Guava and custard

You know the flying car took us to a place called Cape Town in just over 1 sleep, daddy said I would have had to sleep at least 3 times, if we drove with mommy’s car and 4 times with the diesel.

We got the stroller back, and mommy talked to a friendly person who offered us a car with a baby seat, just like that. We loaded all our suitcases and off we went to my grandparents. We took the N2 (National road, said daddy), and I decided to say: “It is a car”, every time I saw one, but I got thirsty quickly, we did not even get to the N2, because I had to say it so many times, so I decided to say it every now and then, just so mommy and daddy could see I knew it was a car that passed us.

After a drive, we arrived at my grandparents. They were glad to see me, sorry us, in fact so glad grandma made me guava puree. Good thing too, I was getting hungry. I was a little worried about where I will be sitting, could not remember daddy packing my chair, but you know, he is very clever, he took a few sticks and material, said a few words to it, which I do not understand yet, and there, I had a chair.

My feet hang loose and it felt a little like swing, I liked it. I was very interested to see granddad standing back, far away. I think they have not seen me eat, and was scared I would make a mess, or scared I would fall, but daddy made sure that would not happen.

Mommy said that I had to wait for my pudding, and first eat some food she brought with her. She is also very clever, because if she did not, I would have surely starved. Grandma was also worried, it seemed, as I said, they have not seen me eat before. They really did not have to worry.

 After I had my meal, it was guava and custard time. Grandma made it special and maybe she was worried I would not like it, now that I think about it. Mommy said I should test it and see what I think. It was so nice.

After I had my guava and custard, I thanked grandma with a loving look and gave them both a kiss, okay, several for grandma, hoping there would be more.

One final comment on this post, mom also got some disposable bibs as we forgot to pack them at home. I am not a big bib fan, but for any toddlers looking, they do work, best is they can be torn into pieces after dinner – I loved that!

My first-est ever flight.

Everyone who is everyone knows by now that I took my first-est flight ever in my life. Mommy seems to like the flying cars, because she takes them to work and she said that daddy and me can come with her this time. Daddy seemed to like this idea too, so I decided that I will go with them, mainly because I did not want to stay home alone and it seemed a better idea to make sure they are okay. They may miss me too much, too.

Interestingly, this seemed to be a great thing, because when we went to the place the flying cars are found, many people came to see us off. Our neighbors girl also suddenly wanted to hold my hand, as if I suddenly became a very important person. I do like a little older girls, but mommy started to take pictures and I am not sure if I want to be seen liking girls yet, so I made as if I did not like it. I do have an image to uphold you know.

After a lot of people checking us, I think they lost their keys or something, because daddy took his out of his pocket and showed it to them after walking through a big arch that beeps, luckily I left mine at home. After a while we walked out to the flying car. I never knew they are so big. You need stairs to climb into them and daddy carried me up, leaving my stroller at the bottom, which seemed a silly thing to do. Daddy was very happy to see it again, when we climbed off the flying car, as some nice person who must have seen him forget it at the stairs, gave it back to him.

Inside, there are so many people who can ride along in these cars. I was totally astounded at all these people, I did not know there could be so many.

Another strange thing is that these cars have very small windows. I love the plastic curtains they added for us to play with. I wanted it down, daddy wanted it up, so we had fun, seeing who would win with this little argument. Daddy won, but just because he showed me all the cars outside, funny cars, they look a lot like my Lego cars, just bigger, with real people driving them.

It rained as well. I liked watching the water running down the window. Mommy said we must smile for yet another picture, because she wanted to remember this moment, as we go with her for the first time. She also asked if I would like to sit on her lap a little, because that would make her very happy. I did not want to make her cry, so I agreed to do this.

Just about the time I moved over to mommy, the flying car started to move, and I was not impressed. Daddy has an old diesel, and it moves much faster. I suddenly realized why we have to take mommy to work so early, this flying car with all the people takes forever to get anywhere. After a long time, it came to a crossing and stopped, then it turned slowly. I thought, I should have stayed home. Then mommy pulled out a bottle and gave it to me. I was glad, I was very thirsty. Just about then the flying car stopped again. I drank my bottle, but this must have been very funny, because when I was nearly finished mom and dad started laughing and laughing. They said I was drinking very fast, but I did say I was thirsty. The next moment, the flying car started revving its engines, daddy does that sometimes with the old diesel, but this is where they differ, because when this car started to move it slammed me tight into mommy, and she held me tighter, I think but cannot remember, I sucked the last part of the bottle with one go, because when I sucked again it was just air. Mommy did not see, so I kept sucking on it as my ears made some funny crackling noise when I did. The next moment we were in the ocean, I told daddy, “It’s the ocean”, but he smiled at me and said no son, it is the clouds. So, for those of you who do not know a flying car, they drive in the clouds.

I suddenly felt very tired and realized that it was my nap-time, so while I was sitting so tightly against mommy, I felt a warm fuzzy feeling coming over me. I thought, I remember this from not that long ago and ….. that is all I remember from my first-est ever flight with mommy and daddy.

Piano man (toddler)

We have noticed from an early age, when Boeta was only a few months old, he loves music, when he could just sit up, he rocked to music, very cute indeed. I recently posted a video of him rocking a little, since then he started doing turns as well.

Over the last few months, ever since March 2014, when we visited his Grandparents, he loves  hearing a piano. He got to play one a few times on the trip, and it stayed with him, last Sunday, for instance there was a concert on television with a piano, he stood and watched for nearly 20 minutes.

Our family history does have a lot of music in its genes, and the piano does play a big role. My parents both can play a bit, granddad played guitar, little piano and sang in church choir nearly all his life. Grandmother also played a little, so did her sisters.

We had a piano in our house all my life and although I could have played if I really wanted to, I was more interested in sports. I did join the school band, played bugle and sang in school choirs at various stages, so did my brother, who played the trumpet.

Boeta’s first real piano session with his aunt (dad’s sister), the real musical power of the family.

Our sister had music running through her veins and became a gifted music teacher, singer, conductor of 3 choirs and a marimba band to name a few achievements.

Opera singing

Marimba band

The mother of our house also grew up with a piano, learned to play it and has the ability to play by ear. She sang in choirs, one of which is fairly well-known in and outside South Africa, made a record (vinyl those days) with them and even traveled to Europe with them. Her piano is still in our possession, but is still in Struis Bay.

Boeta playing with mom at Struis Bay.

So we are now working on a plan to move it up to our permanent house, but moving a piano 700 km is pretty pricy. We just feel, it is important, so we have to do it, sooner than later. We think that it is important, as parents, to notice and promote or support any activity our child shows interest in, even if it does not go further than a love for it.

Yesterday, we bought our son a xylophone (glockenspiel to be more correct), his second, but the first one had wood bars, and not really sounding at all, but the new one has metal bars and he took to it immediately. Time will tell where this music love will develop to, but we might just have another piano man in our house.

Mom, Dad and our boy – our little family

As we came to the last stop, where we could allow our son to walk and experience the thick spekboom forests, it was, especially now, looking back, such a great 3 days. I see my wife, the person I have loved deeply for almost half of my life, who has achieved so much, given so much to me and everyone she has met, coaxing our 13 month son through the forest. Showing him all the wonders, his little mind filled with questions, what is this, that and everything else.

What a wonderful experience to be the dad in this group of three. This little blessing that joined us after so many years, making everything around him shine, becoming vivid, sharply, no crisply in focus as if it is touched by the beautiful dawn of another day, that freshness that is so nearly touchable before the sun fully brightens the day. We are three, mom, dad and son, but we are also ONE family.

We will be back, soon as we can, to this place where the elephants play in the water, the jackals and nightjars provide the background music of the night, this place where the dung beetle has right of way!

The good and not so good – first 12 months

EATING

The good

We had problems getting him to sleep a few hours continuously at night, so we tried adding some food (rice 1st food porridge) to the mix from just over 4 months and tea (Rooibos tea). It actually helped and as time went on we added vegetables (one type for at least 3-4 days).

https://www.flickr.com/photos/little_things_expanded/14362460457/

He had no issues with any so the mixing started of various vegetables and a few months later we added chicken and beef. His milk was still the mainstay. With time the food became more complex and we had little issues with his appetite.

The bad

The bad part about eating came later when we started introducing more grainy food, not the smooth stuff. Every now and then a gag reflex would happen, and it could get really messy if he had already a good dinner behind him. I felt sorry for him, shame, but tried to teach him by coughing at such times, which he to his amusement replicated, and we slowly got this sorted. By 11 months the issue was sorted, with a rare happening a while back, and he now chews better as well. Still not a great experience for all concerned.