Meltdown City.

Population: One Makster



Boy, can this kid throw a tantrum. We've been following the Love and Logic parenting strategy. It's pretty tough sometimes while they go through phases, though. We seem to be stuck in a HUGE tantrum phase. It doesn't help that Mak is teething big time. Looks like he's getting four teeth at once and it's wreaking havoc on our normally calm routine.

The best thing we can do is stay consistent. But look at this face!



It can be *SO* hard to say no to this face! Alas, I'm building lots of willpower and standing my ground. And Mak understands a lot more than I give him credit for. We're doing a lot of positive reinforcement... High five'ing when he follows the rules and lots of cheering when he listens to our directions (i.e. "put the block away, please" or "sit down in the bathtub"). I have faith that we'll get through this testing phase and come out with a wonderful, well-behaved little boy.

Until the next phase, at least. :) I do so very much love this face:



Yes, he was Darth Vader for Halloween. And look at that happy smile!

Much love,
The Dolfos.

A year.

October 2009:


This gorgeous baby boy of mine was born at 5:06am and weighed 6 pounds and 15 ounces.

One year later, he's up to a whopping 25 pounds, walking, running, signing and even a few words.



My eyes well up as I think about this past year, all of its ups and downs and in betweens. Learning to be "Mom" was not easy. It tested my patience. It tested my will. It tested my commitment. It tested my relationships. It certainly tested my sanity. They aren't kidding when they say sleep deprivation is the hardest part of being a new parent.



I wouldn't trade a second. Not even a millisecond. The joy this little boy has brought into our lives is indescribable and irreplaceable. A year later and I know:

*just how much patience I have
*what an amazing father Brad is
*how fun it is watching my parents be grandparents
*messes are NOT worth the stress, but ARE worth laughter
*that it's okay for me to nap when he naps
*the laundry will always be there for me to do tomorrow
*the best thing I can accomplish all day is making my baby laugh
*my marriage is a lot stronger than I gave it credit for
*that I can never take too many pictures
*and that being late is worth every hug and kiss.



As we move into our second year, I look forward to seeing more of Mak's rambunctious personality. Something tells me I have a sweet little mischievous boy on my hands. Here's hoping I can nurture more sweet than mischievous! :)

Much love,
The Dolfos.

Going places

I'm really starting to hit a groove with taking two kids out on activities. Sure, it infinitely helps when I have another adult, but I'm starting to gain some confidence in just getting up and going. The days go by faster, we all have more fun and it really helps our mood. It only took ten and a half months. =P

Last week we hit the Zoo, the Children's Museum and I even took the boys along with me to do a few errands! One is fairly easy and simple. Two is where I got flustered. But I've learned that it doesn't have to be hard at all! I'm pushing myself more, getting the diaper bag ready at night, getting snacks together, water, etc. This makes it so easy to just get out of the house in the mornings. And if I'm really set, we can stay out until naptime.

One thing I'm struggling with now, though, is Makani seems to be allergic (or at least not at ALL ready to digest) to dairy products. :( My poor baby! And he LOVES yogurt! I gave him a whole thing of yogurt everyday for a week, and couldn't for the life of me figure out why he was having such painful gas and awful diarrhea. Puffy eyes and bad sinuses, oh, this baby was miserable. And my normally wonderful sleeper was no more.

I'm hoping that this is something he'll grow out of. The amazing thing is that by eliminating all diary from his diet, and giving his body time to heal, my good sleeper has returned. ♥ And a happy baby is all I need.

Anyhow, we hit the zoo again tomorrow!

Much love,
The Dolfos

(PS. If anyone's confused, I nanny for an amazing two year old named Carter. So I have two kids during the weekdays. We only have one boy, Makani... for now) :)

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.