Annual Newsletter

When I think about writing an annual newsletter for 2015, I know it’d be easy to just say 2015 was THE YEAR OF THE BABY. Pregnancy confirmed January 20, 2015 (first day of my women’s studies class Spring Semester at CSUDH), and baby birthed September 23, 2015 (at home on Autumnal Equinox). But, you know there’s so much more that happened as our Robin Sea Jaguar was developing in my womb. 

To begin, we made a few trips out to the Channel Islands with our sailing vessel “Abundance” and a couple great friends. We went diving for lobster, and the sea gifted me with an abalone shell. And, swimming through the great kelp forests out there was comparable to my times diving in Hawaii. Seriously, it was amazing, and I am so grateful for our sailboat and these priceless trips to places that are so close but so far for most us from So Cal. We kept our boat in Ventura, and although the commute from DH to Ventura wasn’t ideal, the boat life was worth it. 

Some achievements of the year: I celebrated my first mother’s day as a mother ever. I was also invited to speak at the Association for the Study of Women & Mythology as well as the National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies. Then, I had my first academic publication in the Gloria Anzaldua “El Mundo Zurdo” anthology. And, some of my pieces from “Sacred Heart of Mango” were chosen for publication in JOTA. Finally, I began work on a new art series on pregnancy; my “Anak Talong” is above. It felt good and still does to be an academic as well as a mama. 

Throughout the year, we were honored with a handful of wonderful baby showers hosted by family and friends from the Bay Area to the LA Area. There’s so much love in our community for this #beberawr as I call him, and I certainly felt it as we celebrated the baby yet to be born in Huasna, in Whittier, in Ojai, and more.

Although we sold the boat in May and moved into our new place on the Peninsula in Long Beach in August, I enjoyed a great “summer of pregnancy” while Z was in Alaska fishing. I stayed at the family home in Whittier swimming and yoga-ing as well as seeing the chiropractor, acupuncturist, massage therapist, and psychologist (I have great health insurance through DH). I think it all culminated in my 36th birthday, which I spent at Glen Ivy (my first time going there ever). 

As you can imagine, the year peaked with the birth of baby binhi (“seed” in Tagalog), which went so well thanks to our birth team. If you are interested in the birth story, I can send it to you. We got to bring baby out to visit his ancestors in San Gabriel and Santa Maria in November, and then, of course the holidays were precious with a baby.

Loads of wintry love,

Me and the Rose-Hawkins Family