I think we can all agree that the last few years have been burdened with the intensity of hard-to-process news cycles. But all the while, the cycles of renewal, rejuvenation and reinvention continue quietly in the background. So, with the greatest pleasure and without further ado, allow me to bask in the sweet glory of sharing some really fun news — the Kallenbergs are having another baby!
Almost three years ago, when our company itself was in its embryonic stages — and after many years of struggling with challenging fertility issues — we chose the path of radical vulnerability, and made the decision to share the news of our miracle pregnancy with you, our beloved WAC family.
Since then, many of you have witnessed our first-born son evolve from a tiny butterball of an infant slurping his first sockeye puree, to a mud-puddle-loving, gill-netter-riding gem of a little guy. Our boy took some of his first steps right on the shores of Kachemak Bay, and shortly thereafter became the fourth generation in the Kallenberg family to get his sea legs in Alaska, riding the Mary K with Grandpa Kallenberg at the helm. And now as Wild Alaskan Company continues to grow and flourish, so too does our own nuclear family, yet another special moment that once again feels ripe for sharing.
Our current pregnancy comes with so much: the experience of hindsight, the wisdom of practice, the ever-flexed muscles of unconditional love and the joy of experiential togetherness. But it is also very much accompanied by a crucial affirmation: that we, in addition to being the stewards of our own inner closeness as a family, must steadfastly continue our stewardship of the Kallenberg family legacy at large. One in which our home, Alaska, and its bounty of resources — such as the natural cycles of its wild-caught seafood — is cared for with the same reverence and protection that we extend to our own kin.
With family heavy on the mind (and in the belly!) I wanted to re-share a few of my favorite posts from the archive of the Wild Alaskan Company blog, about the history of the Kallenberg legacy (and a bit of my own family’s love of the water); as well as the many nutritional benefits of wild-caught seafood for the whole family:
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Kin in the Game: Tracing Three Generations of the Kallenbergs
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The Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Through All Stages of Motherhood
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10 Reasons Why Wild Salmon Is the Ultimate Brain Food for Your Kid
Because as I see it, to love is to nourish — and to nourish is also to protect. So, here’s to big moments, magical milestones and the evolution of growth. And to the infinite trickle of love for all future generations through respect, education and unwavering commitment.
Live wild!
Monica
Pictured above: Me, at around 16 weeks pregnant, standing on the flybridge of the Mary K — the commercial sockeye salmon gillnetter that was designed and built by my father-in-law, Walt Kallenberg. My husband Arron (our founder/CEO) spent several of his childhood summers picking fish on the back deck of this very boat, perhaps unaware at the time of just how much of a Mothership the vessel would one day be.
