Simcha and Tehila and another on the way

Last month my cousin Shulamit (aka Shuli) in Israel had a baby girl. She's the one whose wedding I went to Israel for last January; she's a year younger than I am. My dad called today from Germany and told me that the baby's name is Simcha, which means joy or happiness. I looked it up and the rest of the Hebrew meaning (or one of them) is this: The approach to everyday life which Judaism seeks to instill. The ability to stop and appreciate the blessings we have in our lives. The ability to find and be thankful for the hidden blessings, in all life events, even under challenging and difficult circumstances.

Shulamit's younger sister Moriya's baby (see picture of them from January), who is about 16 months old now, is named Tehila. Tehila means praise or song of praise (and it also happens to the name of the Israeli PFLAG group, that's Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays.)


On Monday I found out from Jonah (in Cairo) that Jessica is pregnant again. They are due in July, and may try to be in Michigan with Jessica's family for the summer. Makaylah is going to be a big sister. :) Very exciting.

How am I going to keep from going back to Israel and Egypt when there are all these beautiful babies to visit??

My dad is on his way to India with his girlfriend in a few days. They're going for several months to lie on the beach in Goa and do some intensive yoga trainings (his girlfriend is an Iyengar Yoga teacher). Oooh, I wish I could go lie on a beach in Goa right now... Skip the holidays (not my favorite time...), skip the rain...