I began my three weeks of annual leave on Monday and to say that I have been waiting for this period impatiently is an understatement. This is my first time off work in a long time and besides the fact that I needed the rest, I was looking forward to spending quality time with Kwezi since I have not had that kind of opportunity since she became a toddler.

What have we been up to the last few days? Not much. She still had a bad case of flue and cough and it has been frustrating because it literally crushed her appetite; leaving her feeding on porridge and yoghurt only.

The good news is that she is now better. Sickness aside, we are both happy to be spending time together. Nothing beats staying in bed on a Monday morning and on Kwezi’s part, nothing is more exciting than mommy not going to work because that means being ‘babied’.

I don’t really have anything special planned out for both of us besides taking her to visit her grandparents, some friends and of course taking care of each other. It’s strange for some people when I say that a toddler takes care of me too but she does in ways that I never would have expected. Since Monday alone, Kwezi has showered me with hugs and kisses to last me another few months. No matter how old, busy or proud you may be, you too need love and affection from time to time and all the unexpected hugs, kisses and cute make my days brighter.

I have always said that Kwezi and I learn from each other every day. We are both students on this journey. This week alone, I learnt that when I need her to stop being silly, which most times comes from crying for no reason or simply dedicating her time to frustrating me when I am in the middle of something, shouting at her will not change anything. Instead, she has in her toddler special way indicated to me that there is a better way to communicate. She would rather I was a leader, not a commander. What does this mean? This means that no matter how much I shout and threaten, besides crying in protest and frustrating me even further, she would rather I was softer and she will stop whatever she was doing, walk to me and to my surprise say "mummy sorry”. I am still surprised that I managed to understand this early and fast enough.

We have also started learning how to brush our teeth. This has been a fun exercise which however requires both of us to be patient. She is willing to open her mouth wide enough for me but by the time I am moving from one side of the mouth to the other, she has swallowed the toothpaste. I have tries to show her how it’s done but it looks like this will be one of those things that come with enough practice. She has started reminding me that she needs to ‘bash’ and that’s what in my books is called progress. We shall overcome.