"I want a Christmas Tree!" Being 2, and Jewish, on Christmas...

What a wild month the Cooperstein's have just had. The unlucky illness string which began before Thanksgiving with a family case of strep continued to include 2 more antibiotics for Remy to fight the uncurable double ear infection, and then the lovely stomach bug hit our house. It hit us all like a locomotive! Luckily it was a fast moving locomotive, but it was not fun! Lots of ginger ale, gatorade, jello, saltines, etc, etc etc. It was a bland diet for all! This is a great time to remind everyone about hand washing, and as they say in preschool -- Save your hugs for home!!


We again find ourselves extremely thankful for modern medicine this month. The man who we refer to as Zayda, Frank Cooperstein, had a minimally invasive heart surgery to repair a rusty valve and some faulty electrical wiring. He has been researching this surgery for almost 10 years and we are so happy that one of the leading surgeons of this incredible procedure resides at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Although he didnt enjoy the hospital food, Zayda is doing remarkably well, recovering at home, and looks forward to running marathons in the near future!!!


Hanukkah surprised us at the beginning of the month. It only took 6 of the 8 nights to convince Remy that it wasnt a birthday party. The candles can be confusing. Remy received lots of goodies and had a hard time adjusting to the idea that some of the goodies were for Shane, not her. We celebrated Hanukkah with many friends and family including Bubbie and Papa, Uncle Steve and Cheryl, Uncle Michael and Aunt Sarah, the Wolfson/Wallensteins, and Garfinkle/Schlossenberg cousins. We made it to 50% of our birthday parties (Happy Birthday Maggie and Sammy W). We welcomed a new friend Jack Spiegel, which also gave us a great opportunity to spend time with our good friends Marcel and Galit. Had a great Mexican Fiesta with the Siegels, a wonderful visit with our friends Diana and Aaron in Philly, and spent a lovely Christmas Eve with the Dwoskin cousins. On top of all of that, and in the words of Bruce Boudreau, we send a special f'in birthday wish to Sam (Schmoogie) Schlossenberg who turned 18. Look out world... he's legal!!!



In the words of Destiny's Child, Remy has become Miss Independent! She is so proud of her ability to get completely undressed for the bath, and putting on her coat and shoes. We had a holiday celebration with her classmates, parents, and teachers at school. We were able to learn some of the words to the songs that she sings and expects us to know. Remy's new thing is she wants to know "What time is it?" We of course tell her the time and then ponder what she is going to do with the information. Does she have a meeting or appointment to get to?

And not to forget the second child... Shane turned 6 months! The happiest baby on the block continues to be such a wonderful baby (except when we tried to take 6 month bday pics). Shane rang in 6 months by rolling over from his belly to his back, and taking off his sock and eating it! Wild child! He now has 2 teeth and can sit up for a quick second before toppling over. Every day he falls more in love with his rough and tumble older sister. The more physical she plays, the louder he laughs.