Hanalei Baptisms – From Water to Ice

Looking out into the deep Pacific blue as Amy and I arrived at Moss Landing on Monterey Bay, I had only one thought – its time to baptize Hanalei. My loving wife was not trilled with my idea, as the Pacific is quite cold in January with only blubber-encased mammals willing to swim in its frigid waters.

Yet with the warmth of the Santa Anna winds and a cloudless sky, I knew it was time to connect our daughter with her birth name. The very waters at our feet in California also swirl through Hanalei Bay on Kauai. An oceanic baptism would also connect her with my own baptism 35 years before.

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First Week of Hanalei Fatherhood

Wow! Now that Hanalei is home, the shock of her birth is starting to set in. The counsel of “nothing will ever be the same” is gaining value as Amy and I shift to the role of parents and I watch the reactions of our friends and family.

I’m surprised that everyone seems to be fixated on numbers, specifically her birth weight and length. Hanalei was 8 pounds 5 ounces, and 21 inches at birth, but what does either number really mean? Does that convey something different than if she were 8 pounds 1 ounce, or 19 inches long?

I’m just happy she’s healthy, with 10 fingers and toes, and all the needed bits in between. Now if she could just let Amy and I get needed sleep, the whole family could be much happier. And that lack of sleep is serious!

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Please Welcome Hanalei Stockard Vota

Our bundle of joy and love has arrived!

After nine months of looking at life through her own belly button window, a new girl-child came into this world. Please welcome Hanalei Stockard Vota into the family.

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