Very late Saturday evening, Ada & co. returned from her biggest baby adventure yet: 2 weeks in Los Angeles! We had such a wonderful vacation with Grandma Nikki and Grandpa T. We also got to spend lots of time with Grandma Barb, Lisa and Matt, and Madeleine and Thomas. Wowza! What a full house we had!
While we were in Los Angeles we took time for a bit of shopping, walks near the beach and stopping to put baby toes in sand for the first time (she loved it!), visiting with friends… we stayed busy!
Her first beach experience was at Manhattan Beach, appropriately enough.
Prezzies from Auntie Lisa! So cool!
Check out my party dress, Grandpa T!
Mmm, petunia.
One of the best parts of our trip was Ada’s beautiful baby naming ceremony at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. They went all out and threw Ada a big celebration for 30 people, complete with a generous spread of delish food and beautiful pink orchids on the table.
The ceremony is an important part of the Jewish tradition and offers for baby girls many of the same blessings and welcomings that baby boys receive at a bris. We were so fortunate to have Rabbi Finley, who also officiated at Matt and Lisa’s wedding, come and perform her baby blessing. It was a really special day for the whole family, and Ada fell in love with Rabbi Finley. Fortunately, he has 3 kids of his own and was very baby friendly. He didn’t even mind when she grabbed his beard and tried to poke him in the eye.
The top line is Ada’s name written in Hebrew. Thanks, Uzi!
During the baby naming ceremony, Rabbi Finley asked us to explain the importance of Ada’s names. The name Ada has a few different origins, including Hebrew (in which it means adornment), German (noble), and African (first daughter). We like that her name, just like our family, comes from many different backgrounds. And her middle name, Grace, is also her great-grandmother’s name. We remember her as a strong woman who always made sure that her daughters understood their own dignity and self-worth, even in a relatively sexist time and place that might not have otherwise offered them that honor. We also understand grace in a spiritual way, as in unmerited divine assistance, or a favor rendered by one who need not do so. We are so blessed to be Ada’s parents, and deeply believe that it’s an honor that we could never earn, but which was given to us by and through love and the grace of God. We are so proud of our Ada!
In the last weeks, Ada has picked up a number of fun new skills: sitting up with assistance, playing with spoons and cups, drinking from a big-girl cup (ok, mostly spitting, blowing bubbles and lapping it up like a kitten, but who’s counting?), and also this…
It was a really beautiful 2 weeks, and coming home is always bittersweet. The flight home was a bit tougher than the flight out (during which she slept for almost 3 hours), but we had an empty seat next to us, generous flight attendants who gave us free water bottles PLUS first class pillows and blankets, and also a window with a view while we were coming in for landing at JFK…
What you can’t see is her nose positively smooshed against the window.
PS: If anyone else has photos or videos from the trip, please send ’em our way!