Did I say I was ready...?

Ironically, the longer it takes Harlan to arrive, the less 'ready' I feel for his birth!

I have felt many times over the past three weeks that labour was imminent, but each time the signs tapered off into nothing and Harlan has not made his appearance yet...

Because Malakai was born by C-Section, so too must Harlan. Not that I think I could do natural birth, not after my experience with Malakai (12 hours in labour and not a single centimeter dialated... no thank you, too sore!).

BUT...

As with Malakai, I wanted to go into labour before having the C-Section so that we were certain that Harlan was ready to arrive - in his time. And, there is something special about knowing that Malakai initiated his arrival, and I really wanted the same for Harlan.

BUT...

I am now in my 40th week and still no Harlan... My doctor will not allow me to go over 40 weeks with a C-Section, so we have one booked for Friday at 4pm (our last possible day), just in case Harlan doesn't arrive on his own before then.

SO...

Little Harlan has another day and half to make his own entrance, otherwise, he's going to be pulled out... poor little monkey!

On a sad note, it is our friend Tim's memorial on Friday as well - if Harlan doesn't arrive on his own before then, Darryl and I will be attending the memorial and then making our way to hospital to have our baby a couple of hours later. How funny life can be...

And so a journey ends...

It is with a heavy heart that I write of a friend of ours who passed very suddenly... and with a tragedy that screams through my heart...
Just a week before his wedding to his beloved, Tim died this last Sunday in the early hours. He leaves behind a grieving fiance, a mother who is broken, two brothers and many many friends who will miss him sorely.
I am left thinking, as I am about to bring about a new life, how quickly a life ends. Sometimes there are no warnings, no way to prepare, just an emptiness left behind by a sudden and tragic event.
Tim - you were definitely not a shrinking violet, some even thought that you could only be handled in small doses - such was your energy and vigour. You lived on the edge, you had fun, you enjoyed life so much. You always greeted a friend - and life - with a big hug and kiss.

We will miss you terribly.

The Call - by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

I have heard it all my life,
A voice calling a name I recognise as my own.

Sometimes it comes as a soft-bellied whisper.
Sometimes it holds an edge of urgency.

But it always says:
Wake up my love. You are walking asleep.
There's no safety in that!

Remember what you are
and let this knowing take you home to the Beloved with
every breath.

Hold tenderly who you are
and let a deeper knowing colour the shape of your
humanness.

There is no where to go.

What you are looking for is right here.

Open the fist clenched in wanting and see what you already hold in your hand.

There is no waiting for something to happen, no point in the future to get to.

All you have ever longed for is here in this moment, right now.

You are wearing yourself out with all this searching.

Come home and rest.
How much longer can you live like this?
Your hungry spirit is gaunt, your heart stumbles.
All this trying. Give it up!

Let yourself be one of the God-mad,
faithful only to the beauty you are.

Let the Lover pull you to your feet and hold you close,
dancing even when fear urges you to sit this one out.

Remember - there is one word you are here to say with your whole being.

When it finds you, give your life to it.

Don't be tight-lipped and stingy.

Spend yourself completely on the saying.

Be one word in this great love poem we are writing together.

one in twenty-five

I thought I should share an interesting bit of information that I got from my Obgyn the other day...
Now, let me first say that my Obgyn, the one who delivered Malakai and who will be delivering Harlan (soon... hopefully...), is someone I just adore! I was so excited to see him again through my second pregnancy and we talk alot - about children with special needs and about life in general.
He shared something really interesting with me the other day. He told me that despite all the technology, the scans, the blood tests, the amnios, and yes... the resultant 'terminations' of babies who are not considered 'perfect'... despite all this, the average rate of a child born with a genetic or other defect sits firmly at 4%. That is one in twenty-five...
They cannot seem to budge this number... and I am taken aback by the poetic nature of... well... nature!
What does this tell me? Well, it confirms that my son is worthy of life. It confirms that all people who are 'differently-abled' are worthy of life.
It confirms that world is a place where a tree with a crooked branch can stand next to a tree that is perfectly manicured and still offer shade, still sway in the breeze and still do a darn good job of being a tree!
The number cannot be changed for a good reason - and I think every mother of a child with special needs can give you one, if not one-hundred, reasons why their child has blessed their life and the lives of those around them.
Just a little bit of interesting information.

Letter From Granny

I've recently renewed contact with a with an ex-colleague whose son has Down syndrome. She sent me photographs of her children and told me "Quintin is turning 24 in June and he is very precious. He was in his school's swimming, soccer and athletics team. He really enjoyed his sports." Here is a wonderful young man who has already gone through so many life experiences that Malakai still faces and I had so many unasked questions - mainly about his schooling and his work/independence.

This prompted the story I tell myself to resurface - hoping that that all the people out there that Malakai comes into contact with will support him as he embraces opportunities does his very best. I suppose I just want everyone to love my awesome little man as much as I do.

Then I ask myself why I am having these thoughts at all? Could it be because I expect Malakai to have difficulties? Could it be because I want Malakai to be treated differently to every other child? Could it be because I want to hold him back from experiencing life? Definitely not! So I have decided not to believe these thoughts because they are not true.

So, I ask myself, what is true? The reality that is right infront of me is true. And, I realise, reality is always kinder than the stories I tell myself! I can't know what the future will bring, and trying to fathom it out is impossible and a waste of precious time. What I do know for sure is that Malakai is awesome and everything is absolutely perfect just the way it is!

The last time I saw Malakai a few weeks ago, he was enjoying playing with his toys, dancing to music, clapping his little hands, having a blast throwing sand in the air with most of it landing in his hair, smiling proudly as he mastered manoeuvring down steps, sharing his toys with his parents, communicating through signs that he was hungry or thirsty or tired, contemplating walking, sleeping like an angel in his Mommy's arms, waving goodbye... Now, what can be better than that?

My heart is swollen with love for Malakai as I remind myself that he is my teacher and he will lead the way as he follows his own life path learning his lessons along the way. And me? I will follow his perfect progress applauding him every step of the way.

Granny Bugs

Malakai's First Steps

Just a quick post to note for prosterity (and to congratulate my little monkey) on taking his first steps today!

After almost a month of standing like a champion, Malakai took his first unaided steps at his first session of physio therapy for 2010 this morning. I had a feeling this might happen, because sometimes it just takes another perspective to show him the 'motor plan' of how something is done.

I didn't expect him to do it again for me at home. Nevertheless, this afternoon when I called to him and asked him to stand and walk to me and he actually did! Two small, but completely awesome and beautiful and inspiring little steps.

The best thing? That he knows he's achieved something. His smile when I grabbed him and kissed him all over said it all. He did it again for Daddy, and I suspect we'll have our hands full very soon!

Well done mister man!

New Year New Look

I've updated Malakai's blog design because this will now become Malakai & Harlan's blog... As a family we are growing and changing and so too must the blog that we've used to advocate, educate and share our amazing journey in becoming parents of our amazing Malakai.

I chose the name 'the good life' because that's what I believe we are blessed to live - a very fulfilling and enriching life.

I hope that all those friends I've made in bloggy-land will continue to visit this blog as we welcome Harlan, embark on a new year, and attempt to face our new family dynamic in the way that Malakai has taught us - One Day at a Time...

Hello 2010!

I had this super-long post written, and now I can't seem to cut and paste it to blogger... pretty annoying, but probably for the best, as my posts are becoming quite rambly (is that a word?) lately!

So, I'll just update you all on our Festive Holiday Season by pictures with captions! Much more fun!

As you can see - my belly is growing a bit these days! These pictures were taken when I was about 34 weeks on... It is our little family portrait before little one arrives!

This is mister man helping out in his new garden - yes, the very same garden I wanted done by Christmas... ahem* Well... it's not quite done yet, but it is coming along nicely. I spent this morning pottering around (all 36 weeks of me) and had a complete blast! Photos of the garden completed will be coming soon!

A few days before Christmas we joined our local Ds Association to hand out food packs at a charity organisation that offers assistance to physically and mentally handicapped people. This organisation is run out of old disused shipping containers in a very poor township. We were so glad to be part of this!

Christmas with my family is a very chilled affair... no cooking, no cleaning, no entertaining... My brother-in-law always spoils us to lunch and afterwards we lie in the pool and relax (without a dish to wash!). This year we went to a beautiful hotel that organised the most lavish picnics in their beautiful gardens - Malakai just LOVED exploring and I spent as much time as I could lying on the blanket, just relaxing! Afterward, we swam in the pool and lay in the garden - all very full and very lazy!

Then, just a quick update on Malakai. I cannot believe just how much he's changed the past three weeks! It always seems that when we're on holiday and have lots of time with him, Malakai just blossoms!

On a motor level - Malakai is still not walking yet, but he's standing for longer and longer periods and is still cruising along everything. He's crawling with his bum in the air, legs completely straight and man can he move! He's obsessed with the toilets and toilet paper... He's also learned how to go down stairs and get off the couch backwards - he learned it amazingly fast one day he was diving head first and the next he was turning around. Malakai is also dancing - it is a the cutest friggen thing I've ever seen!

On a fine motor level - Malakai is now using his pointing finger and pushing buttons. This took a long time for him to master - I've been showing him for months. But it's like the light just went on and now he loves pushing buttons and making his toys make music! He's also showing an interest for the very first time to put shapes in the shape sorter - before he only wanted to throw the shapes as far as possible, and now he understands that he needs to put the shape in the hole!

On a communicative level - Malakai understands so much more than I think we even realise. He follows instruction and has started to give us things when we say 'ta'. He's playing peekaboo (he even hides himself away!). He's signing eat, sleep, and more. He's verbalising so much more than a few weeks ago and is saying 'ma ma' and 'ba ba', but I am not sure he's actually saying it in context yet... I think he's really understanding so much more, and the other day, when a show called 'Boogie BeBees' came on (a dancing show for toddlers), their theme song goes 'dance, dance, dance...' and there is is, shaking his little booty in front of the TV!

Teeth - yes... because they deserve their own paragraph! Malakai has been teething for what seems to be 40 years now! We have a full set of teeth on top and on ONE SIDE at the bottom... we are working on the second side on the bottom and then we're done (I hope and pray)! Add to this a bought of tonsillitis and fevers and you can imagine - I was so sleep deprived for 5 days that I didn't know what to do with myself! Things are better now though, and Malakai is sleeping through again... thank goodness!

As for myself - I'm officially on maternity leave and waiting for Harlan (yes, that is baby number 2's chosen name) to arrive. At my checkup today we discovered that Harlan is weighing in at 3.1kgs (huge!) and I have another 2 or so weeks to go. I am incredibly uncomfortable, but I am also relishing in the relative calm before the storm (so to speak)... So I'm napping every afternoon and generally having myself a fabulous time!

Ok, so my 'short' post morphed into a rather long one! Sorry! I will endeavour to update my blog more often, and hopefully will be able to keep my posts shorter...

Here's to a fantastic 2010 - it can only be amazing!

this 'n that...

Malakai with Darryl on one of our hot summer days (hence the nappy-only-attire). They played on Darryl's bike (his second wife, really...) and then I got some pics of them just playing around on the patio.

Malakai with Darryl at the Irene Dairy on Sunday afternoon.

Malakai and Darryl at the Botanical Gardens - we found a pond and Malakai had a blast! He was soaked by the end of it, but it was worth every single drop!

Just some pictures I took one afternoon when Darryl got home from work - Malakai is always so happy to see him... so touching!

This year is now coming to a screeching halt... the days are really flying by and with Christmas approaching at a rate of knots, I'm starting to realise that my life is really about to change - forever...

Our little one (still nameless - we just can't make a decision!) is weighing in at over 2kgs and I'm really starting to feel pregnant - the little aches and pains, and the sometimes very sore back and legs! He's moving around alot and I'm starting to feel his soul around me, ready to come into this world and add to our little family unit.

I know that Malakai is going to make an awesome big brother and that Darryl will make an excellent dad - as he is with Malakai.

Malakai is doing really well - very close to taking those first steps... He's standing by himself now and can hold the position for up to 20 seconds, but he still needs one of us to hold his hand before he'll take a step. It is amazing how quickly he's progressed from sitting to crawling to cruizing to standing!

Malakai also got four pairs of top teeth at once! What a week that was! Now he has all his top teeth and I think he's working on his bottom teeth because he's quite grumpy, drooling buckets, and chewing on everything - shame, I just hope it goes quickly for him!

Malakai's communication is also improving - although he was using signs a while ago and babbling, it all stopped for a while. Now he's back to using signs for eat, sleep and something else I can't figure out. He's also waving hello! I know he understands quite a bit because he'll sit when I ask him to and give me a kiss when I ask as well (too cute)! He's also babbling again, using the 'ba', 'ma' and 'da' sounds (interspersed with farting noises, squeals and moans).

Darryl and I are loving spending time with Malakai these days, because he's really started to interact, socialise and even joke around (he'll pull faces and then expect you to do the same in return)!

On the home front, we've decided to keep the nursery as it is and give Malakai a new Big Boy room. I've eventually bought all the soft furnishings for the room, and the theme is kind of big-boy-beach, but without any obvious waves or fish... We'll be working on his room the week before Christmas, so I'll post pics as soon as we're done!

Also, we're designing Malakai a sensory garden - it is my mother's gift to him for Christmas. We'll have a little paved area for a table and chairs, under shade. A small jungle gym. A vegetable and herb patch. A sand pit. Stepping stones. Lush green lawn. Lots of pots of different sizes. And of course, plenty of flowers, shrubs, edible plants, flowering trees etc. He just loves being outdoors and this is the perfect place for our South African Summer! We're also planning on getting this done the week before Christmas...

Then, for Christmas Day, we're going to have a picnic with my mom, dad, Darryl's grandmother, my sister, her husband and their little girl. It should be fun! In South Africa, we have Christmas in the middle of summer (even though our cards and wrapping paper are of snowy white places...)!

Anyway! I forgive you all if you didn't get this far in reading the post (it has been rather long...). But I do hope that all my bloggy friends, who've become like family to me over the past year, have a very special Festive Season - Safe, Joyous, Peaceful and most importantly Love-filled!

Good Gracious!

What a week!

It all started with a little 24-hour bug that took me 48 hours to recover from (thanks to Mr Malakai keeping me up all night!). Murphy's Law says that if you take 2 weeks off from work for bedrest, the day you get back to the office you'll end up with your face down the shared loo, vomiting up your left lung... It wasn't pretty...

I was at work for a total of 60 minutes and before my husband came to collect me and take me home, stopping enroute for more 'close encounters' with the side of the road. I spent the rest of the day sleeping, thankful that I could rest and recover while Malakai's nanny took care of him. That night, however, Malakai kept me up for hours, so any recovery was quickly wiped out.

The next day was the worst I've ever felt in my entire pregnancy so far! I was completely finished - feeling very very sorry for my little self! But luckily Mr. Man allowed me a full night's sleep that night and so Wednesday, when I felt human again, was the best day of my pregnancy so far! LOL!

Unfortunately, whatever I had been plagued with had passed onto Malakai, who started his own vomiting on Thursday, Friday & Saturday. And a heat wave just made it impossible to keep him hydrated enough, resulting in an overnight hospital stay on the Monday, with Mr. Man hooked up to a drip. The poor little guy was so lethargic, he just slept and slept.

Malakai was admitted to hospital by Daddy, as I was still trying to catch up with work from being off for 2 weeks (and 1 day...). As I raced to get to the hospital (the moment I could get away from work) the car's engine blew up. Yes... smoke from the dashboard - everything... Luckily a friend of my husband's came to rescue me from the side of the freeway, and two very nice tow-truck drivers waited with me until he got there. Being on the side of a freeway is probably the least safe place in South Africa - I would have been a prime target if I didn't have those two gentlement with me.

So? How are we all doing? I am feeling much better & Mr. Malakai is back to his old self again (except for the fact that he won't eat anything but viennas and yoghurt...). As for the car - it's still very broken...

What a week! Whew! I'm glad it's behind us!

And Vogue!

My little man has been going through some real changes the past few weeks - the biggest being more teeth arriving - we are now up to 7 in total (and waiting for that 8th to arrive soon). With the teeth comes more sleepless nights and grumpiness - shame, I really hope that teething becomes easier for him!

Other than that, Malakai is doing really well cruising along the furniture and has started - all by himself and with NO intervention - to try and stand by himself. He can try for hours, letting go of the furniture or trying to stand directly from the floor - each and every time he tries, he looks so proud of himself!

Also, Malakai has started to feed himself by hand. Now - I know that he's been physically able to do this for some time, but he much preferred throwing everything on the floor and I just wasn't into all that cleaning. But I've taken baby-steps - first giving him the food directly in his hand, which he then puts in the mouth (and claps proudly afterwards!), and now I can put some food infront of him and he'll put it in his mouth (instead of throwing it to the floor). So we're making some progress there!

Another really exciting development is that I'm able to push Malakai's dinner a bit later so that we can eat together as a family. Often, we'll all eat the same food, or I'll make a small change to make the dinner suitable for Malakai. It's great, because it makes his mealtime less tedious, and Darryl and I can actually sit, talk, eat and enjoy the time together - whereas before it was about stealing a bite to eat while Malakai was trying to hang off my head! LOL!

It's also becoming more of a challenge to keep Malakai entertained - he really seems to get bored and frustrated easier. I think he's craving experience more than toys - so we try to plan something for both Saturdays and Sundays that are different - somewhere outdoors, and somewhere that's different, interesting with new smells, sights and experiences.

Yesterday I took Malakai to the Irene Dairy (a real 100+ year-old farm down the road from our house), where I do all my Private Photo Shoots. I decided it was time for a little photo shoot of our own! It wasn't easy I tell you - to entertain Malakai, get him to 'perform' infront of the camera, and take the shots - whew! But I got some great shots of my little model! Hope you all enjoy them!

Scrub-a-dub-dub

I've been meaning to take some pictures of Malakai during bath-time for so long now! I am so glad I did, because he really enjoys this part of his daily routine - it so much fun!

So - just a few pictures (sure to make all the grannies happy!).

Pregnancy Update

So, I'm around 26 weeks now and starting to pack on the weight! Little man is weighing in at 1kg and is doing well. Other than being booked off for bed-rest for the next two weeks, due to stress, I'm doing just fine.

Physically, I've got a real belly now, and there's no "is she or isn't she??" looks anymore. I'm finding it quite hard to cope with Malakai's new habit of squirming on my lap - he just 'tucks and rolls' without any notice and I'm left trying to stop him from diving head-first onto the floor! Not easy when my arms feel like jelly and my stomach muscles are nowhere to be seen! LOL! Picking him up, changing nappies (he likes to kick me straight in the stomach), bathing and dressing are all activities that are becoming more difficult to master - so I've resorted to singing... the alphabet song... over and over again... It really holds his attention I tell you!

Psychologically, I am not really feeling very emotionally connected to this pregnancy - I'll be honest. I don't know why exactly, and I'm a bit scared to try and find out... I know that the incessant questions of 'have you done your tests?', 'is the baby normal?' etc etc are probably more hurtful than they would be if I wasn't over-flowing with pregnancy hormones. But it does bug me a bit, because those questions imply that I wouldn't like to repeat my experience of having a 'baby like' Malakai again.

So - would I? Would I repeat my experience again, knowing full and well what's in store for me? I know that nothing will stop me from loving this little boy. I know that no 'condition' or 'diagnosis' could make me choose to end his life. I know that perfection comes in many forms. I know that my Malakai is the greatest gift I've ever received, and so why wouldn't I want to repeat the experience?

I also know that I have never been a mother to a 'typical' child. I know that I don't which milestone comes when and how, anymore than I know what it's like to not have to go to therapy twice or three times a week. I know that I'm a mother to a child with special needs, so how will I fare with a 'typical' child?

I guess I'm scared that I will see Malakai in a different light. I guess I'm scared that I actually have to pay attention to what 'typical' development looks like - which I've gladly dodged these past 15 months with Malakai. I guess I'm even scared that the attention I give Malakai will be halved, or that I'm going to leave this new little guy to just 'do his thing' because I know he can and will.

And so?

Well - Humpf! That's all I can say. I know it sounds horrible, but what can I do? I am very aware of the fact that reality is always kinder than the story we tell about it. These thoughts exist and so they will be acknowledged. But they will not be placed on a pedestal and followed like gospel.

The only thing I can do (and the only thing I have been doing since Malakai's birth) is to take it one day at a time. As long as I don't look too far ahead, as long as I do my best today, it will all be ok - Love is like that!

And so, I give this little baby everything he needs, through the miracle of a mother's body. I am glad he is on the way, I look forward to meeting him and having him part of our little family. But I am not thinking of exactly how this is going to go down... because I just can't know at this point.

What I do know for sure is that reality is much kinder than the scary stories we tell about it. And I'll just stick with that - today's reality. Tomorrow will take care of itself.

National Down Syndrome Day - South Africa

Today is National Down Syndrome Day in South Africa.

To celebrate, our local association put on a fun day - complete with water slides, horse rides, face painting and good food. It was really great to get out and about and just have a fun day in the sun!

This is our first time joining in the celebration for National Down Syndrome Day - last year we were just-new parents, not sure we could cope with taking our little newborn (Malakai was only about 5 or 6 weeks old at the time) baby very far from the comforts and safety of home. This year, Malakai was crawling all over the place, eating the sand and leaves, and enjoying the other children - I could not have imagined this would be the case last year at the same time!

Malakai continues to thrive, determined to get his own way (wow - the focus is quite something)! He is now cruising along the furniture, with a fall here and there (ouch!) which makes me cringe, but I know it's part of the learning process! Malakai has also developed a half-crab crawl which his physical therapist is devastated about! LOL! Other than looking a bit strange - I am amazed at the speed at which (screaming with joy) Malakai is able to hobble/crawl down the passage to find me in the bedroom. His little squeals of delight and hands pattering on the tiles giving him away before he bounds into the room I'm in.

Because I'm not sure if I've shared all of Malakai's updates, I'll just list them below - no... ok... yes... I am completely biased and think my child is a super-star, but hey!

Malakai is an almost-15-month-old boy who loves to kiss pictures of blonde girl babies. Throwing things (anything really), is his favourite hobby, followed closely by getting each and every single musical toy to make their 'songs' at the same time - creating a cacophony of 'beautiful' noise. He loves reading, and turns all the pages by himself. He will clap, wave, dance (or all three in a close succession if he's not too sure) when asked nicely, and he fully understands (but does not care for) the words 'no', 'sit', 'come'. When he feels the urge, he'll sign 'eat' or 'sleep'. He babbles, squeals, roars, makes car sounds, and does a very convincing farting-sound - and I never knew there were so many ways to say 'ba ba ba' - there's the angry, tired, confused, determined and happy versions! He will give everything he comes across a lick - why not? Malakai also loves to stand, bounce and fly through the air, and will spend countless minutes (hours in baby-time) crusing along the furniture.

I hope I haven't left anything out?

I can honestly say that I had no idea where my little boy would be a year down the road from the last National Down Syndrome Day - I can't be more proud of my little man!

Long Overdue

Malakai and his cousin Natalia - chilling in the jacuzzi last weekend

Malakai and Dada - smiley boys!

A long overdue post... I know I know!

Firstly, Malakai is doing really well – as if I’d have a different perspective?! I think my son is the most clever, gorgeous, charming, funny little person ever – but I’m a bit biased...

Malakai is getting more confident in his physical abilities with every passing day – what was a crawl is now a blur (he moves fast!), he follows me now as I move around the house. He’s also getting very good at pulling himself up on the furniture and loves to get himself into all the places he’s not allowed to go.
Changing a nappy or getting dressed is a battle of wills – Malakai’s one aim seems to be to escape me, mid-nappy! It’s really quite funny to watch I suppose, as I have to stop him from flipping over onto his tummy and crawling away – I sing, I chant the alphabet, I make funny faces, I have toys on hand to occupy him... but with no great success!
A “no” from me is greeted by a wicked smiled and a giggle – and then he does it anyway! Whew! I didn’t know that discipline started so young, and that I’d have to repeat myself over and over and over again! LOL!
Malakai is also babbling nicely, but the sign language seems to have taken a back seat – but it’s to be expected with such an explosion in physical ability. So I’m not worried at all!
Malakai now has a total of 4 teeth, (two at the bottom middle and his top two eye teeth) – and they do a very good job of munching through a whole array of new foods (tennis biscuits are his favourite)!

I am now about 21 weeks pregnant with another little boy! Have I said that already? Not sure, because I know I’ve been repeating myself, and sometimes I even KNOW that I’m about to repeat myself but I’m too brain-tired to stop myself... so I just do it anyway!
This second pregnancy is very different from Malakai’s, the obvious reasons being that I’m already a mom and don’t have time to dote on my belly like I did with Malakai! I’ve also gained alot less weight this time, in fact I’m a whole 9kgs lighter than I was with Malakai at this time! OK yes, I was a bit of a hippo last time around...

I’m also very tired – my husband says that it’s all I ever say!
How are you? Tired.
What do you want to do? Sleep.
How was your day? Tiring.
Good morning... I’m tired!

But I am working three jobs (four if you count growing a baby as a job... five if you count being a mom as a job... six if you count being a wife as another job, although I’m not very good at that at the moment – poor husband!). But we have much to be grateful for, especially the additional income which is going a long way towards securing a financially free maternity leave for January 2010!

Otherwise, summer is finally here – I am sitting on my patio after dark writing this post. The air is fresh, I can hear the crickets and bullfrogs in the distance, mosquitoes are attacking my feet (itchy!) and I am waiting patiently for our first thunderstorm (my favourite) – not tonight though!

Clapping Hands