Four NDA staff  members are expecting babies this year. 

They are Mrs. Molly Schroeder, chemistry teacher, Mrs. Molly Mattke, biology teacher, Mrs. Miranda Lesigang, English teacher, and Mrs. Kristen Gast, counselor.. 

“I am due March 25th,” said Schroeder. 

Both Schroeder and Gast are waiting to find out the gender of their babies.

“My husband and I think it is a boy, though,” shared Gast. 

Gast is due at the end of February.

Mattke knows she is having a boy, and Leisgang knows she is having a girl.

“Her name is going to be Sylvia Carol Leisgang. My husband and I both wanted a classic sounding name that isn’t too popular right now. We looked at older census data to pick names we liked to make our original list,” said the English teacher. 

They narrowed it down to Sylvia because they liked the meaning, which is “of the forest” or “forest place.”

“Both of us are Lord of the Rings fans, and it also has a nice tie to the Silvan elves that we couldn’t ignore,” she added. 

They chose Carol as her middle name as both of them have a grandma named Carol, and they are excited for their grandmas to meet their first great-grandchild. 

Lesigang is due on April 28. 

Mattke and her husband are still talking about names, but aren’t sharing until they are sure. 

She is due June 15.

“My 1 ½ year old son’s name is Max, who is named after St. Maximilian Kolbe, a priest who was in a concentration camp and gave up his life to save another. 

Gast and her husband have a girl’s name picked out, but only a boy’s middle name. 

“First name for a boy has been super challenging for us. We’re hoping that the right name comes along, and it just clicks,” said the counselor. 

Schroeder and her husband have names picked out, but they don’t have a particular meaning.

“For boys we have James and Theodore, and for girls we have Norah, Eloise and Robin. Robin does have a little bit of a backstory. I was named after a Brewer named Paul Moliter (Molly was his nickname), so Robin comes from Robin Yount who played with him,” she explained. 

Mattke, Leisgang, and Shroeder aren’t too tired of people asking them questions. But Gast is. She understands that they are just asking since they care. 

“I have gotten more questions about food cravings than I ever imagined. The answer is refried beans, chocolate brownie ice cream and pickles – that’s all I ever want, lol,” said Leisgang. 

It annoys Mattke when people treat her like she can’t do anything physical because of her pregnancy. 

“Max is like 30 pounds, and I carry him on a regular basis, so I’m okay,” she said. 

The first-time moms are excited to watch their baby grow and experience the world. 

“I’m excited to continue this parenting journey with my husband–bringing new joys and challenges to our lives. I love the bond my two other kids have, so I’m excited to see a new bond they will have with this baby,” said Gast.

Mattke is excited to watch her two boys together.

“I know it won’t be easy or simple to navigate having two, but I’m excited for brothers,” she said.