Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 2, 1 February 2011 — Former OHA employee is proud dad of Hawaiʻi's first baby born in 2011 [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Former OHA employee is proud dad of Hawaiʻi's first baby born in 2011

By Melissa Moniz

WhenLayneand Kahi Richards were told that their baby was due on Dec. 28, the idea of having the first baby born in the state of Hawai'i didn't even cross their minds.

"We thought for sure she would eome during Christmas because this is our second child, so we thought she would eome early," says Layne, a former Education and Culture Specialist at OHA. Well the happy eouple and their nearly-3-year-old son Hāweo celebrated the newest addition to their family together with the rest of the state. That's because their baby girl was the first baby born in Hawai'i in 201 1 - coming into the world at 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1 at the North Hawai'i Community Hospital in Waimea on Hawai'i Island.

"It's kind of funny because we would have loved a writeoff for 2010, so we were like, 'Come out, eome out,' " says the proud dad. "But she waited until the new year."

They named her Hālena, whieh dad explains is a native dry-land plant otherwise called

'aiea that's very fragrant and rare. "Her middle names, Kāhilipōhina Palilanohomuaolani Marani, refer to special people, kūpuna, places and events surrounding her birth," says mom, Kahi, a 1996 graduate of Kamehameha Schools who serves as the Executive Director of the nonprofit Native Nations Education Foundation. Mom adds that Hālena was born naturally without surgical intervention, whieh is just the reason that the Puna residents chose North Hawai'i Community Hospital.

"We drove to Waimea for the birth because it's so niee out there - they have midwives and they have a more natural approach," says Layne, a 1995 Kamehameha Schools graduate. "It's a niee environment and a beautiful hospital." The attention the Richards family has received since the birth has been a bit surprising and overwhelming. "We kind of like to keep to ourselves, so the attention has been interesting," says Layne, who is an 1 lth and 12th grade biology teacher and Science Academy lead at Kamehameha Schools-Hawai'i. Layne and Kahi were raised on O'ahu and have been living in East Hawai'i for almost seven years. Being a proudparent of two healthy children, Kahi says, "I was not at all expecting or hoping for a New Year's baby, and I was surprised to have it happen, but I think it is pretty eool and adds to the story of Hālena's birth." ■ Meīissa Moniz is a Contributing Writer for Ka Wai Ola. Aformer Associate Editor at MidWeek, she has chosen a new career path as a full-time mom to spend more quality time with her husband and two young daughters.

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Layne Richards wilh his son Hāweo and newborn daughter Hālena. - Photo: Courtesyofthe Richards 'ohana