Keriann Osada was overwhelmed with loss. Just six months after giving birth to Zack, her mom died.

What's a new parent to do with this unfathomable infant between the feedings, the changings, the naps? How can a mother set her firstborn on the best lifelong path, knowing his early years are crucial?

The person she'd normally ask those questions was gone. She queried friends, scoured the library for books, and went looking for a DVD — maybe something a little more interactive than the "Baby Einstein" DVDs or Teletubbies.

"I don't just want my baby to watch TV all day," Osada said.

When she realized the pickings for those first few years were slim, Osada, whose family owns the local Vim & Vigor stores, did what any entrepreneurial-minded woman with a University of Hawai'i MBA would do when she sees a gap in the market: She dived in to fill it.

Fast-forward a couple years and today, thanks to Osada and friends, you can flip on "Building Blocks for Tots," a half-hour, locally produced TV show premiering right after "Martha Stewart" on Fox affiliate KHON.

In format, it's a cross between a playgroup peopled with Hawai'i families and a Gymboree class.

LIGHTBULB IN THE DARK

The idea came to her as a bright spot in a dark time.

Osada recalls how she turned to longtime friend and school chum Susan Pereira, who lost her dad as a teenager. Pereira, a theater major, now lives in California, where her husband works for Disney. Together they cried a river of tears over the span of an ocean.

During those talks, Osada broached the idea of creating a video — something new mom Pereira also had considered — and the video idea morphed into a TV show.

The two were natural collaborators. Osada, who has an engineering degree, and Pereira, with a background in children's theater, made a "good fit," as Pereira put it.

"She knew how to write the business plan, I knew how to write the script," Pereira said. "It naturally fell into place."

Other things were naturally falling into place, too: After pounding the pavement, Osada heard from Kamehameha Schools, which offered startup funds.

As the doors opened, Osada felt it was her job to keep walking through them.

"It was my mom and God," said Osada, a Roman Catholic who also called into action her posse of pals from Sacred Hearts, class of '89.

Not everything went as planned, noted Pereira. Sometimes, it went even better.

"Every time a door closed, a better door opened," said Pereira, who serves as host of the show. "We should be scared, nervous, but it just feels so right. ... It was totally something that was meant to be.

INTEREST POURS IN

After the startup money was raised, sponsors started showing interest. Parents of a college pal offered a palatial estate for filming. And when Osada and Pereira put out a call for families to be part of the show, they got more than 200.

More signs of intervention: Pereira's child was in a playgroup with the daughter of William Sears, a well-known child development expert who agreed to be filmed for segments on their show.

The only thing that put a wrinkle in the process? Uh, motherhood. Both Osada and Pereira had young children and were heading into or already knee-deep in their second pregnancies.

Then came what Osada calls "the crazy part."

While many new mothers slow down, the timing of some funding meant they couldn't.

After giving birth to her second child, Pereira used some of her hospital time to work on the script. The day Osada got home from giving birth to Jake, she was e-mailing info about the premiere.

Filming had to take place before June 30. Picture it: Pereira had a new baby; Osada's second was on the way. Pereira would have to duck out between takes to nurse ("craft services," she joked); Osada caught naps and put her feet up when she could.

"God gave me an easy birth, so I could do this," Osada says now, motioning to tiny weeks-old Jake in her mother-in-law's arms, and her office desk with double monitor in her home near Diamond Head. Talk about multitasking.

Balancing motherhood with their other labor of love means relying on other arms to hold their children on occasion, Pereira admits, but ...

"The wonderful part is, the children could be with you," she said. "The kids were in the scenes, doing games, having a lot of fun."

Osada sees the cross-pollination, too: "I'm my own customer."

Though there are times when she's still gets overcome with missing her mother, Osada said her mom is firmly present in her life.

"I pray for her to help me, and she does."