Category Archives: Blogs from parents

Concomitant benefits….

Posted on by

“Yes Prime Minister” never gets old. only we do.

Sir Humphrey : Notwithstanding the fact that your proposal could conceivably encompass certain concomitant benefits of a marginal and peripheral relevance, there is a countervailing consideration of infinitely superior magnitude involving your personal complicity and corroborative malfeasance, with a consequence that the taint and stigma of your former associations and diversions could irredeemably and irretrievably invalidate your position and culminate in public revelations and recriminations of a profoundly embarrassing and ultimately indefensible character.

Jim Hacker : Perhaps I can have a précis of that?

Te Reo Maori

Posted on by

Pure kai na te tamariki

Kia ‘akameitaki ia te Atua
No te kai ta matou ka kai

ia akatapu mai koe te reira
ia akamatutu i to matou kopapa, manako ete vaerua

I roto i te ingoa o Iesu
Amene		Thank you God
For the food we are about to eat

May it be blessed
To nourish our body mind and soul

In Jesus’s name we pray
Amen
Pure kai na te tamariki

E nā kō nei kōtou kia pure

Topiri mai te mata
Pure totau i te pure a te atu
Nako tatou kia pure.
E to matou metua i te ao ra
Kia tapu toou ingaoa
Kia tare ki toou basileia
Kia akonoia toou anoano
I te enua nei
Mu tei te ao katoa ana

Omai i te kai e tau ia matou
I tera nei ra

E akakore mai ita matou ara
mei ia matou i akakore
I ta tei ara ia matou nei
auraka e akakure ia
matou kia timata ia mai
E akaora ra ia matou
Mei te kino
Noou oki te basileia
E te mana
E te kaka
E tuatau ua atu
Amene.		Our father,
which art in heaven,
Hallowed
be
thy name,
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done
on earth,
As it is
in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us for debts,
As we forgive our debtors ,
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and power,
and glory forever & ever.
Amen
E nā kō nei kōtou kia pure

Heaven was needing a hero

Posted on by

Your Tio Claudio died Baby girl. He was my very best friend, he was always there for me, to advise, to laugh and cry with me, to lean on. He loved me and he loved you. You have some beautiful letters from here in Letters from Ohana. He was family.

I have been talking now for weeks with Tio Pino y Tia Rosy. Claudio was all that time in hospice but he was unable to talk. We used to send him videos, short messages. Pino said he liked looking at them but it was so difficult for me to do because what do you tell to a friend who is dying? Rosy and laura asked for happy messages. We tried to take some sadness away, we talked garbage, we tried to make him feel the part of our every day life and more than anything we let him know that we think of him and love him. But I never addressed the seriousness of his situation apart from one message but don’t know if Rosy showed it to him. I felt like I can’t just ignore how sick he is and that he may not recover.

At that time we knew there is no chance for recovery and he suspected it too. Then he understood there is no more hope. We stopped making our short videos because we were told Claudio just cries when he sees us on the video message.

It wasn’t long though before they would start sedating him heavily so by the time he dies he was hardly present.

It has to be so difficult for his family, his two sisters and his mum! I got very close to Rosy and Pino. I hope we will remain close and i hope baby that for you these people will become a bit like Tio Claudio.

Thank you for being so good and supportive. You are so lucky you had an uncle like tio Claudio. I always hope he will be always in your life because it’s a person from who you could have learned so much

Treasure you memories of him

Let’s keep him in our hearts baby girl, let him be your Guardian Angel. I would trust him with your life. Now each time we are separated whenever i worry about you I will say “Claudio, you better make sure our baby girl, your Nieta is safe”

Be safe and remember your Guardian Angel

The Year in Pictures

Posted on by

This year was another eventful one in Haumea’s young life. Thank you for sharing it with us and we wish you a wonderful New Year.

2014 in Pictures

The Year 2014 in Pictures. Das Jahr 2014 in Bildern.

We buy a silver bullet trailer and have a baby girl...
We buy a silver bullet trailer and have a baby girl...
Rest in Pieces, Long Beach, CA
Rest in Pieces, Long Beach, CA

 

You can find a Google+ Version by clicking here

 

Tamariki Ora

Posted on by

Haumea’s Skill Set as of 16-18 months : 

  • keeps track of things, even finds items that parents are looking for and that parents misplaced when they discussing their whereabouts amont themselves and even on the phone
  • hides things and can retrieve them days later from memory
  • feels compassion for the pain of other people, kisses and caresses affected body parts and even tries to apply ‘medicine’ (sun tan lotion, cream) asks aua? and waits for reassurance that pain has gone away
  • also empathises with other living things. Some moronic neighbours chopped down several dozen old Toa trees and she comments ‘bam, aua and for well over a month now points to the sad stumps that remained even when she cannot see them but in the right direction
  • understands and can point out:Shoulder, back, head, Eyes, Mouth, Nose, Titi, Stomach, Bum, Feet, Knees
  • Vocabulary as of 15 months :bye-bye, Mama, Mummi, Marcus, Milk, Mleko, Milch, Mimi, Kaka, titi, bottle, ball, am am (food), apple, (ba)nana, anya (Game), car, book, cat, dog, please
  • Vocabulary as of 19 months :bye-bye, Mama, Mummi, Marcus, Milk, Mleko, Milch, Mimi, Kaka, titi, bottle, ball, am am (food), apple, (ba)nana, anya (Game), car, book, cat, dog, pleasethank you, mine, up!, move!, down, off, where is?, there is, baba, this, no!, niema!/?, bam (boom), aha!/?, red, green, key, babja, baby, juice
  • Vocabulary as of 20 months :bye-bye, Mama, Mummi, Marcus, Milk, Mleko, Milch, Mimi, Kaka, titi, bottle, ball, am am (food), apple, (ba)nana, anya (Game), car, book, cat, dog, pleasethank you, mine, up!, move!, down, off, where is?, there is, baba, this, no!, niema!/?, bam (boom), aha!/?, red, green, key, babja, baby, juice,

    tschuess, one, two, eyes, tree, fish, boat, shoe, go!, teeth, uncle, auntie, bum, egg, ice cream, dead (when killing mosquitos), bubble, nose, arms, bird, ant, monkey, dirty, clean, out!, potty, maya, hat, Vaka, Cow, Goat, nose, ears, mouth, cheers!, bag, bike

  • January 25 2014 : push, cold, back, remote, dance, panties
  • January 26 2014 : cookie, cooking, biscuit, broken,spicy

Tongareva

Posted on by

If you ask Manongi Latham what she does for a living you are most likely to hear a very modest ‘i weave’ and even that is an understatement as she and other ladies on Penrhyn produce some of the finest rito hats and other handicrafts made from finely woven pandanus fibers.

A normal day for Manongi starts at 4:45 am in pitch darkness as the island’s generator only wakes up later, to prepare for church. Powerful hymns that nearly lift the roof of Tongareva’s beautiful CICC church accompany prayers for god to bless another day under the sun in this remote corner of the south pacific. Coming back from church Manongi stops home briefly to cook a delicious breakfast for her somewhat unannounced visitors then picks up the phone to relay the daily readings from the weather station she manages for her husband who has gone to ‘neighbouring’ Manihiki Atoll to repair Navigation Equipment for Aircraft.

Reading the rain gauge, Tongareva

That done and dusted she is off to open the local Telecom Shop. Recent introduction of cell phones and reliable internet services ensure this to be a busy job as well. Any break including lunch break is used to nip back home to sell fuel and other bare essentials from a congregation of chiller storage containers at her home. Based on the intricately woven Rito hats that are made out of pandanus fibers bleached by a combination of seawater and equatorial sun to have the appearance of fine canvas many late afternoons must have been spent weaving these as well.

Flying to these remote and far-flung atolls proves to be very challenging. All Airstrips are unsealed already severely limiting the number of Aircraft that can even fly there at all. Add to that the remoteness, lack of alternative airports, flying over vast expenses of ocean and the cost and logistical challenge of having fuel for the return trip available and it becomes clear that despite their stunning beauty, excellent diving and friendly people those atolls will remain untouched….

so much in love

Posted on by

You are now 1 and a half years old sweetheart, really switched on, clever little cookie. You are full of life and you demand heaps of attention all the time. We love you so much. Doesn’t matter you just learned how to say “up!” and “move!” and you use it very well to our disadvantage, bossy little thing that you are.

Dad is often waking up earlier so you spend some time with him in the morning but I can’t sleep much longer because I can hear your little voice soon saying “mummy” and I am wide awake and my body aches to cuddle you. You run into the bedroom pushing past your dad and we all cuddle and lie in bed, then you demand milk and jump in front of us saying “up!” and “Mlkkk!”and supporting your demands with hand gestures. “up, up” you call and drag one or the other out of bed and to the fridge.

When we are in the kitchen you come and decide to play with things on the shelves and in the drawers and command “move” every few seconds so we give you access to the spaces you need to reach. Not very helpful I can tell you.

But any even toughest day you compensate with so much love and sparkly fun. For instance you tickle the feet of a grown-up and say ‘didlydidlydidlydeeeee’ or you want to be entertained by the large box with moving pictures and bring the Telecommander accompanied by ‘DudlyDudlyDudlyDoooo’.

So now you are fully potty trained although for some reason whilst you don’t have any accidents with us when you stay with other aunties or in childcare you do. Is it as a sign or protest?  You are happy to stay with other people and they all love you. You have two local aunties Victoria and Tuaine and Katja and Eugene. You stayed with Katja and Eugene when we went to Aitutaki and from how they talk about you and everything you did looked like they really enjoyed themselves with you, uncle Eugene was head over heels about you, you old charmer.

Whenever we come to pick you up though you run to us ready to leave, however much fun you had with others who sometimes spoil you to bits, you are ready to go. Oh no, wait – you say and look around and gather all your belongings. It’s the sweetest thing ever. You little person, pulling your bag and carrying your drink bottle. Now you are ready to go. You know where you belong and what is yours and you take care of it.

You now often wake up at night for mimi. Sometimes we sit you on your potty just before we go to sleep and you don’t wake up but somehow you register that you are on the potty and you pee and we have to hold you because you are completely limp. We put you then to your cot and you continue to sleep and burble a narrative of whatever is going on in your dreams.

Every one of these silly little things seems to a parent like a magical moment and it is so because your parents are so much in love with you

There are new photos – 1.5 year old now in your gallery  http://www.haumea.ws/1-year/

 

Wonderful things

Posted on by

My Sweet, wonderful daughter.

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to write something here. Life was too busy enjoying your wonderful mum and you. Since i last wrote you learned to crawl, walk (with 10 months), run, dance, kick a football, use the potty and so many other things that tell me that you are every bit as special, talented and clever as your mum.

We both are so lucky to have her. It was just you and me this evening, i missed your mum and you too because when you woke up briefly from your dreams you ran to the bed where you thought she would be waiting for you and hurled yourself onto it just to find it vacant. It speaks volumes this is the first time in a long time, your mum has given up a so much to give me a wonderful wife, you the best mum ever and for all of us the best place for a young child to grow up.

Here’s to a great woman.

 

 

There was a little girl once

Posted on by

She was beautiful, smart and full of overwhelming energy. She was bright and curious, always discovering, always taking up new challenges, always engaged and engaging.  It was amazing to watch her learn and play, to be close to her. Suddenly every day became new in such a big way, different, exciting.  One day it might have been her grabbing the spoon for the first time, pushing it into her little mouth the wrong way round and not letting anyone take it away from her and correct it. The other day it might have been her taking a tissue, cleaning a bit of food from the floor like she saw her parents do when she dropped something, then wiping her nose in the same piece.  Suddenly you understand what growing up is, how you learn on mistakes by walking around with a piece of food rubbed in your nose, how we always need challenge and we can’t give up just because it doesn’t work the first time, how we learn every single day.

She is a year old now. The moment she is away I  miss her and when I have her close to me it made my heart swell with love for the whole world. I hate when she goes just like one day I know I will hate seeing her leave but I want her to be open to everything, experience as much as she can, have other people to have an influence on her too, to add to her life, to make it richer.  I love her too bits. She is my daughter.  Of course I would say all of this – she is my daughter but even when I try really really hard to look at her from the distance, unpassionately, objectively, I still see a very beautiful, bright and intelligent little being, someone very special. This little girl is you – Haumea. You have so much in you. You have so much character, charisma, intelligence and beauty.  Don’t let it go to waste.  You also have trends that may lose you some chances, you have a strong character but you always have to work on it.  You are not like other babies I have seen – laid back, docile.  You are a power, strength, fire – things that are good when channeled well but also dangerous when you let them rule your life.

One day you will be a young woman – probably even more impatient, anxious, stubborn.  Please, remember then that there is noone in the whole world and will never be, who loves you as much as we do and who knows you as much as we do – knows your history, your creation, your being.  I hope one day you will meet someone who will love you almost as much, who will see good things in you, who will help you grew in a different way, love everything in you which is there worth loving and there is and will be a lot.  Don’t waste you time on anyone who will not appreciate these things but also don’t be with anyone who will let you get away with not making the best use of them and with not controlling those challenging bits.

You are one now and this year was a real gift to someone who never cared about children, who never knew about beauty of motherhood, power of mother’s love, happiness and pride the child fills your life with.  I am so happy you are in my life baby girl