Alexander and Brianna follow along in the Haggadah. Note Xander's yarmulke!
The Passover Seder was wonderful. We were immediately "adopted" by a couple (our family doctor's parents, believe it or not) who invited us to sit with them and helped us navigate all the steps of the evening. Someone
Firmin knows from work was also there. Thankfully, it was an abbreviated Seder -- it still lasted about 2 1/2 hours, which was about perfect for the kids. They really enjoyed it and came to appreciate the difference between reading about something and experiencing it. I could tell that this little community up the street from us is a warm and loving one, much like our own Quaker "family".
Alexander is still singing the snippets of songs that we can remember, such as
Dayyenu, and cherishing the yo-yo he got as a "consolation prize" for not being the finder of the
Afikomen. He also helped act out the 10 plagues, and raised his hand to answer some of the Rabbi's questions. (Book study does count for
something!) Brianna took a more "observational" approach, as is her style, and she also had a good time. By the end of the Seder, all of the children -- including Brianna -- had escaped to the hallways to play hide-and-seek.
In addition to the blessings we were hopeful for, I found one unexpected bonus. I'm never much of a drinker, so abstaining from alcohol while I'm pregnant or nursing is a no-
brainer. However, in the interest of balancing tradition with the needs of my nursling, I drank one of the traditional four glasses of wine, spread out over about 2 hours. (I kept cutting it with grape juice as the night went on, so that by the time I finally drained the glass it was mostly juice.) Last night, Ethan slept like a dream, waking only once, and even then, not enough to nurse. Maybe it was just a coincidence? ;o)
5 comments:
wow steph - sounds liek the real deal to me! we were at our reform synagogue as well - but the 2nd night in a row with children her age was too much for sydnee. we "snuck out" after dinner and they got their "prizes" for the afikoman.
i'm so impressed that you just made it happen. huge kudos to you!
ps - i didn't buy enough matzah this year and i keep passover. my family doesn't , but i do. anyway, i've been now to 4 local groceries and they are out too! big oops in this small southern town. NEVER happened in my up north city. NEVER EVER. oh well. didn't mean to hijack your blog, sorry...
That's great Stephanie! Thanks for sharing the experience. I'm sure it was nice to see a couple familiar faces, and if they helped you out, that's great. Makes it a bit easier in an unfamiliar place.
I got a smile out of your last paragraph. Could be a coincidence, but maybe not. My cousin was told to have a sip of wine before bed when she was PG with one of her kids, the baby would keep her up all night long tossing, and that helped. Granted this was in the 70's! ;)
Stephanie - I was hoping you'd post an update! Sounds like a wonderful time. Clearly you a raising a couple of fine kids. What an enriching experience you've given them!
And LOL! about the sleep/wine connection!
It sounds like a really special evening for all of you. I'm so impressed (and inspired!) that you did this. Hooray for you! (And, most importantly, for the kiddos.) Love the photo!
p.s. I guess Ethan likes wine! ;)
Hi Steph - I found your blog and I had to say, this is an amazing post! The picture is priceless. Thank you for sharing - and *giggle* on the good night sleep!
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