Songs for Aeli (and other blessings, prayers, and well wishes)

When Aeli was born and we were inundated with requests from friends and families to get Aeli gifts, we decided that with our incredible group of friends and family members, we'd issue a general request for songs, blessings, prayers, and well wishes to set him off into his new life. It cannot be mentioned enough that our collective friends and family represent a formidable supergroup of hyper talented superheroes whose range of talents and sensibilities in this world are unmatched in any timespace dimension known in the universe.

Suffice it to say that our friends delivered...and continue to more and more every day. Aeli's first days in this world were filled not just with Mom and Dad, but with Grandma and Grandpa Craven and Tia Tara, too. As soon as Tara and Gramps left, Auntie Erin was soon to follow; and shortly behind the Craven clan's departure, followed Dad's friends and family en masse. To be exact, when Aeli was less than two weeks old, a group of sixteen from New York,Virginia, California, and D.C. converged on New Orleans for New Years 2011 to envelop Aeli in warmth, song, and silliness. This series of visits left behind paintings, notes, a hand-made glow-in-the-dark mobile, and a box of letters for Aeli, hand-written and hand-enveloped for him to read and open at various milestones throughout his lifetime.

Then, shortly after their departure, Aeli received a gift via email. Dad's best friend from high school, Nic, and his ladyfriend, Diondra, wrote, recorded, and edited this gorgeous song for Aeli entitled "Moon". It moved our hearts and made both of us cry (and Aeli gawk in wonder).

Nic & Diondra New Years in New Orleans

"Moon" by Dio & Nic

A week after the big group departed, Mom's two college ladies-en-mischief arrived for an extended stay. Auntie Caitlin and Auntie Nicole (Auntie Coley) facilitated Mom & Aeli's coming out of the house. For a week, they ran amok in New Orleans's cutest cafes and boutiques, acclimating Aeli to his true identity of public celebrity/Gerberbino/thunder thigh captain/flirtalicious/grocery store charmer. (It was also Mom's transformation from public burlesque persona to public breasts-out-to-feed-in-a-restaurant persona.)

At the end of the week, Auntie Coley whipped out her ukulele to serenade Aeli a song she wrote for him while on cross-country train. Mom recently recorded "Aeli's Song" live with Auntie Coley at a reunion of college chums on Lake Quinault in the Olympic Rain Forest. Auntie Coley took the liberty to add two more verses to the song in tribute of Aeli's first 6 months of reverse-mulleted life. Mom cries every time at the third-to-last verse.

"Aeli's Song" by Auntie Coley

Aeli and Nicole at The Bullocks

Other friends wrote beautiful blessings, prayers, and books for Aeli. Many thanks to all who have and continue to buoy Aeli's bumbling, tumbling, and rumbling growth into our incredible little dude. We're a lucky family. He's a lucky boy.