Sam at 23 months

As Sam's 2nd birthday quickly approaches (March 24), it is apparent that the terrible twos have arrived in full force but Sam's sweetness and zest for life continues.  He has a lot of energy and loves to read books, laugh, jump, and explore.  He rarely walks anywhere - he usually runs full steam ahead.

Some of his new words include: mine (his new favorite word), black, brown, white, yellow, red, chocolate, keys, bath, cow, play-doh, puppy, bird, plane, duck, quack, whoa, wow, butter, bread, milk, juice, Costco (our favorite store), silly, bath, car, train, etc.  After speaking for over a year, he has FINALLY learned to say the word YES! Woo hoo! 

He's really starting to put together 3-5 words into a sentence and is very interested in possession of things.  For example, he'll try on my shoes and say "This is mommy's shoe" or getting into the car he'll say "this is daddy's car" or "this is doggie's ear."  He is also quite proficient in telling us what he wants - like "I want to see Pa" - when he wants to skype with my parents, etc.  He is VERY interested in cars and spends hours playing with matchbox cars.

He has recently become interested in the difference between dogs and puppies.  He has a black lab puppy stuffed animal that he calls his puppy and drags it all over the house and cuddles with it in bed. Our neighbor recently got a new puppy that weighs 2 pounds and brought the puppy over to meet Sam.  He was very gentle with the puppy at first, until they decided to let him try holding the puppy - which he promptly dropped onto the grass.  Here are a few pics:

He is getting more interested in drawing and less interest in putting crayons/paint/chalk into his mouth.  We've taken advantage of some recently warm sunny days and began playing with sidewalk chalk:

Our quest to encourage him to gain more weight continues.  We go back to the doctor regularly for weight checks and he continues to lose small amounts of weight, about 2 oz/month.  This is not a significant amount of weight to lose, but he should be gaining weight - not losing weight.  He's about 90th percentile for height and 10th percentile for weight.  Because he has so much energy and is such an active kid, we're not overly concerned but we work to increase high-fat foods into his diet.

His favorite food is butter - and there are certainly nights when all he'll eat for dinner is butter (gross).  He also loves Costco's pretzel nuggets stuffed with peanut butter, whole milk yogurt, chicken nuggets, deli turkey, tangerines (his most recent obsession), veggie pancakes, Triscuits, soy hot dogs, granola bars, goldfish, Life cereal, raisins, carrot muffins, turkey bacon, soy sausage, and legumes.

We joke that he is becoming vegetarian - he'll eat any sort of legume, the other night he ate 1/2 a can of black eyed peas for dinner.  He loves lima beans, black beans, kidney beans, chick peas, lentils, etc.  He also loves string cheese and asks for cheese all day long (which we don't give him all day long).  We have unsuccessfully searched grocery stores for high fat string cheese/cheese sticks.  The stores look at us like we're crazy asking for high fat string cheese - they're like, um, no, most of ours is low fat.  If anyone has suggestions as to where we can buy whole milk string cheese/cheese sticks, PLEASE let me know!

And he of course has a sweet tooth, like his mommy.  He recently learned the word chocolate and asks for chocolate at all hours of the day.  The other morning he ate a carrot muffin for breakfast and then asked for chocolate at 730am (which he did not get).  One a recent warm 70 degree February day, our 8 year old neighbor Kelly gave him his first popsicle which he loved:

He also loves cupcakes and enjoyed them at his friend Eli's birthday party:

 

Eating chocolate cake with friends = happy boy

Our least favorite new word that Sam has learned is MINE.  In classic 2 year old fashion, he thinks that everything is his.  My friends and family recently threw a wonderful baby shower for me (since Sam was born the weekend the shower was supposed to have been when I was pregnant with him).  My cousin Heather is a renowned cupcake maker and Sam was obsessed with her cupcakes.  He had part of a cupcake and then saw the rest of the cupcakes on a table, but he couldn't reach them.  He ran across the room and dragged a very heavy wooden kitchen chair across the entire room to climb up on the chair to reach the cupcakes - so we gave him 1/2 of another cupcake, we figured such perseverence should be rewarded.  When it was time for Heather to leave, she packed up some cupcakes in a tupperware to bring to her co-workers.  Sam was saying his goodbyes and then noticed the cupcakes in the tupperware.  He practically threw himself at her, screaming "MINE MINE MINE MINE" trying to go after the cupcakes! He did not get more cucpakes this time. 

He also is obsessed with my iphone (so is Brad...and so am I) and is quite proficient at figuring out the apps!

We are very excited that the weather is warming up so we can spend more time outside.  With my modified bedrest, I'm allowed to go out a couple times a week on short outings if my blood pressure isn't too high, as long as I stay off my feet.  I've learned which parks have benches for me to sit on while I watch him. There are many many parks nearby and he loves going down the slide, climbing, swinging, running, and jumping.  Here's a recent picture of him throwing bread to birds at Burke Lake Park.

His sense of humor continues to astound us and he loves to laugh and laugh.  Here are a few recent videos of him playing and laughing:

Sam takes corn-popping very seriously!

He loves to dance and sing.  His favorite songs with hand motions now include "Head Shoulders Knees & Toes" (he now knows all of his body parts), Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, If You're Happy & You Know It, Itsy Bitsy Spider, 1-2 Buckle My Shoe 3-4 Shut The Door, and the ABCs.

He watches 1 television show which we love  on PBS called Super Why.  He has really learned some letters and the ABCs from this show, we love it (and does Sam!).   He recently was quite sick with roseola and we had a scary few days when his fever spiked up to 105.2.  It's a horrible feeling to pick up a crying child in the morning and his skin felt like it was on fire.  Thank GOODNESS for children's advil!  We watched a LOT of Super Why during those few days when we just tried to keep liquids in him and keep him comfortable.  The illness came on so suddenly and went away just as fast.  It's amazing how quickly toddlers can bounce back!

The dog decided to help with the stress level in our house by eating an entire sock and vomiting it all over the down comforter on the bed.  Brad brought the comforter to the dry cleaner's and on the way there realized his brakes were having a problem so his car had to go into the shop.  It was a really fun few days (not).

But, thankfully he is fully recovered and back to his usual playful, active, silly, cuddly personality.  Calling himself Neal continues to be one of his favorite jokes (as you may remember from this earlier blog post).  But when strangers ask him what his name is, he clearly says "Sam" - yet when we ask him,
 he loves to joke and say "NEAL."  Silly boy.

We know that the next month will bring about many changes in Sam's life, so we are working hard to cherish every day with him as our "only child" and actively thinking of ways to help him transition into his role as a big brother.  Can't believe that he will be 2 so soon!

Birth Plans

A lot of my mommy friends have asked me over the past few months about my birth plan.  With both Sam and this pregnancy, I've given a lot of thought to the idea of birth plans and how I feel about birth plans.

I have many friends who have developed very elaborate birth plans that spread the gamet - at-home births in a bed or in water, at a birthing center with a midwife, giving birth in a hospital with a doula without any pain medication, giving birth in a hospital with an epidural, a planned c-section, etc.   For some of my friends, the actual process of giving birth to their children is one of the most important experiences in their lives.  They want to experience and remember every aspect of this amazing journey and the miracle of life.  They physically write very specific birth plans in great detail. 

As most of you know, I'm a planner and like to plan things in detail well in advance - which is why I am as surprised as anyone that when it comes to birthing my children, I have not adopted the birth plan mentality.  Let me be clear - I am NOT knocking anyone's birth plan or birth choices.  It is a very personal decision and if my friends are happy, I am happy for them. 

I trust my obstetrician immensely and truly credit him for helping to bring Sam into this world and enabling him to be the healthy, intelligent, and amazing child he is - despite his early arrival at 32 weeks. I have done tons of research about epidurals and have concluded that I am perfectly comfortable with the decision to have an epidural. I had an epidural with Sam and do not regret that decision at all.


My doctor has said that he will do whatever I want - pain meds or no pain meds; vaginal delivery or c-section, etc. Although I do not want to have a c-section and have no plan on having a c-section, I am open to the idea if it is medically necessary. I'd prefer to not have a c-section since the recovery time is signficantly worse, but if there's anything I've learned as a mom - it is to expect the unexpected.

When I was pregnant with Sam, we first discussed the idea of a birth plan with my ob.  He said that I should keep in mind that once the hospital reads on my registration form that I'm a lawyer that they will want to follow the birth plan to a T - which I thought was hilarious. 

I am at the stage in my life when an inordinate number of my friends are pregnant.  Seriously, I think I currently know between 30-40 women who are pregnant right now.  I am intrigued by their various birth plans and have been amazed to discover that there is no pattern among my friends.  I would have originally thought that my liberal crunchy friends would be the only ones having at-home births with a midwife, but alas, I have conservative friends who have made this choice too.  The decision has nothing to do with one's politics, religion, education, career, etc.  Most of my friends who have chosen to have children without pain medication are very passionate about their birth choice and birth plan.  My sister-in-law is a midwife and one of the most passionate people I have ever met about birthing babies. 

I've tried to wrap my head around the birth plan idea and have finally concluded that it's just not something I'm passionate about.  I have strong feelings and am passionate about many things.  I am passionate about politics, campaigns, elections, and being a Democrat.  I am passionate about Israel and Judaism.  I am passionate about equality for women and reproductive rights.  I am passionate about community service, social action, and giving back.  I am passionate about my family and friends.  I am passionate about enjoying every day with Sam and bringing joy and happiness to his life.  I am passionate about travelling and exploring other cultures (I've been to 30+ countries).  I am passionate about food.  I am passionate about being outside (in warm, sunny weather!) and truly believe that sunshine (while wearing sunscreen) nourishes my soul. 

But there are some things that I'm just not passionate about - and the process of actually birthing my child is one of them.  I am passionate about being a mom and am incredibly excited to meet my new little boy and love him and raise him - I'm just not that excited about the actual birthing process. I've gone through the childbirth education class and even watched a video of an actual birth to try to better grasp the wonder behind childbirth.  But for me, I still feel that the birthing process is a means to an end - a means of me bringing a life into the world and having another amazing little boy.  My birth experience with Sam was quite unusual due to his early arrival, but the nurses and doctors did everything possible to make it as much of a positive experience as possible given the circumstances.

My birth plan is more of a mindset than an actual plan.  My husband, doctor, and I have discussed what we hope for, but are fully aware of the fact that things may change during the labor - and that's ok.  Our  priority is to make sure that baby boy #2 is healthy and that's all I need from my birth plan. 

In a way, it is almost freeing to decide that it is ok to NOT have a detailed birth plan. The one thing I plan to change from my birth with Sam is to bring some pictures of Glacier National Park to look at as focus points during labor.  My ob has a picture of Glacier National Park, Montana taped to the ceiling of his exam room directly above the exam table - so when patients are laying on their backs during the exam, they can look at the picture and relax.

This Glacier Park picture has taken on significant meaning to me over the years and I relax by imagining myself sitting on the edge of the lake with my toes dangling in the water, staring out at the gorgeous snow-capped mountains, tossing stones into the water, feeling the warm sun on my face, and the gentle breeze blowing my hair. I imagine the sounds of the water lapping at the shore, fish jumping out of the water, the wind rustling the leaves, and squirrels running in the woods.   I imagine peace, quiet, and serenity at this lake.

I have never been to Glacier National Park.  I am not even a "lake person" (although Brad is), hands down I prefer the ocean and beach as a vacation rather than a lake.  But, I've come to associate pictures the scenic pictures of Glacier National Park with relaxation during a medical procedure.  So, here are a few of the pictures I plan to print and bring with me for the birth of baby boy #2.

So, there you have it - this is my birth plan! We will be positive, flexible, relaxed, and determined to have a healthy baby boy. 

Another edition of comparing my pregnancies with Sam and baby boy #2

As you may have seen in earlier blogposts like this one or this one, I kept a different blog during my pregnancy with Sam and have been truly entertained to reflect back on my thoughts from my pregnancy with Sam vs. baby boy #2.  So, here's the next installment.

Black font = 2009 blog.
Blue italics font = 2011 thoughts.

25.5 weeks in pregnancy with Sam
34 weeks in pregnancy with Baby Boy #2

Posted Feb 4, 2009 3:43pm

Hi everyone, apologies for the long delay in posting another update - but we are all doing great! The baby is approximately 14 inches long and weighs about 2 pounds (about the size of an English cucumber or a really big ear of corn). He is moving around all the time. At the last ultrasound, the doctor commented “Wow, that’s one active kid!” I love feeling him turn, kick, punch, etc - except when he uses my bladder as a soccer ball at 4am.

Baby Boy #2 is also very active, particularly at 4am.  Right now he is almost 5 pounds and about 18 inches long.  I love laying in bed and watching the baby move under my skin - I can really see his body moving about!  Sam continues to be a very active kid and never really sits still for long! 

He is especially active during loud events. He was dancing to the music at the inaugural ball and at my cousins’ b’nai mitzvah and he went wild during a Superbowl party. But then again, he was also kicking like crazy during a 3 hour snooze fest copyright law program I attended, maybe he was bored! Sometimes I wonder if he is really an octopus-baby because I feel him moving all over my abdomen all at once!

Sam still loves to dance to music! Obama's inaugural ball seems like such a long time ago!  Baby Boy #2 tends to be less active when I'm moving around, he likes to kick when I'm laying down or sitting still.  He loves when I eat berries - it doesn't matter what kind of berries - I regularly eat strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries and as soon as I eat them, the baby goes wild.   It's a very predictable method of getting him to kick so that someone else can feel him move.  Sam did this when I ate Indian food and he still loves to eat Indian food!  Funny boys.

He’s gaining weight rapidly right now which means that I have some days when I’m ravenous and cannot get enough to eat! Every morning Brad makes me a big bag of snacks for the day including 2 apples (I LOVE apples these days!), string cheese, yogurt, sugar snap peas, berries, and soup. And those are just my snacks! My most recent crazy food discovery was putting honey on a bean burrito. Brad thought it was disgusting, but I loved it!

I began the pregnancy with the same love for apples and then transitioned to Asian pears (which are also known as "pear apples.")  But the season for Asian pears was short-lived and I refuse to pay even the Costco discounted price of $7 for 3 Asian pears.  So I've switched over to regular Bartlett pears and can't get enough of them.  I eat at least 2 pears/day!  I have never eaten pears regularly in my life before and now I'm totally obsessed - and Sam is hooked too! 

I still love burritos.  Although I haven't tried the "honey on a burrito" idea again, I'm totally in love with Taco Bell.  As much as I enjoy and appreciate gourmet food and fine dining, YO QUIERO TACO BELL.  Before my bedrest, I used to exercise with a mom's group at a nearby mall once the weather turned cold.  Our meeting place in the mall happened to be right near a Taco Bell inside the mall...I'll admit it - on more than one occasion I ended the great work-out with a quick trip to Taco Bell for lunch.  I'm not proud, but whoa -  I love Taco Bell!

We had a great Christmas vacation and began by traveling to Vermont and Maine to visit Brad’s relatives. His female relatives organized a beautiful baby shower for me in Maine. They did a book theme and I learned about many of the family traditions. Among my personal favorites were: Underwear Do's and Don'ts (teaching the child to not dress the dog in your underwear, etc), Dick and Jane Speaking Yiddish, and various Red Sox outfits and books!

Unfortunately we didn't make it up to New England for Christmas this year (we were there in August though).  My third trimester began the week of Christmas and given my history with Sam, we decided we weren't going to travel long distances during my thid trimester.  However, we still cherish many of the Red Sox outfits and books that Sam received during that baby shower.  The "Underwear Do's & Don'ts" book from Aunt Cora is among his top 5 favorite books right now.  The bagel book (also from Cora) is his favorite - Sam now knows how to say the word bagel.  And I have a craving for lox every time I read the book, even though I can't eat it!

We introduced Sam to the Red Sox at a very early age.  Seriously, the child has been to more major league baseball games in the first 18 months of his life than I went to in the first 18 YEARS of my life! I think we could have dressed him exclusively in Democrat & Red Sox clothing for the first 6 months of his life.

Brad & Sam June 2009 - Sam was 9 weeks old

Red Sox game with our friends and their newborn!

Red Sox game Arpil 2010 - Sam at 12 months

Red Sox game June 2010 - Sam at 14 months

We then traveled to Puerto Rico for a wonderful week of doing very little but sleeping, eating, sleeping, reading, sleeping, and swimming. Did I mention sleeping? We had gorgeous weather and really enjoyed the much needed R & R. We uploaded some belly pics from the trip, I was about 21 weeks along then (I’m now about 26 weeks). I’ll post more soon.

OMG, I SO miss vacations like this.  I think it's going to be a very long time before I can spend a week of doing little but sleeping and relaxing.  In November we went on a babymoon long weekend trip to Las Vegas for Brad's work without Sam, and it was terrific.  Vacations with a toddler are not exactly restful, although we are hoping to go to Kiawha, South Carolina this summer and bring along my parents to help with both kiddos -so hopefully we will be able to get some relaxation then...maybe?

Inauguration weekend was incredible. We were practically running a bed and breakfast at our house we had so many people staying with us! January 20th was an amazing day for us to celebrate the new administration. I bought my first baby onesie outfits - the first one says “1-20-09 Inauguration Day I was there” and the other says “Obama Yes We Can!” I couldn’t resist. It was a very very long day battling the crowds, but incredible to take part of such a historic event.

Here's a picture of Sam at 5 months old wearing the Obama shirt sitting with Judge Lee, the federal judge I worked for in law school.  Judge Lee is one of my true mentors and is absolutely amazing.  When we visited him for lunch that day he paraded Sam around the courthouse and introduced him to everyone as "his grandchild" and a future law clerk.  Judge Lee was a Clinton appointee and a big Obama fan - he loved Sam's Obama shirt!

By the time we attended the inaugural ball that night, my legs felt like jello. But, it was worth it to see Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony perform and the Obamas and Bidens dance at the ball. I’ve learned that I just cannot be going and going for 23 hours straight any more. At one point my mom and I took a 20 minute power nap on the air mattresses in the copy center of my office during the parade watching party!

Overall, I’m feeling pretty good with some mild back pain that I’m learning to manage. I recently purchased a huge pregnancy pillow to give my belly and back some extra support in bed. Good thing we have a king size bed!

Oh, my amazing pregnancy pillow.  It is AMAZING.  Here's a blogpost I wrote about my fabulous pregnancy pillow back in October 2010!  Brad still doesn't love it, but he's not pregnant now is he!

Our new bedroom set raises the bed off the ground quite a bit and with my growing belly, I’ve become quite unbalanced making it a bit more challenging for me to get into bed. My dad refurbished an old stool that is perfect for my short legs to help me up, it’s great!

Big shout out to my dad, this stool is a staple in our house.  It is a lifesaver during this pregnancy and I use it constanty.  Sam also LOVES the stool because he can climb onto the stool and then climb onto our bed.  Who know it would be so incredibly helpful and used for so long!
We are still negotiating boy names - we should have known it was going to be a boy because we could agree on girl names. But no decisions yet.

We are actually pretty decided on the name for baby boy #2.  I'm not sharing the names, but it's a Jewish tradition to name a baby after a relative who has passed away by using the first letter of the relative's first name.  For example, Sam was named after my maternal grandfather Steven (here's a blogpost I wrote in memory of my grandfather a few months ago).  So, we're planning to go with a N first name baby boy #2 after my paternal grandmother Natalie and a D middle name after Brad's paternal grandmother Dorothy. 

Hope you all are doing well and enjoying the beginning of a new era in American government! I am overjoyed that our baby will be born under the Obama administration. Yes, I know - we are political dorks - but most of you already know that! Here’s to enjoying the last 2 weeks of my second trimester!

We think that baby boy #2 is already a staunch Democrat.  While watching Obama deliver the State of the Union a few weeks ago, baby boy was going wild!  I had never felt such strong kicks and punches!  He was just so excited by Obama's speech!  Yes, we are still political dorks - nothing has changed there!
7 Message(s)
Posted Feb 5, 2009 10:23am  by Norm Geller
Let me tell you about my grandson... Sounds good...just trying it out and practicing.
Now that my dad is a grandfather, he never likes to talk about his grandson....hahahaha.  Everyone who knows my dad knows that he is totally head over heels in love with Sam and talks about him constantly :)  What an amazing Grandpa (or PA as Sam calls him).

Posted Feb 4, 2009 7:50pm by Christine Gettings
I will never look at english cucumbers the same again! haha! So excited for both of you and to share in this wonderful experience.

Posted Feb 4, 2009 7:34pm  by Faith Leonard
What a great update! Would have loved to be at the shower in Maine. Glad this baby knows where he falls on the political spectrum; you can't introduce him to political dorkism too soon. Enjoy!


Posted Feb 4, 2009 6:49pm  by lisa plotkin
Okay... I guarantee that I will come visit DC after the baby's born. You and everyone else are plenty to get me there, but a geller-cheney baby just tops it off for a no-brainer. love to both of you! and mr. kicky :-).
Posted Feb 4, 2009 5:58pm  by Melissa Hart
Yes... it's the baby that's making your walking unbalanced... mmhmmm... and all of the years crashing into things and knocking over any glass on the table was just preparation for the baby? :)

Posted Feb 4, 2009 4:51pm by Alison Orologio
Congrats and mazel tov!!!

Posted Feb 4, 2009 4:41pm  by Karen Walker
Honey is actually very common on New Mexican food, especially burritos, etc. I am totally with you on this. I am also with Brad about the Red Sox themed room! Congrats, again!

33 Weeks: 4.5 Weeks of Bedrest down, at least another 2 weeks to go.

Last week I had appointments with my obstetrician and cardiologist to assess where things stand with my bedrest.  As I noted in my blog after two weeks of bed rest, my blood pressure numbers have stabilized.  I continue to use my personal blood pressure machine at home (oh the joys!) and take my numbers every day.  Thankfully, we haven't had any more scares like the one that jumpstarted my bedrest on January 7th.

But, they believe my numbers have stabilized because I am on bedrest.  As my ob says, "the bedrest is working, why would we change things?"  I pushed back a bit about letting me go back to work and resume normal activity and he that the problem with resuming a normal schedule is that if my blood pressure spikes again and turns into preeclampsia (which can be very dangerous), there's no turning back.  It's not like we can then say "well, the numbers are high again, so we'll resume bedrest and get the numbers to go back down."  Once it becomes preeclampsia, there's nothing we can do and would have to deliver the baby early. 

So, it looks like the next few weeks will be more of the same "modified" bedrest.  THANKFULLY, it is not strict bedrest.  I know women who have been on strict bedrest for 3-4 months and they're only allowed to get out of bed to shower or go to the bathroom. Otherwise they have to be on their backs.  I think I would lose my mind.

My prescribed "modified" bedrest allows me 1 outting/day - which usually is a doctor's appointment or something that will not require me to be on my feet.  I can go out for short trips as long as I'm sitting down most of the time.  I can occasionally go to a meeting for one of my volunteer organizations as my "outting of the day" as long as I'm sitting down during it.  It could be a lot worse and I'm beginning to get used to this new routine. 

I'm not allowed to exercise at all and feel like I'm becoming a slug.  I've been carefully monitoring my diet to make sure I don't gain too much 3rd trimester babyweight due to the lack of exercise - and it seems to be working!  I only gained 1 pound over the past 2 weeks which is terrific!  However, the Easter candy is out now and I have such a weakness for Cadbury eggs.  Don't ask, but I love them.

I continue to work my normal work schedule from home.  My office has been amazingly supportive and much of my job can be done remotely which is terrific.  We've had a number of friends and relatives in town to help with Sam and meals.  Brad has been phenomenal and taken over pretty much all of the household chores. 

Most importantly, baby boy #2 is doing GREAT!  He kicks like crazy, is measuring normally, and has listened to his mama's advice about staying in my belly!  Monday marked 33 weeks in the pregnancy which is amazing for me.  I try to stay positive, but every morning I wake up and say a prayer of thanks that I'm still pregnant.  Each day I'm pregnant is one less day we'd have to spend in a NICU.  I know it's a slightly negative perspective on this time in the pregnancy, but a day with a baby in the NICU is one of the most draining and exhausting experiences one can endure.

Baby boy has given me some pretty painful Braxton Hicks contractions 4-5x/day.  I'm even waking up at 3am with Braxton Hicks contractions.  But, they never last more than 30 minutes and are irregular, so I try to relax and just work through them.  Unfortunately I have a very hard time going back to sleep and I'm routinely up from 3-5am. 

So, that's where things stand.  Thanks for everyone's support, it has meant so much to us.  I will keep you all posted with future updates!

Amazing weekend with Mimi & Grandpa Geller

My parents were in town this weekend to spend time with Sam and give us a break since the last few weeks have been a bit of a challenge with my bedrest and we've all had colds.   They are so amazing with him, I wish they were here every weekend! 

Sam had a blast! Friday night we had family Shabbat dinner.  As usual, Sam helped us light the Shabbat candles and we all clinked glasses for the kiddish wine/juice.  (See my January blogpost about Sam's first real Jewish experience with Shabbat prayers).  He now helps us with the prayers every Friday night and gets very excited when we take out the candles.  He also loves singing "Shabbat Shalom, hey!" and shouts "hey" in the song. 

They took him to toddler soccer class Saturday morning while Brad and I slept in.  After a quiet morning, we visited with cousins Casey and Alexa.

Sam, Grandpa, and Cousin Alexa (age 2.5)

Sam learned new ways to play with cousin Casey's dump truck

Mimi & Grandpa took Sam to Barnes & Noble and bought him 2 sets of several books - Sam will keep one copy of each book at our house and my parents will take their copy to their house so that they can read the same books together while they are skyping!  Love it!

Then they all went to open gym time at Gymboree and had a blast.

On the way back from Gymboree they stopped at Dairy Queen for ice cream and Sam now has a new word.  He LOVES saying ice cream!  This weekend he also learned how to say "I want night, night" to tell us when he's ready for naptime or bed - and then he basically puts himself to bed.  Naptime/bedtime doesn't get much easier than that!

After naptime (and before the Superbowl) they all went sledding on the patch of snow that remains in our back yard.  Despite the 50 degree weather, they took Sam out on the toboggan and he happily traipsed across the yard.

What a great weekend!  Can't wait to see them again in a few short weeks!

Sam at 22 months - Loving Language

As Sam's 2nd birthday quickly approaches (March 24), he has fully adopted the 2 year old mindset.  Despite the frustrating battles about ridiculous things (sorry Sam, but you are not allowed to play on the stove.  You are not allowed to play with knives.  You are not allowed to play in the snow in pajamas.  You are not allowed to take the cordless phone into the bathtub. The list goes on and on.) - we are thoroughly enjoying this stage with Sam.

I don't think I realized how much an almost 2 year old can understand and communicate.  We have to watch everything we do or say because he is a little sponge.  For a few days last week we were  locked in a battle of wills about cutting his fingernails.  After him scratching himself (and us), it was time to seek alternative measures.  We all sat on the bed with the dog and Brad entertained Sam while I cut his nails. Brad sang "the Wheels on the Bus" and acted out the motions (wheels go round and round, wipers go swish swish siwsh) by playing with the dog's ears and moving them in circles, etc.  Sam thought this was HILARIOUS and laughed and laughed - without even realizing I was cutting his nails.

However, we did not think through the ramifications of this entertainment.  As soon as I was done with his nails, Sam of course went right for the dog's ears and began pulling them in circles and singing - except he is not so gentle and was yanking her all over the place.  Parenting fail.  Oy vey.

My favorite part of this stage is the explosion of Sam's language.  He is beginning to put 3-4 words together and speak in sentences.  He can truly express what he wants - although his favorite word is still NO!  I'm still waiting for him to learn the word "yes."  But he can say things like "Mommy, I want crayons" which is SO helpful in figuring out what he wants.

He is literally learning 3-4 new words per day.  Just this past week he learned these words: car, hat, coat, bowl, cup, spoon, love, night, me, mine (we are not loving the MINE declarations), water, one, two, door, why, blue, yellow, tissue, hurray, up, down, juice, crayons, color, book.

He knows the names of many of his friends: Sasha, Andrew, Noah, Tommy, Ayana, Caitlin, Kylie, Neal, Eyob and loves to tells us their names.  However, Neal continues to dominate our house and Sam still enjoys joking around that his name is Neal (see my blogpost about Neal taking over our house)

We are very proud of the manners he has learned.  He knows how to use the words "please" and "thank you" - although they sound like "PSSS" and "TYOU"  - but he uses them appropriately and knows what they mean.  He covers his mouth when he coughs by coughing into the inner part of his arm and says "bless you" when someone sneezes.  Can you tell we all have had colds here?
He is learning his numbers - right now he can count "One, Two" and tells us that he is 2 years old (which he is almost!).  He loves the song "One two buckle my shoe, three four shut the door."  He yells out SHOE and DOOR. We sing this song every time we go up and down the steps.

We are also working on colors and have started with yellow, red, and blue.  He knows blue and sometimes knows yellow.

He LOVES music and is enthralled when Brad plays the guitar.  Brad even gave him a mini guitar lesson the other night:

He has learned to face some of his fears and overcome them.  He has very few fears - in fact sometimes I wish he was more afraid of things that he should be afraid of - like the HUGE slide at the playground that I even get nervous on because it's so high! 

For some reason, he has been scared of riding on top of the parachute in his playclasses - for 6 months he would cry each time we put him on it, so we stopped putting him on it. It really wasn't necessary for him to learn this, was it? And then this past week we tried again to see what he would do and what do you know - he LOVED IT in Gymboree and in soccer class with Brad  He laughed and laughed so hard that all of the soccer parents cracked up watching him.

He has an amazingly deep, hearty belly laugh that is contagious.  You can't help but laugh when he laughs. His laugh is probably one of my favorite things about Sam. 

He has become SUCH a big boy and changes every day, talking and learning, exploring and destroying, laughing and cuddling.  We are excited to see what the next chapter of our family life will be when Sam becomes a big brother.

32 Weeks! Deep breaths..

It is no surprise that today is a big day for me and I'm a big ball of nerves.  Today marks 32 weeks in my pregnancy with baby boy #2...which is the same day in my pregnancy with Sam when I went into pre-term labor.  After 3 days of terrifying and agonizing labor, Sam arrived at 4 lb and 8 oz. 

Last Thursday we had the final "growth ultrasound" of baby boy #2 and found out that he weighed 3 lb, 11 oz - which is 42nd percentile which is totally normal.  It also means that now he's probably closing in on 4 lbs.  Everything looked great in last week's ultrasound and my doctors have been very happy with the baby's progress.  Although they are continuing to monitor things closely, they have no reason to believe that I will go into early labor again.  But, they still have no idea what caused me to go into early labor with Sam either - for some reason that will forever be unknown, my water began to slowly leak on that eventful Saturday morning March 21, 2009.

I'm not going to repeat the details of what happened that day, but if you've never read or heard my birth story - here is the blog I wrote about Sam's early birth.

I still struggle to understand why he came early. Did I eat something I shouldn't have eaten? Was I not taking it easy? Was I working too hard and not getting enough rest? Why did it happen?


My doctor has assured me time and time again that there is nothing I could have done differently and they don't know why he came early.  I had seen my doctor 4 days before I went into labor and everything was perfectly normal - sometimes these things just happen and there's no explanation. I hate that answer. I hate not knowing why and not being able to fix it for a future pregnancy. Even though I know I shouldn't, part of me will always wonder why...
For weeks I've had my eyes glued to the calendar for the 32 week marker - and now that it's here, I want to take a moment to truly appreciate the miracle that is Sam and how incredibly grateful I feel to have such a smart, sweet, loving, funny, and energetic little boy.  He is absolutely amazing and a blessing.  I know that a baby born at 32 weeks can thrive...but that doesn't mean I'm ready to go into labor just yet.

Message to Baby boy #2 - STAY IN THERE! Even though your mama and brother aren't exactly the most patient people, it is not yet time for you to venture into the world!


My goal is to make it to at least March 1, at which point I will be 36 weeks along.  Although my due date is not until March 28, I will be very very happy if baby boy #2 is born anytime during March.

So anyway, if you talk to me at all this week - I apologize in advance if I seem a bit tense.  It's a big week for me and I'm feeling very emotional and extremely nervous. I'm just trying to stay positive and take it one day at a time.  And I'm remembering to breathe.  Whew! 

Thank you in advance for all of the support you all have given us during the recent challenges in my pregnancy.  I know I've fallen behind on email and I apologize, but I do appreciate all of the amazing people in my life - I am so blessed to have such a terrific circle of support!

Reflecting back on my 3 trips to Egypt & Jordan

Having been to Egypt 3 times, I've been very interested in the Cairo protests (perhaps beginning of a revolution?). Although the protests in Jordan aren't getting nearly the same news coverage as the protests in Egypt, Jordanians have also taken to the streets for the past 3 days demanding that their prime minister resigns.  For example, check out this article about the Jordanian protests.   I've been to Jordan 3 times too.  Other than Israel & Mexico, I've been to Egypt and Jordan more frequently than any other country.

Although I haven't been to either country since 2007, I am particularly compelled by these protests given my travels in Egypt & Jordan.  I feel connected to both countries and have an understanding of each country's culture - as much as an American Jewish tourist can have.

Both countries are so so different than the U.S. You literally cannot walk 10 feet in Jordan without seeing pictures of the king EVERYWHERE.  It is a poor country, the cars are older, the houses mostly look run-down  The major city of Amman is overcrowded. 

The biggest tourist attraction in Jordan is Petra, the home of the famous rock architecture and the rock Treasury.  Most Americans have seen it in the Indiana Jones Last Crusader movie or in Arabian Nights.

Rock Treasury in Petra

Jordan is a country of contradictions as well. It was extremely common to see a fully covered woman on the beach with her young children in bathing suits. Unlike Israel, where observant men dressed as modestly as women, most the men on the beach dress like any westerner would. 

When we were last there 3 years ago, we spent a few days relaxing at a Red Sea resort in Aqaba, Jordan.  The hotel was a gorgeous 5 star resort - that was about $50/night. 

We were literally 500 feet from the Israel/Jordan border abutting the Israeli Red Sea resort town of Eilat - where the same type of hotel would have easily been $500/night.  Shows you the difference between the western Israeli economy and the struggling Jordanian economy.

When we were there in 2007, we flew from Aqaba Jordan to Cairo, Egypt.  We were very nervous when our hotel assured us that we should leave at 8am for our 9am international flight on the day of our departure and the airport was at least 20 minutes away. We arrived at the airport with 30 minutes to spare and ended up making it through intense security in about 10 minutes - a far cry from airports in the U.S. While checking in for our flight our passports were checked no less than 6 times each, including before our van even entered the airport. Despite this intense security, only Brad was required to pass through a metal detector. I was instead just lightly patted down in a separate booth used for all women travelers - apparently they don't feel that females are potential terrorists.

The flight from Amman was interesting, they had a horrible snake movie on the tv the entire time which was not so pleasant. It's also such a contrast from the states where someone who dresses typically "Middle Eastern" attracts significant attention in the post 911 world, whereas we Americans stood out the Royal Jordanian flights. 

But, it was much better than the 12 hour bus ride that I took from Eilat to Cairo when I was in college (and had no money).  The bus ride had no air conditioning, not enough seats for the passengers, no ventilation, and was just plain miserable.  I spent the final 4 hours of the bus journey sitting in the aisle.  Flying was MUCH better!

When you arrive in Cairo, you are immediately struck by 3 things.  First Cairo is a HUGE city of 22 million people. Second it is an incredibly poor city, one of the poorest I've ever visited. Unemployment is routinely above 20% (unless of course you ask the government for their number which is allegedly 9%. Yeah right).

Third, the drivers are terrible. Lane markings are ignored - they are more like decorations on the road, street lights are never used and really are just suggestions and horns are used all the time. Even the worst American drivers are highly skilled as compared to Egyptian drivers. Friends have asked me if I think it is safe to visit Egypt.  Security wise, Egypt is normally very safe to visit (except of course, right now).  The scariest part of Egypt was crossing the street - it felt like a game of frogger.

The second time I was in Egypt was in college.  While studying abroad in Israel, some friends and I decided to spend a few days in the Sinai Peninsula for a weekend and climb Mount Sinai.  However, we were dumb college students and really had no plan for getting to Mount Sinai once we crossed the border from Israel into Egypt.  Thinking back on this story now makes me shudder at my incredible stupidity - and marvel at my naive trust in strangers.

After going through customs, we met a man at the border who had a van and would take us to Mount Sinai for a good price.  Sure, we said, and hopped into his van.  On the way there, he said he was hungry so we all stopped for a big dinner...at his brother Mohammed's house (everyone there is named Mohammed. It's like Matt in the U.S.).  So, we ate at his brother's - another stranger - and kept going.  Because of the heat during the day, it is best to climb Mt. Sinai in the middle of the night.  When we arrived at the base of the mountain, our driver said "I know a man named Mohammed who has many camels, he will bring you up the mountain for a good price.  Just leave your bags in my van and I will meet you here in the morning."

Being the incredibly dumb students that we were, we happily agreed to hire Mohammad AND LEAVE OUR STUFF IN HIS VAN.  Seriously, what were we thinking???

Mohammad and his camels brought us to the top of Mount Sinai which had snow on the top and was freezing.  We tried to sleep in our sleeping bags fully dressed but were too cold and mostly just cuddled together to stay warm until the sun came up. It wasn't until we were halfway back down the mountain on the way back to the van when someone in the group said, "Uhhh, guys - you know, I'm wondering if leaving our stuff in the van was the best idea? Think it will still be there?"  Honestly, it wasn't until that moment that we even considered that the van driver could have taken off over night with our stuff.  Did I mention that we were insanely stupid 20 year old travelers?

Amazingly, our van driver, whose middle name was Mohammed, was at the base of the mountain waiting for us with breakfast and all of our bags!  Our trust had paid off - but in retrospect, what were we thinking.  I can't help but wonder if our trust would have been the same a year later after September 11th.  I feel like September 11th changed our perception of trusting foreigners, especially an Arab Middle Easterner.   Obviously, I should never have been as trusting as I was - but it's pretty amazing that I felt like I could trust him - and he proved me correct. 

Shortly after that trip, we went to Cairo where I've been twice - again in 2000 and then in 2007.  I have fond memories of taking two dinner cruises on the Nile River with dancers and music.

Nile River at sunset, 2007

Dancer on the dinner cruise - I'm sorry, but on what planet is this guy "straight"? 
But, people are not really allowed to be gay in Egypt.

I always have fond memories of FAVORITE Egyptian dish called koshari.  It is a vegetarian meal made of lentils, pasta, rice, garbanzo beans, onions, and a sour tomato sauce - quite fabulous! The Egyptians really enjoy their chick peas - they call whole chick peas "hummus" and they are fond of chick pea soup (which was actually disgusting).  Egyptian street vendors sell a wide variety of juices - including a very sweet sugar cane juice. 

I hope that the protestors have respected the amazing Egypt Museum which is in the heart of Cairo.  It is probably the largest museum I've evern been in and houses artifacts dating back over 4000 years of Egyptian history. It is truly remarkable how well the many sculptures, paintings and other artifacts have held up over thousands of years. The detail work and colors used are unbelievable and I remember leaving the museum even more impressed with Egyptian history than when we arrived.

Egypt Museum, 2007

On two visits to Cairo we went to the Papyrus Museum (in 2000, we bumped into Barbara Bush Sr - wife of President Bush and her family in the Papyrus Museum and in the Egypt Museum, I think their security guards thouht we were stalking them!) and learned about the ancient Egyptian process of making paper from the papyrus plants that grow in the Nile.

And of course, I pray that the Pyramids are undamaged from the demonstrations. The Pyramids were much bigger than I had anticipated. The largest of the pyramids took over 17 years to build and is constructed by over 2 million blocks that were floated up the Nile River from southern Egypt. They truly are a wonder of the world.  The Sphynx are actually smaller than I imagined.

Brad's camel was a little too friendly and kept trying to kiss him!

Sphynx

 
And we learned to make proper Middle Eastern pita.  Sorry, but American pita bread is pathetic compared to Middle Eastern pita. 

Learning to make pita bread.

When I first visited Egypt in 2000, the Egyptian people loved Americans and loved President Clinton.  Despite Clinton's close ties to Israel, they felt a strong kinship with the U.S. and great respect for our country.

In 2007, things had drasticaly changed. Our tour guide talked at length of America's diminished reputation in the region. He said this was due to both the war in Iraq, President Bush's perceived arrogance and America's strong support for Israel. We found it interesting that he viewed Arafat (who was still alive at the time) with great affection and Abbas with great disdain. We did not tell him that we had just spent 2 weeks in Israel and my cousin serves in the Israeli military.  While we didn't share his sentiments, we found the healthy exchange of ideas to be valuable and insightful. At the end of our day our guide thanked us for the discussion and debate.

Finally, I will never forget the Cairo airport.  Hands down, it is the worst airport I've ever been in.  We arrived at the airport 3 hours early to catch our flight to Greece - which should have been plenty of time to get on an international flight.  WRONG.  It is truly a mystery how to navigate the airport.  The signs are not in English and any time you stop to ask an airport official for help, they would only offer information if you paid them - and even then the information was often wrong. 

I had printed my boarding pass from the hotel computer so I didn't have an actual ticket - just the paper copy of my ticket.  Apparently, this is unusual in Egypt and they wouldn't let me through security without a ticket - and didn't understand that the print-out WAS my ticket.  Frantic and running out of time, I desperately created a fake ticket through elaborate folding of another piece of paper and after realizing that the security guard couldn't read English, I pointed at certain words on the page and insisted that those words indicated that it was my ticket.  With minutes to spare, I barely made my flight.

Egypt and Jordan are countries rich in history, archeology, culture, and mired in politics of poverty.  I pray that the Egyptian & Jordanian people are able to find leaders who will take care of the millions of people who struggle to make ends meet amidst rampant inflation, corruption, and unemployment.  I look forward to taking my sons back to Egypt & Jordan on future trips and continue to watch the news with great interest and concern.

Trials & Tribulations of Picking Nursery Furniture - which arrives today!

The day after Christmas, we trekked out to Gaithersburg, MD to pay homage to the nation's largest baby store - the amazing Great Beginnings to buy new nursery furniture for baby boy #2.  We debated whether or not we needed a new crib for the new baby.  I'm due the week of Sam's 2nd birthday.  If we moved him out of his crib for the new baby would he feel displaced by the new baby?  Would he be ready for a big boy bed?  Do we want him to have the freedom that accompanies a big boy bed?

For a variety of reasons, we decided to keep Sam in his crib and buy a new crib for the new baby.  For starters, Sam has never even tried to climb out of his crib and seems perfectly happy in it.  I like that he is safely contained within the crib and can't get out! Second, it is a drop-side crib which have now been banned by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.  Although I feel that the ban is overly broad and should have been more narrowly tailored (sorry, but my lawyer side slips out every now and then), it does give me a moment's pause as to whether or not I want to pass along the drop-side crib to another baby.  We don't use the drop-side function for Sam anymore and he's certainly not a baby, so I'm not worried about keeping him in it - and the ban does not require currently used cribs to be taken out of circulation immediately. 

Anyway, so we went to Great Beginnings to buy another set of nursery furniture.  We've told my parents about the amazing store and they wanted to join us, so we planned the trip while they were in town. 

Brad and I were amazed by how differently we experienced the store as second-time parents.  When we first went to the store while pregnant with Sam, we were completely clueless and overwhelmed by the hundreds of choices.  It truly is the largest baby store in the country!  Although we had thoroughly read Baby Bargains, Consumer Reports, and researched baby furniture - we still had no idea what we "needed."  We asked the sales desk if someone could help us - and they sent us John.

As much as you learn growing up to not judge a book by its cover, let's be honest, we do judge.  The salesman John was about 24 years old with spiky hair, an earring, jeans that were falling off his butt, and smelled of cigarette smoke.  I gave Brad one rolling eye look that said it all - "Seriously, this is the punk who is going to help us figure out what we need for the baby? We've heard so much about this amazing store and this is their salesguy?" 

But, we had no choice and so we unhappily followed John back into the furniture department.  HOLY COW was I wrong!  John was unbelievably knowledgeable, intelligent, and a true expert on all things baby - especially impressive given that he doesn't have any kids (and yes, he's straight).  He had literally memorized every review, recall, ranking, etc from all of the major baby books and helped us contrast between the options and spoke with true authority like an expert.  While we walked around the store, several other parents who had previously worked with John tried to poach him from us to come help them - but John stayed with us, despite my original misgivings.   He even admitted that he is the store's "breast pump expert" and answered a number of questions on that subject too.  Wow, what a guy!

Without John, I think my pregnancy hormones and I would have sat down in the middle of the store and had a good cry.   I felt like he was our Moses parting the red sea so that we could survive the craziness of a baby store!

Fast forward 2 years and Brad and I went to Great Beginnings with Sam and my parents - and felt completely comfortable.  We've been in touch with John via email for the past 2 years and although we were supremely disappointed that John wasn't working the weekend we visited the store, we knew we could tackle the store without him.  I was also very glad to have my parents with us so that they could help with Sam while we made our choices.  Sam was not in a great mood that day and while at the store we realizd why - he was starving.  He's normally not a big eater and we try to offer him a meal or snack every few hours.  For some reason, that day his appetite skyrockwted and that afternoon he literally ate 3x the amount of food that he usually eats in an entire day.  My parents had the joy of feeding a small horse that afternoon!

Anyway, while walking around in the store we felt like we knew what we wanted.  The models had changed since we bought Sam's furniture, but we knew that we were only considering the furniture that had received an "A" rating from Baby Bargains because those brands are the safest, most reliable, and durable (ie, Pali, Munire, Romina, Natart, etc).

We settled on Pali and here's what we chose:

The last picture is called a "flip kit" - which did not exist 2 years ago (we got it in the same dark cherry color as the other furniture).  It is basically a wooden changing kit with a cushion that goes on top of the dresser/changing table but extends off the edge and allows you to change the baby while facing you - rather than placing the baby sideways so you're perpendicular to the baby.  I would have LOVED this with Sam, what a terrific idea!

The nursery is painted a light sky blue and we plan to do a Noah's Ark theme - although we really haven't bought any of the "accessories" yet other than the terrific "touch" lamp that my dad bought for the nursery.  He bought one for Sam and I love it so I asked him to buy another one. A "touch" lamp is such a brilliant idea for a nursery - so you don't have to fumble around in the dark for the switch to turn the lamp on, you can just tap any part of the lampshade, base, trunk, etc. - a quality that is very welcomed when you're running on very little sleep!

The nursery furniture typically takes 10-14 weeks to arrive, which was fine b/c we ordered the furniture when I was 27 weeks pregnant and we will have the baby sleep in a bassinet in our room for the beginning anyway.

Well, a few days ago I received a call from Great Beginnings informing me that the furniture had arrived and when could they deliver it?  Some Jews follow the tradition of not having any items for the new baby in the house until after the baby arrives.  We don't subscribe to that philosophy - however, I will admit that the timing of the furniture's arrival freaked me out a bit.  The furniture is being delivered today - when I am 31 weeks and 5 days pregnant...precariously close to the worrisome 32 week threshold of when Sam was born.  Brad has reassured me that the furniture delivery today is not a bad omen - but I'm still a bit nervous.

However, there's also a positive side to having the baby furniture arrive early. It will hopefully help Sam get used to the idea that his baby brother is arriving soon and this will be his room.  Currently the nursery is empty, except for the bassinet which we borrowed from a friend.  Sam regularly goes over to the bassinet and looks in it and says "baby!"  He's very interested in babies, although I don't think he fully understands what is about to happen.

We will post pictures of the new nursery soon!

Sam's first real Jewish experience

Teaching our children about Judaism is a very important value in our family.  Since the first night of Sam's life, we have a nightly ritual before we put him to bed.  Brad and I sing the Sh'ma and V'havta in Hebrew and in English.  We sing the English version by Debbie Friedman (see my blogpost on her recent passing 2 weeks ago).  Although we don't quite sound like this, here's what the song sounds like in English.  After we sing the prayers, we each say something that we're thankful that day.  It's been a wonderful nightly routine that we deeply cherish.

Last night we celebrated Shabbat as we do every week, but it was probably Sam's first REAL Jewish experience...which I'll get to in a second (or you can scroll down).

Sam was first welcomed to Judaism at his bris (circumcision) at our home when he was 5 weeks old.  Traditionally the bris is done on the baby's 8th day of life unless the baby is not healthy enough for the procedure.  Given that Sam was in the NICU for 3 weeks, it was clearly not going to occur on the 8th day.  We had over 125 people in our home for the bris and we had everyone leave messages for our family in a guestbook. 

My favorite note in the guestbook said "Sam, welcome to Judaism! It gets a lot better after today's bris, I promise!"  So funny, and yet so true!

Most people probably know that Brad converted to Judaism a few years ago and we celebrate the holidays and try to teach Sam about Judaism whenever we can. Here are a few of our favorite Jewish holiday pictures:

Hanukkah with Grandpa, Uncle D, & Mimi - Dec. '09

Grogger at Purim!

Dressing up for Purim, on the bimah at the synagogue

Hanukkah December 2010

 As much as we enjoy celebrating all of the festivals and holidays, the most important Jewish holiday is the weekly Sabbath.  Regardless of what is going on in our lives, we try to do something special for Shabbat every Friday night.  Sometimes this is just us quickly lighting the Sabbath candles, saying the blessings over the candles, wine, challah, and the blessings over the children.

Sam's first Shabbat home from the NICU was very special, Brad even made his amazing challah!

However, last night's Shabbat dinner might have been my favorite Shabbat ever.  After we light the Sabbath candles, we move our hands and arms over the newly lit flames in a circular fashion towards ourselves, making 3 circles with our hands to bring the Sabbath spirit into our hearts. We do this every Friday night and Sam usually watches.

But last night, Sam saw us lighting the candles and as soon as we started making the circles with our hands, he started making the circles too!  I was blown away and so unbelievably moved that he was able to participate in one of the most important rituals in Judaism.  Some people believe that lighting the Sabbath candles is a job only performed by women, but in our egalitarian home, Brad and I light the candles together - and now Sam does too!  It was such a special moment, something I will never ever forget.

We also say prayers over the Sabbath wine (or juice in our house since Sam nor I drink wine).  At the end of the prayer, we say Amen and then L'Chaim (it's like saying "Cheers!" or "Salut!" before you drink something).  Brad and I then clink our glasses and drink the wine/juice.  We always give Sam a little cup of juice so he can participate in the prayer and last night he raised his cup to clink with us too!

Of course, it wasn't long before he then wanted my wine glass with juice in it...



It was one of the most special Shabbat dinners we've had in a very long time.  Shabbat Shalom to all!