Milestone Memoir 2009

September 28, 2009

Dear Baby Kitten,

It's 0400Hrs and no matter how much I force myself back to sleep, I can't. I can't be awake this long because I don't want to be drowsy later when I am watching over you because I tend to leave you in the care of Ate Jocel just so I can take a power nap. But I guess, I just need to report our recent progress. I guess I owe you a weeks-worth because I haven't written between the 22nd and the 26th! And you did some progress especially with your dance moves.

It was somewhere between Tuesday to Thursday (22nd to 24th) when you discovered the peek-a-boo dance step. We were playing, you and I, waiting for sleep to set in and I had you lean on the cabinet - err, these cabinets are like walls, so they're sturdy enough - and whenever I said "Where's the baby?" you would peek. Later on when I handed you over to Ate Jocel, (and before leaving you for my Bellydancing session) you were doing the peek-a-boo left and right, adding a "bootie thump". Wow! I have names for your moves now, by the way. Thanks to the "bootie thump", which you started doing last month, you'd do it whenever you heard music - so as not to confuse a move for another, I christened them. It progressed to the "foot stomp", which you often did when you were standing. Then you added the "body twist" one Sunday in Carmen when Papalo was holding you, and now, your "peek-a-boo". I wonder what's next? You've managed to mix them as well...but - and, it's a big BUT since Mamala taught you how to clap yesterday, you've forgotten the rest and now we can't seem to stop you from clapping. It's cute! When I was holding you yesterday, I accidentally coughed (I think I choked on my O2) and that solicited your animated round of applause. Maybe because you always associate your coughing to catching our attention, you must have thought I was catching your attention, too! Later on when I re-enacted this infront of your Ninang Jaijai, you were already shaking your head, you were not going to buy it no matter how many times I repeated it. I did it thrice only to get your headshakes so I let your Ninang do it instead but her coughing only got your giggles. You must've thought our duo to be quite hilarious. So she proceeded to clap, which you gladly obliged repeating after. Mamilou says it's just "Close-open" you're incapable of doing, which I begged to disagree with because you can actually alternate clapping and "Close-open" whichever you can mimic from us.

You've become so intelligent that you can actually do that! Not to mention the added gibberish to your vocabulary and the more enunciated "Mama". But I guess the naughty factor is something inescapable as your intelligence. You've been especially naughty in mass today; you just didn't want to settle in down, wanting to roam to see other kids laying as if you were old enough to understand them. But whenever we introduced you to a child older than you, you would blow them rude raspberries. I don't think you're Strawberry Jam - you must be Raspberry Jam! Haha! I gotta tell your Ninang that, I bet she'd be tickled! It's cute! And oh! You've also been naughty towards your Ninang. How intelligent you are to stop in the middle of breastfeeding just to drive her away when she has joined us in bed. And no matter how much she's put, playing asleep, you really just stop, make that vacuum sound to emphasize that you've stopped sucking milk - or else it's a "I'm serious" kinda sound, you turn to her and giver her "that look" and if she's closed her eyes to look like she's sleeping, you put both hands on her face until she opens her eyes and then give her "that look". It works! You are bright, I tell you! Sharp! And it wasn't until yesterday that we've added Promil in your Cerelac, so that means you don't need formula to start your IQ. Maybe just to boost! We've also been hoping since you've been displaying your ability and strength on action and reaction with both left and right hands, that you'd be an ambidextrose like your Ninong Neil. I do hope so! Coz he's one heck of a bright kid - tho he did feed himself with spoons of Promil milk powder - he didn't wait around to have it mixed. Heheh!

Later, we'll be on the fourth day of our Novena to Our Lady of Manaoag and we'll join the San Lorenzo Parish and Chinese Community in their feast, commemorating San Lorenzo himself. For the past two days, we had free dinner in Gloria Maris. Your Ninang and I prefer to call it Angelouise Gloriamaris...Angelouise Maris meets Gloria Maris. I am most happy because we celebrated the 14th National Seafarer's Day in the mass and prayed for Seafarers like Daddy. I'm glad that there's such a day as that. I told Daddy about it and how we've been praying for him in the Novena as well. He's texted quite often since Friday and I'm happy to hear from him even through text. I'm also happy that I get to text him everyday, at least thrice in a day. I'm using the SIM card issued by Magsaysay and they have credited it with a load of Php400, that's Php200 per month. Wow! That's a lot of text messages. I was able to update him on Ninong Poloy's condition. I don't know if he knows that Ninong Poloy has a destination already but he can't leave because his VISA is still pending. :(

But what's to talk about is the typhoon "ONDOY", claiming 62 lives as of yesterday afternoon and about 1, 600 people fled their homes that went underwater. In Sta. Mesa, in your Lolo Eliong's place, the water went up to their second floor level. It's a good thing they live in a 4-storey building. I'm just glad that your Lola Kotan is a lot safer in Batanes, where her home, made of stone, can stand against any kind of typhoon. Actually, it has withstood all types of weather, so she'd be safer there. *sigh* I wonder how your Tita Wyna, Tito Macky, and everyone else is. I hope to God they're okay.

Love, Mamimeow