loves the cuddles! She has also gotten much better at manipulating her hands. She can even put her fingers in her nose and mouth at the same time (thankfully, not one and then the other... yet).

Baby's first sushi

We thought it would be cute to order Liora a catepillar roll on her first sushi night out. Once it arrived, we realized it was a bit much for her. In fact, it was almost as big as her. Luckily, Grandma Penny and Grandpa Nick were on hand to take it off her plate. Instead of the roll, we gave her some saki. (Just kidding, Dept. of Child Services!)

The Kraken

The Kraken is a legendary sea monster that haunted the shipping lanes of the Norweigians, often portrayed in movies as a giant squid from the depths of the North Sea. What is the relationship between the Kraken and our innocent daughter, you ask? Not much, except that both the giant squid and Liora focus on one thing these days - bringing everything within their grasp into their maw. The Kraken draws in sharks, floatsam and small ships; Liora draws in burpcloths, Tama's hair, my glasses and whatever we are holding. If it can be held, in the mouth it goes. The good news is that the Kraken is huge, darts swiftly and has a monstrous will of its own. Thank heaven she does not have those qualities!

So, I should comment here about my Dad. He looks so grandfatherly, peering over his bifocals at me! He also look protective of Liora, like I'm not doing my job. We offered for him to take over for the day but he declined.

Kisses all around

There's nothing like a baby to bring out the kisses in adults. Here grandma Penny showers adoration on Liora, who is quickly becoming spoiled.

It's not clear to me whether she fully understands what kisses are yet, but I think that its beginning to sink in that they are signs of affection. It sure seems like she's getting in the hugging mood, too. Up till recently, having her arms around us was primarily for purchase, and we had to place her arms strategically. But she is beginning to open them up when we lift her to us or even open them up when she sees someone she wants to be held by. It's not really a hug, in the sense of a brief burst of affection, but it's definitely something that comforts her.

And we find ourselves supplying hugs and kisses on demand. It's hugtastistic!

Visit from the Grandparents

Liora spent last weekend with Grandma Penny and Grandpa Nick. They flew down from Washington for a few days in the Bay Area. Liora was shy at first, but warmed to them on the second day. I was thrilled to have my parents here and have their first chance to spend time with "happy baby." Last time they were here, they visited "colicky baby." Or, just "cranky baby." This time around, she laughed, and giggled and played with abandon, as the very young are want to do. Here is the Greenwich/Weinberg/Levine gang, minus me. (The Micheline Tire baby on the far right is, in fact, our daughter. Excuse me, where is tiny Liora and what did you do with her?)

Elevator up!

Liora really enjoys the elevator game now. And helicopter. Here we are at a birthday party for our friends' daughters' birthday. Playing elevator can happen at any time. Helicopter can only be played 30 minutes after her last meal.

Liora's first protest

Liora joined in her first protest this morning. She stood (sat?) in solidarity with housekeepers at the Woodfin Hotel in Emeryville, who are being threatened with a mass firing for organizing to protect their rights. Although supportive, she seemed distracted from the issue at hand by the drums, cowbells and other noisemakers keeping us marching and dancing. Her cooing was a welcome voice, but I am afraid it was drowned out by the general din and went unheard by the hotel managers. However, despite her meager contribution to the event, she made everyone at the protest smile!

Sinead Look-Alike

If Sinead O'conner was a little bit shorter, more pudgy, wore Pooh fleeces and was preverbal, she would be confused for our daughter. Really.

Cute picture of the day

Awwww. Mom and baby enjoying a giggle. My heart melts.

Baby Rendezvous

Olivia and Liora seemed to hit it off well. Olivia is a mere five weeks older than Liora, although, its hard to tell by the pictures - Liora's sumo wrestler body puts her on a pretty even scale with her cousin.

In this picture, we capture a moment of distress for the babies. What's funny is that Paul and Michael look like they are trying to get the babies to fight. Of course, they weren't, and soon after, mutual oggling and giggling ensued by all parties.

Uncle Paul comes to town

Over the weekend, Uncle Paul and Aunt Jayme came to share the Yom Kippur holiday with the whole family. Liora seemed to really enjoy Kol Nidrei services (the eve of Yom Kippur) at Temple Netivot Shalom, but earsplitting squeals of glee and fun required a hasty retreat from this very solumn event.

That day, we met with Uncle Paul, Aunt Jayme and her sister Maria, brother-in-law Michael and daughter Olivia. Here is Uncle Paul having fun with Liora at Lakeshore Cafe.

Bond, Arie Bond

Here is Aunt Arie bonding with the baby. We encourage this behavior as it bodes well for future caretaking of Liora and vacations for us.

It's about time

So, after a month hiatus, and cries of laziness from friends, I am posting pictures again. Here is our amazing daughter asleep on the breastfeeding pillow. Notice the plump cheeks. I swear she knows winter is coming and is putting on fat like a bear getting ready for hibernation. She weighs 16.5 pounds now and her pediatrician tells us she is in the 95th percentile for weight. But, she's only at 75th percentile for height (which won't last long, we assure you, as tallness is not in either parental gene pool).