Turns out I was right. Keeping up with this is rough! Every time I open my computer to write something, Zafra needs something, and by the time I get back to the blog, I've forgotten my once brilliant idea. Hey ho, as they say, I did tell you not to have high expectations!

Zafra's first Chanukah was fantastic. She's at the stage where she's loving light and movement, so lighting the chanukiyah with her every night was a treat.

First Night of Zafra's First Chanukah

Tres chic, and I can drool on it, too!

Do I eat the candles?

Without wanting to compare our daughter to our dog too much, we're trying to learn from the mistake we made with Parker - in his first few months of life, we bought him more toys than 5 dogs could play with in 7 lifetimes! Not wanting to replicate that kind of excess with Zafra, and wanting to bring her up with a love of simplicity, we kept her presents small. Which isn't to say that we didn't hit the pressie jackpot! Zafra spends 45 minutes every Monday at Baby Sensory, which is pretty much what it says on the tin. All of the babies senses are piqued and tickled in fun ways, and the Monday during Chanukah focused on light. It was during this session that we were introduced to the wonders of the Emergency Foil Blanket. No, this isn't some newfangled expensive piece of baby kit, it is the shiny silver blanket you are supposed to keep in your car for emergencies that require body heat preservation. It is a large, silver sheet made of ... well, to be honest I'm not completely sure what it's made of. But it reflects and shimmers and crinkles and when Zafra was put on top of it, she went nuts!! We stopped in Sainsbury's on the way home and found one in the 'winter motoring' section for the bargain price of £1.99. £1.99?!?!?!?! Change the packaging, add a logo and stick it on the shelves of ELC or Mothercare and you could charge £20 for it! But there we are, the best Chanukah gift for Zafra this year.

Loving Tummy Time

 

Just to make Chanukah perfect, Zafra saw her first real snow! Not the normal 'oh my goodness, I think it's a flake' kind of British snow. A few inches, a lovely white blanket over everything! Worried about her getting too cold, we didn't take her out for long, but we couldn't resist some snaps in the garden. Here's a few to keep you until the next installment ...

Our Snow Angel