Malachi so far.

 
I'm trying to post photos of Kashton's birthday, but realized I haven't posted photos of Malachi's birthday, so (sigh), the attempt at keeping things even-steven between the siblings is meaning everything is actually really fair, because I'm not posting anything about anyone!

Malachi however is pretty hilarious these days. Like really. If our home is just a digestive gut of the human emotion, he is the comedic fibre keeping us regular. (I'm not really sure that analogy works quite the way I hoped it would.) He's also at that PDC (Pretty-Darn-Cute) stage. I am a HUGE fan of 2 year olds, and now that one of my own little men falls into that category, I have to tell you this parenting thing feels like it could never be any more awesome than it is right now.

Here are some of the things I am so loving about the stage he is in these days:

Every morning I hear him calling from his crib, "MOM....TIIIIYA!" (Tiiiya is for Thyra, his big sister.) And when one of us decides to finally rescue him from his crib he rewards his benefactor with sleepy eyes and smile and a big ol' "MOAH-NIN'".

And if he is in his bed and not his crib he will just get up and come and find us which means crawling into our bed where usually I am trying to nurse his brother back to sleep. The cutest thing about this is that he will snuggle up to his brother's back, wrap a protective arm around his waist and rain kisses down upon his head. Apparently Malachi can't resist those curls either.

His toddler speak is pretty comical these days too. He's at the stage where he is not quite speaking full sentences, but stringing a few words together so that you get the gist of what he wants.

"Moah Milkies Peeeze" (More milk please)

"Kashie eat Paper" (Thank you Malachi. Contrary to most parenting ideas, tattling is encouraged and rewarded in the Brown household.)

"Moo Moo crying" (Usually after he has ripped a toy from his hands or thumped him over the head with a truck or woken him prematurely from a nap.)

He plays little jokes on us, like hiding behind doors and coffee tables while one of us is asking, "Where's Malachi?", genuinely concerned, and then he pops out at us, laughing hysterically. He does anything he knows is guaranteed to make us laugh ad nauseum.

For example, right after his first birthday he started the strangest of moves, where he tilts his head all the way back, points to the ceiling and says in the huskiest voice, a pretty good old-man impression, "Noooo Noooo!". The first to witness it was Thyra and I in a mall food court and we literally split our sides laughing as did the lady at the table next to us. I figured it was a stage and would pass into toddler oblivion, but it has remained to this day, unaltered, and is a favorite he pulls out occasionally with impressive comedic timing. Meaning, he's about to get in trouble.

Speaking of getting in trouble, he has the art of fake smiling down to a science and can drop me a killer face, charming in its insincerity, by simply observing the scowl on my own face.

All of this he comes by totally honestly. With the father and grand-father this kid has, he has no choice but to give in to instinct and his genetic make-up and ham it up... often with a side of applesauce.

Green Years Old.

Malachi is 2 today!

Wowee, that went fast.

He's so busy learning shapes and numbers and colors and the alphabet that when I ask him how old he is he quickly responds with

"Green. Um two."

He's so cute and lovable and squishable and funny and the kind of toddler that makes my day. I can't imagine that only two years ago we hadn't met him, and now we can't imagine life without him.

Happy Birthday to the sweetest little boy a mom could hope for.

Double Trouble

It is a known fact that with all potentially adorable things, (puppies, kittens, babies, brownies) any more than one miraculously ups the cuteness factor. Exponentially I'd say. (Yes brownies are cute. I mean after all, how many times have you said to some roly-poly baby, "you are so cute I could just eat you up?" Well that's what I have often said in the same loving tones to ooey-gooey brownies, seconds before making good on my promise... you can after all put a brownie in your mouth and chew.)

We have recently noticed that on their own, our children are just regular, ordinary, average little boys. But put them together, and they turn into something else, so delicious (see... just like the brownies), I can hardly stand it.

I imagine this is what having twins or multiples of any kind is like. We all know that previous to the Jon and Kate divorce drama, no one was watching that show for Kate's acerbic comments or Jon's makeover via hair plugs and new ear bling. It was all those darn children drawing you in each week.... all the same cute age, all doing the same cutethings, and so impossibly sweet.... kinda of like a box of Krispy Kreme donuts.

But back to our boys of whom there are only two, not twins and just close enough in age that it's starting to get confusing for passers-by. Even more-so when they are similarly dressed, which is a habit from which I normally abstain, I will have to admit that sometimes it is beyond my powers to resist the lure of matching togs.

And this is why the other night, after I got them both into their jammies and their blue knit Joe cardigans (we LOVE Joe), and tucked them snuggly into their stroller for our nighttime family stroll, Gavan, silently taking in the augmented adorableness of our sons, turned to me finally and said,

"What... are you trying to kill me?"

Yes indeed. Killed by cuteness... it may be possible.

Killed by brownies? Much more likely.

Friday Haircuts

My children were in desperate need of a little summer shearing, so we kicked off the long weekend in style with haircuts at Melonheads.

This was only Malachi's second professional haircut, the first being before his first birthday, so I was a little nervous about how he'd do. Worried for nothing... he sat like a champ, totally distracted by his choo-choo chair and with a little car for each hand. I had to reward his great behaviour with a new BUS, even if I was a little sad to see all those gorgeous mahogany locks all over the floor and my little boy looking like he was twelve. There's nothing quite like a haircut to grow them up in an instant!

Before:

After:

And the Princess getting pampered:

Ladies Man

My little heart-breaker has been a smooching machine lately.

There is something so wonderful about seeing your child act lovingly to others. To know that they are capable of affection and empathy.

But while I think it's terribly cute to see him lean in tenderly to kiss a friend or cousin, what really tugs at my heart-strings is when he stands behind me, wraps his little arms around my neck, leans over and gives me a big smack on the cheek or lips. Totally unprompted, totally unrequested and totally rewarding.

Inspite of all the times I fail as a mother, my little son LOVES me.

keeping boys busy

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Malachi likes to sit at the window and watch the trucks and cars and many buses go by on our street. He makes all the appropriate sound effects... brrrrrrooom!

Today this activity was extra fun because a big huge grater was going up and down the street all morning.

A big thanks to the City of Calgary for cleaning our street and providing some much needed weekday entertainment.

A pacifier by any other name.....

would still a soother be. Or in our case a "Doo", a nickname we unapologetically stole from the Hughes household.

Let me tell you, Malachi is totally addicted. He likes to have as many as he can within reach at all times. Its cute and annoying at the same time. One of his first words was "Dooooo", said over and over in the most pathetic pleading and longing tone, until his "precious" was procured.

When Thyra decided at 9 months that she was over the soother habit, I felt proud and a wee bit smug that my child was not going to be one of those pre-schoolers drawing scorn and ire from the "how-children-should-act" police because she still had a binky. Now, with Malachi firmly ensconced in his baby-crack addiction, and at 18 months showing no sign of letting up, I have a little more sympathy for the mothers of toddlers with habits.

I do limit his use somewhat, especially now that he is trying to talk; a mouth full of Doo isn't particularly helpful to us parental plebes in trying to decipher his alien dialect, nor am I excited about lining my local orthodontist's pocket any more than necessary. But there are times when nothing else will "doo".

It comes in awful handy for shushing noisy babies during church, for transitioning into sleep at bedtime, for longish car rides (anything over 10 minutes), and for preventing mini eruptions from becoming out and out riots. Not to mention, I can't imagine that toddler logic is quite developed enough for Malachi to understand why Baby can have a Doo and he can't, thus thwarting any attempts I'd make to wean him off.

And so the Doo remains. I have actually armed myself with all sorts of facts and wisecracks to ward off naysayers, did you know child's need to suck doesn't actually dissipate until age 2 or 3), but I've discovered something:

I don't care!

He's happy, I'm sane, and everyone else can go suck... well... whatever it is you want.  I promise not to raise an eyebrow.

If you're happy and you know it...

We have the best kind of guests staying with us for a couple of nights, so not much time for blogging, but I have to say that I am enjoying Malachi's new vocabulary.

Since Saturday, he has been walking around exclaiming,

"Happy, Happy!"

Hope you are too!

Malachi most delicious

upon waking from a nap

Words this week

Grandpa

Taco

Boot

New words Malachi likes to say.

a walk to remember

these first little steps all swaying arms and puffed out chest

not quite a swagger but full of pride nonetheless

combined with a healthy dose
of caution
and optimism
of where these little steps may lead.

a world awaits.