Raizel

Miss Razzle Dazzle. Miss Chiff. Her two nicknames say it all. Dear husband says she is like a deluxe box of fireworks that all goes off at once. Snap. Crackle. Sizzle. Pop. Boom. In a good way. She's very passionate. She can go from very serious and focused to hysterically giggling to crying in moments. Like a dramatic spring thundershower.

She recites her brachos (blessings) with great passion. She knows her alef bet pretty well, though sometimes the order is a bit random! She sings the order of the first 7 parshas of Bereishis (Genesis). She gives the most enthusiastic "amens" every time she hears someone else make a bracha. She loves anything we say in Hebrew and the words roll around on her tongue as if she is relishing every sound. She always wants a bencher when we do the after-eating brachos and will sit there "reading" the entire time too. It is also important to her that she be on the right page.

She has an intense curiosity for everything, which can lead both to a lot of mischief and a lot of creative experiments. Her feet dance wherever she goes. She likes Amirah to give her sweet, long hugs when she's gotten in trouble with mama because she was naughty. (Her sister gladly obliges...) She loves the "I want it, I don't want it, I want it, I don't want it" game and is quite miffed when we believe that she doesn't want it and we (gasp!) put it away.

Her face can make a hundred different expressions. She loves to play with Eli. She and Eli will disappear upstairs and play with trains, legos, and blocks for over an hour. When she first came home six months ago, she had no idea what a book was for. Now she would gladly be read to endlessly about anything. Every night, she loves to give Avi a hug, sing shema to him, and be the one to close his bedroom door.

She does not like to have her hair done, but she loves how nice it looks afterwards. She likes to feel squishy-mooshy things between her hands - kleenex soaked in the sink, soup, yogurt, lotion. The messier, the better. Her language ability is as good as a child who was born here. She speaks volumes of full sentences every day. I love her little arms wrapped around my neck. She mixes the kapow of Eli with the snuggle of Amirah for a unique mix that is all Raizel. Like Eli, she really likes to make everyone laugh.

Why hashem had our dear daughter's precious soul end up halfway around the world, I don't know. But I do know that she is our daughter through-and-through. She brings a vivaciousness that is so fun to be around. She adds so much to our family and she is so clearly the daughter and sister we were meant to have. I am very thankful to be her mother.