Rosh Hashana

The off switch is in the tushy

September 21, 2009 by Jessica

We’ve had a rough couple of days – Micah woke up a few times this week at 11:00 pm, and has insisted on being cuddled for a little while. Since we missed him, we have humored him a bit. Unfortunately, the minute we separate from him, he wakes up and starts crying again. Rather than pick him back up, we’ve started “potching his tushy” – lightly patting his bottom while he falls asleep. I cannot for the life of me figure out how this is comforting, or even desirable, but Micah seems to love it. I think I would deck anyone who did that to me. Unfortunately, Micah’s “off” switch is apparently in his tush – he only stays asleep and still while someone is patting his bottom! Elliot and I have each taken turns, and the process can go on forever. The minute we stop, his cute little head pops up, he takes a hand and reaches around to his own tush and starts potching it, or he reaches out to our hand to grab it and pull it back or to pat it – clearly indicating that the patting must resume.

Today was particularly harsh – Micah woke up crying at 5:00 am. I guess he must have been hungry. I went in to comfort him, but all he wanted was to crawl into my arms. I tried to take him back into our bed to see if snuggling would put him to sleep, but no such luck. I finally had Elliot make a bottle, and he guzzled all of it right down, but still no sleep (at least for Micah – Elliot fell right back to sleep). Micah stayed awake until 10:30 am before taking a nap! Of course, that messed up our whole schedule. Today was the second day of Rosh Hashana, and we were supposed to go back to synagogue for services. I sent Elliot over while Micah napped, and told him we would join him as soon as we could. Micah slept until after 12, and when he woke up, I quickly gave him a bottle and lunch and we ran over to services. We arrived just in time…for it to end. Oh well – next year we’ll try again.

Anyway, Micah took a great nap this afternoon, but he was a bit tough to put to bed. He just woke up a few moments ago, I spent 40 minutes potching his tush, and I hope he is down for the night. Let’s hope he sleeps until at least 7:30 tomorrow!

We’ve actually had a great holiday – we had dinner with my family on Friday night, and Micah got to spend time with his Aunt Jen, Uncle Jeremy and cousins Paige and Peyton. My friends Heather and Brad also joined our celebration. On Saturday, Micah slept late (until 9:00), and he fell asleep in the stroller on our way to synagogue. He was pretty good during services, although he felt the need to sing along – much to the chagrin of some of the people there. Overall, he was very well-behaved, and I was impressed he was able to stay as long as he did. He took another nap for about 30 minutes before we left services, and he drank his bottle on the walk home. He had a big lunch, and then we went back to my parents’ house for dinner. We actually took some time that afternoon to visit one of my parents’ neighbors, Arleen and Lorin – close family friends who were like second parents to me growing up. Their daughter Rayna was in town, and her grandmother Della was there, too, and everyone was thrilled to spend some time with Micah.

Tomorrow is Micah’s 9 month appointment, and we are back to the work/daycare grindstone. What a crazy week! I have to leave for Orlando on Tuesday, and I’ll be gone until Thursday. I hope Elliot can handle the time alone with Micah!

L’Shana Tovah

September 18, 2009 by Jessica

Tonight is the first night of Rosh Hashana – literally translated, it means “Head of the Year” – Jewish New Years. Jewish holidays begin at sundown (the “start” of the day), and it continues for two days. According to tradition, on Rosh Hashana, G-d writes up plans for everyone in the “Book of Life” and on Yom Kippur it is sealed. There is a prayer we say every year that explains this holiday: It begins with the phrase “On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed. How many shall pass away and how many shall be born, who shall live, and who shall die…who shall be exalted and who shall be brought low, who shall become rich and who shall become impoverished.”

This is a time of year we think about the past year, seek forgiveness from the sins we have committed against others, and seek forgiveness from G-d for the sins we have committed against G-d. It is a time of self-reflection, and a time to make resolutions and wishes for the New Year. Mostly, it is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start over fresh.

So, to all those out there, I wish you a Shana Tovah Umetukah (a good and sweet New Year). We also say “Shana tovah tikatevu v’gmar chatima tovah,” which loosely translates to “May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for a good year.”

Third Trimester!!

September 29, 2008 by Jessica

I can’t believe it . . . today is the first day of the 3rd trimester for me! It is unreal how far we’ve come, and I’m so excited to meet this little guy in a few months. I’m surprised by how fast this pregnancy is going, and just looking forward to becoming a mom!

In other news, this little baby finally decided to cooperate and let Grammy feel him kicking a few days ago. I can tell how big and strong he is becoming – his kicks are growing in strength, and I’m feeling him everywhere from my ribs on down!

Update on me – everything is progressing well. I go back for a repeat urinalysis this week so they can tell me I still have a UTI and put me back on antibiotics (this is what is meant by positive thinking, right?). My indigestion has kicked into high gear, and the medicines no longer seem to work. Ah well, one more thing I can hold over this little one’s head when he grows up! Nevertheless, my endless craving for macaroni and cheese persists. While previously a fan of good ole’ Kraft mac-n-cheese (it’s the cheesiest!), I have recently discovered Stouffer’s Macaroni and Cheese and seem to have moved on to this new obsession. Pre-pregnancy, I never would have allowed myself to eat such a fat-laden concoction, but I seem to have a get-out-of-jail-free card with respect to calories right now. My biggest complaint is that it takes over an hour to cook! Don’t they understand that is torture for a pregnant woman? At least Kraft is ready in under 10 minutes! Regardless, the thick cheesey sauce seems to be hitting the spot these days. My only complaint is that I think they should make the 10-person size bigger . . . it makes me feel awful that they advertise the portion for 10 people and well . . . let’s just say it doesn’t take me 10 days to eat the whole thing!

I’ve been trying to be so good about avoiding carbs and unnecessary fat this pregnancy, but ever since my last appointment (when they yelled at me to gain weight) I’ve been eating all kinds of junk! Probably not what they had in mind, huh? I’m still not gaining weight (I’ve always wondered what is what like to have a metabolism like Elliot), but with my luck, I’ll have given myself gestational diabetes the past few weeks. We shall see!

As many of you know, tonight begins Rosh Hashana. What a perfect day for us to begin the 3rd trimester! In preparation for the holiday, I spent yesterday making homemade applesauce, an apple pie, and kugel for our family dinner tonight. Unfortunately, I could have killed Elliot when I first entered the kitchen to start cooking . . . he has a way of overstuffing our fridge/freezer, so there was no room for me to put any of the vats of applesauce away! Also, he left me with a dirty pot with caked on/burnt black beans all over the bottom so I had to scrub the damn thing for 3 hours before I could even attempt to make the applesauce. He did apologize and try to make up for it by stopping off at the grocery store for me on his way home. He also helped a bit with the pie – he used our apple peeler/corer/slicer and cut up the apples for me while I was rolling out the pie crust. I’m at least glad he loves to cook, and he always tries to help me in the kitchen while I’m baking. It was a long, exhausting day, but the food looks delicious!