She has been named. July 23rd, 2014.
Our name is our identity, and is carried with us throughout our lives. It connects us with our heritage and our family, the experience of our birth and place, and the magic of our being. For centuries, humans have been named based on family lineage, religion, cultural background and the symbolism surrounding each individual before, during and after birth. Considering all of this, we let her story speak to us and ultimately through her name. We hope she grows to appreciate this connection when her name is spoken by her and others.
We are so blessed to have her.
Maya Maizie Tuck Aymond
June 12th 9:20 am, 7.7 lbs, 21 in
Maya: Water - She came to me in a dream twice and told me that she would be born in water, so I had strong feelings that we would share a connection with the water. When she has returned to the water since birth, she transforms into the image of an aware and calm little buddha.
Maya is also the name for the Gautama Buddha's mother. Ash and I spent 10 days in a silent meditation retreat learning the art of Vipassana: a form of meditation discovered by the Gautama Buddha. An experience that has forever changed us, we learned how having deep compassion for others and ourselves can help us from holding on to negative emotions. It was also the first time that I felt her move inside of me. I was 20 weeks along. It was very challenging, but helped us to release our pain bodies to be more fully present as parents and partners. Maya's ingenuity permits and inspires one to release themselves from the illusion of permanence, embrace the moment, and glimpse the possibility of enlightenment.
Maya also means "earth mother". When she was one week old, we introduced her to the power of the beach and the ocean, and have returned there every week since. When she cries, just going outside immediately calms her. Rocking her in the hammock on our balcony with the cicadas and birds chirping is her favorite!
Maizie: Pearl - the oldest known gem and also her birthstone for the month of June. In ancient Arabic and Persian mythology, oysters would go to the surface of the ocean to get a glimpse of the moon, and swallow dewdrops that would transform into pearls. Maya is a child of the moon, conceived by the moon, symbolizing the moon and all of it's powers. She was born the morning of a very powerful strawberry moon, one that we will not see again in our lifetime!
Before she was conceived, I had two dreams that I would give birth to her in a ceramic tub in a big Victorian house. But the plan was to give birth in a more comfortable birthing pool that I had ordered on-line. Moved by the moon's power, she came ten days before expected. The pool hadn't arrived yet, so she was born as I had dreamt it.
A name of the water and moon. We welcome her with love:
Maya Maizie Tuck Aymond, our little Dhamma Baby.
Much Love and Blessings,
Sarah