Hip Hip Hooray!

Dearest Malakai,

You are 4 months old tomorrow! I can't believe how big you are getting!

"Big Mommy?" - yes! you have grown so big! You now weigh 6.1kgs and are 61cm long! You are right on target with all your development and you're making mom so proud!

Because of your Down Syndrome and the other name 'Trisomy 21', I wanted to make this letter about All the Things that Malakai Can Do (21 things... to be exact!):

1. Smile (super cool)

2. Laugh (well, it's more like a loud noise when you open your mouth... but we're almost there!)

3. Swipe at things

4. Grab things

5. Hold onto those things that have been grabbed!!

6. Stick things in your mouth and give them a lick...

7. Follow people around the room with your eyes (and you are super curious my boy!)

8. Sit up when you're being held (you love this!!)

9. Hold your head up straight for long periods and look around

10. Lift your head when you're on your tummy

11. Try to reach for things when you're on your tummy

12. Play in your reclining chair and kick for the music and lights (you love this!)

13. Smile at your favourite mobile above your changing mat!

14. Grab the towel, tissues, anything that your hand lands on really!

15. Grab your dad's chest-hair when he's trying to put you to sleep (ha ha!!)

16. Hold your bottle while you're eating

17. Roll from your back to your side to your stomach - thank you very much!!

18. Sleep through the night (making me a very lucky and very grateful mommy!)

19. Kick - you love to kick out with your little legs

20. Wriggle - you have never really stopped moving my boy (not even when you were growing in mommy's tummy)

21. Love - you just love me and your dad so much and we love you too!!!

I love you my angel - you are really my everything! Remember you don't ever have to be anyone but you, this is the most important thing you can do. You have changed my life, you have changed your Dad's life - in ways we couldn't have known, in ways we only dreamed of! You are our perfect baby boy and we love you in ways that words cannot adequately express... but if you had to twist my arm...!

I think of a beautiful flower blooming... Some people spend their entire lives, trapped and aching inside their flower, too scared to come out and just be their beautiful selves! You, my angel, are also like a beautiful flower - perfect, made by God, each petal, every silvery fluffy soft and gentle bit just slowly opening, blooming. No expectations from Society (stereotypes) mean that we take the journey at our own pace without any expectations. And you... your flower... it just blooms because it cannot not do so. You are too young & to perfect to understand the concept of fear of blooming - you bloom because it feels good and it feels right to just be you. I hope that you hold onto this forever - if there is one gift that I can choose for you it would be to never, ever, ever be anyone else but you. You are perfect, you are beautiful... you bloom my baby!

Happy 4 months my baby boy - you are our most beloved, most beautiful, most amazing miracle!

You are all my Reaons for Being,

Love,

Mom