Bayla Sarah and Davida Chaya

We had a wonderful baby naming for the girls today at our temple, Kehillat Chaim. For those who don't know, Jewish baby boys get circumcised in an ancient ritual known as Brit Milah, or covenant. This covenant is with God, and the ceremony welcomes them into Judaism. Jewish baby girls have naming ceremonies to welcome them into the kehillah (community), and we were so proud to honor and celebrate them today. Jews traditionally name their children after relatives who have passed away. Bayla was my mother's Hebrew name, and Sarah was my father's mother's Hebrew name, so she is named for them. Harper's English name is after Shawn's grandfather Harvey, and her Hebrew name, Davida Chaya, is for my mother's father David. "Chaya" means life, and as the rabbi pointed out, that's extremely fitting for these girls after all that happened.

The ceremony itself was so sweet. Our rabbi wrote it, and it talks about the kind of women we hope they'll grow up to be, the kind of home we hope to have, the kind of parents we want to be, and the world we want them to grow up in. My brother was sick, but my sister-in-law Alison acted as godparent, and my father, Bonnie, Shawn's mother Gail, and Shawn's father and stepmother Ken & Carole took part in the service as well. Brady twirled around the sanctuary and didn't pay much attention-- it pretty much a window into our lives! The service spoke to our hearts, and I want to share it with you. Our Rabbi, Harvey Winokur, and Cantor, Barbara Margulis, did an amazing job:

NAMING CEREMONY


Rabbi/Cantor: “And you shall call them by their names”...a command given first to Adam and Eve. To call someone or something by name is to touch its heart, its essence. It is to speak a word which lasts a lifetime.

In the beginning, God began to create through names. When God said, “Yehi Or,” “Let there be light” -- only then did light exist. Each name allowed day and night, earth and sky, sunlight and moonlight not only to be what they ought to be, but each name also created a separation. With a name, we become ourselves and no one else.

Even God has a name. In fact, God has many names. And each of God’s names reflects something special about the Eternal. When we say “Elohaynu,” we address that God who rules; when we say “Adonai,” we address a God filled with mercy. K’shmo keyn hu...as is God’s name, so is God’s essence.

Godparents or other relatives: [Ali, Steven in absentia]

Joyfully do we present ______________ and _________________ to their parents to enter into the Covenant of Life.
______________: Blessed is the Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, by whose Mitzvot we are hallowed, who commands us to sanctify life.


Rabbi/Cantor: God and Creator, happy parents have come into Your presence to voice the longings of their hearts in prayer. Give them the wisdom to teach their children to be faithful to the heritage of the Household of Israel, that they may grow up with the knowledge that You are always near to them, guiding and sustaining them. Keep open the eyes of their spirit, that they may ever be conscious of the beauty and wonder of Your world. And let them learn to love the goodness that is in man and woman, that they may ever nourish the goodness that has been implanted within them. Though none can escape sorrow and pain, we humbly ask for them the courage to face evil, the faith to transcend it, and the strength to subdue it. Grant them health of mind and strength of body, that they may enjoy fullness of years and live to do Your will in faithfulness. Amen.

Parents: With all my heart, with all my soul, with all my might,
I pray for the health of these children.
I pray for them to be perfect in mind and body,
To grow steadily and sturdily
In a home filled with joy at their presence,
To be nurtured into a people who greet the world
With passion, enthusiasm, dance, love , humility, and faith.

Father: With all my heart, with all my soul, with all my might,
I pray for the health of this world.
I beg its leaders to temper their insanity with reason,
So that my children may live in a world that seeks longevity,
not annihilation.
Let the world join in the thrill of creation,
And turn its back on the lust for destruction.
Let my children never know the pain and absurdity of warfare
Let them take part in the dances of peace.

Mother: With all my heart, with all my soul, with all my might,
I pray that God watch over me and my family,
I pray for the ability to love and nurture these children,
I pray to feel God’s presence now and always.



Rabbi/Cantor: Praised are You, eternal source of light, Who makes it possible for spark to flow into spark, flame into flame, love into love, life into life.

Baruch atah Adonai, Elohaynu melech ha-olam, she-heh-che-yanu, v’kiy’yimah-nu, v’hig-giyahnu la-z’man ha-zeh.
Praised are You, O Eternal our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has kept us alive, and sustained us, and permitted us to join together in this celebration of life.


Shawn & Becky____: Source of all life, our hearts are filled with joy for the new lives which have been entrusted to us. Not with words alone shall we voice our thanks, but with our striving to rear our children with love and understanding and tender care. “Bestow Your blessing on our child, that they may grow in strength of body, mind and spirit. May they learn to love all that is good and beautiful and true, to be a blessing to society and a joy to themselves.” Give us, O God, the wisdom, courage, and faith that we as parents shall need to raise our children to be human and humane beings, strong, happy and loving persons.

____Bruce____: We are thankful for the many joys with which our life has been blessed. Now this great goodness has come to us: a new life, new grandchildren to love, the opening of a new chapter in the chronicle of our family’s existence. O may these children grow up in health and happiness, to become a blessing to family, friends and neighbors. May their dear parents find much joy in the years that lie before them. Grant, O God, that they rear their children with wisdom and understanding, teaching them the ways of righteousness, leading them to the study of Torah and the practice of love and kindness.

_Rabbi__________: And may we, too, be granted the joy of seeing them develop all their faculties, and the gratification of seeing them fulfill the best that is in them. Then our humble prayer shall have found its answer: the days and years to come shall be for us times of peace and wondrous fulfillment. Amen.

____Bonnie______: Today, we celebrate as ____________ and __________enter into the covenant. This ritual is entered into with You, O God, to praise Your holy name. May it please You to bless this home with health, happiness and contentment. May all the members of our family be privileged to serve You in joy.

____Rabbi______: May ____________ and _____________grow in vigor of mind to become learned in Torah, true children of the Mitzvot, an intelligent, informed and loving human beings. Bless ____________ and ____________ that they may continue to find favor in the eyes of God and humankind

Rabbi/Cantor: Birth is a beginning,
And death a destination.
And life is a journey:
From childhood to maturity
And youth to age;
From innocence to awareness
And ignorance to knowing:
From foolishness to discretion
And then, perhaps, to wisdom;
From weakness to strength
Or strength to weakness--
And often, back again;
From health to sickness
And back, we pray, to health again;
From offense to forgiveness,
From loneliness to love,
From joy to gratitude,
From pain to compassion,
And grief to understanding--
From fear to faith;
From defeat to defeat to defeat--
Until, looking backward or ahead,
We see that victory lies
Not as some high place along the way,
But in having made the journey, stage by stage,
A sacred pilgrimage.
Birth is a beginning




___Rabbi___: May you raise your daughters to bring honor to the names of our Matriarchs. Bestow upon them the qualities of nobility and strength. Instill in them the love of learning; grant them the joy of marriage; teach them to have compassion upon all life that they be blessed with the three-fold blessing of Torah, Chupah and Maasim tovim.

___Gail____: May you raise up these children O Lord, to be strong enough to know when they are weak and brave enough to face themselves when they are afraid; ones who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, but humble and gentle in victory. Send them we pray, not only in the path of ease and comfort but also in the spur of difficulty and challenge. Here let them learn to stand up in the storm; here let them learn compassion for those who fall. Grant them the insight to know themselves and the wisdom to know You.

_______Ken & Carole_____: May you raise these children whose hearts will be clear, whose goals will be high; children who will master themselves before they seek to master others; ones who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; ones who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. After all these things are theirs, this we pray, enough sense of humor that they may always be serious but never take themselves too seriously. Give them humility so that they may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Parents: O God, for the gift of these children we give thanks, praying that we will be worthy of the blessing and responsibility of parenthood.

Rabbi/Cantor
Hebrew is inserted-

Blessed is the Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.


Rabbi/Cantor: May the One who blessed our patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and our matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel bless these children with life and health. May they be a joy to their parents. May they live to bring honor to the House of Israel, blessing to humanity, and glory to the name of God.

Now, in the presence of loved ones, we give to these children the names ____________ (Hebrew Names). Let them become names honored and respected for wisdom and good deeds. May God’s blessing rest upon these children now and always.

We pray that these children will grow in heart and mind. May the story of our people inspire them. May the truths of Torah guide them. And may the grandeur of the prophetic word of truth and righteousness enter their spirit and be for them a lasting benediction. Amen.



Parents: O God, we give thanks to You for the gift of our children, who have entered into the covenant of life. Keep them from all harm, and grant that they may be a source of joy to us and all their dear ones. Be with us, and give us health and length of days. Teach us to rear our children with care and affection, with wisdom and understanding that they may be a faithful children of our people, and a blessing to the world. We give thanks to You, O Lord, the Source of life.

Rabbi/Cantor:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord look kindly upon you and be gracious unto you;
The Lord bestow favor upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Whew! 4 months already??

Time is absolutely flying. Bayla and Harper celebrated their 4-month birthday yesterday with about 28 oz. of formula each, Brady got some Dora popsicles, and Shawn and I toasted with lots of caffeine. :)

These four months have been some of the happiest, most hectic, most frustrating, and most enjoyable of my life. We even got in a vacation to Savannah and woke up to the ocean every day. We saw lots of friends and family and just had a great time.

We went to the doctor today for their 4-month checkup, and they are doing just so, so well. My baby girls Bayla and Harper, who were born at 4 lbs, 13 oz, 16 inches and 4 lbs, 12 oz, 17 3/4 inches, are now 13 lbs, 13 oz, 23 inches and 13 lbs, 5 oz, 24 inches, respectively. They barely made the percentile chart at 2 months, and now they're comfortably in the middle. They're sleeping pretty well-- they wake up once a night, sometimes at 2:30, sometimes at 4:45 or anytime in between. Truthfully, Harper could probably sleep through the night, but I'm too chicken to try it. I would hate to wake up at 3 with Bayla and then 4:30 with Harper, so they get staggered feedings just like any other time of day. They're still sleeping in our room, but I don't know how much longer they'll be able to sleep in the Pack N Play because they're getting so big. (Shawn is ready to move them to their room-- I think he'd like his wife back. But I'm not ready for them to be down the hall yet!) They are smiling and extremely vocal, and they have terrific head and trunk control.

I am so darn proud of them and am feeling so fortunate I'm about to burst. I've said it before but I'll say it again-- these 2 girls together are easier than Brady was alone. I'm sure it won't last, so I'm enjoying it while I can. After all, these are MY girls, so we're in for some bullheaded d-r-a-m-a. (Sorry, Shawn. But this is why you love me, right? ;))

Brady started his new school today. His transitions are always harder for me than for him, but we both did pretty well today. Thankfully his girlfriend Elle is at his new school too, so they each have a familiar face for comfort. He's doing very well. He has his good days and bad days of course. He's about 80% potty trained, which is nice. He won't consistently poop in the potty, but we're working on it. This potty training is about the hardest thing I've ever had to do, INCLUDING being on hospital bed rest for 12 weeks. I'm completely serious. It's enough to drive a sane person crazy. I mean, for example, Brady had a day with no accidents of any kind-- even in a new environment -- then he thought it'd be fun to pee on the carpet right after his bath. He did it just for sh**s and giggles, I suppose, but it took a superhuman level of restraint for me not to bang my head against a wall. Can I just rub his nose in it?????

Work is busy, busy, busy, but I am enjoying having a little Becky time, and it's not the worst thing in the world to get a break from bottles and diapers every day. The hardest part is just trying to keep it all together-- the kids, the husband, the household, work-- but this is nothing new. Ask any mom of 1, 2, 5, or 10 and they'll tell you the same thing! Working outside the home, working from home, stay-at-home-- it's all a guilt- and anxiety-ridden guessing game. But then your 3-year-old tells you a story at the dinner table ("Once upon a time there was a baby. Him rode a fire truck, and an ambulance, and a dump truck. The end.") and sings "Rock-a-Bye Baby" to his crying sister while the other one brilliantly smiles at you, and all is right with the world.

More updates soon!