Simchahs - October 12, 2012

Plus:Excercising With Baby

Love Thy NeighborElectronic Invitations

A Baltimore Jewish Times Special SectionSimchahs

Celebrating Life’s Milestones October 12, 2012

For New MomsMust-Haves

What first-time parents can’t do without

101212_SIMCHAS:Layout 1 10/8/12 9:30 AM Page 19

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jtinsider.com 21

October 12, 2012

inside…

22 Exercising With BabyHelping your child grow into fitness

24 Love Thy NeighborTwo couples share the joy

30 Must-Haves For New MomsWhat first-time parents can’t do without

34 No Invitation RequiredElectronic invitations are a growing trend,but many still want traditional paper keepsakes

Simchahs

Editor Laurie Legum Art Director Ebony Brown Assistant to the EditorMichael MarlowProduction Manager Erin Clare Production Andrew Perlin, Heidi TrabandCover Photo of Malerie Meister by Justin Tsucalas

From choosing the right stroller tothe best car seat, selecting babygear can be quite overwhelming formoms-to-be. It wasn’t so long agothat Imyself was befuddled by all thevarying product recommendationsand ratings. In this issue of Simchahswe come to the rescue by outliningall the must-have new born essen-tials. You’ll also find tips on how towhip yourself back into shape postchildbirth, plus much more.

Laurie Legum

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Erica Bloom is a new motherof Micah, at the time of this int-erview 4 months old. Erica saysshe started exercising with her sonas soon as her gynecologist gave thegreen light.“I want him to be exposed. Exer-

cise and the outdoors are importantto Dave [Erica’s husband] and me,and I want Micah to see that part ofour lives,” she says.Bloom purchased a jogging stroller

with a car seat insert for longwalks and,eventually, runs. She says exercising

with Micah “puts him in agood place.” He often naps tow-

ard the end or right after theirwalks, and he awakes refreshed andready for more.Bloom says she will not force her

and hubby’s lifestyle on Micah, butshe knows, from growing up in herown Baltimore household, that rais-ing him in a healthy atmospherewhere good food choices and a healthydose of movement are commonplacewill have influence.“I’d love to see that Micah and I

go for a run together when he isolder,” Bloom says.Sharon Seigel, director of parent-

ing services and outreach at theGreater Baltimore Jewish Commu-nity Center, says Bloom has theright idea. She explained that in herline of work, “We always tell ourparents that the more ‘into it’ theyare, the more their children gain.Children under 3 take all their cuesfrom their parents, so setting a goodexample is extremely important.”At both the Rosenbloom Owings

ExercisingWith Baby Helping your child grow

into fitnessWritten By Maayan Jaffe

Photographed By David Stuck

Erika Bloom frequently jogs with5 month old son, Micah, and dog,Jackson, around their Luthervilleneighborhood.

There are new articles all the timeabout the importance of being fit.“Watchyourcalories,”onepublicationwill warn.Others will instead talkabout the benefit of being active. Itis not easy, however, to become anexercise lover overnight. For thatreason, many parents today arestarting early with their little ones—tobenefit themlater inlife,andalso tobenefit themselves.



Mills and Weinberg Park HeightsJCCs, there are many opportunitiesfor starting children off early.

Seigel says, “We start with prena-tal yoga classes, have infant mas-sage, Stroller Babies, Itsy Bitsy Yoga,and a variety of movement classesfor children ages 3 and under withtheir parent or caregiver.”

Seigel says the classes serve notonly to get the children — and theirparents — moving, but also as abonding opportunity — one hourwhen the cell phones are turned offand there are no distractions.

Michele Hayunga of Eldersburggets creative with her children’sexercise routines. Hayunga says sheand daughters Julia, 6, at the timeof this interview, and Ashley, then4, enjoy afternoons of impromptudancing — “I dance, too!” — andgames of mattress trampoline. Onsnow days, Hayunga will set up amakeshift obstacle course in herbasement out of sheets and chairs,

and the family will spend an houror two crawling about. It’s healthy,and it’s also a lot of fun, she says.

As a former gymnast, Hayungasays she joined a play group with

her children early on. The groupoften met to play soccer, swim orshoot hoops. Today, she takes herkids to yoga and aerobics at theirlocal workout facility.

“When I was growing up, we had

a basketball net on the driveway. Iremember my mom always beingout there, playingwith us. I remembergoing to the tennis club and cheeringher on,” says Hayunga. “Exercise was

always fun for me, and that is what Iwant to pass on to my children.”

Hayunga jokes that having chil-dren allows her to keep the fun sheremembers going.

“There are some exercises that I

couldn’t do without my children,like Pump It Up and Jump Zone. Iam so glad I have kids so I can doall that fun stuff,” she sayswith a smile.

Exercise, of course, has more ben-efits than just the physical ones.Hayunga says exercise builds self-confidence, something that with twodaughters is very important to her.

Bloom and Hayunga both say thatthere is always a little guilt when theyslip out to the gym or to run solo andleave their little ones behind.

“I felt bad at first going for a runwithout him,” says Bloom. “Thiscould be time I spend with him. Butthen I realized, it is OK for Micah tohave some quality time with his dadand exercise gives me more energy,whichmeans I will be a better mom.”

Says Hayunga, “For moms andkids alike, it is important to take thetime. You will enjoy life more!” �

Maayan Jaffe is JT managing [email protected]

… THE CLASSES SERVE NOT ONLYTO GET THE CHILDREN — AND THEIRPARENTS — MOVING, BUT ALSO AS ABONDING OPPORTUNITY — ONE HOURWHEN THE CELL PHONES ARE TURNEDOFF AND THERE ARE NO DISTRACTIONS.

Michele Hayunga performs a back-bend stretchwhile exercising with daughters Ashley, 4, andJulia, 6, in their Eldersburg home.

jtinsider.com 23




LoveNeighbor

thy

Two couples share the joyWritten By Linda L. Esterson

Photographed By Justin Tsucalas


Shari and Jerry Caplan havelived next door to Rick andPam Frankle for 25 years.


Call it coincidence. Call it beshert.Or just call it Jewish geography. Butwhatever you call it, Owings Millsneighbors Pam and Rick Frankle andShari and Jerry Caplan are connectedfor life.In both cases, the couples were set

up on a blind date of sorts. Jerry’scousin was set to marry and visitedCaplans’ Deli, the restaurant owned byhis family. Jerry learned his cousin’sfiancé had a sister and arrangementswere made for their first date in Aug-ust 1984 to Buddy Chips restaurant indowntown Baltimore.All of the stars were aligned, and

the sparks flew immediately.“We knewwhen I opened the door,”

says Shari, then 22. “We looked at eachother and we knew it.”They were engaged a year later and

married on Sunday, March 30, 1986,at the Pikesville Hilton. It was a ratherwarm day for March, and the hotelstaff needed to use the air conditioningto keep things cool.Just a few hours earlier, Rick and

Pam said their “I dos” at Ohr KodeshCongregation in Chevy Chase.Pam, a nurse, worked at Sinai

Hospital and met Reva Frankle, whowas working as a private-duty nurse.

Reva approached Pam’s co-workerand asked if she could arrange forher niece to meet her son, who hadjust ended a relationship.As the conversation progressed, Pam

interjected, “What about me?!!!”Reva had Rick call Pam and they

dined at City Lights in Harborplace inlate May 1985. They dated throughthe summer; Rick, a “lifer” at CampAiry, spent his days off with Pam. Shealso came to visit him, staying in withReva, who was a camp nurse.Pam was impressed immediately, in

part due to her future mother-in-law.“I knew that if she was so nice that herson had to be nice,” says Pam, then 24.He was more than nice, and the

couple was engaged that September.Sowhat’s the likelihood of these cou-

ples meeting each other and becomingfriends?First, they had a cousin in common.

Rick’s first cousin left his wedding earlyto attend the Caplans’ wedding, inwhich her husbandwas a groomsman.Months later, Rick’s brother and

Jerry’s brother both bought lots at OldMill Estates in Randallstown, and boththe Frankles and Caplans did as well.As their homes were built, they wereat the lots taking photographs in late

1986. They met taking photos of theprogression of their houses, whichwere next door to each other.By February 1987, both couples had

moved into their houses. They becamefriends and had their children aroundthe same time: Seth Frankle is 25, Ash-ley Caplan is 24, Hilary Frankle is 22and Blake Caplan is 20. They boughta swing set together and erected itbetween their yards.“We decided that if anybodymoved,

whoever stayed got the swing set,” saysPam. “We had said if we decided tomove, we would let the other know.”Instead, they both got to keep the

swing set. When a few neighborsmoved out, they decided to look forlots … together.They moved to Owings Mills, the

Frankles in late 1990 and the Caplansin early 1991. Their houses, locatedoff Ashley Way, are again next door,and the swing set again overlappedtheir yards.Their relationship has spanned 25

years, with a normal neighborly rap-port that onewould expect. They havekeys to each other’s houses. Theyborrow snow blowers and sugar andshare lawn equipment. They are eachother’s emergency contact for their

Rick and Pam Frankle say they haveshared mitzvot and memories withShari and Jerry Caplan.

See Love y Neighbor on page 26


alarm companies. They call eachother when they forget if they’veclosed the garage.They also have plenty of history.

Pam worked in the hospital nursery,and when Shari went into labor,she was requested in the operatingroom for the C-section. They’veshared mitzvot, including each of thechildren’s b’nai mitzvah and highschool graduations.They also have fun stories to share.

Most are funny anecdotes involvingtheir kids, like the time the Caplanstook Seth with them to Ocean Cityto keep Ashley company. Both were 2years old at the time. Ashley fellasleep in the car, and Seth talked theentire way home. Or the time Hilarymoved to a regular-sized bed, and the

Frankles and Caplans stood outsidechatting with the front door open sothey could hear inside. The Caplans’white Maltese, Sparkle, darted insideand ran upstairs and jumped onHilary. She was afraid of dogs forsome time.Their dogs are friends as well.

Snickers Caplan is Bailey Frankle’sbest friend. Add in Blazer Caplan andbaby Brandy Frankle and there’s quitea mix. Bailey sits on a lounge chair ata bedroom window and watches forSnickers, who sits in the driveway.Ashley dog-sits for the Frankles, andShari even helped train Bailey whilePam worked too far away to comehome midday.The funniest story of all occurred

onemorning after the Frankles spent

Their relationship hasspanned 25 years, with a

normal neighborly rapportthat one would expect.


Love y Neighbor om page 25

See Love y Neighbor on page 28

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a long day before at Hershey Park, Pa.They awoke to find their new glasspatio table shattered, and there wererocks all over their deck. They imme-diately called the Caplans, asking ifthey saw any kids in the trees or ifthey heard anything.Neither Jerry nor Shari had any

information for them, so they calledthe police.The Caplans had been out that

evening also, but they learned thatBlake, about 10 years old at the time,and friends were trying to see if therocks they threw would land in theFrankles’ pool.“The funniest part was all four of

us picking up glass under the deck,”says Rick, who saved one of the

larger rocks and gave it to Blake forhis bar mitzvah.They’ve shared family milestones,

and every year they celebrate theiranniversaries together. For their 25th,they spent the day in Lancaster, Pa.,and saw a show.They are content to yell over the

fence to suggest grilling out together,especially since both families keepkosher. They’ve even shared butcherorders and, of course, holiday recipesandhelped eachother changePassoverdishes.“Thatmakes it reallynice,” saysPam.“The bottom line is, we’re always

there for each other,” says Jerry. �

The Frankles,now and then


Linda L. Esterson is a local freelance writer.

“The bottom line is,we’re always there

for each other.”— Jerry Caplan

Love y Neighbor om page 27




jtinsider.com 29

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The big day has finally arrived, andyou’re off to the hospital to deliveryour bouncing bundle of joy. Exc-itement abounds as you prepare toadd a new member to your family.But what happens when you

come home?For the first weeks, it’s all about

feeding and trying to get sleep. Afterthat, when the baby is awake inc-reasingly longer, what do you needto make life easier with a newborn?The Juvenile ProductsManufactur-

ers Association reported the U.S.market for juvenile products —everything for baby from prenatal topreschool, excluding food and apparel— was approximately $2.8 billion inmanufacturer sales for 2009, up from$2.7 billion the previous year.“A lot of things depend on the

child and the family,” says PamMeister, who gave birth to Malerieon Dec. 27, 2010.Pam recommends consulting the

book “Baby Bargains,” which servesas a guide to major products, whereto find them for the best value, andsafety ratings for items includingstrollers, car seats, clothing and toys.

What first-time parentscan’t do without

Twins Marilyn Etta Katzenand Norman Stanley Katzensettle in for a nap. Mom,

Debby, recommends lookinginto bouncy chairs.

For New MomsMust-Haves


Written By Linda L. EstersonPhotographed By Justin Tsucalas




“It’s a good start for research,”notes Pam, who lives in Stevensonwith husband Craig. “You could gocrazy because there are so manyproducts out there.”

Just what are new parents buying?Debby Katzen, mother of twins Nor-man and Marilyn born, Aug. 1,2011, joins Pam in recommendingmust-haves for new moms.

VIDEO MONITORAn “essential” says Pam, who putthe monitor in Malerie’s room onthe first night home. “It’s valuablebecause you don’t have to get upevery time you hear a noise becausethey cry out in their sleep.”

MATTRESS COVERPam uses a cover over the sheet. Itmakes changing the bed easier,eliminating the need to take theheavy mattress out of the crib. She

purchased two of them.

MOBILEInstead of a traditional mobile thathangs over the crib and has thepotential for strangling after thechild can stand, Pam opted for aHomedics projector that sits on thefloor and projects rotating imageson the ceiling. The unit also playssounds of the ocean, rain, and nurseryrhymes to help the baby get to sleep.

BABY ROCKER SEATDebby and husband Jeff have twoFisher Price Rainforest BouncySeats, which provide a great helpwhen both babies are feeding at thesame time. The seats also vibrateand play music and nature sounds.The Meisters got a Mamaroo as agift. This unit moves in differentmotions to soothe the baby. There’sa constant rocking motion, a car

ride, ocean wave, and all includeaccompanying sounds. There’s alsoa hookup for an iPod or MP3 playerfor you to use your own music.

BABY SWINGBaby swings soothe, cradle and enter-tain babies from birth. The Katzenslike the Fisher Price Rainforest OpenTopCradle Swing, which swings bothside-to-side and front-to-back andprovides music and a mobile forbaby’s entertainment.

CAR SEATThere are so many choices for carseats, so new parents must be surethe seat fits properly in the car. TheGraco Laguna Ride was the best forthe Meisters, who chose an infantseat that snaps into a base for easyremoval without disturbing thebaby. The car seat also convenientlysnaps into their infant stroller.

STROLLERThe Meisters now use a Citi Ministroller. It easily folds in half, is rela-tively light and provides a largeoverhead canopy for shade. TheKatzens chose the Baby Trend Snap-N-Go Double, which allows the carseat to snap into the frame. “It’slightweight, just a frame, especiallyafter a C-section,” Debby says.

DIGITAL CAMERAPam takes photos nonstop, shesays. She has taken photos weekly,from around the time Malerie wasborn, to chronicle her growth. Sheuploads to a website like Kodak orShutterfly to ensure the photosare backed up, and there’s nevera chance of their being lost to acomputer virus. Choose a camerawith a video option so “when younotice something, it’s easy to flip aswitch and take video.”

jtinsider.com 31

See Must-Haves on page 32

“People gocrazy inadvanceand end upwith a lot ofstuff theydon’t need.”

—Mother, Pam Meister

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BABY GYM/PLAY MATThe Fisher Price gym with a junglerainforest theme quickly becameMa-lerie’s favorite toy. The musical gymprovides jungle figures propelled lowenough for the baby to kick from anearly age. The Katzens have theGymini Monkey Island by Tiny Love,

which includes lights, music, mirrorand a “tummy time pillow.”

BOTTLESWhether nursing or formula feeding,bottles are a staple in every house-hold. The Meisters prefer the Dr.Brown’s bottles, which keep air to

Malerie Meister is allsmiles at 8 months old.

Must-Haves om page 31

“You can gonuts, but in thebeginning they

don’t needanything.”

— Mom, Pam Meister

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jtinsider.com 33

the back of the bottle, reducing gasfor the baby.A spinning Drying Rack is also rec-

ommended for bottles after washing.

DIAPER PAILDebby suggests the Diaper Champ,which uses regular trash bags andeliminates odor.

PACK ‘N PLAYThe portable bed by Graco gives par-ents the chance to have a bed onanother level of the house or enablesgrandparents and caregivers an easyplace for napping. It also doubles asa playpen.

BABY SCALEThe Katzen twins were so small atbirth — just over 5 pounds each —that their pediatrician was concernedabout their weight. They returned tothe pediatrician’s office every few daysto check their progress. Debby optedto buy her own scale tomonitor themfor herself.

MUSICAL ANIMALSAs a gift, the Katzens received TheSleep Sheep by Cloud B. It’s a mu-sical sheep that plays peacefulsounds like ocean, rain, whales andeven a mother’s heartbeat to soothebaby. They also have the GentleGiraffe that plays similar relaxingsounds.

Despite all of the products outthere, the choice is yours. Often,baby’s favorite toys are householdobjects like the remote control andtelephone.“People go crazy in advance and

end up with a lot of stuff they don’tneed,” says Pam. “Some of it is nice,but you don’t necessarily need it.”The absolute “must-haves,” Pam

says, are the monitor, Pack ‘n Play,Snap-N-Go Stroller and Baby Gym.“You can go nuts, but in the

beginning they don’t need any-thing,” she says. “A lot of it is moreof a want than a need.” �

Linda L. Esterson is a local freelance writer.

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WASHINGTON — My bat mitz-vah invitation had bright purpleembossed text on a hot pink cardwith my name enlarged in deco-rative script at the top and daisiesadorning the bottom.Twenty-plus years later, I still

remember eagerly waiting for myfriends to receive the invitationsand running home weeks later tocheck the mailbox for the returnof the RSVP envelopes. Securedin a scrapbook, the invitation is atreasured memento.Today, however, a rising trend

in simchah invites may be chang-ing the run to the mailbox into adash for the email inbox and thecard stock mementos into com-puter printouts.No longer for holiday parties and

happy hours only, electronic invita-tions are becoming an acceptableway for some to announce majorlife-cycle events, including b’nai

mitzvah celebrations andweddings.When Jason Horowitz, a mar-

keting executive in New York,and his partner, Carl, were plan-ning their February wedding,electronic invitations became thesolution for one major concern:They were short on time.With more than 200 invita-

tions to send, the couple didn’twant to sacrifice style for haste.Paperless Post, a website launched

by a 20-something brother-and-sister team in 2008, was the perfectanswer, said Horowitz, 41.“The wedding was very much

planned last minute, but we stillwanted to give guests 30 days toRSVP,” he said. Horowitz added thatusing electronic invitations “savedmoney, and it’s environmentallyfriendly.”Paperless Post invitations are

sent by email (or through a socialnetworking site such as Facebook

or Twitter) with an image of anenvelope appearing on screen. Theguest’s name can be written on theoutside of the envelope in a type-set of your choice, and the insidecan include a lining to give thecomputer image a paper look.The invitation itself can be des-

ignedwith the assistance of graphicdesigners or selected from existingtemplates.Having received similar invitations

fromfriends for less formaloccasions,Horowitz said, “I loved the conceptandthought theaestheticsweremuchbetter than Evite.”Unlike Evite, Paperless Post invi-

tations are not free, but there arealso no pop-up ads.Margery Klausner, an attorney in

Southfield, Mich., used an elec-tronic invitation as a follow-up tothe paper invitation for her sonNathan’s June bar mitzvah. Klaus-ner, 41, used the image of the paper

invitation for the electronic version.While all local guests and fam-

ily members received both thepaper and electronic invitations, sheexclusively sent electronic invitationsto guests whom she “wanted to inc-lude but wasn’t 100 percent surethat they could come, like those[living] in Israel.”Dealing with different postage

rates and delivery time, she said,was another factor in opting foran electronic invitation.One of the main advantages to

using the electronic invitations wasthe quick arrival of the responses,said Klausner.Two hours after hitting the send

button on her computer, “I received57 RSVPs,” she said. Additionally,Klausner was able to track theguests who didn’t open the emailand contact them directly to findout if there was a problem.“It was beyond awesome,” she


No Invitation Required�

�Electronic invitations are a growing trend,

but many still want traditional paper keepsakesWritten By Suzanne Kurtz | The Lifecyclist




said. “It’s really impressive.”Since Paperless Post launched,

co-founder James Hirschfeld saidmore than 10,000 b’nai mitzvahand 40,000 wedding invitationshave been sent over the site.Calligraphers and engravers

shouldn’t worry too much, how-ever. Traditional paper invitationsare still very much in vogue, saidWendy Katzen, a Washington-areaevent planner.She said that of the dozen or so

weddings and b’nai mitzvah cele-brations she plans for clients eachyear, “not one” has opted for anelectronic invitation.For Melissa Kanter, 49, the paper

invitations for the December b’notmitzvah of her twin daughters,Emily and Rachel, will “set the tonefor the affair.”“It’s an accessory, like the bracelet to

the outfit. It pulls the whole thingtogether,” said Kanter, an occupationaltherapist in Short Hills, N.J.The invitation will reflect the per-

sonalities of her daughters, saidKanter, who worked with a graphicdesigner.The RSVPs will be with a response

card — not directed to an emailaddress — and she’ll create a specialpostage stamp for the invitations andcards.After the affair, the invitation will

be framed in a shadow box andused to make gifts for the girls —jewelry boxes and pillows.“I’d rather have the tradition” of

a paper invitation, Kanter said. “Itwill be a keepsake that I’ll put intheir baby book.”

Katzen says that in planning a life-cycle event, it’s important to keep inmind that guest lists are often multi-generational and you want to takecare not to insult anyone.“There are still [people] who

think a BlackBerry is a fruit,” shesaid. “You want to keep those guestsin the loop, too.”That wasn’t an issue for Horowitz

— even his guests in their 80s hademail addresses.Days before the wedding, he sent

a message through the site clarify-ing the start time of the ceremony.The flexibility of an electronic invi-tation made it much easier, he said,“otherwise I would have had tomake a hundred phone calls.”With a guest list of more than

1,500, Rabbi Batya Steinlauf, 48,also went the electronic route for herson Noah’s bar mitzvah last Decem-ber after it was suggested by anothermother.“It was brilliant and made it possi-

ble,” said Steinlauf, whose husband,Gil, is the rabbi at Adas Israel Congre-gation inWashington.The entire congregationwas invited

to the bar mitzvah and subsequentkiddush lunch.The Steinlaufs also went the elec-

tronic route for a separate Friday-nightdinner for familymembers and a partyon Saturday evening for children.“Can you imagine sending out

1,500 paper invitations?” Steinlaufasked. “It saved a fortune and savedmany trees. There’s no question, Ican’t imagine another way to havedone this.” �

jtinsider.com 35

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Suzanne Kurtz writes for the JTAWire Service.


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Simchahs - October 12, 2012