Jo's First Chanukah

Yes, Jo is over a year old, but since Chanukah falls later on the "secular" calendar than it did last year, this is his first Chanukah. Co was wishing for a little Chanukah present last year, but Jo chose to make his appearance the day after the last night of Chanukah.

I really shouldn't be up this late posting, but there are so many milestones and amazing moments every day, and so little time to record them in any way. (Though we do take tons of pictures and that helps.) I still need to post about Jo's first birthday party, and put up the video of him roaring like a lion. He seems to have his first baby word "Ra-ra" for "lion" (roar roar).

Anyway, his first night of Chanukah was wonderful and I just have to share it. He's been sick and cranky, and he fell asleep suddenly and unexpectedly in my arms at 7, before we lit candles. I was disappointed, but mindful that you do not ever wake a sleeping baby. He woke on his own less than an hour later, however, and we lit the menorah (really a chanukiah). I am not sure whether he likes the candles, the blessings, or both, but he always breaks out in a huge smile when we light candles on Friday nights and tonight was no exception (he loved that there were three blessings!). I can't wait 'til there are more and more candles on the menorah, I think he will love it!!

Here he is with his very own menorah, a gift from his Gaba. [That's my mom: 2-year-old Nephew S. has dubbed her "Gaba." She loves it so much that we are all keeping that as her name to the point of correcting Nephew S. when he correctly pronounces "Grandma." Mom says it's like a combo of Grandma and the Yiddish "Bubba," which is what she, and later my sister and I, called her own grandmother (we were lucky enough to know two of our great-grandmothers).]