Reality Check...

I've been on maternity leave since December 18th... so I've kind of lost track of days, weeks and even months...

I realised this week that we're in March! What???

I will be going back to work in May, so I have less than two months left at home.

We are very blessed to have a full-time nanny, a woman that I owe so much to... She's Malakai's second mother. I know that when she looks at Malakai she sees only his strengths, she believes the sun shines from his face and that he's fantastic in every way! She also lets him get away with murder, and he has her wrapped firmly around his little finger!

The reality though, is that she cannot care for Malakai and Harlan, and so I have known for some time that I have to find a creche for Malakai. I was so busy at the end of last year, and then everything was closed for December holidays and then... well... the days, weeks and months disappeared!

So, this week I made it my mission to find somewhere for Malakai to go to. I must admit I was a bit nervous. Do I tell them he has Down syndrome? Does it make a difference? What if they say no based on his extra chromosome? Can they say no?

I eventually found a place close to home that had space (obviously I don't plan far enough ahead, because the majority of places were full) to take Malakai. I realised quickly enough that they had space because they are particularly expensive... But I decided to go take a look anyway.

Joyce (Malakai's nanny) and I took a walk and paid 'Opti-Baby' a visit on Friday afternoon. I took Malakai on the tour with the lady at the creche and Joyce waited with Harlan in reception. Well, I must say I was impressed, but what really amazed me was that when I put Malakai down in the class he would attend he was OFF! He didn't look back at me once.

I've known for some time that Malakai is bored at home, that he craves interaction and that he's frustrated with seeing the same faces and same four walls every day. But this was unbelievable! It was as if he'd been set loose in a candy store! He was all over the place, climbing up the soft blocks, checking out the other kiddies, flirting with the carers...

I let Joyce go and fetch him - knowing that she'd want to see him 'in action' (her mind also needs to be put at ease - she is incredibly fond of him). She was beaming from ear to ear when she brought him back to reception and we started our walk home. She described it as if he'd been there all his life, that is how at ease he was.

So, the place is pretty much sold for me - I'll go without a few things in order to afford this place. Malakai clearly loves the place and the fit is just right. They have other children who also have 'special' needs. A little girl who is deaf and another little boy who has a condition where he has no muscles in the right side of his chest. They've also had a little boy before with Down syndrome, but his family has now relocated. So they have no issues at all.

To top it off, this place offers all meals (which are outsourced through a catering company who has set up a dietitian-approved menu), as well as two special classes a week (baby-nastics and Kindermusiek), they also do school-readiness classes, AND you can go onto the Internet and see what is happening at any time of the day through special cameras set up around the creche.

BUT - my heart just swells when I remember how happy Malakai was to be 'set loose'. It was as if he blossomed before my very eyes. My little monkey.

So, now I can go back to work knowing that Joyce will be dedicated to Harlan and Malakai will be having a ball at his new creche!