Runners with a cause - and cool T-shirts! Go Team Shalva!
Abba - making it look easy!
YAY! Abba crossed the finish line as did Zia Em, Renee, Jes, Alisha and Mati and thousands of other runners. But mommy and Rob were the winners of the whole 2014 Jerusalem Marathon day: They managed to keep Lucas, Raia and myself alive and from completely melting down for about an hour while waiting for abba's Jerusalem 10k debut at the finish line.
Now this was more than a week ago and yet it hasn't made the blog yet. That is because, as you know, we babies have a way of driving a wedge between our parents and their computers and that was the case for over a week as I prevented mommy from posting my blogs.
So it is catch-up time now. I will allow space for abba to describe his experience and express his appreciation for those who supported his run for Shalva, my school:
Hi there,
I wanted to thank you again for your support in my 10k run for Shalva. I had a great time running this race and will plan on running the Half marathon next year.
I was very blessed to be running for team Shalva but your support was not only a blessing to me but more for the children of Shalva.
Shalva is a growing organization and are in need of your financial support to continue the great work they are doing.
On March 21, abba and our other friends tackled the hills, the heat and the hoards of runners during the race. But the true marathon was the one headed up by mommy with Rob coming to her rescue: somehow getting three kids - babies in strollers basically - to the finish line. Babies who, if they walk, demand to go their own way or flop to the ground in protest. Babies who are on the edge of a meltdown if their needs or desires aren't instantly met. And babies who apply the Law of Babies to all situations in which they find themselves.
Jes and abba - dubious about the run or
about babies arriving at the finish line?
And herein lies the true story. It all began when we were ushered into a hotel room the night before the race. What new discoveries awaited us! An entirely new room for our search and destroy missions! Bureaus upon which to climb. A TV and all sorts of outlets at our perfect height. And better yet, Lucas and I were to share a sofa bed which meant we could come and go without encountering those pesky child barriers that interfere with - but certainly do not prevent - our escapes from our normal beds.
Do not be deceived: This serene scene was short lived
That night, the eve before his big race, abba slept one solid hour. The rest of the night hours were interrupted by cries, whimpers, massive and invasive dumps and the inevitable rising of babies before the sun. And this all occurred in one small room where there was escape from neither sound nor smell. And then, when he arose, just as refreshed and full of energy as we were I'm sure, abba and mommy whisked us off to breakfast where they watched us annihilate the buffet all the while trying to prevent plates and glasses from flying or silverware, such as knives, to be mishandled. Never mind the humus embedded in our clothing and Lucas' swiping of abba's pineapples and almonds when he wasn't looking.
Then our parents escorted us the 20 minutes all the way to the starting line where we watched the endless stream of runners take off and Lucas nearly snuck into the start area with the Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.
Zia Em, abba and Renee look chipper - before the race
We high-fived Alisha as she embarked upon her 10-ishK
And Rob swooped in to the rescue
Lucas waited for a golden moment to break through the bars
and start running. He actually had his chance when Mayor
Barkat cut through these very gates to start his run.
Starting line shenanigans including high giving Alisha as she embarked upon her journey:
After this nerve-wracking couple of hours abba was supposed to run the race of his life and mommy was supposed to, essentially, herd cats/babies along with Rob who helped the herding process. It took about 30 minutes to get to the finish line which should only be 10 minutes away. We made it with time to spare to see abba gracefully swoop into the finish line.
In the end, everyone was a winner, just some people were more weary than others, basically anyone older than 4 years.
Lucas stopped running his own marathon around
Sacher Park in order to get into the action as well
And then those weary adults shuttled us to the Shalva victory lunch where we ran about 42.2 kilometers around the tables in the auditorium as we wavered between hunger and indefatigable exhaustion. We ultimately found ourselves in a wreath of balloons that we dragged across the hotel and ended up somehow in the bathroom.
And in video where you can really appreciate the depths of us having lost control:
Where was Raia in all of this? Quiet and well behaved in her stroller making Lucas and I look very naughty and needy. Hmph!
So quiet was Raia that no photos of her were taken
until she got home
Not that she minded!
After all that non-running running around, Mommy has a new idea for next year: not just Run for Team Shalva, but BABYSIT for Team Shalva! She contends that running a marathon would be easier than herding the three of us to another finish line.
We continue to gleefully point out the flaws in efforts to baby-proof the house here in Queens. It was a futile effort though vigorously attempted and much appreciated. A real "a" for effort!
While they had the basics covered, like electrical outlets and door stoppers, Mimi and GongGong quickly became aware shortly after our arrival of what was not covered:
Doors on the china cabinet concealing valuable breakables
Dresser drawers near my pack-and-play from which I emptied all of Zia Em's "clothes" onto the floor
Buttons on DVD players, stereos and cable boxes precariously close to ground/baby level
Easy-to-open garbage pail and recycling bin full of intriguing items
Dishwasher handle temptingly low enough for us to open revealing more fun breakables
Poinsettia plant with stalks just asking to be ripped from the root
GongGong's side of the bed, where flashlights and other fun electronic equipment lurk
Those are just a few of the items we have found. We have also noticed that while door stoppers are good to keep fingers out of harm's way they do not prevent heads from being caught in the door. I taught that to Lucas several times already.
Needless to say, even with five adults in the house there is no dearth of baby herding that goes on in an attempt to keep us far from harm and, well, alive. In the perceptive words of Aunt Beanie: It doesn't take a village, it takes a State of New York.
Zia Em and I appreciating the damage
Don't blame me if the drawers were too
close to my bed
Innocent as charged
Wreaking havoc in the airport before
taking off for the US with abba trailing
Getting the energy out of our systems
before boarding...
Zia Em takes a momentary break from simultaneously feeding
two babies to snap a photo of this life-changing experience
I'll give it to her, she does deserve another blog after last night. During her vacation here in Israel, Zia Em took on the monumental task of babysitting two babies for hours upon hours while mommy and abba flitted off to a wedding in Jaffa - not around the corner and far enough away to make this a very serious endeavor.
Admittedly, we eased up on full-on baby trickery for Zia Em's first solo sitting expedition, but we did throw in a few challenges in order to keep things interesting.
One of our specialities is demanding to be fed at the same time. That is a challenge on several levels:
Food preparation. Lucas and I can't always eat the same food so good luck preparing two meals - at the appropriate temperature - to a cacophony of impatient screaming.
Two bowls. That requires keeping things distinct and separate plus keeping two bowls rather than one away from the roving hands of babies. Even an octopus would be challenged!
Two spoons. These also must be kept separate because of germs. Never mind that we probably already traded cheechungs (pacifiers) and stole swigs from each other's bottles countless times the same day.
All of this must be performed to the tune of moaning, shrieking or all-out crying: "Feed me! Feed me!" It can be quite stressful.
But Zia Em navigated the challenge with only a modicum of stress and eventually settled into a pattern relaxed enough to enable her to take some photos!
The desperate looks of hunger staring down Zia Em
If you don't act fast, we will!
Success: Happy babies and an empty bowl
All in all, it was a pleasant aunt-nephew bonding experience. And, I believe we successfully tricked Zia Em into thinking she can handle us and even offer to babysit again.
But then we will pull out all the stops. Wink, wink!
