Birthday Number 2

Eli turns 2 on Tuesday next week but we organized his party for today.  He still doesn't understand what a birthday is or what cake is for that matter but we really wanted to make an effort to have a party where we could mingle with some of our new friends in Lima and Eli with his new school buddies.  We had the party at the Jewish club here in Lima and invited all his schoolmates and some other friends we've made in the Jewish community here. I made lots of food...way too much...and the kids got to run and play in the playground and indulge in homemade sweets...oreo marshmallows, cookies of many varieties, cupcakes, and of course birthday cake!
 

The children got their sorpresas, or party favors which included bubbles, stickers, and some snacks and they got to blowing bubbles right away.

Cake time...Eli was already totally exhausted at this point after running and playing for the first hour of the party and really wasn't interested in cake but managed to participate in the photo-op.

Our nephew Yoav was made cake serving assistant. Always ready to help, he was an enthusiastic cake server!

The party was so hectic that finally at the end, I got some time to play with Eli who made countless trips down this slide throughout the day.

The Growing Belly

With about 9 weeks left until baby number 2 arrives, I am realizing that keeping up with an almost 2-year old with the big belly in front is no easy feat. I still manage to pick him up when I need to but the belly definitely has slowed me down.

As much as he loves running, jumping, and just being an active boy, we are definitely spending less time in the park and more time doing more tranquil activities like play doh creations and book reading which he also loves. Luckily, I know he's getting lots of active play time at school.

It is funny sometimes to see people's reactions to watching me do what I consider perfectly normal activities, even while pregnant. There is definitely a perception here in Peru that a pregnant woman is really in a very fragile state.  The other day, the man who bagged my groceries at the supermarket scolded me for carrying a few bags instead of using the free service provided by the store that includes a store attendant walking your groceries in a cart all the way to your house. This is something I just can't get used to...it's one thing for them to walk the groceries to your car but another to walk for 15 minutes behind you with your grocery cart full of bags. So when I insisted that I would walk carrying my few bags, he told me I shouldn't do it while pregnant, and I responded by telling him it was good exercise for me.  He continued by telling me walking was good exercise while pregnant but carrying heavy bags was not! I could only laugh at his persistence. Needless to say I made it home with my bags without incident.