Happy Birthday Ohpaw!

Baie baie geluk met paw se verjaarsdag Sondag! Hoop dit was 'n wonderlike jaar, en mag al paps se drome waar word in die een wat volg! Ons is ongelooflik lief vir paw en waardeer elke stukkie wysheid en aanmoediging wat paw daagliks vir ons gee! Pa is ongelooflik spesiaal!!!

And, Caden's birthday gift to ohpaw? Saying OUPA!!!

Baie liefde
Ons 3

Welcome to the world Cole

To Lisa and Dale,
Congratulations on your beautiful baby boy, Cole, born on the 7th of the 7th! I know he'll be as special as his birth date, and may he bring you endless joy and pride!
Love
Us3

Bumps, Marrow and Drawings

Hello poopie pants,

Let me tell you about the first word in the title. On Saturday you had one of the biggest falls ever. I'm not quite sure what happened, but I think you tripped over your own feet outside on the patio. Apparently there wasn't enough time to put your hands out so as to break your fall a little bit...then...crash, fase first, onto the pavement. I have never seen a bruise swell up so quickly. Right between the eyes, it looks like a little (actually very big) rhino horn. I felt so incredibly sorry for you. Luckily after a couple of minutes of crying you cheered up again, but the evidence remains, so you look like you've been in a battle field!

Later that day me and Yolandi went to the Declan Bone Marrow drive. I donated a blood sample for bone-marrow, and Yolandi donated blood. At first I was very weary, I mean, apparently it is VERY painful to donate the marrow. Then I thought about the day that I might receive the call that I am a match for someone and I had to go and donate. I got chills up my spine, and frankly, I was terrified! But my terror was soon dampened by the thought of the family getting a call on the same day, saying that they have found a match for their loved one. Well, that just makes it all worth it! But I think the final convincing factor was that I remembered you, little one, being a mere month old, weighing only about 1.5kg, had a lumber puncture. And my baby boy, if you could be that brave and endure such pain at such an early age, then I can surely do it, possibly to save a life!

Anyhoo, I have attached a pic of your first drawing, which we gave to dad as a father's day present. I think it's a master piece!

Love you plenty squishy!

Happy Dad's day!

My angel, I know it's a bit late, but I wanted to tell about all the wonderful dad's in your life. By this I don't mean that you have more than one daddy (relax Weasel), I mean that there is a whole hierarchy of men that you can look up to. So here goes:

Your daddy Weasel:
Well, what can I say. There are simply not enough words to describe how much he loves you. You should see him sparkle when he comes home and you break into a squeal and a little run, tripping over your own feet just to get to him. He was gracious enough to lend his ruggedly handsome exterior to you, so you two really look like two peas in a pod, especially when you're lying with him in front of the t.v. with the remote in your hand! So to big daddy Weasel, thank you for being the most amazing father and husband that anyone could ask for. Thank you for leading this family and thank you for being our support and anchor. We love you endlessly!

Your Ohpaw:
Now here is a man of intense wisdom and creativity. You always calm down when you hear his voice and you love listening to him sing. You also enjoy grabbing his moustache every now and again. Other than being a wonderful ohpaw to you, he has been the most inspirational father to me. I have learnt so many things from him, espescially how to look for the deeper meaning in everything and how earthly things don't make you who you are. Listen to your ohpaw my squishy, he is a very wise man and he will teach you many things. Happy father's day paw, we love plenty!

Your Grampy:
A silent wisdom. A man of few words, but through his eyes you can absolutely see the joy and love he has for you little man. He has raised your daddy to be a stand-up guy by being a wonderful role-model and someone we can look up to. He phones regularly from Dubai just to check if you are still ok and to hear your little voice on the other side. He knows so many things, espescially about things that fly, so, if you are anything like your father (which you obviously are), I know you will spend hours and hours listening to what he has to teach you. Thank you grampy for being such a source of warmth and love. You are an admirable man and we love you immensely.

To all the other fathers out there, thank you for taking care of your families, for leading them and directing their ways. You are the cornerstone of society and without the discipline and knowledge that you instill in your sons or daughters, civilisation will cease to exist.

Lots of Love!

Some pics

Helloooo, as per my usual sneaky self, I have "stolen" some pics from Loren's blog. They are just too beautiful, so I had to post them!

Oh, and if you have some spare coins this month, please go and buy the Mamas & Papas Special Needs Edition Magazine this month. Loren has written 6 articles and we are so proud to call her our friend. More than that though, it is just wonderful seeing a transformation in society. Hopefully soon they will have a Magazine dedicated to only special needs children!

Molars, ear infections and very early mornings!

Hello my angel,

It's been a rough couple of weeks for you and dad and I have been feeling so sorry for you little one. It started with that ear infection I told you about in the previous post. Then a week and a half ago I was worried about you again because you definitely weren't yourself, so off we went to the doc again, and yes, another ear infection. It might have been the previous one that just didn't clear up, but you were on anti-biotics again (which I can't say I'm completely happy about because two courses in just over two weeks? Sounds a bit much to me). And on top of that you had more celstamine, which can restrict growth and that's the last thing you need shorty! LOL! Just playing angel, you're growing perfectly and even if you are short, at least you'll be fast, lol!

So we finished your second course last Wednesday, and things seemed to be looking up, but you still haven't been quite yourself. Alas, on Friday I felt the culprit...4, yes 4 molars are making their way through your little gums. Two on top and two at the bottom. One of the bottom one's have made an appearance, but the other 3 still need to bore their way through. When I looked in your mouth I could just see how swollen it was and there were even blood spots where the teeth are trying to push through. I feel so sorry for you my little angel. You haven't had a lot of sleep because of this discomfort. Up at about 4h30, and sometimes during the night as well. But I'm reaping some benefit because I get to go lie in bed with you and have a little "chat" before we make our way to the living room. Your poor father is also very sleep deprived. He woke up at 2h30 this morning, but I could see he also enjoyed the little cuddle that followed.

This morning you started touching your ear again and I must say I am at a kind of cross roads. I don't know if I should take you to the doc or not? Is it just your teeth? Or do you need gromets (which is what the doc said last time if it didn't clear up). It really feels like I want to claim ignorance, because if I do take you to the doctor, and there is something wrong, then you might need to go to hospital again, and I really really don't want to put you through that again. I know it's selfish, and maybe it's just that I don't want to go through that myself again, but I honestly don't know what to do. Oh well, I suppose only time will tell, maybe after your toofies are through all the pain and discomfort will dissapear. Doesn't hurt to dream hey?

Anyhoo, on a little update, you have started "kissing" people now, and you even make the "mwah" sound, it is way too cute! You can say Elmo (our doggy), woof-woof-woof (well, more like bow-wow-wow), Ouma, Mama, Dada, Out, Brrr (for car), Bzzzz (for a hairdryer), duck, cluck click (for a clock), Uh Uh (when you know you're doing something wrong) hmmmm hmmmm (when you want something to eat) and your "very cute" tantrums have now evolved into you throwing your whole little body backwards or actually lying on the floor and screaming...hmmmm...takes parenting to whole other level! I've tried to fall on the floor next to you and do the same so that you might get embarrased and stop, but instead you thought it was a fat joke and continued to do it more and more just to see how I react. So we definitely need a plan B!

Anyway my angel fatty, love you plenty and really hope your toofies come out soon so that you (and us) can get some sleep!

Oh, and just a shout out to granny and grampy in Dubai! Hope you guys are having a wonderful time and enjoying the holiday you so deserve!!! Can't wait to hear all about it!

Mwah!
Mom

Some Pics!

Learning to walk - Ohpaw Theron

My dear angel,

Once again your ohpaw has graced us with his beautiful words, so appropriate and so fitting. Dankie pa, dit is pragtig!

Our inability to remember how we learned to walk is probably the prime reason why some people give up so readily when they are faced with challenges in life. If only we can remember the time when we were learning to walk, we would not be so ready to give up without a fight.
But even before we learned to walk, we had to learn how to fall on our buttocks while trying to stand up on our own legs. Most of the times when we tried to stand up, we fell down again. Sometimes we cried when falling down, while at other times we giggled and laughed at ourselves. Every so often, it took us some time to pluck up the courage to stand up again, but get up we did, and today we can not only walk, we can run, jump, skip, and dance. So, even if it did take us a while to want to stand up again, we never waited too long to give it another shot.
There were times when someone was around to catch us, and to cheer us on. And there were also times when we picked ourselves up silently, without anyone watching. The numerous falls did not stop us from wanting to rise on our legs. Did we hurt when we fell? You bet we did. But our determination to rise up every time was all that mattered.
The question is, if everyone has been through this stage, shouldn’t we all have the same determination today to rise up every time we fall? Not only that, but we should remember how someone wiped away the mournful tears we cried whenever we hurt. We should remember how someone – mommy or daddy, granny or grandpa, kissed away the pain. And we should remember how there always seemed to be someone to pick us up again when we fell. Nobody laughed at us when we fell. Nobody considered us weak or stupid. Nobody said we fell because we were arrogant, cocky, or conceited. On the contrary, everybody understood. And everybody wanted us to get up again. And Today? Today the very act of walking which once took so much effort seems like the easiest thing in the world to do. Because we persevered. Because SOMEONE cared. And because we knew that we had all been though the same “ordeal.” In short, we appreciated each other’s efforts to overcome life’s necessary obstacles.
TRULY, LIFE’S GREATEST LESSONS ARE ALREADY LEARNED IN CHILDHOOD.

Mother'sday, a Birthday, Measles and stuff!

Hello my angel boy!

Well, once again my only excuse is that I was so busy at work that I just didn't have time to write my little "love-letters" to you, but I told you about them every night though!

Ok, so, where do I start, at the beginning of the title I suppose. Well, the best mother's day present ever was to see you and your dad have such a great "male-bonding" experience. I had to study so dad took you out for a fun day, and it was so beautiful seeing father and son together, so happy, such a perfect match! Your father bought me the most amazing suit for work (it's REALLY pretty and I feel all professional like!), and when I took a break from my studies we had so much fun toghether!

Next on the list...oh yes, my birthday! Lots of fun, also took it very easy because...wait for it... I had to study! But I was spoiled rotten and got some beautiful pressies. I did, however notice that you were very niggly that week, but I wrote it off to teeth (in my "rational mind). Deep down, however, something was bothering me. I decided to wait it out because I don't want to be a hypochondriac. It's not healthy, and it certainly is not cheap, lol. But Friday I knew something was up.

That very day I was bragging to someone about how you have NEVER had a fever, not with teeth, not with ear-infection, not with anything! Well guess what. That night your temps shot up to 32.9C!!! Yes, mommy was having a small embulism! I was so stressed out! Dad was kinda calm (or just seemed like it), and got ouma Rina on the phone. She said - Panado, cold cloth, check it every hour. So, being the obedient parents that we are, that's what we did. We managed to keep your temps down to about 38C, but next day it was off to the doc, and yes, you had severe mid-ear infection. So, lots of meds, your temperature broke, yay, and you were on your way to recovery...or were you? Nope. Two days later I saw a funny rash behind your ears....hmmmm...I thought... I know what starts out like this... On the phone to the doc and he confirmed that it sounded like baby measles. Ouch my boy, I felt so sorry for you. You were not a happy camper at all! Two days later the rash started disapearing and then....just as I thought your misery was over, there they were, two pearly whites right next to your bottom teeth. Yay, so now you have 8 toofies! And thankfully the pain and misery was over in just one week!

Now you are walking (yes, literally walking) around like you own the earth and that the world is your play-ground. I love seeing you this happy! You are growing up so quickly! This weekend you spent a night at ouma Rina's and I couldn't believe how big you got when we picked you up. You were walking around, looking at the trees, and just....being a big boy!

I'm soooo increadibly proud of everything that you are my angel. You are beautiful, you are perfect. You make me laugh so much when you chase the dogs out, or when you go hmmmhmmmm for a biscuit. I love you with everything and thank you for enriching our lives.

Till next time my fatty!

Love
mom

One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind!

Well my angel, as you can read from the heading, you have indeed given what we like to think is your first steps.

It's been coming for a while, you've been "falling" with a little stumble into either my or dad's arms when prompted. But the night before last you gave a couple of definite, directed and controlled steps to dad and to me. So yes, there is trouble on the way! We are so very proud of you and the sheer determination on your face when you focus on the task at hand is one of the most adorable things we've ever seen. Followed by the elation of finally accomplishing that task ofcourse! So well done my boy, today the living room, tomorrow the world. We hope you will give plenty of leaps for mankind one day, and may all your steps from here on be directed by love, gratitude and sincerity.

Ohpaw sent this song to me by John Denver. It was written for his son Bobby, but as ohpaw said, it might as well have been for you:

I’ll walk in the rain by your side
I’ll cling to the warmth of your hand
I’ll do anything to keep you satisfied
I’ll love you more than anybody can

And the wind will whisper your name to me
Little birds will sing along in time
Leaves will bow down when you walk by
And morning bells will chime

I’ll be there when you’re feelin’ down
To kiss away the tears if you cry
I’ll share with you all the happiness I’ve found
A reflection of the love in your eyes

And I’ll sing you the songs of the rainbow
A whisper of the joy that is mine
And leaves will bow down when you walk by
And morning bells will chime

I’ll walk in the rain by your side
I’ll cling to the warmth of your tiny hand
I’ll do anything to help you understand
And I’ll love you more than anybody can

And the wind will whisper your name to me
Little birds will sing along in time
Leaves will bow down when you walk by
And morning bells will chime

Love you plenty my angel.

Mom