Papa Brian...

My husband didn't really know his father growing up. After 35 years of him being lost to us, we found him. Since then he has been a major part of our lives. Last December we moved him to Kansas from Michigan. I always worry that when some one new meets Malachi they may not know how to handle him.

From the very first time Brian met Malachi he seemed ready to handle anything. Of course I realize its not that easy. But one thing Brian does know how to do and that is make Malachi happy. It can be rolling around on the floor with him, or giving him a cupcake even when he doesn't need one. Or playing basketball with him.

Malachi really loves bubble wrap and Brian always makes sure he has some for him. Malachi has come to expect this and Papa never disappoints him.

This year for his birthday Brian got him a musical card. We wasn't sure how Malachi would like it since he never had one before but when Malachi opened it we soon found out how much he loved it. He carried it with him all over the house. He played with it until it went dead. So this year for Halloween he got Malachi another musical card and again he loved it. He plays with it everyday and the first night he got it he even wanted to sleep with it. Those cards can be expensive compared to other cards but for Malachi they are an expensive because it makes his day and he gets more use out of them most people probably do.

Papa Brian sure loves Malachi and I am glad that he has another grandfather to spoil him with the things that makes Malachi the happiest even as small as a little card.

My Favorite Food is Cake...

The new school years has begun. Malachi is in the third grade and has started a new school with new teachers. As a mom I was scared for him. I wasn't sure that he would transition well because he was so used to the routine and familiar with the teacher he had for three years. He loved Joyce and all the para's so I was worried.

A week before school my friend and I started taking him to the new school. We walked him around, took him to his new classroom. With all the bright colors and the fact that he had a new desk seem to make him very happy so maybe I was worrying for nothing. (I often do.)

First day of school is here and to say Malachi was excited would be an understatement. He woke up at 4:00 AM ready to go. Me not so much. So I got up and got him dressed, all he could talk about was going to the new school and new teacher and riding the bus. Every morning we are outside wating on the bus by 6:45. The bus doesn't usually show up until around 7:00. So we walk up and down the block talking about school.

His new teacher Carrie is beyond wonderful. She has all ready got Malachi to do things they couldn't get him to do previous years. Like wear his glasses. He puts them on when he gets to school and wears them all day. He can only take them off for lunch and recess, which Carrie says he never lets her forget. Silly boy. But this is huge, now to get him a pair to start wearing at home and we will have tackled that hurdle.

Since school has started Malachi comes home and tells us that he is a big boy and no crying in third grade. I am guessing this is Carrie's way of helping him not to have meltdowns which is ok with me.

Last week Malachi brought home a back to school book. In it he puts his name (which the teacher did for him because he can't write that well) There was other information also like who is teacher is, what his classroom number is, etc. The very last page has My Favorite Things. I thought this was interesting because I didn't know Malachi has favorite things other than his daddy. Like I didn't know he had a favorite color, or holiday but each slot is filled in with something. So I repeated the questions to him. The only one that remained the same was My favorite food is? And he answered cake. Which is what was wrote on the paper. It made me laugh, apparently cake is his favorite food. For so long he couldn't have cake so now that he can it has become his favorite. I bet he would have cake for every meal if we let him, however its not likely.

Yesterday he brought home a paper that had four math problems on it. Just basic ones like 5+1=, but he had gotten every single one right. And they said he couldn't learn math. Way to show them Malachi. Once again he never ceases to amaze me and I am one proud momma.

~Malachi Can Read~

My baby can read. They told us they have been working on him reading. Malachi is very particular on how he reads. He wouldn't read for them out of a book they have to write it on paper so he can see it, since he refuses to wear his glasses (its a battle for another day). Malachi loves for us to read to him and he also loves to try and repeat exactly what we read after we have read it to him.

I love to hear him repeat the story to us as he turns the pages and looks at the pictures. Its so sweet. He has come so far since the beginning of his life. As his parents his father and I are over joyed with how far he has come.

Malachi always says "read to you" which is what he says when he wants us to read to him. Now from time to time he says "read to you, mommy" which means he wants to read to me. Its short and sweet but I take it every time he is willing. I even bought paper so that we can write on it and it will be big enough for him to read. We are going to start slow with a Dr. Seuss book but hopefully by the end of the summer he will be able to read the whole book.

Just because it might take Malachi a little longer than most children, nothing is ever to big for him. He will and he can do anything he puts his mind too. That is my Mr. Brilliant and I love him.

Victory Games

On April 18, 2011 Malachi participated in the Victory Games in Cherry-vale Kansas which prepares them for the special olympics in Pittsburg Kansas. Not all the children who do the victory games do the special olympics because they are not old enough.
Over the last several years I have not had a chance to go and watch Malachi participate in these games, this year I was able to and let me tell you the overwhelming since of pride I had. He was so big. He walked to every rotation with some help but no wheel chair and some of the walking was clear across the football field and even a little difficult for him, but he prevailed.
The first rotation was a race. Malachi can't really run, he just gets on his tiptoes and walks really fast. He finished the race. It wasn't a very long race but he did it.

 The next was the softball throw. He loves to play catch and throw. He decided to sit for this rotation but he still threw the softball and then when he was done he came and gave me kisses. Love it.

 Then he did the running long jump which again tiptoes and walking. Of course at the end of this little track is sand. Its like a box of sand. Malachi totally lost interest in doing this again because the sand was much more fun to play with. By the end of this rotation he had started a trend because most of the children were playing in the sand then. Way to be a leader even if its in the sand box.

After all of this there is lunch and some free time where they get to play games like the wii, or get their face painted or blowing bubbles. Malachi did most of these except playing the wii. He would much rather watch someone do it. I was so shocked that he let someone paint his face. Malachi is not about to let someone he doesn't know touch him let alone his face. But for some reason it was a go. He sat there shaking the whole time but he did it. I was very proud and even got my face painted with the same looking smiley face he got.

After all of this and the kids are completely wore out they get a medal. Malachi left his on for about 5 seconds just long enough for me to get a good picture.

For some people they may not realize that something so small as this can be so huge to these kids and their parents. But they are. I think that the people who organize this and volunteer to make these children especially mine feel so special are doing God's work and for this I am truly thankful.

Malachi gets a haircut!

Malachi's hair is much like is fathers, its thick and its unruly and it grows really fast. The only thing currently different about it is that its more of my natural hair color than daddy's but I anticipate that changing. For the last two weeks his grandfather kept telling us he needed a hair cut. I would just laugh because he has no idea what goes into giving Malachi a hair cut.

Its a process and one that I have to prep myself for. You can't just take Malachi to a barber shop and put him in a chair and say cut his hair please and hope that he doesn't fuss. If we tried that, we would experience the mother of all meltdowns. This is why Mike and I cut his hair.

This is how a typical hair cut day goes for Malachi. When we know this is the day we are going to cut his hair we also do daddy's hair. We do daddy's hair first so he can see what we are going to do with him. We talk and laugh and say things like Malachi get his haircut next, just like Daddy's. He seems satisfied with this idea, until we get him in the chair. But we don't budge he is getting his hair cut. We start by shaving his head with a trimmer/shaver type thing. The vibration and noise is annoying to him, but Mike stays in front of him holding is hands and counting which seems to calm him and keeps him distracted. He periodically screams and cries but we have started so there is not turning back.  After we get this step done he starts to calm. Then we put shaving cream on his head which he actually likes and I take a razor and shave the rest of his hair until he is bald. Again the whole time we are counting and holding hands and trying are hardest to talk him through this. After this is done we clean him up and he looks good for another four months or so. But this is why he looks like ragamuffin for months at a time because its quite a process to cut his hair.

Of course now that its all done and over with he turns back into a calm, happy little guy that looks even better than before. He feels his bald head and says "all gone."

Tornado's, Sirens and Stairs Oh My!!!

On Sunday February 27 we had a thunderstorm that had conditions to produce a tornado. Its night, its dark and I am putting Malachi to bed. Just as I am closing his blinds because I didn't want the lighting to bother him the sirens blow. I am in panic mode, Mike is gone to Walmart getting light bulbs for me with a friend. I grab Malachi out of his bed, grab my phone and run to the neighbors. At this point Malachi has no idea what I am doing. I am shaking. I get there and we decide to go to the next house over because she has a bigger basement and why not. We get down there and this is where Malachi begins to have a meltdown. He doesn't understand why we are down here and that we can't go home. He kept saying "go home, go to bed". How do you explain to this little child what a tornado is and why we have to take cover.
I started thinking well maybe if he had something he was familiar with, that this might help. I hand him to Diane, our neighbor and run back to the house in the rain to grab Mr. Sippo (Malachi's sippy cup). I come back and realize that this isn't going to work. I feel bad. I don't know what to do. He doesn't understand. I just try to stay calm and hope that the "all clear" comes soon. He is now crying for daddy who isn't there. We try several things. He doesn't want to get down because there is a dog in the basement which only complicates things. He just wants to look out the basement windows which isn't a smart idea. But to help him calm down we do. After awhile which seemed longer than it probably was we get the all clear. We leave and by the time we get home daddy is there and all is right with the world again. He wants daddy to put him to bed and he does and he sleeps the rest of the night with no recollection of the previous nights activities. However the next time it happens he might remember which will hopefully help in the future.

My Poor Baby!

Its Thursday, the day Malachi was supposed to go back to school. He has been fever free for a few days. He is still low on energy from time to time but able none the less to go back to school. Instead yesterday around 3:30PM, I accidently poke him in the left eye. I wasn't sure how bad it was because he was just crying non stop. We are going into two hours of him crying and he finally falls asleep which I thought was the best thing at this time. He wouldn't open it so I wasn't sure how much damage I had done. Its now 12:30AM, Malachi is awake and screaming again. He isn't getting better with the whole eye thing so I decide to take him to the ER. This is our second trip there this week. I explain what happened, so the doctor and two nurses and me hold him down and put some drops in his eye. They add some dye and put a black light over to see how bad it is. I seriously did not get awarded the Best Mom of the Year on this one. His cornea is damaged. Has a huge abrasion. So they give him ointment to numb the eye and some medicine to help with pain and allow him to sleep because being Malachi this is the best cure, rest. The doctor said that they eyes are fast healers so he should be better in a few days. I hope so because right now it doesn't look so good. His eye is swollen and it looks like I punched him instead of poked him and he can't open it let alone see out of it. So now he won't be going back to school until Monday.  I tried to take a picture, but he doesn't want a picture taken, can't say I blame him. I just feel horrible.