I Have A New Yaya

I call her Tita Yaya.

She came to our home in the second week of January 2007 when my Daddy went to Manila and when Mommy got a new job in Iloilo City.

At first when she would call me, I would not go to her. I was a little bit scared. But later when I had no other recourse but to get her help, I had to be friendly with her.

She would bath me and change my clothes. She would also teach me how to identify pictures in my books.
At times she would play with me and bring me outside our residence for a walk.

But once my Nanay and my Tatay would come home, I did not like to be with her again.

Tita Yaya is about forty years old,. married and has four children. Her youngest child is a 12 year old boy, while the rest of her children are already grown up, one of them is already married.

She used to work with my grandmother in Barotac Viejo, Iloilo but she was requested to work with us because nobody would watch over me. And she agreed. She said that she had a lot of things to payback to my grandfather in Barotac Viejo--utang na loob. I learned later that her son got involved in a knifing incident and my grandfather helped them in terms of financial and legal matters.

I do not know until when she will stay with us.

Thanks God, I Am Well Again

I am glad I have recovered from bad cold and cough.

In fact, my Mommy and Daddy brought me to my pediatrician for consultation. I could not breath well and I would always cough each time I took my milk or ate my food.

I took all my medicines regularly.

But there was one medicine which I hated because I had to take it through mobilizer that transforms the liquid medicine into gas. I was really afraid of it when it was put on my nose that I really cried so hard when Mommy and Daddy asked me to take it. They said it was good for my lungs.

My Mommy decided that I forego with it.

Now that I am well, again I can play around. Jump and run.

But for these past few days, I fell down three times. So I have bruises on my forehead, my checks, and my knees.

Today, my Daddy goes to Manila for a work interview. I hope he will pass this so he can find a better job.

Two days ago, our pet dog, Trent, died. He was 14 years old.

My Favorite Foods

My favorite food is spaghetti.


This is the food that I want when my Mommy and Daddy bring me to SM City.


I consume the whole serving once I start eating it.


The other food that I like to eat is noodle soup. This is the reason why Mommy and Nanay Bing would stock this food at home.


But at times, I am not given this food because it might be bad for my health. It contains a lot of sodium glutamate.


Lately, I enjoy my food when I eat with leche flan which Nanay prepare.
The other food which Nanay prepares is Molo balls. This I enjoy eating especially the soup .


When my Mommy or my Nanay tells me to eat because Ma'am told me once to eat more rice and viands, I really eat more. Even with fish which I hated before.


This is the reason why I am gaining weight.

But I maintain my figure. Look at my latest picture.

My Lola Mommie

She is not really my immediate grandmother nor my aunt as nephews and nieces call their aunts. She is the elder sister of my Daddy's mother.

She came over to visit us along with Tita Mia, my Lolo Elmor's youngest child.

But I call her Lola Mommie because my uncles and aunts call her Mommie and Lola because she is my grandmother.

She is a retired elementary school teacher.

One time, Lola Mommie stayed in our house in Iloilo City.

That time except for Daddy and me, nobody else would be left at home as everybody else would be either be in his/her work or in school.

My Tatay Mel and Nanay Bing would leave the house before eight o'clock. My Mommy would report for work before 10 in the morning. My other Titos, Dodong and Gigi would also leave for their duties.

One time, Lola Mommie volunteered to take care of me provided my Daddy would find a job.

And he found one as a paramedic in a newly established health care emergency company.

My father had studied a caregiver course, so that was a big factor for him.

So for more than three months, I would be left alone with Lola Mommie and my Tita Mia.

Tita Mia is the youngest child of Lolo Elmor, the younger brother of my Nanay Bing. She always with Lola Mommie.

Of course, I enjoyed with my stay with Lola Mommie and Tita Mia.

Lola Mommie would teach me the ABC, and the counting from one to ten.

But Lola Mommie had to go back to Makati, so once again I had to stay with my Mommie. She had to stop working so she could stay with me.

Now Lola Mommie is still in Makati.

And my Mommie takes care of me.

At the above picture, I am with my Lola Mommie.

My Uncles and Aunts

My uncles and aunts from my grandmother's side visit us during Christmas and summer vacation.

They are still very young, from the pre-elementary to first year high school. Tita Ging Ging stopped schooling after studying first year high school because she did not concentrate much in her studies. Tito Jano is still in first high school, while Tita Jam Jam is in grade Five. Their youngest,Tita Mia, is in Prep II, but has stopped schooling because she went to Manila together with Lola Mamie Rita.

Since my uncles and aunts on my grandfather's side are in Aklan and in Mindanao, I have no opportunity to see them.

Perhaps when I grow older I will meet them.

Of course, my Daddy's brothers and sister are always around me. Or I just talk to them over the phone as two of them, Tito Gigi and Tita Inday, are working in Bacolod and in Makati respectively.

When my aunts and uncles come, I am so happy because I have playmates.

But I sometimes quarrel them when I cannot get what I want.

In the picture above, I am with Tito Dodong.

Sige! Smile!

This is one of my favorite pictures when I still had no teeth.

By this time, I was still unable to walk alone.

But by this time, I already knew how to pose a smile when asked to.

My Favorite Tito

One of my favorite Tito is Tito Gigi.

I would run to him when he arrived home from work, and he would then carry me. I would embrace him as he asked me of what I have been doing the whole day.

I would volunteer to unlease the lace of his shoes and even remove his socks.

When I like to drink my milk, I would do as he held me.

Most often, he would buy me apples, breads, and spaghetti from Jollibee.

Dandansoy

One of the earliest songs that was introduced to me was Dandansoy.
Here is the lyric of that folk song:

Dandansoy, inum tuba laloy
Indi ako inum
Tuba tamis, aslum.

Dandansoy, inum tuba laloy
Indi ako inum
Tuba tamis, aslum.

Chorus

Simbugan sang butong
Ang tawo nga maka-inum
Dandansoy, man lang gihapon.

My Early Favorite Play

Since my baptismal and my first birthday, I received several gifts from my Ninangs and Ninongs. These include stuffed toys and plastic cars, carts, cards, alphabets, puzzles.

When I wanted to play with them, I pour them on the floor from my big plastic bag and play--at times with myself alone, with my aunts and uncles, my parents, my grandparents, and neighbor-children who visit me.

But I enjoyed most when I am in front of my Daddy's computer.

I play Counter Strike, and many other games available in the internet.

Of course, at first I could not control the computer mouse, but handling it constantly, I could click the necessary items I wanted to click, like the x, the minimize, the maximize icon. Later, I knew which icon is for my favorite game.

And I would kulit my Tatay Mel if he would not allow me to play. At times I would cry, then laughed when he gave in to my pressure.

There was a time when I clicked a command that sent the unfinished email of Tatay Mel. And I went through! He left the computer open when he visited his lovebirds and pigeons.

Through the computer I learned how to count.

My Daddy bought me a CD produced by the Department of Education in collaboration with Jollibee and it shows how to count one to ten. It also features different colors and sizes.

With constant viewing it, I was able to count from one to ten and was able to tell which is yellow and which is green.

But my parents would take me away from the computer after thirty minutes or so to preserve my eyesight. At times through hinto-hinto, but at times, by force. Then I would just cry.

At Last I Can Walk...Alone!

On my 8th month, I was able to walk alone.
With that new skill, I could go to many places which I wanted to go but couldnn't.
Now that I could walk alone, I could climb chairs, stairs, beds. I went to the kitchen, to the bathroom, anywhere I liked to.
But everybody in our house, especially my parents, was watching me very closely because I might fall.
In fact, I had experienced falling down several times. My prize--swollen forehead, and breast. Several times I was brought to manghihilot.
I also had some bruises on my knees and forehead especially when I ran without a break.
But that was part of my growing up.

My Mommy

I am so proud to have an intelligent and loving Mommy.

Ever since I was born, I observed that she has been looking after my welfare. She would spend her precious time watching me, feeding me, changing my diapers, teaching me how to pronounce words, how to sing. She would also teach me the different colors and sizes.

To widen my perceptions, my M0mmy would bring me to SM City to hear mass or just give me a chance to play in the Toy Kingdom, one of the stores in SM City.

At times, we would play in the computers.

My Walker

As I said, my parents bought me a walker made of ratan.

Here is one of the pictures I had.

Nanay Bing and Tatay Mel enjoy watching me as I struggle to walk.

My Early Walk

My parents brought me a crib where I could play around.

But I did not like to go around in that 4 x 6 foot-crib.

I wanted to go around in a wider space.

My parents bought me a walker made of ratan.

At first, I like to walk with it. But I got scared when I walked fast and I almost stumble down with it.

Since then, I did not like to walk with it. So my parents, my grandparents would just hold my hands and then I would walk.

Through this, I was able to walk alone.