Category Archives: #TMLFYI…

by | August 1, 2014 · 2:34 pm

TMLFYI… | Tito

Tita Fai

Hi Foi,

Tito. Tito. Tito. It’s said more like “teeeeeee, toeeeeee” than like “Jackson” which makes it so much more fun for kids to say. It makes sense, doesn’t it? That you would have such a fun name to say. Because kids love to say your name so much and so often. I know my older sister, Raina Ben, does. I’m still finding my words, but I expect to be able to say it soon too. And my guess is that it’s going to be one of my favorite words when I do.

Happy Birthday Tito Foi. You and I formed a bond very early. I remember when you took two weeks off of work when I was born to stay in the house and stay at home with me and Mommy when Daddy had to go back to work. It’s those little things you do that I’ll always remember.

I love that you sing to me. Music is one of my favorite things. You know that because on your first birthday with me, you took me to music class. I had to get my sense of music from someone, and everyone knows that Daddy is tone deaf. (I love him anyway.)

More than anything, I love to see you happy. Mommy and Daddy always talk about your heart. How it can sometimes get hurt. How it can sometimes feel pain. But how it always overflows. You have so much love to give, and that excites the heck out of me. Mostly because I know I’m going to be spoiled.

Totally ok with that, by the way.

Today’s your birthday, but I feel like it’s mine. Because you took the day off to spend it with me. Because you took me to music class while my Mommy gets a much needed vacation in Mexico. Because you soothe me when you sing, both when you’re here and when I listen to your CD. (Remember when we sang together at Ba’s party earlier this week? Let’s do more of that.)

So Happy Birthday, my lovely Tito Foi. I can’t wait to grow up with you by my side. And I hope I grow up with a heart that’s half as big as yours. If I do, I think I’ll end up a pretty good person. Maybe that’s your gift to me? Or maybe our gift to each other is knowing that winter, spring, summer or fall, all we’ll have to do is call…

Love you,

Munchkin

Leave a comment

Filed under #TMLFYI...

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

by | July 31, 2014 · 3:33 pm

TMLFYI… | Promise Full

Mommy,

I’m excited that you’re actually going to take a vacation. You’ve earned it. For 6.5 months you’ve never been more than a few minutes away from me for more than a few hours. That’s extraordinary. That’s commitment. That’s who you are. That’s one of the things I know Daddy hopes I get from you (as well as your stunning and timeless good looks.)

I know you have some anxiety, also. Maybe I’ll start crawling? Or maybe I’ll say my first word? Or maybe I’ll start freestyling over a wicked beat laid down by none other than Eric B? Maybe I would have, but I want to take the pressure off of you and make sure you focus on you while you’re in Mexico. So here are some of the promises I’m making to you before you leave:

  • I promise not to crawl. If I do, you’ll never know. Because we won’t talk about it. We won’t photograph it. We won’t acknowledge it. So it won’t happen. But even if it does, it never happened.
  • I promise not to say my first word. Now, that means that there’s a high likelihood that my first word will be Daddy instead of Mommy, but I think you’re happy with that trade-off, right?
  • I promise not to immerse myself too much in hip hop culture. It’s a promise I’m making but I can’t be held responsible for Daddy and his desire to start playing those hip hop lullabies he got from his friend at work last night.
  • I promise not to walk. Mostly because you have to crawl before you can stand, and you have to stand before you can walk. Those lessons apply to me but apparently, they also apply to businesses looking to pursue hypergrowth — like where Daddy works.
  • I basically promise not to do anything new until you get back. I got you, Mommy. I totally got you.

The one thing I promise to do is miss you like hell when you’re gone, dream about you until you get back, and smile like hell the second I see you. I know it’s going to be the best and biggest smile you’ve ever seen, because it’s going to be driven by how I’ll feel when that moment arrives.

So go have a blast, Mommy. Have the time of your life in Mexico and squeeze every bit of fun and relaxation out of every moment. Because we’re going to have a lot of firsts happening the moment you get back.

Love you,

Anaiya

Mommy and Anaiya PNG

2 Comments

Filed under #TMLFYI...

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | July 31, 2014 · 9:49 am

TMLFYI… | Microphone Fiendish

Today my love for you is…well look at the picture, feel the words, and hear the beat. ‘Nuff said.

Celebrating Life - Anaiya at Mike_edited-1 (1)

 

I was a fiend before I became a teen
I melted microphone instead of cones of ice cream
Music orientated so when hip-hop was originated
Fitted like pieces of puzzles, complicated
Cause I grabbed the mic and try to say, “yes, y’all”
They tried to take it, and say that I’m too small
Cool, cause I don’t get upset
I kick a hole in the speaker, pull the plug, then I jet
Back to the lab, without a mic to grab
So then I add all the rhymes I had
One after the other one, then I make another one
To diss the opposite then ask if the brother’s done
I get a craving like I fiend for nicotine
But I don’t need a cigarette, know what I mean?
I’m raging, ripping up the stage and
Don’t it sound amazing cause every rhyme is made and
Thought of, cause it’s sort of, an addiction
Magnetized by the mixing
Vocals, vocabulary, your verses, you’re stuck in
The mic is a Drano, volcanoes erupting
Rhymes overflowing, gradually growing
Everything is written in a code, so it can coincide
My thought’s a guide
48 tracks to slide
The invincible, microphone fiend Rakim
Spread the word, cause I’m in
E-F-F-E-C-T
A smooth operator operating correctly
But back to the problem, I gotta habit
You can’t solve it, silly rabbit
The prescription is a hypertone that’s thorough when
I fiend for a microphone like heroin
Soon as the bass kicks, I need a fix
Gimme a stage and a mic and a mix
And I’ll put you in a mood or is it a state of
Unawareness? Beware, it’s the re-animator
A menace to a microphone, a lethal weapon
An assassinator, if the people ain’t stepping
You see a part of me that you never seen
When I’m fiending for a microphone, I’m the microphone fiend

After 12, I’m worse than a Gremlin
Feed me hip-hop and I start trembling
The thrill of suspense is intense, you’re horrified
But this ain’t the cinemas or Tales From the Dark Side
By any means necessary, this is what has to be done
Make way cause here I come
My DJ cuts material
Grand imperial
It’s a must that I bust any mic you hand to me
It’s inherited, it runs in the family
I wrote the rhyme that broke the bull’s back
If that don’t slow ’em up, I carry a full pack
Now I don’t want to have to let off, you should have kept off
You didn’t keep the stage warm, step off
Ladies and gentleman, you’re about to see
A pastime, hobby about to be
Taken to the maximum, I can’t relax see, I’m
Hype as a hypochondriac cause the rap be one
Hell of a antidote, something you can’t smoke
More than dope, you’re trying to move away but you can’t, you’re broke
More than cracked up, you should have backed up
For those that act up need to be more than smacked up
Any entertainer, I got a torture chamber
One on one and I’m the remainder
So close your eyes and hold your breath
And I’mma hit ya with the blow of death
Before you go, you’ll remember the scene
The fiend of a microphone, I’m the microphone fiend
The microphone fiend

Leave a comment

Filed under #TMLFYI...

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

by | July 23, 2014 · 12:02 am

TMLFYI… | Awesome

IMAG0377Less in the amazing and extraordinary connotation, and more in the humbling vein. The past few weeks have seen you in the hospital for your 6 month shots and for a mysterious scrape on your head that just appeared — we’ve gone from calling it massive head trauma, to a flesh wound, to a scratch, to a light scrape. But it existed. And you could feel it. And that’s what matters.

But watching you on the hospital bed, sometimes ignorant to what was about to happen, sometimes immediately reacting to what had just happened, and just as quickly. forgetful of all that pain, was awesome.IMAG0376 Because these pains are just the beginning. More bumps and bruises. More heartaches. More pain — physical, emotional, or otherwise.

To think of how unbearable these two circumstances were for us already, makes thinking about how we’re going to raise you and be there for you in future situations (note: in ALL future situations) awesome. In the words of Billy Ocean, simply awesome. (Pay attention at the :12 mark, and ignore everything else in the song.)

 

 

Leave a comment

Filed under #TMLFYI...

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

by | July 6, 2014 · 2:11 pm

TMLFYI… | Pudge

Your Dadiji tells a story about how chubby daddy was when he was younger. I know, you look at me now and say “what do you mean ‘when you were younger?'” To which I say, stop being smart.

I had generous layers of adipose covering all parts of my buddy for some time. I know, you look at me now and say “what…” ok, I’ll stop with that joke. But yes, I my pudge was omnipresent and well distributed. But nowhere more effectively than on my thighs.

When bathing me, Dadiji used to have to pinch apart the rolls on my legs, make sure they were dry, and then lightly dust them with powder so I wouldn’t get a rash. Also, when describing the girth and rolls on my leg it’s nice to say “lightly dust” to invoke the work of a pastry chef, because they seem to go hand-in-hand. You should listen to the way her voice changes when she tells the story, and the way she pinches about her fingers to demonstrate every time she does as well. It’s adorable. You’re gonna love it.

There aren’t too many pictures of my legs from back in the day. Lucky for us, we have yours. I imagine they looked something like this? What do you think Dadiji? Anaiya Pudge

Today my love for you is all pudge. There’s simply no better word for it.

Leave a comment

Filed under #TMLFYI...

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | July 4, 2014 · 6:33 pm

TMLFYI… | Mamu

Hi Mamu,

What a great weekend. And thanks for spending your birthday with me. I know you don’t like to talk about your birthday, so let’s make it our little secret? I know we’ll have plenty of those. I also think it’s good for you to start embracing the fact that you won’t be able to say no to me when I want to find a new way to celebrate your birthday. I mean, go ahead and try. Really. It’s going to be adorable to watch.

You are a man of few words, except when you have a lot of them to share, at which point, you become a man of many powerful and interesting words. I learn a lot from your words, so please keep telling me your stories. I’ll always listen. I’m promising you that now in advance of a future Mami (Nani and Nana made me write that!)

There are a lot of great memories formed from this weekend and many more to come (are we going to see fireworks at some point? What ARE those but they sound loud so I plan on crying, and I know everyone’s going to be ok with it.) But the picture below, well, that’s probably my favorite.

Happy Birthday, Mamu. Thanks for bathing me. Thanks for hanging out with me. And thanks for being my Mamu. I’ll cherish this picture for the rest of my life. Maybe we can talk about it that day when you’re walking me down the aisle (that’s what Mamu’s do, right?)

Love you,

Munchkin

PS – What’s an aisle, by the way?

PPS – I know that Nana, Nani, Mom and Dad are going to put this in a frame for you so you can put it at your desk at work. We want to make sure it’s a good frame though and the stuff they found in Martha’s Vineyard was the opposite of classy. And we know you have high standards.

Mamu

 

Leave a comment

Filed under #TMLFYI...

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

by | July 1, 2014 · 7:28 am

TMLFYI… | Busted!

BustedI caught you red-handed and I thoroughly enjoyed the exchange. Maybe you thought, after all the delay it took to make it into your room, that you were in the clear.

I wouldn’t blame you.

But I heard the clicking for a good minute or two. I heard no squealing from you so my curiosity was piqued. When I walked in to find your hand gripping at your mobile with no intention of relinquishing, I couldn’t help but smile.

Then, things got better.

You looked over at me and smiled. Big. Wide. Like you do better than anyone in the history of the world. And my heart melted, but I was in conflict. Because you hadn’t let go of the mobile yet! What I thought was a smile was actually an admission of guilt, blended with a refusal to concede to releasing the mobile back into its circling routine we were so used to.

Smile.

Acknowledgement.

Stubborn refusal.

Yup. You sound like ours. And we love you like hell for it. Even though we all know that you were squarely busted.

 

Leave a comment

Filed under #TMLFYI...

Tagged as , , , , , ,

by | June 28, 2014 · 8:41 am

TMLFYI… | Wicker

Wicker 2

“pliable twigs, typically of willow, plaited or woven to make items such as furniture and baskets.”

I haven’t started a blog post off with a definition so I figured I’d go that route. We all know what wicker is, but I’ve never stopped for a second to define it. The plant-based origin makes tremendous sense but I also appreciate wikipedia confirming that we now allow wicker to be made of other materials as well.

It’s definition not withstanding, wicker is also a pretty wicked texture. Discretely there’s a contrast in fibers for those elements woven over and under. Bends, tucks, all side-by-side no matter the direction. As you take a slightly more distanced view, individual waves turn into an undulating sea of consistency. Depending on the piece of furniture, this can go on for what seems to be infinity. I am still captivated by wicker. When I sit in a wicker chair I will repeatedly catch myself running my fingers along the grain enjoying what the rising and fallingWicker of textures feels like against my fingertips. Varying speeds. Varying pressures. Wicker is one of my favorites.

Which is why it was so neat to watch you interact with wicker for the first time yourself. I took so much pleasure in watching you reach for and work with the patterns presented. First under your feet, than as an aspirational lean a bit further ahead, and finally, a forceful grasp at the edge of the table. We didn’t get to spend long immersed in this ebbing and flowing of fibers (at your lovely Neeru Masi’s place, mind you) but for what time we did get, I can tell you, the two of us made the most of it.

In the moment, I enjoyed your reaction to something so utterly simple and yet something so amazingly captivating for me still, to this very day. One of those “simple things” moments that’s so simple you actually Wicker 4forget about it. But as I looked back on these photos and reflected back on the moment, I realized a more powerful layer of pleasure on my end: watching you experience something for the first time. You are my first true world of firsts. And I am committing to immersing myself empathetically in your firsts so I can relive them with you and always find the beauty in those things, in those places, where you find inspiration and beauty.

It’s why wicker has gone from the furniture we use on our patio, to a symbol for how I need and want to be as your father.

In some ways, my time has come and past. The greatest thing I can do for this world is commit to seeing the world through your eyes and supporting you as you make your way. And perhaps the greatest thing I can hope for, is that you see yourself and all of your beauty and potential, through my eyes. Unwavering. Unflinching. Unconditional. But that’s a separate story.

Today we’re talking wicker. All that from wicker. My inspiration to be a better father and person. Now we have this post, and these visuals, to keep me honest if there’s every a question.

Wicker 3

 

 

Leave a comment

Filed under #TMLFYI...

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

by | June 23, 2014 · 12:24 pm

TMLFYI… | Happy Trailing

Anaiya Joovy

I’m a bit without words. We’ve seen you roll. To and fro, from your belly to your back and then in reverse. We’ve watched you spin on your side, in plain view on your playmat or through the baby monitor in your crib.

But today, we put you in your Joovy Spoon and we watched you move, all on your own.

Sure, it was backwards. Sure it was obvious that your feet come in contact with the floor only with extraordinary stretching and reaching on your part, and even then, every 3rd or 4th attempt. But that whole backward, thing is just ok. Know that. Because, isn’t that life, baby? A few steps back before you catch yourself and propel yourself forward to meet the world? And when you do, we know, it truly is “look out world.”

Happy trails to you, my love.

Leave a comment

Filed under #TMLFYI...

Tagged as , , , , ,

by | June 19, 2014 · 2:25 pm

TMLFYI… | Gripping

Anaiya Sophie

I originally thought of making this post about friendship. But I’m not sure Sophie’s as much of a friend to you as she is a servant always and fully in your grip, under your thumb, at your mercy. I also thought of vice as an amplifier for the grip you’ve got but I feel like there’s going to be an opportunity to better use that in the future (perhaps in a less flattering way, like when you grab a fistful of someone’s hair and won’t let go.)

So we’re settling for gripping. Today my love for you is gripping. And like the rest of us, Sophie is not only fully in your grip, but completely under your thumb.

Leave a comment

Filed under #TMLFYI...

Tagged as , , , , , ,