1 Month Old!

And now the moment you've been waiting for! Pictures of our handsome little Manu!

Manu turned one month old on Saturday! It's gone so fast I can hardly believe it! He's getting cuter every day and starting to smile and coo, which just melts our hearts every time.

We went to the doctor yesterday for his one month checkup:

weight: 10lbs 3oz

length: 22in

The doctor told us he was destined to be a huge Mid-west sized football player because he ranked in the 90th percentile. I was thinking, "I know he's gained a few pounds, but I don't think he's that big!" It turns out the nurses accidentally plotted his size on the girl's growth chart. Sorry, Manu! You're average-sized on the boys' chart.

Manu one day old. (7 lbs 15 oz; 21 in)

Manu one month old. He is such a good sleeper! I'm talking 6 straight hours last night a quick meal and then another 3 hours sleep! This mommy's feeling good today!

I just can't get enough of that smile.

Usually Manu hates tummy time, but this time he figured out a sure-fire way to get out of it altogether. Instead of the usual crying, he immediately fell asleep.

Manu

Deb has graciously asked that I, Nate, give the background for the alias that we've selected for use as we write about our newborn son on our respective blogs.

By way of introduction, you should know that for two years I served a full-time mission in the Sāmoan islands for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My time amongst the Sāmoans profoundly changed, redirected even, my life forever. In their honor then we have selected Manu for our son's alias, and here's the reason why.

As explained by my recent Sāmoan professor, ʻAumua Mataʻitusi Simanu, Sāmoan children are not traditionally "allowed to be in close proximity of the aliʻi (chiefs), particularly when they are meeting" to discuss the affairs of the village.

She continues, "In ancient times, Chief Fānene of Falealili violated this tradition by allowing his grandson to climb about him and make noise while the chiefs were seated in ceremony." Annoyed, Fanene's fellow chiefs demanded that the child be taken away, calling him a manu or animal.

ʻAumua remarks, "Fānene begged for forgiveness and, through his gift of oratory, referred to the child as an 'animal for the chiefs'--'ʻo si manu a aliʻi'"--meaning that in due time, through his association with the chiefs, the child would learn his proper place and act accordingly.

ʻAumua concludes that the "essence of the Faʻasāmoa," or Sāmoan way, is "to learn through serving and through living the culture--in the case of Fānene's grandson, through his future tautua or service" to his family, his village, his country, and his God.

Now, technically we aren't Sāmoans, but that's really only a biological technicality. The lessons that I've learned from the Faʻasāmoa--especially the importance of serving one's family, community, and God--I plan on passing on to my son as if we were Sāmoan. After all, he is, with those of his generation, the future of humanity.

Deb and the Fe'e

Right now I'm enjoying having my sister and her family in town and there will be lovely posts to come from our adventures around the island. But for now, here's a pic from our tri-stake youth conference in late March. Definitely one of the greatest moments of the conference:

Yes, I'm holding an octopus (a fe'e). Yes, it is very slimy and disgusting and my fingers are where are brain ought to be. Eww.

A Dream

Pregnancy has a lot of strange things that go along with it, and one of those seems to be odd dreams.

This weekend I dreamed that Dennis the Menace zipped me into a large suitcase so that I could be smuggled onto a 12hr plane flight. It was very uncomfortable in there.

Weird.

Enjoying Nature

We were at Costco the other day perusing the book section after our weekly shopping trip when Nate pointed out a book he thought I'd be interested in. We'd never heard of it before, but it was about someone who hiked the Appalachian trail, which I think is super cool. It talked about his experiences on the trail and the people he met, etc.

After I investigated the book further, I decided that this one wasn't for me. But, just as I was about to put it back a quote on the cover caught my eye.

"The best way of escaping into nature is to read a book like A Walk in the Woods..." said a reviewer from the NY Times.

That's funny, I thought the best way to escape into nature would be to actually get into nature, not read about someone else doing it.

Nate also just mentioned a resource he saw at the baby store today. A dvd about how kids need to play outside more. Ironic?

While it's true I believe we should all be getting ourselves outside more, we don't need to sit around inside reading up on the literature or watching dvds about it first. Just open your door and go outside, enjoy the sun, explore something!

Happy spring!

Koko Head Crater

This is Koko Head.Before I get started, I need to throw in a disclaimer or two: 1. I am a lazy blogger and I don't necessarily post things in a timely manner. 2. This hike was done last October, now people won't even let me stack my own chair at church. 3. It is still a great hike. That is all.

The trail to the top of Koko Head is a little railroad track that goes straight up the side. This photo was taken at the beginning of the climb.




This is the only photo I took on the way up because I was too busy huffing and puffing to take pictures. This is the beautiful east coast of Oahu.

I think this is looking to the north east from the top.

If you look carefully, on the horizon you can see Moloka'i, the next island to the east.




Looking south-ish to Hanauma Bay.




Closer shot of Hanauma Bay - great snorkeling. When you all come to visit, we'll take you.




Looking south-westish towards Honolulu and Diamond Head.




I'm not sure which direction this one was, but I like it anyway.

Great Expectations

Expecting it to rain.

Expecting company.

Expecting to have to eat again soon.

Expecting to gain weight.

Expecting something small.

Expecting big changes.

And expecting one more thing...... a baby!