Local News

Waiting for the right time to be born

By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews

      Hannah Mia

      Kellerman knows her timing. She had to wait a few days for the

      right moment, but when she decided to show her face to the

      world for the very first time, sunset had hardly fallen an

      hour before, as Hannah took the honors of the very first

      Jewish baby of the New Year.

     

      "She wanted to make

      a grand entry, I guess," says new mom Sharon Kellerman. She

      and her husband Isaac welcomed their very first baby into

      their lives at 8:57 p.m., on the evening of September 15.

     

     

      Hannah was born at

      Overlake Hospital in Bellevue, and weighed in at 7 lbs., 1

      ounce, and was 19 inches long.

     

      "As pretty as can

      be!" wrote Hannah’s maternal "nonnie," Louise Angel Kiss.

     

     

      Since she had found

      out the due date from her doctor, Sharon had thought that

      having the first baby of the year might be an option. But even

      with the birth so close didn’t know if Hannah would be number

      one.

     

      "I wasn’t sure if

      we were the one or not," Sharon said, "I was pretty excited

      about it."

     

      The Kellermans live

      in Renton and attend Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative

      Congregation. Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, who was otherwise busy at

      the time of the birth conducting Rosh Hashanah services did

      get in touch a bit later.

     

      "He called a few

      days ago, to wish us well," Sharon said.

     

      On the afternoon of

      Hannah’s birth as they entered the hospital, Sharon said they

      tried to get assurances that the baby wouldn’t come until

      after sundown. And although Mia got her timing right for the

      holidays, she actually showed up six days late.

     

      "I was ready and

      waiting for her, but she was on her own schedule," says

      Sharon.

     

      "The little missy

      was waiting in due time to show her face " added grandmother

      Louise, who also says that she’s "tickled pink" about her

      first grandchild.

     

      When her copy of

      JTNews arrived last month, asking for the first Jewish

      baby, she pointed it out to her daughter. "So I gave her the

      challenge," Louise said. "She [was] going to be the first one,

      I knew it."

     

      She couldn’t be

      more excited, about both the first baby honors and her

      granddaughter. Finding out about Hannah in the first place was

      an interesting story, however. In the winter, Louise and her

      husband often go to Mexico "to get out of the cold dark

      weather of Seattle."

     

      Because Sharon and

      Isaac wanted to wait until after their parents knew about

      their impending addition to tell other family and friends, and

      they didn’t want to make the announcement over the phone or

      e-mail, they had to wait until Mom and Dad came home. Isaac’s

      parents, incidentally, Roberto and Sara Kellerman, live in

      Miami Beach, Fla.

     

      Upon the Kiss’

      arrival home, Louise says, "when we got into the house with

      our luggage, [Sharon] presented me with this envelope that she

      said was a special delivery to me from a business that owed me

      some money."

     

      In the envelope,

      however, wasn’t a check, but a certificate of congratulations

      to the expecting grandma and grandpa. Louise said they

      couldn’t have been more excited.

     

      "And she was

      already finishing up her first trimester," she sighed.

     

     

      Now that Hannah has

      arrived, the Kellermans are getting used to their new

      addition. Isaac has since returned to work, and the baby can

      sleep for stretches of three to four hours.

     

      "Each day is

      getting better and better," Sharon says. "She eats and sleeps,

      and that’s about it."