[ WEEKEND ]
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
Little Luke Ichiro Hagi, 10 months, has fun with a desktop stork. Parents Kim Gennaula and Guy Hagi are stocking the storks to help other parents celebrate their little ones.
KGMB anchors and new parents
Kim Gennaula and Guy Hagi bring
a popular birth notice to Hawaii
By evening, Kim Gennaula and Guy Hagi can be counted on to deliver the news via KGMB-TV. By day, the husband-and-wife duo are making plans to deliver news of a lighter variety, through a decidedly no-tech medium -- that is, an 8-foot Fiberglass stork.
The whimsical yard displays, in a choice of pastel pink or blue, are meant to broadcast news that's most important to families -- the arrival of a newborn.
Gennaula first caught sight of the signs while visiting Los Angeles and Arizona last fall, after the birth of the couple's son Luke Ichiro (No. 1 son) Hagi on June 25.
"I saw so many storks, just from the airport to my mother's house in Phoenix," Gennaula said. "I think I saw about eight," she said.
She might have simply thought the sight amusing and forgotten about it once she got home, but being a new mom, she thought it was a great idea and started looking into bringing the storks to Hawaii, and Stork News of Oahu was born.
The storks' official introduction will be made May 17 and 18 at the New Baby Expo 2003 at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall, where one will be set up on the grounds.
THE USE OF STORKS as a symbol of an infant's arrival started when ancients noticed the bird's tenderness toward its young. The English word is derived from the Greek "storge," meaning "strong natural affection."
The belief that the stork delivered babies is rooted in myths that held that the souls of unborn children lived in watery places where storks also dwelled.
KEN IGE / KIGE@STARBULLETIN.COM
An 8-foot version can be placed in the yard to announce the new keiki's name, weight and birthdate to passers-by.
"When you're a new parent, a whole new world opens up," Hagi said. "You become aware of so many different things you were oblivious to before.
"When Kim brought up the idea, I thought, 'Yeah, I would like to tell everybody Luke was born.' Parents are like old fishermen or old golfers. They can talk forever; they've got stories ad nauseum."
"Now that we have a baby it's so thrilling when we find out someone else we know is having a baby," Gennaula said. "This is kind of a way for us to participate in their happiness. I've got friends who are having babies and I'll be setting up storks for them.
"Coming out of a war it's a good time for people to be celebrating good things. In a best-case scenario maybe it will help build a sense of community, encourage people to drop by, say hello and congratulations."
The cost of the stork rental is $69.95 for five days and $79.95 for seven days, with discounts available for twins and triplets. The stork must be returned, but parents get to keep the bundle stating the infant's name, birth date and birth weight, as a memento to hang in the baby's nursery.
Three-foot-tall desktop storks also are available for the office or baby showers for $35 to $50, and will include a gift basket.
"We're super excited about it but we don't know how it's gonna go," Gennaula said. "We don't go into work until 2 (p.m.), so we've got the first half of the day to work on it."
That probably means Hagi will be driving around town to pound the storks into the ground, but he's game. "I used to be a surf sales rep and I logged a lot of miles so it's not a big deal."
His enthusiasm wanes somewhat when the idea of a Stork Man superhero costume is mentioned. But he's even more flustered in planning Gennaula's first Mother's Day Sunday.
"It's new for me. I gotta do something without making it too tough to top myself next year."
Gennaula already knows what she wants.
"Guy promised me I'd get a gold bracelet after Luke was born. I'm still waiting for my bracelet."
For more information, call 396-NEWS (6397).
Click for online
calendars and events.
