our little sunshine

samantha says:

today, aviyah had her first walk through prospect park to see her pediatrician, dr. watson. it was a beautiful day, and aviyah loved her new stroller. our appointment was at 10:00, but we were running very late. drew called the doctor's office and said, "i'm so sorry, we're first time parents and we're running really late!" they were very understanding.

aviyah has gained 6 oz. and she has grown 1/2". she is now 7 lbs. 15 oz. and 19 1/2". dr. watson gave her a perfect bill of health. she is a little miracle!

i am recovering from my c-section and i am feeling better and better every day. i am so in love with aviyah! she is the cutest, sweetest, and smartest baby in the whole world . . . and her wonderful daddy is the bestest dad in the whole world. (she loves it when he sings to her.)

: )

las cosas mas importantes

these are important things to know about aviyah:

1) she was born on friday, may 26th at 11:24 pm.

2) in the hebrew calendar, she was born parashat bamidbar, 29 iyyar 5766.

3) in the chinese calendar, she was born on yi-mao, gui-si, bing-xu.

4) her mommy and daddy love her very much.

5) she has lots of extended family and friends who love her very much.

6) her full name is aviyah xiaolei farah chan ravin.

7) the name aviyah means "god is my father". it is from the tanakh, the hebrew bible. aviyah is the mother of hezekiah, king of judah.

8) she is named for her paternal great grandfather, albert or avraham.

9) xiaolei is mandarin chinese. the character for xiao means "new dawn", and the character for lei means "strength" or "forthrightness".

10) farah palkhiwala was my very close friend. we attended the peddie school, a boarding school in highstown, new jersey. farah passed away in december, 2004.

11) aviyah is a very big chicago cubs, chicago bears, and chicago bulls fan. she also loves the university of michigan. go blue!

b'rucha ha-ba'ah

aviyah xiaolei

aviyah xiaolei is healthy and happy, b"h. she is 7 lbs. 9 oz. and 19 inches long. samantha is also healthy and recovering from delivery, b"h.

a may 2006 survey adminstered by the roosevelt st. lukes hospital in new york determined that aviyah is the single cutest baby in the entire world. the survey was conducted may 21- may 28 2006.

: )

ready freddy

samantha and i are trying to be ready for our baby girl. recently, we have been learning about jewish and chinese customs for babies. we hope to both honor and update our cultural traditions. today, we are t + 1, and counting. : )

ani ma'amin
"i believe" is a traditional letter or ethical will that parents write for their children. in contrast to a last will and trust, ani ma'amin explains our central beliefs, ideals, and values. it may also include specific instructions or family stories to teach children about culture and tradition.

the ethical will is rooted in jewish tradition to teach jewish life to our children, from generation to generation. tradition also finds sources for ethical wills in isaac's blessing to jacob in gen.27. custom also roots the ethical will in moses' final commandments to the israelites in deut. 33-34. ethical wills peaked in jewish society during the middle ages, and my ethical will is based on the ethical will of judah ibn tibbon, a french jew in the 12th century.

upsheren
deuteronomy 20:19 compares man to a tree. as a child grows, the sages explain, he or she develops the fruits of knowledge and good deeds. however, orlah forbids the harvest of fruit until after a tree has passed its third year. custom also holds that children should only have their first hair cut at age three.

other sources hold tradition from isaac luria, a mystical rabbi in tsfat during the 16th century. this custom explains that the family should weigh the child's hair after his or her first haircut and donate an equal amount to chairty.

bendel
several jewish traditions were designed to protect the mother and child during the early days following birth. ancient societies often believed in superstitions about evil demons and spirits. for example, one tradition places candies and sweets underneath a baby pillow to attract evil spirits away from the baby.

many communities tie a garlic or red string to the baby pillow or to the bottom of the crib. the red string is left on until it wears out and falls off. samson raphael hirsch explains that the color red was required for cloth and fabric in the holy temple. the red dye was extracted from a species of worm. the color red should remind us to be humble, as even the low earthworm is holy.

brit bat
the traditional ceremony for boys is called brit millah, or covenant of circumcision. in genesis 16-17, god commands abraham to circumcise himself as a symbol of the covenant. brit millah is held eight days after birth, even during shabbat or yom kippur.

the brit bat is a parallel ceremony to introduce girls into the jewish covenant. there are several historical traditions that support the modern ceremony from germany, italy, holland, spain, and turkey. alternative customs hold a ceremony at the first torah reading or the first shabbat after birth (zeved ha-bat), the eighth day, the fourteenth day (las fadas), and the thirtieth day.

mister, do they smell?

My 7th grade students recently completed Juniors to Seniors, a service/learning project with senior citizens at the Prospect Hill Senior Center in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Prospect Hill provides activities and services for the elderly, including group trips, health services, and Meals on Wheels. Students visited Prospect Hill several times to meet and interview matched seniors to learn about their beliefs and experiences. Following our visits, the students drafted narrative profiles for publication.

Service/learning is an alternative method of education that integrates (old-school) classroom learning and (new-jack) community service. First, teachers and students identify a real community need. Second, we identify supportive community resources and establish a strong partnership with a neighborhood agency. Third, our partnership develops clear objectives, including specific curriculum and program expectations.

Service/learning can be challenging for teachers to integrate into classroom instruction. For example, your school may have a strict, standardized curriculum, and there may be tremendous pressure to lead classrooms through scripted lessons. So, why is service/learning important?

• First, effective service/learning projects help students to learn and retain core academic content. Research demonstrates that creative or experiential education increases student achievement. We may only learn 10% of what we hear; however, we retain up to 80% of what we experience and 90% of what we teach.



• Second, service/learning promotes positive youth development. For example, research explains that participating students demonstrate increased agency, awareness, esteem, and resilience. Participating students are more likely to believe they are able to effect positive change than students who do not participate in service learning programs.



• Third, service/learning is an important tool for classroom and community development. Successful projects promotes student cooperation, partnership, and teamwork. Service/learning also fosters renewable connections between students, communities, and schools. Select research explains that service/learning actively engages students in democracy: students with experience in service/learning are more like to volunteer and to vote.



• Fourth, service/learning can help new teachers to plan teaching and learning over time. Professor Erick Gordon at Teachers College, Columbia University explains that early in his career he invented new tricks to engage students each day. "Lessons worked," he says. "But it was exhausting." Over time, Erick learned that integrated lessons help to streamline planning, manage classroom behavior, and encourage sustained cooperative learning.

Service/learning is an effective and meaningful way to advance student learning: in the classroom and in the community. Juniors to Seniors specifically helped students develop inquiry and narrative writing. Most significantly, the project also helped changed their attitudes about the elderly. "Before I went to the senior center," one student writes, "I wasn’t too happy about the trip because I didn’t think the seniors would like me. But after going to the center, I realized that seniors aren’t what younger people think they are." Another student explains, “My impression of seniors changed. I thought they would be mean, grumpy, and smelly. But, it turns out they are really nice. The visits were fun and I really did enjoy them.”

what about baby?

samantha and i feel very blessed. the baby is at 38 weeks and they are both very healthy, b"h. at her last visit, the doctor measured the baby at 4 lbs. 15 oz., which is near the 50th percentile. if she continues to grow at the same rate, the doctor projects she will be 6 lbs. 11 oz. at delivery. god willing, we hope for a healthy and safe birth.

samantha and i have been reading books and talking to friends to learn more about newborns. our friends, jenny and david, explained that they were super prepared for the delivery. . . but they were short learning what to do next. samantha has been reading from the what to expect book series, including ". . . when you're expecting" and ". . . the first year". i've read through the happiest baby on the block and healthy sleep habits, happy child. then, we teach other what we learn.

the happiest baby on the block advances a simple and clear strategy to calm crying, restless newborns. dr. karp maintains that the first 3 months after birth are the "fourth trimester" in your baby's growth and development. while babies are now really here, they are not yet really ready for the world. he advocates 5 specific steps to reflect the environment of the mother's womb and help newborns transition towards independence. . . err, self-soothing.

dr. karp explains that the 5 S's can help calm and soothe any newborn baby. however, he insists that the caregiver follow precise instructions.

1) swaddle

straighten the baby's arms and wrap snugly in a square blanket. swaddling mirrors the close, compact size of the womb. however, the swaddle does not clam your baby in isolation; it specifically helps to limit distractions, and it prepares your baby to hear and accept your soothing.

2) side

hold the baby on her side or stomach. when babies lay on their back, the "moro reflex" makes them feel as if they are falling. you can hold your baby in various positions, including on your forearm or in both arms close to your chest. however, make sure you hold your baby on her side or stomach. this instantly limits distractions and lowers her anxiety.

3) shushing

make loud shushing sounds, similar to radio static. we may imagine that babies want simple silence. however, dr. karp explains that the womb was a very noisy place! babies are accustomed to sound, and we can actually comfort our babies through appropriate sound, including shushing close to your baby's ear, listening to radio static, or playing a recorded tape of an electric hair dryer. (remember that the sound of your shushing must be louder than your baby's cry and can lower as she quiets.)

4) swinging

swing the baby vigorously. dr. karp explains that newborns are used to swinging and swaying inside the mother's womb. hold your baby tightly, and swing her up and down or side to side. the baby may not stop crying immediately; however, dr. karp explains that she should be slowing and softening her crying and screaming.

5) sucking

place a nipple, finger, or pacifier in your baby's mouth. inside the womb, she became used to sucking on her thumb. however, she does not have enough control now to keep her own thumb in her mouth. when she is ready to accept it, you can help her calm by letting her suck on one of your fingers, a pacifier, or the mother's nipple.