Yesterday was the first time, not counting the car ride home from the midwife's home and the one short sojourn to the park across the street from the apartment, that Petra and I really went anywhere. As it happened, we had to break the rules of Chinese postpartum traditions and catch the bus in the rain yesterday to make a passport and declaration of birth appointment at the US consulate in the German Colony. Then today, there was Emily's birthday gathering at Gal's Bakery.
The weather had been sunny and just plain gorgeous with bright blue sky the last week, so of course, it turns gray, cold, and ruthlessly breezy with sporadic heavy geshem starting the day before yesterday. Every time I think dark thoughts about rainy days in Israel, I feel guilty, because everyone here is always saying how great the rain is and how much the nation needs it. Which is true. And it's kind of lame for me to complain when ten months out of twelve, it almost never ever rains.
I am grateful that Elizabeth could stay home to watch Declan while Daniel, my mom, and I caught the no. 23 bus in the rain. Daniel wore Petra in a Wallaboo sling, and she basically slept the whole way to the consulate and awoke as we were leaving to take a big poo. (And then another right after we changed her on the dining table at Fattoush, an excellent Arab restaurant a stone's throw's away from the consulate.) In my attempt to eat healthier, I chose a large salad for lunch rather than the fried calamari, an item I would usually get whenever it's on the menu.
I am not going to write in detail about the unnecessarily arrogant manner in which the consulate official addressed our convoluted paperwork, of which our "problems are manifold." Suffice it to say that it was pretty clear he thought it was stupid of us to have chosen a home birth, as the resulting documents are currently making it very difficult for us to get an accurate birth certificate for Petra as well as identify Daniel as Petra's father and legal guardian. My having a different last name as Daniel, our having been married outside of Israel, and our not being Israeli citizens or Jewish made things difficult for us at the misrad hapnim. Yes, our documents don't quite match up, due to a variety of reasons outside of our control, and yes, thankfully the officer was still helpful enough to issue us affidavits (first time ever at the consulate in Haifa, apparently!) of our daughter's parentage and our legal connections. But no, he really didn't need to spout little snarky comments along the way such as "You make certain decisions, and you face the consequences." As if to imply that if I had given birth at a hospital, and allowed the hospital system to handle all the paperwork thereafter, we would not be in our situation now. I am still damn glad I gave birth not at a hospital, as my process in giving birth to Petra was a lot more empowering/amazing/easy to recover from than when I had to plow through the mandatory procedures in the hospital while in labor with Declan.
Today's gathering occurred under even worse weather, but I thought it important to show up for a friend's birthday celebration. As it turned out, Israelis really like to hang out in coffee shops on rainy Friday mornings/afternoons. All the cafes in Merkaz HaCarmel were packed, and the plan to hang out and celebrate Emily's birthday at Gal's Bakery was a no-go. After much, much hemming and hawing outside the now-defunct Reuben's. sandwich shop, most of the people who showed up decided to return home. I was worried about how the cold would be affecting Petra, who was sleeping in the pocket sling Daniel's wearing, so I said we really need to get a move on. Eventually Krystal bought a cake from the bakery and three people besides us (and including Emily) came over to our home for cake and tea.
I also bought a sweater/coat at Dreadlocks, a small, surprisingly affordable clothes boutique en route to Emily's birthday celebration. Hopefully I'll be able to get some wear in it before the weather turns warm again. Elizabeth was game enough to buy the same article in another color so that we could get the "buy one, get one half off" deal. Overall, these two days have been the most happening days since Petra's birth. It's nice to get out of the house a bit.
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