I hope you like that name-- Baby Boy Schwartz-- because if your father and I don't make a decision, that's what's going to be on your birth certificate. Sorry.
I want to dedicate this song about you-- the Israel Kamakawiwoʻole version. I adore it. It brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it. I cannot listen to this song without memories of your dad's and my favorite place on this planet-- a place that we'll share with you one day. Hawaii.
The last time we were there was May 2010 for my 30th birthday. We had just begun trying to get pregnant. We were wasting one afternoon on Maui at the Alii Kula Lavender Gardens, smelling and taking pictures of the wonderful views.
We ran into a guy who was selling his paintings. Normally, I'd avoid this type of person but his paintings were really pretty so I was browsing. We started chatting and he told us about how he moved to Hawaii from the mainland to paint. He had an old Hawaiian guy with him who was his mentor. We talked with them for what seemed like forever. The old Hawaiian asked if we had any kids and we told him no. He asked, "Not yet?" As in, you want them but you don't have any yet?
We agreed. "Not yet." He asked to give us a Hawaiian blessing for childbearing. He claimed a pretty high success rate, which I thought was a little funny. He told us about what he would be saying, mentioning the Hawaiian words for things like wind (makani) and flowers (pua) so we could listen for them.
Then, he made us stand close and look out over the island (see photo above.) The wind blew and he chanted his Hawaiian blessing. Normally, I wouldn't want anything to do with this mumbo jumbo, but this moment... This moment was amazing. This moment was Hawaii. It was everything I love about Hawaii. Whether it had any effect on childbearing is irrelevant. It had an effect on my heart and will always be one of my fondest memories of Hawaii.
Baby, I can't wait to share Hawaii with you. We'll teach you about volcanoes and astronomy. We'll try weird fruit that we pick from a tree ourselves (only what we know is edible though, Baby) and eat loco mocos at Ken's Pancake House.
We'll snorkel for hours and I'll try not to freak out about my kid floating face down in the ocean. I also try not to freak out about myself floating face down in the ocean. We'll chill on the beach, build sandcastles and play in the surf. I hope you'll love Hawaii like we do.
Until then, here's the song:
Love,
Mom
No comments:
Post a Comment