First bus ride

HG went on her first bus ride today. It's the first time she has been in a vehicle where she can actually face forwards and look out the window (no airbags on the bus!) and she was enthralled, watching Modi'in and its satellite construction sites and countryside whiz by on the 15 minute ride to the new shopping centre.

Will this help her horror of car rides?

At the shopping centre itself she also had a ball. Everything took twice as long as it should because she charmed the sales clerks and other shoppers so much by liberally distributing her huge sunshine smiles and giggles that everyone stopped what they were doing to smile and laugh back. That's what you call spreading a little happiness.

The only time she became a little kvetchy was just as we entered Steimatzky's bookshop. Perfect timing because the ideal way to calm HG down is to give her a tour of our bookshelves. Uncle Ivor was on hand to patiently give her the tour of the entire Steimatzky stock and she seemed just as satisfied with the complete bookstore as with her home bookcases.

So much did she enjoy the shop that she even chose herself a book - an accordion style toddler book with large, bright pictures of fruit and veg and their names in Hebrew. Does this mean she is getting interested in eating solids?!

At a cafe later that evening HG deftly handled the heavy cardboard book, rotating it, unfolding it and of course tasting it and "reading" it.

She was the cafe attending her second birthday party in a week. Not hers, a friend's birthday, though she does have a away of becoming the centre of attention.

While the other guests sat round the table, she decided to sit on the table and did so quite proficiently until she reached too far while trying to grab a newspaper - a favourite HG plaything. Sadly Ima forgot to bring the camera on this trip, so you'll just have to take her word for it.