Happy Birth Day dear Lilikoi!!!

I took the day off from work (I am still at Red Moon for a little longer...) to spend the day with Miss Lili. We have had a mellow, sunny day. We set up a little alter to honor her on the kitchen table with some flowers from the garden and some photos...
I put out out our birth necklaces. In the last month of pregnancy last year my friends threw me a mother-blessing party. One of the special things they did to mark this rite of passage for me was to each bring some sort of pretty or symbolic bead. A lot of friends and family from far away also sent me beads. (If you don't see your bead on here, it might mean you are part of the crew that sent me beauties after I had assembled the necklace. I still have plans for these don't worry...) This necklace means so much to me. I love to feel it's weight and remember all of the amazing and thoughtful prayers and wishes people bestowed upon my birth journey. At the mother blessing each person also brought a bead for the baby, and I strung that for Lili before I knew she was a girl...
During Lili's nap this morning I found my old notebook where I had written Lili's birth story a few days after her birth. I have been meaning to type it into something legible ever since, and finally found my motivation this morning. I was special to reread my play for play of the event. I had forgotten about the part of my birth where I would flop back down in the water (I birthed Lili in a birthing tub) after a contraction and close my eyes, and this scene would pop up. A lot of women experience the feeling or sensation of the ocean during labor, but for me I kept seeing a hillside of green grass rippling in the wind. I am so glad I wrote down my experience right after. That image would have been lost if I hadn't...

And as a final note about Lili's special day: Lili chose to be born on her grandmother Kathleen's birthday. This act immediately boosted me to #1 favorite daughter-in-law (sorry Ema!) During labor for the most part I stopped talking for the last 4 hours ( I was in labor for 71/2) One of the last jokes I was able to squeeze out on the ride to the hospital was to joke about how every woman just dreams of having a baby born on the same day as their mother-in-law!
But seriously, it is special, and so, Happy Birthday to you too dear Kathleen!