Plastic Surgery for Shidduchim

There has been a lot of JBlog chatter concerning the Jewish Press article that advised girls to get plastic surgery if improving their appearance could improve their shidduch chances.

I personally don't think plastic surgery is the biggest tragedy and I wouldn't judge someone who did it to make herself feel better about herself, etc. But I couldn't help be reminded of a great "Without A Trace" episode (season 3, episode 5, "American Goddess") in which a woman undergoes extensive body altering surgeries in order to win a beauty contest. In the end she realizes it was all a big mistake and tries to have it reversed. When I first saw the episode I immediately thought it should be required for all Jewish girls to watch it.

Coincidentally the episode is showing right now on television.

Things My Grandfather Hated . . . But Let Me Do Anyway

(For part one click here.)

7) He hated when I opened up the fridge. As soon as I grabbed onto the door handle to yank it open he'd ask me what am I looking for. Why am I "letting all the cold air out." Etc. (If I left the lights on in a room he'd ask me if I bought Con Ed stock.)

And now that we're in the house and I'm more conscious about energy bills I do the same with David. As soon as I see him going toward the fridge I ask him what he's looking for. And God forbid he keeps it open longer than necessary.

Crib to Bed

About five weeks I heard a thud from the second floor. It was the sound of Ora falling to the floor while climbing out of her crib. She had been trying to climb out for a few weeks and she finally succeeded.

Last week I put together David's old Thomas train bed for her. Kinneret and I had spoken about setting it up for her for a little while but we demurred because we were afraid that with a bed we might have problems getting her to stay in it at bedtime. But now the point was mute. She was now regularly climbing out of her crib at will anyway.

Last night I peeked into Ora's room as she slept on the Thomas bed. It's not a big bed, yet she still looked so small in it as it almost swallowed her up. We had kept David in the bed until this past summer, way past when should have been it. He had long outgrown it and really couldn't fit on it, but we lacked the space for a proper bed for him. It was weird to Ora taking up less than half of the bed's length.

* * *

When we moved in the house we put David and Ora in the same room and used the third bedroom for storage. Every so often we considered moving Ora into the third bedroom, but we didn't mainly because we weren't sure if they'd each want to sleep alone. (And I didn't want to have to clean out the third bedroom.) Even David, who kept on clamoring for his own room, seemed to enjoy having her in the room at night. Of course it drove us crazy because they'd keep each other up by talking and goading each other.

In the end we did move Ora to her own room and so far it seems to have worked out fine. Ora is even willing to go to bed with the door closed!

Next we need to get a proper bed for David. (He's been on an air mattress since we moved in.) He's been begging for bunk beds. Over the weekend he again asked for bunk beds and commented that maybe Ora could sleep on the bottom.

* * *

The old apartment only had one bedroom and the kids really didn't have any type of traditional bedroom setup and certainly no personal space. In the house David really took quickly to being in a proper bedroom, even though he was sharing it at first with Ora. It's cute how he hung up certain things and has been personalizing it as his room.

Ora too now seems to like having her own room. She sometimes pushes us out and closes the door.

* * *
(Click here to register as a bone marrow donor. It's the
easiest way to save a child's life.)

Where in the heck is your yarmulke? (And Putting the World in its Place)

It seems as if David is never wearing a kippah. Every time I see him I am compelled to ask/yell where it is. And he always smiles, says "what are you talking about?" and turns around to show me where it is resting on the other side of his head. His hair has gotten pretty scraggly and long--despite Kinneret's best efforts to convince me it's time for a haircut--and his kippah always seems to get lost in it.

I know I've heard this play out before, but in a different setting. I close my eyes. Ah yes, now I remember. During my own adolescent years people were always inquiring where was my kippah when it was simply hanging on the "other" side (or back) of my head.

I guess this is how I get paid back for my "sins." Aside from the slight blood pressure elevation I experience every time I see David "sans" kippah, I can live with this. But I really wish I could solve the enigma of why it is that his kippah is always on the "other" side of his head from where I am standing. How does it happen like that?

* * *

(From about 2 months ago.)

It's so cute how Ora makes such an effort to identify and grasp the world around her. Right now she is fixated on relationships and colors. All day long: "I'm a daughter"; "You're Ora's Abba"; "Your Ora's Mama"; etc.

And colors too. She's been learning them in school and she walks around all day testing her knowledge. She points to items around her and tries to name the color.

Her favorite colors are pink and purple. She tries to wear pink or purple outfits and accessories as much as possible. She even considers it a special treat when her morning yogurt is pink or purple (depending on the flavor of the day).

* * *

(Click here to register as a bone marrow donor. It's the easiest way to save a child's life.)