31 March 2011

Love is...

... Sharing the birthday spotlight.





My boys sure spoiled me this week. I am one grateful, happy woman. Here's to a wonderful 26th year.

Much love,
The Dolfos

24 March 2011

Love is...

A sunny day.




17 March 2011

Love is...

... Like the FORCE, all around





10 March 2011

Love is...

... Being together.





Thursdays are officially "Love is..." days. :)

Much Love,
The Dolfos

07 March 2011

Hop on Pop

I admit, we got Makani hooked on watching some "Sesame Street" at night before bedtime. Don't get me wrong, "Sesame Street" is pretty fun and educational, but it was never my intention to let him get hooked on TV so early. What can I say? It was easy.

Weak moment, no more, though. Finally found a few books that are great for bedtime reading and I'm happy to say that we've weaned him off the nightly youtube clips and switched him to books. He loves it! I thought it was going to be more work, but it's less. And the best part of it is that his babble has turned into some pretty advanced sounds - now we're actually encouraging his speech, vocabulary and interest in literature. I'm so proud! Of us, as parents, really, for making the switch. And of Mak, for being cool with and loving it.

It's a great feeling when you make those little decisions as parents that really pay off in the long run.

Much Love,
The Dolfos

01 March 2011

A Pinch and A Punch!

... For the first of the month, of course.

March came in quickly. This may seem odd after such a loving post, but boy did Makani get on my nerves today! I've never seen such passionate tantrums from him before! I mean, I've seen tantrums, but never has he gotten down on his stomach, banging and kicking the floor while screaming at frequencies that should be illegal.

Tantrums like that get automatic time outs in this house. The theory is, when ANYONE is that frustrated, they probably just need to cool down on their own. I know when I'm pissy, a minute or two by myself will clear my head more than trying to talk it out. Fortunately, Makani is REALLY responsive to time outs - in a great way. He loves to lay in the play pen and just chill. After a minute, I come over and sign, "all done?" and he confirms by signing back, "all done, please" and we're back in business.

Today was not one of the better days. EVERYTHING was making him upset. Brad, C and I were at a loss as to how to help poor Mak communicate his needs. This kid knows three languages. For sure, if he wanted to communicate, he could and would. I guess today, Makani just had no interest. I knew something was off, since the kid had been clumsy ALL day. Falling and tripping and bumping into things.... oh, RIGHT, I reminded myself... Growth spurt! I even checked for teeth. Sure enough, there's a few of those fighting their way through as well.

SIGH. How many baby teeth do they grow in, again? He has 12 already and that seems to be sufficient, can we just stop there, please? Here's hoping the rest of the month will be smooth, and that I'll remind myself to have some patience.

Much love,
The Dolfos