Welcoming New Life with a Virtual Bris
Life doesn’t stop for a global pandemic. For couples who are expecting a baby, this is certainly true....
Babies, Birth Ceremony, Bris, Circumcision, Mohel, Parenting Challenges
My Alter Ego Carried My Baby
My alter ego’s name is Phyllis. Not as provocative as Sasha Fierce or as precocious as Beyoncé’s new sidekick,...
We Aren’t as Different as My Neighbors Think
I grew up in an Orthodox community in Midwood, Brooklyn. My mother still lives there and I live three blocks...
My Jewish-American, Mexican-Catholic Daughter Speaks with a British Accent…and It’s All My Fault
There have been a few changes in our home life since Adrian and I welcomed our newest edition, Alma, to the...
Not a Jewish Birth Story
February 28, 2011
The hardest part of my son’s birth wasn’t laboring at home for a day, or even...
We Made Our Bris Inclusive. Here’s How.
At just nine weeks pregnant, my doctor ran a blood test and we waited on the results, full of anticipation....
Helen Turns 2 in English, Spanish and Hebrew
I can’t believe my first baby girl is already 2! In the beginning of this journey into parenthood I can remember...
Naming Our Past, Present & Future
Quinn receiving her Hebrew name
Giving your child a Hebrew name is a long-standing tradition in Judaism. Sometimes...
Adoption, Babies, Baby Naming, Birth Ceremony, Extended Family, Parenting Stories, Young Kids
Now What?
You just spent several hours or days in the hospital giving birth to your child or, in our case, several months...
Loss and Gain
The doctor calls Adrian and me saying, “Congratulations! You’re pregnant!” Adrian hugs me and we lift Helen...
Babies, Parenting Stories, Pregnancy Loss, Pregnancy Stories
Using My Words
I type this while holding a squirmy, feverish 3-month-old in my lap. Shh, shh, shh, I tell him. It’s OK,...
What You Can Do Now for Your Future Baby
Photo by Cory Silken
Four months ago, I gave birth to a baby girl. After a long labor and unexpected C-section,...
Hanukkah and Christmas: Getting It “Right”
Elizabeth’s daughter’s first Hanukkah
My husband jokes that I only married him so I could finally celebrate...
Babies, Birth Ceremony, Bris, Circumcision, Identity, Religion
Parenthood: Your Next Great Journey
Emily demonstrating the fabulousness of the ring sling when her daughter was tiny
Two years ago, when we were...
To Name or Not to Name: That is the Question
During a recent baby naming ceremony that Moser officiated, the uncle (left) and father (right) help wrap the...
Two Faiths and Powerful Women
My daughter, Helen Rose Castaneda, wakes up one day at 10-and-a-half months old, pulls herself up in her crib...
Our Attempt at Planning a Family Vacation and Baby’s First Fever
We had been planning our vacation to upstate New York for six months. The hotels book up by the end of August,...
From Baptism to Bar Mitzvah: Navigating a Dual-Faith First Communion
Sam and Sheri’s father at Sam’s First Communion
When my Catholic husband and I decided to participate...
Leaving Your Work Baby to Have a Real Baby
One of the most difficult aspects of pregnancy for me—especially right now in week 36—is the prospect of leaving...
The Challenges of Keeping Kosher at an Interfaith Birthday
Growing up, my mother’s house was kosher. We had dishes for dairy and dishes for meat and we never mixed milk...
Mourning, Friendship and the Future
Baby Helen meets Liz
I was in the seventh grade when my father died. I had already been asked to leave an Orthodox...
Babies, Death & Mourning, Death & Mourning Stories, Parenting Stories, Young Kids
Strolling with Moses on Shavuot
There was a painting that hung in the living room of our house when I was a child. My father’s good friend Mike...
Babies, Parenting Other Holidays, Parenting Stories, Shavuot
The Word They’ll Learn the Best
First words. What was my own first word? Probably “Mama,” though now my mother doesn’t remember. She does remember...
We Met in the Middle
Adrian and I met working at a restaurant. Some might call it an “interfaith restaurant.” Tucked away in Cobble...
- 1
- 2
190 North Main Street
Suite 203
Natick, MA 01760
(617) 581-6860
support@18doors.org
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2020 18Doors.org
EIN 043-577816