Trapped!

And there's nowhere else I'd rather be. I will take any and every moment I have with this boy. Even the tantrums, the dirty diapers and the fevers. They are just as good as the giggles and dances and high fives. I love you, Mak. <3

Much love,
The Dolfos

More firsts

Makani has been great at feeding himself. He was hesitant at first, not really wanting to get dirty, but Brad and I just encouraged him and gave him plenty of opportunities to try it out. Finally he became comfortable with it... maybe a little too comfortable? :) While in Hawaii, we let him try steamed rice. Well, not only did he love it, we also saw just how messy he was willing to get:


Also, Ah-mom gave Mak his first blowpop:


Our Hawaiian trip was SO much fun, and we just really enjoyed some family time, uninterrupted. It really helped us realize what family vacations really do: they help you reconnect with each other, and reconnect together. They help you see different sides, sillier than day-to-day.


Mostly, a lot of laughter and down time.




A lot of cuddles and hugs and smiles.






Oh, and MANY naps!


Much love!
The Dolfos

PS. Couldn't forget Makani's first Lei! ;)

And Finally...

... With Brad back in school, I have more time to keep up with this! Exciting, I know.

My favorite week this summer was the one spent in Hawaii. It was hot, humid, windy and just wonderful! Great timing, too, since our weather was still gloomy and rainy, so it was definitely a vacation - a getaway from all.

A short recap:
-Makani did GREAT on the flights! The flight there had 20+ babies that were age 2 and under... including a three week old! I thought that was a little insane, but the baby actually did well, too. Mak was intrigued by the sounds, and the turbulence (gratefully, there wasn't much). He enjoyed looking out the window and he did really well, taking his naps at the right times and eating baby food and nursing. All in all, we were hesitant, but he proved to be a fantastic traveller. This is awesome for us, should we decide to travel more in the future.


-This trip boasted a lot of firsts! We visited Brad's mom's hometown of Haleiwa. They have world famous shaved ice from Matsumoto. And YES, we gave some to Makani. He totally loved it, I'm sure the cold ice felt great with the heat and the sore teething gums. Don't be fooled by his flared nostrils, he always does that when he first tastes something new. :)




Another first: Coconut water! Like I said, it was hot and humid. We visited the swap meet at the pro bowl stadium and totally left our water in the car. Finally gave in and bought some coconut water, which I drank almost daily the last month of my pregnancy, since it's just about the healthiest thing you can drink (better than IV fluid hospitals give you). I *HATE* coconut water. I drank it for the health of me and my baby and that's it... It did end up growing on me, but not much. Imagine our surprise when Brad held Makani in one arm and the coconut in the other. Mak, on his own, reached for the straw, pulled it into his mouth and DRANK. He didn't even flinch, he just gulped that coconut water right down! Familiar taste? Probably. But I think it was hot, humid and he just plain liked it. :)


It's late, and I'm tired. So this will have to be continued...

Much love.. and Aloha!
The Dolfos.

An adventure indeed!

As we passed months seven and eight, we also transitioned from kind of crawling, to quickly crawling to pulling up standing to standing on his own do a few seconds.

Deep breath... Whew! Never before have I been forced to be so alert, constantly aware of where someone is and what they're into. It's exhausting. And amazing to see this adorable, tiny person learn so many new things in a short amount of time.

And I get to watch him, guide him, cheer for him, hug and kiss his owies away... Truly, we're the blessed ones as parents. :)

Much love,
The Dolfos.

Brad turns 23!

All Brad has ever wanted was a brand new surfboard of his own. And this year, he got it! He found the 9ft Ed Wright surfboard at a new, little surf shop up in Encinitas called Surfy Surfy. This board is bound to become an heirloom for sure... We even had Mak pose on it for some pictures. :)



A surfer in the making, maybe? :)



He already knows how to check out the waves... and express disappointment.



Much love (and good waves),
The Dolfos

Little fish.

Just as I knew I was pregnant before the test turned positive, and just as I knew it was a boy before the 5-month ultrasound, I knew (I KNEW) that this kid was a water baby. I don't know what it is about being pregnant, but if you really listen to the baby inside, you get such wonderful insights into their developing personality, their preferences and such.

I knew Makani had Brad's active side but he also had a very quiet, observant curiosity, just like his mom. His personality is a mellow, go-with-the-flow type, but he doesn't like to be surprised or rushed. Strange combination? It's exactly what Brad and I are like together, so it makes perfect sense to us.

While in my belly, I would feel Mak coast serenely back and forth, back and forth from side to side in my belly, sometimes doing flips, sometimes kicking off on one side and bumping into another. Then he'd have a little fit as if to say, Why isn't there more room in here?! I'd often tell people, Ah, Mak's doing his laps now.

So it was really no question to us whether we wanted to put him in baby swim (plus, my mom has a pool, two aunts have a pool AND we live near the beach... it's just good sense wherever you are). It was no surprise, though it still brought a bit smile to my face, when Mak took so easily to swimming!



It's been a month now and he happily dives underwater, knows to hold his breath, comes up making funny faces and smiling. His teacher, Erin, says he's a natural, and most babies don't take to it so quickly. Proud parents, we are!



During bathtime, he practices his kicking and has recently learned to make BIG splashes by slamming his hands down on the water. I'm pretty sure most of the bath water ends up on one (or both) of us, but water dries and we never pass up a moment to laugh along with Makani.



How can you NOT smile upon seeing THAT smile??

Much love,
The Dolfos

Six Months!

*SO* much has happened this past month that I haven't even had time to sit down and write it all! I'm going to try, this week, to dedicate an entire post to all these new and exciting milestones and events that have been added to our lives. Starting with, of course:

Makani has turned six months old!



All day, I kept looking at this boy, watching him sit up, watching him balance on all fours, watching him play, laugh, smile, learn, cry, grab and I couldn't believe he was here. I couldn't believe that just a year ago he was barely a few inches long and now he's 15 pounds and 27 inches long and he's HERE. And he's mine. Well, ours, of course. Everyday I look at him and sometimes I see Brad, sometimes I see myself, always, I see Makani. A perfect blend of the two of us. He has a personality now, he's developing preferences (LOVES his monkey, not crazy about peas), he exudes charm and has a quiet playfulness about him that I just love LOVE love.



He loves to smile, which is wonderful because everyone he meets loves to make him smile. He's developed a sense of independence, which I thought would be hard for me, as his mom, to encourage, but I see his eyes light up and his smile get so wide that I can't help but cheer him on. I have years (that I plan to cherish and cherish) until he really starts to let go, so I take these little moments as practice and I hold onto those brilliant facial expressions when he achieves his goal.



Makani, I can't tell you what a joy it is to be your mom and I know Dad feels the exact same way. We love you so much!

Love,
The Dolfos