We wanted to thank the Atlanta congregation for all of their support during the pregnancy, and to introduce Olivia to them. Also, it had been a while since Olivia had seen her Saba and Savta (that's Hebrew for Grandfather and Grandmother). We had tried to go to Atlanta during the Super Bowl weekend, but a little ice storm cancelled our plans at the last minute. So, the weekend of March 2-5, 2000 we took Olivia on a journey to the South . . .
Olivia was an absolute angel (most of the time) on her first plane ride. Although she had her own chair, she spent a good part of the flight in her Baby B'Air, safely attached to Mommy's seatbelt.
After we arrived in Atlanta, Olivia got a bath and a well-deserved nap. Travelling is exhausting.
On Friday, after a restful day, Olivia had a little grape juice for Kiddush at Shabbat dinner. Then, at the synagogue, she had a bit to eat to tide her over during the service. After services, we had an Oneg in her honor. Olivia worked the crowd like a pro, thanking and charming her well-wishers.
Saturday Olivia had a very eventful day. Her Mommy and Daddy went out shopping (Goldman has gone casual, so Jay needed a new wardrobe!) during the day and then went out to dinner at night. Since Savta is planning on going to Spain as Olivia's babysitter, Saturday became a practice day for Savta to learn all about Olivia and what makes Olivia happy. Saba helped and had a wonderful time with his number 1 granddaughter. Saba and Savta gave Olivia a bath under the watchful eyes of Tonka, and then Saba had a playdate with Olivia.
Sunday dawned bright and beautiful, and not too hot. So, before the flight home to New York, we bundled Olivia off to the Atlanta Zoo. Saba came, too! The zoo is small but beautiful, just like Olivia. First came the flamingoes, which Olivia found very interesting. Of course, the elephants were a big attraction for this family. They were nice enough to be on the move while Olivia was watching them and again. After the elephants, though, Olivia was overtaken by the nice day, the fresh air and the general excitement. She slept through the baby gorilla playing with its mother, the baby meerkat coming out to play and the baby hawk. The gorilla at feeding time didn't make her hungry, because she was asleep. She didn't speak to the magnificent tiger even though she has learned to growl from her beloved tigers on her wall at home, because - you guessed it - she was asleep. She slept through the attack of the orangutan, which is probably good since even the big people were startled by the suddenness of his appearance. She even missed the showpiece of the Atlanta Zoo, their new panda bear. But that's OK. He was sleeping, too.
We all had a wonderful trip. On the way home, Olivia fell asleep on the plane and didn't wake up until she was at home in her own bed at 4:30 in the morning. Jay flew straight from Atlanta to Tokyo, Japan where he was reminded of his little Olivia every direction he turned (for those who don't know, her nickname is "The Pretty").
