Saturday, September 17, 2005

Day 5

Aerin's bilirubin was up today, so they turned the bililight (blue fluorescent lights (phototherapy) that help the body break down and eliminate bilirubin.) back on. I was very upset when I found out, because when it was on her during her first 2 days, she was very uncomfortable and got very little sleep. When I called to check on her, the nurse assured me that she was sleeping peacefully, and I saw this for myself when I visited her.

She had her second blood transfusion early in the morning and it went well.

Today Aerin got her Hebrew name. In Jewish tradition, after a child is born, the father is given the honor of an aliyah (an opportunity to bless the reading of the Torah) in the synagogue at the next opportunity. At that time, a blessing is recited for the health of the mother and the child. If the child is a girl, she is named at that time. Aerin's Hebrew name is Sela Shoshana bat Keren Miriam. Hebrew naming for a girl follows the following pattern: [child's name] bat [mother's name]. "Bat" means "daughter of." Sela is for Andrew's mother's sister Stephanie and Shoshana is for his paternal grandmother, Rose. She was named at Congregation Or Atid by Rabbi Merrill Shapiro. Sela means "rock" with the connotation of strength and Shoshana means "rose."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I googled my own name and found your lovely blog. I've spent a teary hour reading through the journey of your Aerin's first year. I'm a mom of two - Oscar, May 2004 and Lily, November 2005. I'm also a huge Robin McKinley fan. I love reading about the religious significance of her getting her Hebrew name (I'm a United Methodist minister, so I love the spiritual milestones in raising children.)

Anyway, I'm sorry, I don't mean to freak you out - I promise I'm not a stalker. (My blog is oodellaly.blogspot.com) Good luck to you and your beautiful, beautiful daughter!