Baby Hui, I love you. Seriously, what a lifesaver! Let me fill you in on some back story. Jaap and I moved to Oahu 10 years ago to attend grad school at UH Manoa and then … we just never left. But how can you live anywhere else after living in Hawaii? So spoiled.
When we had Micah all of friends were still in school or starting careers. The few that were starting families moved away. We were far from family, kind of clueless and alone. Not only that, but we had the most high maintenance, non-sleeping, must be in constant motion baby I have ever known. Little stinker.
I had signed up for Baby Hui before Micah was born, but after I was struggling to work from home without childcare and in such a sleep-deprived haze that it didn’t occur to me to seek out other moms. When he was almost 18 months old, I received a call from Baby Hui stating that a most wonderful, fabulous, glorious person (that’s you Rachael!) was starting a Hui in my area. I was fortunate to meet a wonderful group of women that inspired me, taught me and were just good company. It’s 2 years later and we still find time to meet. Here are pictures from some of our adventures :
Here’s the bad news – Baby Hui is no more. At least, not the official organization. I was so sad about this because I wanted Mila to make great friends and have the same wonderful experiences that Micah did.
Well, lucky me. I was walking around Kailua Beach one day and this new moms group had formed and they invited me to join. Another wonderful Baby Hui-esque group! Thank you for forming the group and thank you for being so welcoming! I look forward to our weekly meet-ups and even more to watching the keiki grow and become friends. What’s better than that?
Don’t worry, i’m not advising new moms to wander local parks in hopes of finding friends (although it seems to work!). If you’re still searching for your people, I researched some local resources that should help.
Forums
- Moms in Hawaii : http://www.momsinhawaii.com/
- Café Mom : Hawaii chapter http://www.cafemom.com/group/57
- Baby Center : Hawaii Group http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a18935/hawaii
Memberships
- Meetup (different groups such as Honolulu toddlers and waddlers) http://www.meetup.com/find/
- Moms Club of Hawaii – 3 chapters
Oahu, Leeward http://mcleewardhawaii.webs.com/membership.htm
Oahu, East http://www.momsclubhonolulueast.com/oahuchapters.html
Waipahu, Pearl City, Aiea http://www.meetup.com/MOMS-Club-WPA/about/
Fitness Groups
- Running groups http://www.seemommyrun.com/hi
- Stroller Strides (also host free, weekly playgroup) Multiple locations on Oahu http://www.strollerstrides.com/
Twins? Triplets? Special help in store for you!
- http://www.alohamultiples.org/wp/
Do you have a great hui? Know of any additional resources for moms? Please leave a comment!
Heather - What a great bunch of mamas and babies and beautiful photography! I’m a part of the Ala Moana Playgroup and we meet at Magic Island every Thursday anywhere from 11-2 we’d love to meet some new mamas if you’re in the area. You can find out group on facebook for more details or shoot me an e-mail.
Heather - I forgot! If any of you mamas are surfers or water lovers my friend and I just started a facebook group called South Shore Surfing Mamas. We trade water time for watching kids on the beach and try to meet up every week.
Heather - Oh, that is awesome! Maybe I can re-learn how to surf!! Do you have a link to the Facebook Group?
Heather - Thanks so much for sharing!
Amy - What a great little mama and baby group! Love the beautiful pictures! My oldest child (turning 4 next month) will be entering preschool soon and so it will just be me and my 11 month old little girl during the morning. We are always looking for other friends to meet and play with during the day. We live in Kaneohe. Any suggestions for baby hui’s or mommy groups on the Windward side? Thanks!
Heather - Here is the link to our surfing mamas facebook page
Just ask for an add to the group (we share photos so we keep it private) and we hope to see more mamas and kiddos soon!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/299131723460030/
Heather - Thanks Heather!!
Melisa - My husband and I are looking to manage child care by ourselves without outside help, so finding a baby hui would be ideal for us. Heather, you capture the kids so beautifully! Thanks for posting these resources! Perhaps we’ll stumble on the perfect group soon!