Majak Daw’s son already showing signs of sporting prowess
Ahead of her first Mother’s Day, Emily McKay, partner of Majak Daw, has praised the North Melbourne defender for how he has slotted into his new off-field role as a dad since Hendrix was born. And their happy baby is already showing sporting signs.
Confidential
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Emily McKay is glad she took her aunty duties so seriously over the years. Now that she and partner Majak Daw are parents, the experience with all their nieces and nephews has certainly come in handy.
There’s still a plethora of things about parenthood that neither was prepared for — the primary one being the sleepless nights.
But the infinite wave of love was exactly what they anticipated when Hendrix Kuat William Daw entered the world on August 29 last year.
“I don’t think anything can prepare you for the 24/7 of it all,” McKay says.
“I definitely wasn’t scared to change a nappy or give him a bottle or anything like that. But when you actually have them 24/7, when you are breastfeeding — and I’ve gotten sick with that — all of that is new and there are all the bodily changes. I couldn’t have prepared for any of that. But you just deal with that.
“Maj is one of nine children, so he’s been around a lot (of babies) and he’s got a million cousins and a million other cousins that he calls cousins that aren’t really cousins.
“He’s really good. Even with my nieces and nephews. He’s never been too scared to pick up a baby or give them a bottle or be silly with them, so that definitely helps.
“Like any dad you get that new-dad, kind-of-scary, don’t-know-what-to-do thing that guys get. But they have to just get over it eventually when I need to sleep or go to the toilet or have a shower.”
McKay describes her “Hendy” as a “happy bubba” — even though he slept for just three hours, at most, for the first seven months.
She was fortunate she could take him out at an early age and settle him quickly.
“I think every mum has something different but the biggest thing for me was getting him to sleep,” McKay says.
“When they wake up there’s big smiles and during the day you kind of enjoy it. But at night he hasn’t really slept any more than three hours and Maj really needs his sleep so it was me managing most nights.
“It definitely takes a toll on you just not having a nice big block of sleep. When I say it out loud it seems like a long time but you can survive. He’ll have sleeps and I’ll do my work around it. But it’s one of the hardest bits.
“Apart from sleeping, the first few weeks I could take him anywhere. He’ll just sleep in the car or he’ll just tag along wherever with me. He’s still young, but no tantrums and he doesn’t have that cry that can be a bit deafening. Even if he’s a bit sooky I can settle him pretty quickly.”
Tomorrow will be a special day — her first Mother’s Day — which she hasn’t put too much thought into. It will be a low-key but sweet family affair, with breakfast in bed and not too much fussing with presents.
“I already have enough pyjamas and slippers,” she laughs.
The arrival of baby Hendrix was joyous and significant, particularly after a tumultuous year for the couple.
Daw, the first Sudanese Australian player in the AFL, rapidly made his mark on the AFL competition after arriving at Arden St almost a decade ago.
In December 2018 he fell from the Bolte Bridge, suffering serious injuries to his hip and pelvis.
In March last year Daw returned to North Melbourne, the club posting an inspirational video of him doing his first training session on a stationary bike while his teammates cheered him on.
He has since made one of the AFL’s greatest comebacks, playing with the Roos in the Marsh Community Series AFL pre-season competition, his first senior game since Round 23 in 2018.
Daw was on the cusp of selection for Round 1 this year but illness forced him out that week. Then the coronavirus forced the suspension of the AFL season.
“He is not a massive home body,” McKay says of Daw, 29. “He likes to be around people and the structure of everything, so he is definitely excited to get back.”
McKay, 32, is also eagerly awaiting the easing of coronavirus restrictions with her tanning business, Spray Aus, which has had to pivot with an online focus.
Spray Aus was founded with her close friends Nadia Bartel, Rebecca Judd and Ellie Pearson.
“We’ve had to close all of our studios which is pretty scary,’’ McKay says.
“We do have an online store and at-home products. The demand is still there and everyone is still wanting to look after themselves.
“People are practicising with the products when they’ve got the time. Everyone is lacking so much vitamin D at the moment so it’s nice to get some colour.”
As for Hendrix, he has also been kept busy with FaceTime calls and cousin catch-ups. “He gets his fix from his cousins,” McKay says.
“A lot of my friends have kids as well. We’ve had lots of play dates before all this. Even though he’s still so young his face lights up when he sees other kids.
“He sees my nephew and Hendy just loses
it, he thinks he’s the funniest guy ever. It’s so cute to see.”
In the midst of the parenthood bubble, McKay and Daw have managed an outing, to Derby Day last year, where they mingled trackside with close friends.
Daw gushed over Hendrix and fatherhood and McKay’s job as a mum, while she says it was a nice little break from the daily routine.
“Everyone is delighted and he is so loved,” Daw said of Hendrix at the time. “We have been so lucky. Em is an amazing mother and I am so proud of her. He is a wonderful baby and it makes everything so much easier.”
They keep a low profile and even the announcement of them expecting was publicly made, yet consciously private.
Their Instagram posts are rare but always positive. And Hendrix is generally at the forefront, with an infectious smile that has, not surprisingly, already led
to some modelling work.
He has appeared in social media posts for Homegrown Kids, the baby and children’s collection started by Emma Hawkins, the wife of Geelong forward Tom Hawkins.
And in good news for sports enthusiasts, he also seems destined to make his mark in that field.
“He’s definitely showing good signs,” McKay says.
“He’s strong. He never really had a bobbly head and now that he’s crawling you’ve got to watch him because he’s lightning fast. He’ll be on the other side of the room in two seconds.
“Now he’s climbing up he thinks he’s a lot stronger than what he is and he’s pulling himself up on everything so he’s definitely showing some strong signs at such a young age.”
Hendrix is as precious by nature as he is by name. McKay says she and Daw wanted a name they both chose, but were also keen to pay tribute to their families.
“Hendrix was just one on the list of about 25 names,” she says.
“We couldn’t agree on anything before he was born, we both agreed that we’d just look at the shortlist when he was born. Hendrix was a strong contender for me and it wasn’t until he was born that Maj said, ‘yes we’re doing that’.
“Kuat is a name chosen by his family. Normally in the culture, Maj’s uncle would choose the baby’s name. And he did choose the name Kuat.
“I wanted both of us to name him but definitely wanted them to be involved. Because he’s the first boy — he’s got four nieces — it’s the name they’ve given him.
“So his family calls him Kuat.
“And William is my grandad’s name and William is Maj’s dad’s name. It’s a long one but we’re keeping everyone happy.”
McKay says more children would be the hope for their future but for now the young parents are content with their current duties — and thankful they took plenty of interest in family over the years.
“One day at a time but we both come from big families so we are used to chaos,” she says.
“I’ve always said I wanted to have four kids by the time I was 30. Now I’ve had one I’m just chilling with one and we’ll figure it out.
“I’m so lucky, I couldn’t be happier.”
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