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Archive for the ‘family life’ Category

    Earlier this week, Leejay and I had one of the most stressing times in our lives — both our kids got sick. It is never easy for a parent to have his or her child suffer from any affliction, no matter how minor. The dread that it might turn out to be something very serious always loom in the back of a parent’s psyche. In our case, all that mental anguish is multiplied many times over when both Kylee and Lyka had burning 39 degree fevers. To make matters worse, they are both clinging to me for comfort and reassurance. Sad to say, I wasn’t able to fulfill that role perfectly being the impatient cranky person that I am.

    Lyka was the first to succumb. She had been feeling warm to the touch last Sunday night and we thought that she might come down with a fever. True enough, she did, but with her high fever, we were at a loss for the source of her discomfort. She spent the night in her grandmother’s house then, but in the morning, Mamajo told me that Lyka might be having mumps as she kept holding her right cheek as if it hurt; she was also having trouble eating and swallowing. So I tried to make some cursory inspections of her mouth. I then found a mouth sore inside her cheek, near the gums at the back of her mouth. We applied Pyralvex on the area and that elicited a raging tantrum from her. Leejay tried to calm her down but she won’t part from my side so I just embraced her, all the while telling her that it was necessary.

    The next morning, Lyka’s fever has steadily gone worse, and by then, Kylee was also running a fever. To complicate things further, I was having one of my occasional skull-splitting headaches. I could not think straight at all, much less take care of two bawling toddlers. Eventually I had to give up and ask for help from my mother-in-law since Leejay was asleep from working and watching over Lyka the whole of last night. After Lyka left, Kylee was less restive, and eventually she fell asleep; I did too.

    The next two days were repeat performances for us parents playing doctors but by then, the kids’ fevers have tapered off; they are finally, more or less, better. I have no idea how we could have weathered those days if Mamajo wasn’t next door. I might have had a nervous breakdown. Leejay and I may have both had. Then, just that, they’re well! They’re running around the room squealing on the top of their pretty little lungs as if they weren’t sick just yesterday.

    After another more day, we went to St Luke’s Hospital for the children’s routine checkup, vaccines. We had another agenda for going to the pedia today: to have the girls’ ears pierced. Their grandmother have been dropping hints for God knows how long; letting out comments like, “If only you have your ears pierced, my dear, I would buy you the cutest earring there is!” So much for subtlety. But I had to concede. In the light of Lyka’s latest haircut blunder, a pair of earrings will really help to keep her from being mistaken for a boy.

    We arrived to the clinic in good spirits. Elvie, Doctora Liz’s assistant, took the kids’ measurements then led us to the pediatrician’s room. Once inside, Lyka was all smiles and was trying to charm her doctor to giving her a lollipop. That was until the piercing started.

    Lyka had no idea what her doctor was up to, but she braced herself for the sharp poke that should have come at any moment. Instead, she was quite bemused when Doctora Liz held up a pen and started marking her earlobes. Only when the piercing gun has popped and her earrings secured on her ears did she cry; such a cry that was! We were afraid that we might end up just having one ear pierced but thanks to Leejay’s steel grip, we were able to have both ears adorned with gold half moon earrings. In Kylee’s case, though, she had to endure twice the pain since she had to take her MMR vaccine aside from her ear piercing. Her sister was so concerned about her that Lyka forgot about her own pain fairly quickly. Seeing her sister’s concern, and after a good helping of breastmilk, Kylee also recovered fast, asking for a lolly with such cuteness it made Doctora Liz smile.

    It is in these moments that I marvel about the inherent resilience of children. We often think of them as fragile little glass figurines but in reality, they are more hardy than we might give them credit for. They can get scrapes, bumps, bruises but that is all part of their process of finding their own limits. I say, let them, with proper supervision of course. Let them have their own small adventures in the house, in the yard, in the playground. Let them hurt once in a while and they will learn. Each scratch and each booboo is another lesson in what not to do, another limit set up. Just be there for them if the hurt seem to be too much to bear. Life is spicy; don’t let your kids miss out on it.

    Yesterday we went on a road trip to Nueva Ecija. Actually, my mom-in-law and my brother-in-law were going to meet up with some business associates The original plan was to go to Subic after their meeting and have fun strolling around there or going shopping in the duty-free shops. It was a good plan.

    6:00 AM – I was doing my daily rituals before taking a shower. We were supposed to be off by 7:00 AM so I thought I still had a lot of time. So I was a bit surprised when I heard Mamajo’s voice, then Tey’s and finally Leejay’s, all conversing loudly downstairs. The SUV Tey borrowed from our community chairman has a plate number ending in 9, thus it was banned to go out on Metro. To go around this ordnance, we have to be on the NLEX before 7:00. So I had to hurry up; I rushed the kids under a hot shower to alleviate the cold; dressed them in their pajamas (They would be asleep all through the drive including me. It was one of those days when their body clocks are totally inverted. In short, today was vampire mode day.); then carried them down to the SUV outside the house. Leejay then got his turn to prepare himself for the drive. He was further rushed as the coding ban was fast approaching. We really had to leave if we were to beat getting pulled over for a ban violation.

    6:55 AM – We were going down EDSA on the way to NLEX. Fortunately, we had some time to spare and there were no MMDA traffic enforcers about so we were able to skirt a traffic violation. After 10 minutes Lyka has finally fallen asleep. Kylee was still breastfeeding but eventually she was asleep too. I was also getting sleepy but somehow I just can’t find sleep. So instead I just had conversations with the rest of the family. Before we knew it, we were already in Nueva Ecija, about 9:00AM in the morning. Mamajo was surprised. In fact, we were all surprised. It was our first time to take the SCTEX to go to Nueva Ecija. Despite the rather pricey toll fees, it was definitely worth it to save the time we would have taken had we gone through Sta Rita to Gapan.

    10:00 AM – We were already in Sta Rosa, Nueva Ecija and we were trying to determine where the Mamajo, Tey and their associates would be meeting. It was supposed to be in the Rustica restaurant but somehow, we kept getting lost. Eventually, after several U-turns, we came to the restaurant in question just in time. Still Lyka was fast asleep. Kylee, on the other hand, was awake again and quite restless. I tried to give her some of my fried rice but she just took a couple of mouthfuls and then she’s done. She just kept breastfeeding after that. Leejay, his cousin Jonathan and I ate our lunch then, and it was some big lunch. We enjoyed it very much indeed.

    1:00 PM – We decided to go back home then as we had nowhere else to go. Besides, we were all tired from the trip and we could use some good long sleep, especially me. The trip back home was rather faster than coming to Nueva Ecija, also this time, the drive was rather uneventful. After two hours we were back in Metro Manila. All throughout the drive, Lyka was sleeping deeply. When we finally got inside the house, she woke up. It was like she didn’t leave home at all.

    My daughter’s deep sleep is one of her remarkable traits. She can sleep so deeply that she’d be oblivious to anything and if anyone tried to wake her fro her sleep, she’d be so cranky you’d never think of waking her in the middle of even her nap. It could be from this long and deep sleeping habit that she got to be as big for her age as she is. Now, if only Kylee would sleep like that, or even have the appetite to match her sister’s. Ah well, that’s a different story.

    I have a dilemma. There is this one relative that I have, and let’s just say that he was unceremoniously evicted from his family due to his own fault. Whatever happened between him and his family was not my business. Still, I felt sorry for him. So, I took it up to myself to try and be a friend to him, if only to help him through dealing with what happened to his family.

    The problem started when he tried to tell me his side of the story. It was originally my idea. I thought that if I knew what his side was, I might better understand him and all the events that had happened. Instead, when I got his next text message, all I got was how his family was cold towards him, how he felt disrespected as the head of the family. I admit, I was actually expecting some sort of remorse, or even a confession that he actually admits he wronged his family. The way he portrayed himself as a poor under-appreciated, mistreated father was just too much for me.

    See, I had lived with him and his family for some time in the past. I have heard all the stories of his “escapades,” as well as the version of the story from his wife and kids. I have even seen some of his transgressions with my own eyes. I understand that he tries to make himself believe that he had been the best father he can be if only to alleviate his guilt, but please don’t take me for a fool. Now, I try hard to ignore his “pitiable” situation, so he texts me, just to keep myself from replying with something that I would regret later.

    I am not so sure if I have done the right thing, or if it would have been better if I hadn’t done anything at all. I was trying to help a man go through a tough time in his life, but it is another matter to try to make himself look the injured party just to make himself feel better about all of it. I have seen him amidst his transgressions but never breathed a word about it to him. I tried to understand him, even decided to try and bridge the gap between him and his children. But to make me look like an idiot, that is just low!

    I am not a perfect person. I have my times of weaknesses, but I try my hardest not to console myself by painting a different picture of me to others. I am just mad. I feel betrayed; my faith in that person was horribly shattered because he can be such a good person, yet he chose to be a hypocrite. Now I have no clear idea just what to do, or to feel.

    Today, Leejay, Lyka and I went to watch Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs at the SM City North Edsa IMAX Theatre. This was Lyka’s first IMAX experience and, to tell the truth, Leejay and I are both excited as to how she will react to the rather immersive visuals of the theatre.

    At first, Lyka was rather indifferent to the whole thing. Though she knows that we were about to watch a feature movie, she was treating the whole thing just like any other movie. Well, how can I blame her? She is just a kid after all. She was even demanding about having some popcorn. She likes her popcorn in the theatre. Eventually, the previews started to feature one by one. She kept taking off her 3D glasses, as if she was trying to gauge if she really needed them to watch. Eventually she stopped fidgeting and, in a few minutes more, she started laughing at the pictures. She was having a good time. Finally she fell silent, transfixed by events taking place in the screen. She would even take my arm at times and hug it close to her. It was during these moments that I knew she was engrossed and totally enjoying the movie.

    Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is about is a film loosely adapted from the book of the same name. It tells of the story of a young inventor who wanted to be the creator of “something awesome.” He eventually made a device that worked, until things started to go wrong. I cannot say much more than this else I spoil the surprise for those who have not seen it yet.

    Aside from making my baby girl smile and give out a thumbs-up sign, the movie also brought to mind a solution, albeit fictional one, to world hunger. Just imagine; we no longer have to worry where to get food anymore. No more under-nourished kids, no more emaciated citizenry; we instead would have a slight problem of over-nourishment. It would be one gastronomic utopia. Instead of solving things, it may instead make things worse. The movie also serves, in a deeper, less obvious manner, as all animated movies tend to, as a revelation to the damages that we inflict upon ourselves by our own greed and gluttony.

    On a lighter note, writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller emphasized the traits of optimism and perseverance in the pursuit of your dream, being true to yourself, as well as the importance of the expression of a parent’s love towards a child. Last of all, they showed us that it is soooo cool to have a talking monkey.

    All in all, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a must-see movie for all the family. It has action, romance, family values, and Neil Patrick Harris as a monkey. Seriously, it is a very good movie with very cool graphics. I recommend watching it in an IMAX theatre, every cent is worth it.

    Today is another chance for my daughters to learn the dynamics of social interaction: they were invited to the birthday party of one of their second cousins, just across the street. Hans was celebrating his seventh birthday and his folks were thoughtful enough to invite Lyka, Kylee, as well as their cousins Joshua and Jayvee. When the invitation came yesterday, I thought that the celebrant was almost as old as Lyka so I was just happy to accompany the girls to the small party. Therefore, I was a bit taken aback when I realized that Hans was turning seven. I thought, “What the heck, it’s a kids’ party. No big deal.” Thus, we went in the gate bearing our gift-cake with my mom and three children with us.

    Inside the compound, I admit, my mom and I were a bit ill at ease. These are relatives of my husband’s, and I admit, my semi-hermitic tendencies did not help in getting to know these people. I was not about to let that hamper my daughters’ enjoyment though, so I mastered myself and just tried to let the kids have their fun.

    The festivities started soon enough with a prayer and a few introductions. We were seated somewhere in the back far from the stage. Hans and his classmates, friends and close cousins were from ages seven to ten, I think, and they cannot be bothered by toddlers. Anyway, Lyka found some toys lying around, Hans’, and took those to our table to entertain herself and Joshua. Kylee on the other hand is nearing her naptime, making her both restless and cranky at the same time. Maybe it is because of the novelty that Kylee kept trying to get closer to the stage to get closer to the clowns giving out entertainment. For about half an hour or so, the clowns dished out some parlour games like “Trip to Jerusalem”, “Bring Me”, riddles, and “The Longest Greeting.” We succeeded in getting a few prizes for Lyka while Kylee fell asleep during the game of riddles.

    As I said, Lyka is among the youngest kids in that party, but that fact did not stop her from participating in the games and having a good time. She first participated in the game “Trip to Jerusalem” also known as musical chairs. Despite her being large for her age, she was dwarfed by the other children playing with her. Still, she was game. The music started and she moved, danced, and went around the chairs. When it stopped, she sat, pretty as you please, on the chair behind her. Well, it was a good dry run, commented the clown and then real game began. Again, Lyka stood up, danced, and went round the chairs. When the music stopped, she was left without a chair. No problem. She went round again looking for a free chair. She was looking really serious. It seemed to me that she was thinking that she should sit, so there should be a free chair for her. Everyone in the crowd was laughing at this small precocious child, and some were even clapping when she went down the stairs. She was nonchalant about the whole thing and she was cuter for it. All the while, Kylee was just watching her sister’s escapade. She really was getting sleepier and crankier. Eventually she fell asleep and had to be brought home.

    Lyka’s second foray into this world of the big kids is during the “Bring Me” game. One of the items asked to be brought is a kid who knows how to dance. I shooed Lyka to the stage, me being a typical proud mom. I was not expecting any more other than my kid bringing back a new bauble for a prize. There were three more children with her on the stage, all of them much older than she was. The clown then announced that he will make the children dance to determine who the best dancer in the group is. Then the Wondergirls were singing. The children all started dancing their own choreographies, including Lyka. The crowd was laughing. Even I was laughing. More than that, I was amazed at my own daughter’s moxie. She was dancing there, however which way and she was enjoying what she was doing. She had no mind for the crowd in front of her, not for the other kids beside her. It looked like at that time, there was only Lyka and the music. After a minute of dancing, there was a vote for who was the best dancer. Two kids were left; Lyka and a boy named Restar. They had a showdown of sorts but it was obvious that Lyka was the crowd favourite. So, she won. Of course, I was the happy and proud mom during those moments.

    The party then proceeded to other games, a small break to eat, to the magic show, a last scramble for party favours and, lastly, the wishes for the birthday boy. Lyka had no interests for friends’ wishes for Hans; she was busy playing with her prizes. After she tired of that, she spied a girl in front of her sitting in a different table. She slowly made her way to the girl while assuring me that she is just fine (I kept asking her if she is ok since she can be restless when she is sleepy and she still has not had her nap). Eventually she fell in the seat beside the girl, Janna. Janna was playing with a plastic toy rifle and as usual, Lyka is curious. She was tentatively reaching for the toy, but she made no move to take it. I saw Janna try to talk to Lyka and I had no idea how they had a conversation if they ever did. Instead, I just watched Lyka in amazement and awe. Eventually, the party ended and we found our way out of the compound. Back in the street, some of the people who saw Lyka dance on stage were very vocal about their admiration for this cheeky kid of mind. I just smiled my thanks, feeling my heart light and buoyant.

    Lyka really surprised me in that party. I have always known that she was pining for the company of other children other than her sister’s, but somehow I have imagined that she would be shy and even ill at ease. What she showed me is that she has a degree of confidence that she can carry herself well among other children, even at her very young age. Well, she still has a tendency to take any toy she sees and declare it hers but somehow, she is starting to learn how to interact with other kids now. I will try to support her in this discovery, hoping she will keep on being a fun-loving, sweet girl.

    Here’s Lyka and Raster’s final dance showdown. Enjoy!