Naz meets his family

Naz's first trip over the big pond, if you will, was a big hit! March was quite a month as we packed in as much as we possibly could. New baby passport in hand, we traveled 26 hours door to door, each way, to spend time with all six grandparents, to meet the Bonds-Pate side of the family, to see beloved friends, and of course to eat fish tacos!

We started with a few days in Houston with Mimi and Pops, otherwise known as Adam's parents. A friend of Miriam's hosted a delightful babyshower for us, and even though I was extremely jet lagged, Naz did great! He cooed and smiled, I think he even pooped for them. Then we packed everything up and headed to Austin.


In Austin we spent time at Nana and Sampa's house, otherwise knows as Sam and Connie (Sera's Step-daddy and Mom). We had such a heavenly time relaxing, going for walks to the farmer's market, spending time with friends, and eating a taco everyday.




Then the aunties and uncles blew into town for a big music festival, South By SouthWest. Naz took in his first full day of music in style, sleeping through two punk shows. He again wowed the crowds as people approached us all day asking if they could take a picture of this adorable baby decked out in his tye-die and noise reducing headphones. A great day!



Nana turned 32 while we in town, and so we all spent some time celebrating our Mom, wife, and Nana. There was a bowling party, a sushi dinner extravaganza, and a pictureque night by the pool sipping wine, eating steak, and listening to Jordyn and Joel play guitar. We miss our families so much, and nights like that one are what we conjure up on days we are feeling particulalry far away and alone. It was really special.
And just in case you thought all of that might be enough, the third set of grandparents came to town: Grandpa and Grandma Bonds! It was the first time Naz was meeting them, and he was so excited (he told me so). We spent two days together walking by Town Lake (which is really a river, but who is counting???) and eating ribs! We miss you and can't wait to see you both again this fall.




I would be completely remiss if I didn't include this yummy picture of my favorite Mom, besides my own obviously, Erin. Here she is loving my baby, as I have loved hers now for 12 and 10 years (is that possible???). Thank you for inspiring me to be a Mom, Erin. I hope I can do this even half as gracefully as you do!

And here is Naz with his new friend, Leilani, who came to Austin to do some COHI work with me while I was stateside. So loving!

Here we are, in line at security starting the 26 hour return trip. We miss you all, can't wait to see you soon!

Going Dutch

For Passover holiday this year we decided to return to Adam's ancestral home place: Amsterdam. Adam's mother was born here and for a reason that continues to escape us, her family decided to leave to move to Canada???? Well, had it not been for that move there would have been no Adam, so I can't complain too much, but we are seriously considering a return trip for this Rosenbloom-Bonds clan for an extended period of time as we found we, well, loved it. All of it: pickled herring sandwiches, the green green parks spotted throughout the town, water at every turn, trains and buses running on time with special space allocated for strollers, and of course, the relaxed atmosphere of Europe in general.

The streets all have several lanes: two for bikes, to for cars, two for pedestrians, and two more for the trains. Needless to say one can't wander aimlessly too much, and it took us a while to get used to having to look before we crossed so many times, but we made it.





We rented a flat directly across from Oosterpark, here is the signing pointing the way to our house.

Here is the front yard, gorgeous....



The view out of our windows was of the onion domes atop the spires of a local Museum with the trees blooming pink and purple buds. Here is a pic of Naz and I enjoying a sunset from the kitchen window.


People keep asking us, so what did you do in Amsterdam? And sheepishly we admit that we walked, and little more. Here is one of the many streets we enjoyed, just wandering but far from lost!



I mean we ate great food, mostly at the flat where we cooked and packed picnics, we saw some art, we checked out coffeeshops, Adam saw Boby Dylan. We visited old friend we love and miss. Here are Meike and Olva, our Dutch friends we met in Tibet and shared a car with for 10 days on our way to Nepal.


We spent as much time with these two as we could. They fed us brilliant homecooked meals, as well as some impressive Indonesian. They also were kind enough to give up thier own bed one night so we could stay with them after we'd missed our flight back to Israel, oops! I am including this because many aspects of thier life are inspiration for us in settling down one day: thier hallway lined with books is just one!


Naz worked hard pushing out his first two teeth, learned to sleep in the stroller, rode the trains, and melted hearts. Here are some images for you to consider, with some brief notes to clue you in to thier contents:



Here Adam introduces Naz to our first coffeeshop. Really, we really just had coffee!

This is Adam's family friend, Dafna, who met us for a lovely breakfast one day. Really, she looks like a Rosenbloom, doesn't she?

Here we are walking in the sunshine with our good friend Natalie Kapp who came to spend the weekend with us, taking a break from Geneva where she lives these days. Was delicious to see her, thanks so much for coming, Dr. Kapp!

Adam and Naz enjoyed so much time together, here they are getting ready to take a shower washing of the day's grit and grime (ahahahhaha, right).

We tried lots of new foods, including some spinich that Naz is sampling here at a cafe at Oosterpark.

Starry Night, anyone?
Dad and son enjoying a train ride to check out the tulips in the countryside.


Tulips, windmills, and Mom. What a great combo!


One of our many afternoons spent enjoying a beer and some herring at a cafe in the warm spring sunshine.

We will leave you with this gorgeous smile from our little wonder. We had such a perfect trip, and we really do hope to be able to live in Amsterdam someday soon. Shall we reserve a room for you now?

Lots of love,

Adam, Sera, and Naz

Our first war

It seems I've been swept away by the not only the thundering sound of rockets, but also by the power of motherhood these last four months and you haven't heard much from me here. That may be preferable as I have a hard time following a train of thought through to its natural end these days. I call it "milk head", and I am high, high, high on it! That said, the war here is too hard to talk about most days being this close to us, and so we are just trying to get through with open hearts and as little fear as we can muster.

Naz is growing literally before our very eyes. Each morning when I wake, he seems bigger than the day before. He is rolling over, sometimes, now, and often reaches out to touch my face while nursing. The sweetest moments are passing between us, and I cannot believe how much I love this motherhood gig. The best thing going, really.



As for our "other" lives, outside of parenthood (is there such a thing anymore?), Adam is in his surgery rotation now and comes home each day with tales of staples, colons outside of bodies, and other magical feats of medicine. I am busy, busy with COHI and loving what 2009 is already bringing us.

I am trying to find a way back to the lines I find myself crafting as I sit, watching him. Its my fave pastime, and that's a good thing as I do it so often. I love to watch his small hands pawing like a kitten on my chest when he nurses, breath slowing for us both, as we quiet ourselves for naps. I revel is his daily successes like finding his feet, reaching out for things he wants to know more about, his smile growing with each day just like his mind and body. I sometimes, in my weaker moments, wonder how many years are between me and a full night's sleep (what is that?), but do my best to remind myself that these moments are fleeting, never to return. That grounding thought is enough to bring me back to the moment, and breathe him in. His sweet small, bottomless eyes, wondrous giggle, and deep, slow sleeping breathes. I love this boy of mine, thank you for coming to join us.


This blog does not have a very hopeful title, I am afraid. But it is the reason that we spent a month+ up north seeking refuge from rockets hitting literally too close to home. Luckily, we had a place to go while Israel and Hamas battled it out in Southern Israel in the month of December-January. Our midwife and friend, Mindy, and her husband, Avner, so kindly opened their home to us and we gratefully accepted. Here are some super cute picures of these gentle people hanging out with baby Naz.


Don't feel to bad for us, though, as the daily quality of life greatly improved. Adam was able to do most of his surgery rotation at a hospital in Haifa and received one-on-one training most days. Here he is napping with Naz after one of his early morning shifts.

Naz and I enjoyed the greenery of the Galilee, and Shula, sadly for us, found a new home on the Moshav where Mindy and Avner live. A family asked us if they could have her, we thought long and hard about it, and in the end why would be take her to a studio apartment in Harlem when she could live in this dog's paradise with no fences???



Our friend Alex brought a woman who would soon become his fiancee, Alyssa, to visit. Alex and Alyssa, we can't wait to see you this fall for your wedding!


Election day was monumentous for us, even here. I found myself singing the National Anthem with a warm heart and wet eyes, tossing Naz into the air, and squealing, "Barak Obama is YOUR Presdent!!!!" The most American mean we could come up with was McDonald's and so we did, yes we did, and then we all promptly got sick. Worth every moment. It was a historic day I will never forget.





At the end of the day, loving my family like this is what gives me hope. That is what we all need right now: hope that a kinder day will prevail and this madness will stop. Until then, we are blessed beyond measure to have a safe, loving place to go.

Thank Mindy and Avner for letting us into your home.

Until next time.....

Adam, Sera, and Naz