Category: koala update
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Nettles update: seven months
Oh Nettles, Nettles, Nettles. You are a special soul, truly: only you – but only you – can be home with me all day while I attempt to get work done, roar at me on constant, and when I try to help, you laugh in my face – and get away with it. It’s fascinating me to…
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Bebe update: three and a half years
And like that, you were three. Bigger, a little bolder, a lot brighter. This hasn’t been the easiest half a year for you Bebe; gaining a little sibling is wonderful as you know, but also kind of challenging, as you know… right? Your love and warmth and all-encompassing care for your baby sister has been…
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Nettles update: six months
At the beginning of this month, on the way back from our visit to the States, while your sister slept and her breakfast cooled off on her tray, I watched you watch me as you stuck your hand out, every so slowly, inching, inching towards it. A few days ago you saw your pacifier had been…
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Nettles update: five months
It would happen eventually, Nettles. Your first wartime. So we did that and then picked up when it seemed like the end was close (I think one of the faux cease fires was during our flight?). The America trip. You’ve been smiling your way through it all – new family members, passing strangers, my childhood…
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Israeli children and artistic expression: A war story in pictures
Note: We did not ask our five-year-old to draw anything. We didn’t know what he had been up to when at around 7 this morning he came up to us holding a picture he drew. Turns out, it’s not a story about a disabled boy who has divorced parents. “Why are there two houses?” “One…
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Nettles update: four months
Oh dear Nettles. I had so much to say about this month. It’s been a time suck. At the worst of times, I was at least able to hold you, kiss you, nuzzle you, see you. A luxury not everyone’s had with their loved ones in the last few weeks. Another luxury I don’t take…
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Nettles update: three months
Nettles – welcome to the end of the ‘fourth trimester’. Congrats and you may pick up your diploma at the front desk. Here’s how you got there: I could have three babies… thirteen babies… thirty babies… and one thing will never ever get old: The first giggle. It started a couple weeks ago… the silent…
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‘Who leaves their baby in a car?!’ Me.
Summer’s officially here. My news feed is filled with barbecues, splashy pools, sandy hair… sunscreen warnings, drowning warnings, leaving-babies-in-cars warnings. It’s all scary. It’s all out there. And, as far as the last one goes, it’s all judgy. It’s all ‘how the hell does that happen?’ It’s all ‘I would never do that.’ But it…
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Nettles update: Two months
Good morning Nettles! I can see your big blue eyes so much better now that you’re staring at us all the time. We’ve gone from coaxing smiles out of you to being proactively greeted with them when we come to snuggle. And, much to your disapproval, we are working on that goddamn tummy time. We have…
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Roar: The art of the dinosaur birthday party
As we know, Koala plans his birthday months and months in advance. About eleven, I’d estimate. In fact, a couple weeks ago, he asked me if he’s five and a half yet. He had been requesting a Spiderman birthday for ages. If he had stuck to it, I would have – sigh – done it. With my…
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Yom HaZicaron 5774: A little boy asking questions
This evening at the Yom HaZicaron memorial service, my son asked a lot of questions. ‘Who is that boy?’ ‘Who is he talking about?’ ‘His older brother died?’ He asked me to explain what every speaker was talking about. I did. It made me strongly consider how I’ll look back fondly in thirteen years at…
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Koala update: Five years
Koala, We’ve been alluding to and celebrating your turning five for so long that, today, you were kinda over it. So we had a chill family day and I had a few minutes alone with you to really… see you. Hilarious, hilarious you. As much as the year before four was rough, something clicked soon…