Hannah Geitel's day out

HG had an exciting day out today. Even by HG's perky standards, today was an exceptionally smiley, verbal and giggly day for her.

She and her Ima met up with a close family friend for brunch at a local cafe. There the entire kitchen staff came out to coo over her. They also brought out a highchair, and while HG is small, she is sitting well and enjoyed trying out the new contraption, though Ima remained right next to her to make sure she didn't slip.

Brunch was followed by a nature excursion, HG's second this week. On Shabbat Abba, Ima and HG went up to a local nature/archaeological site a short walk from home. Today HG, Ima and a friend went up to the same site but via a different, and far less even path. HG giggled and smiled as the buggy bumped up the slope, she actually seemed to prefer the rockier stretches.


The first crocuses and other small wildflowers have just started appearing after the first downpours of the rainy season, but HG, as befits her age, was oblivious, fascinated instead by simply swiveling her head to take in the landscape.

As on Shabbat she fell asleep halfway up the hill, but woke up along the flatter part of the trail, in time to enjoy the big sheizaf (spiny jujube) tree on the far side of the hill.

Ima took her out of the pushchair so that she could meet the large sprawling tree up close. When her hand was placed on the trunk HG smiled and pushed her hand up against the bark, studying the new texture. Then she looked up, threw her head back and was transfixed for quite some time by the gently waving canopy of leaves and crabapple-like fruit - it was hard to prise her away.

When an F-16 flew over HG looked up to locate the strange sound (not a common sound or sight over our town) but unlike her aircraft enthusiast Ima, she doesn't yet have the eyesight to pick out a small, fast moving greyish aircraft flying at altitude through a pale sky. She did seem to notice a couple of low flying helicopters though, once again attracted by the sound and briefly turning in their direction.

HG dozed off again on the way home, but awoke half an hour later with a little cry, her smile returning immediately upon seeing Ima. Ima took her to the bathroom to freshen up after her day out in nature, and while holding HG in the sink, HG was as usual fascinated by the mirror. Ima made a face in the mirror and HG threw back her head and rolled her eyes up to check that the woman holding her was the same as the one in the mirror. This is something she has been doing for the last two weeks.


Then Ima made a funny sound to go with the funny face and HG started to laugh. HG made a sort of gurgly raspberry sound and Ima laughed and imitated the sound back to her. HG laughed back, and did the sound again, accompanied by a bright "gi", one of HG's favourite sounds, then looked up at Ima expectantly, as though she had just told a great joke and was waiting to see how it went down. Ima laughed and made the sound back to HG, and HG seemed thrilled, erupting into gails of uncontrollable laughter, pausing every time ima stopped laughing to repeat her "punchline" - gurgly raspberry and "gi".

HG kept up this routine, giving Ima a mischevous look, repeating her punchline and then laughing for about 20 minutes straight! HG has laughed for some time now, but never this uproariously and never for so long at one time. It was like two kids who have heard a funny story and all they need to do is repeat the one word punchline to set them off laughing hysterically.

Even after her humour session, as Ima was changing her nappy, HG kept looking up at ima, giving a big smile, and then saying "gi" or doing her raspberry and giving little chuckles.

She seemed energised by her day out, acting playful and smiley well past her bedtime, as though she was waiting for Abba to come home so that she could tell him all about her adventures. Only after she had a good play with Abba was she willing to turn in for the night.

And a good time was had by all.