Beautiful Blogger Award

Jessica, mommy to handsome Drew, from A Deeper Shade of Love (visit her blog here) nominated me for a Beautiful Blogger Award! Thank you Jessica - just when I thought my whining might be deterring fellow bloggers from coming to visit! LOL! It feels really great to be recognised by another blogger, and so knowing that there is a connection made, across the most vast of distances!

The rules of accepting this award are as follows:

1. Thank the person who nominated me for this award (tick!)

2. Copy the award and place it on my blog (tick!)

3. Link to the person who nominated me for this award (tick!)

4. Share 7 interesting things about myself

5. Nominate 7 other bloggers for the award

Ok! So seven interesting things about myself?...

1. I am a Virgo, and because of this I tend to be a very critical and analytical person - I often wish I could relax and 'let go' more, but as the years have gone by, I'm learning to accept myself as I am...

2. I will be turning the big 3. 0. this year... yikes! Time has definitely flown by, and I don't feel a day older than 22!

3. I remember being about 4 or 5 years old and my mom told me that as you get older the years fly by faster. I literally thought that they did and dreaded getting any older. I thought that by the time I reached 2o a year would last only a couple of months, and by 30 a year would be finished in a matter of weeks and so on... Needless to say, I had quite a literal-mind at that time! LOL!

4. When the Virgo in me isn't at full-tilt I can be quite a creative and eccentric person. As a 17-year-old I shaved all my hair off (after a particularly horrible break-up with a boyfriend). I loved it, but it soon wore off when I was referred to as a boy wherever I went... Still, it it something I am proud to say that I had the guts to do in a world where long blond trusses are practically expected in order to be called 'woman'.

5. I love words. I love them in written or spoken form. They move me. They inspire me. My mom always tells me the story of how as a 3-year-old I started crying one day and when she asked me why I was crying I told her that the words of a song on the radio were very sad and they were making me cry.

6. Speaking of crying - I was a very sensitive little soul as a child. I cried for weeks when I found out Steve Wonder was blind... I am not as sensitive these days and hardly ever cry - I am still wondering if that is a good thing?

7. If money, location, career was no issue and I had no boundaries at all I would choose to take my family and live on the edge of a lake, nestled in between massive mountains, in a small cabin at the top of a winding tree-lined drive. I would grow my own food, I would write of my life, I would photograph my boys every single day, I would cook my husband wholesome love-filled dinners. I would lay out his clothes for work the next day and pack him lunches that included small love-notes. I would teach my boys to grow and love plants. I would do many differently.

OK - so the 7 bloggers I nominate (in no particular order)?

1. My Life with Gabriel - I just love the way that Lee writes about her precious Gabriel, I feel she really helps so much and gives such great advice, as well as a glimpse into Gabriel's life.

2. Bridget's Light - Again, a blogger whose words and posts are so inspiring. And Bridget is just so friggen cute too!

3. Praying for Parker - what a well-written blog! I just love the 'everyday-ness' of this blog as well as the beautiful pictures!

4. Enjoying the Small Things - a new blog that I follow (I think I'm follower number 1852!). But truly, someone I think is a really gifted writer and photographer, as well as someone who literally says 'yes' to life, every. single. day.

5. Conny Wenk - again, just so inspired by the images that Conny captures - she just inspires me!

6. Three's a Charm - This is the first blog I started following when Malakai was diagnosed with Down syndrome and it's still high on my list of absolute favourites!

7. Emma Sage - I also love Tara Marie's creativity, zest for life, her calm spirit.

Whew... coming up for air

I've been wondering if I should sugar coat my last two weeks with pretty adjectives that come from an embarrassed (or guilt-induced) place, or if I should be honest.

Well... honesty has always been the easiest route for me (lying entails actually having to remember the lie, and with my porridge brain, that's not even a remote possibility at this point...).

It's been hard. Very. Flipping. Hard.

I was always aware that Malakai was an 'easy' baby - in fact I didn't know he could cry until he was 3 months old... But I didn't know that babies are usually this difficult...?

Harlan has severe cramps (from what I can tell) which keep him awake, and therefore overstimulated and crying, for hours on end. Today we had a 6-hour-long stretch of awake-ness interspersed with shrill and inconsolable crying. I'll be honest - I just cried myself at one point... desperate for some kind of respite from this little person.

I have tried all manner of things, from colic drops to homeopathic tablets to letting him sleep upright in his little car-chair to playing womb music to carrying him in a sling to feeding him sitting up and feeding him lying down...

Add to this the fact that we've all be sick for two weeks and you have yourself a recipe for some tension, headaches, sleep-deprivation and general grumpiness X 1000.

Malakai was diagnosed with croup last week - which I am so upset about because I know this is a recurring illness! My poor baby! Harlan still has a runny nose and is coughing (along with Darryl and I). So our house is filled with antibiotics and all other medicinal paraphernalia, none of which I can take myself.

I do try to always put a positive spin on my posts (and my life in general) - because I don't see the point in wallowing in self-pity - but this has definitely been a challenge.

And I feel so ridiculous! Many people have more than one child! I am not the first or the last, so I feel as though I am not special enough to feel like I'm drowning here... My logical brain is telling me to get with the programme and stop being so silly, but still... I feel like I'm in over my head.

What I can say though, with a certainty that comes with a baby finally fast asleep, with the last 15 minutes to myself to recharge and breath deeply, is that I know it will be ok. I know that it will get easier and that Harlan will eventually stop crying. Of this I am certain.

doctors doctors everywhere

Well, it's been a busy week - yes sir-ee...

Harlan developed very gooey eyes (for want of a better description) last Monday and we paid the pead a visit just to be on the safe side... the following day he developed a cough and a sneeze... oh no...

Two doctors visits, antibiotics, eye-drops, nose-drops and regular nebulizing later, we're a week down the road and all four of us are sick...

We're all feeling pretty sorry for our little selves right now...

Our doctor's visit today confirmed that Harlan is ok, as long as we keep him from getting any worse. Poor Malakai has a runny nose and his lack of eating (or even drinking his beloved juice) tells me he's feeling as bad as mommy... Darryl is able to take all sorts of medicine, so he's pretty much got the best deal out of all of us... I'm actually jealous every time he drinks a corenza-c! LOL!

And all this is the middle of a very hot heat wave... I was really blindsided by this flu bug, at this time of year.

Hopefully the coming week will bring with it better health - and higher spirits!

All alone...

The house has been a hive of activity since Harlan's birth. My mother came up from Durban for the week and Darryl's mom arrived this last Friday for the weekend. We've also had friends dropping by to meet Harlan...

And... now it's quiet. Everyone has come to visit. The Grannies have gone back home. It's just me and Darryl.

We sat last night and realised that it's just us and our boys now - and it didn't feel bad at all. In fact, we're feeling alright.

Malakai has started to take an interest in Harlan, and if his smile is anything to go by I think he quite likes his little brother!

Harlan is a really content little boy, only crying for a feed or a bad wind, but otherwise very happy to just eat and sleep at this point.

Malakai is starting to walk longer distances - about 10 to 15 paces at a time! He's also really picking up alot of signs now (although they can be confusing, because he doesn't get them spot-on). He can sign eat, drink, sleep, bye-bye, dog, bird and more. He also seems to be saying ba-ba, da-da and ma-ma in context, but then again, he also says them out of context... LOL! So who knows? He's also playing more constructively, like pushing his toy cars instead of just throwing them around and he's showing an interest in the shape sorter (after months of introduction)! My little boy is becoming a big boy now!!

Anyway - that is just a small update on our boys for now and some more pictures!!

Meet Harlan Stow

Dada... meet Harlan...

Kissable Lips!

It was elephant season... many of his soft toy gifts happened to be elephants...

Here at last!

Harlan was born by planned C-Section on Friday 29 January... Although planned, his arrival was no less exciting, a story for another day perhaps...

We are so happy to have Harlan in our lives and he has already crept deeply and snuggly into our hearts...

How nice it is to have a newborn in the house again - to hear the tiny cry, to smell that newborn smell, to comfort and to nourish a new life...

All I can say, after weeks of waiting, is...

aaaahhhh....

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!