milestones

when you're an early childhood educator on top of being a mother, you cannot help but be mindful of milestones of your child. i guess most mothers are, too, but as a teacher you're more likely or inclined to also assess your child one way or another. 

my son just turned one year and 10 months yesterday and i was glad i was home just in time to be with him. (i just arrived from manila attending the curative education workshop). not that i was particularly nosy about what new tricks were up his sleeves but i was really paying close attention. well, i didn't notice anything new apart from his hiccups (which they say is a sign of growing-up!) and i just left it at that. 

this morning, however, i did my usual clean-up in the house while he was playing and i noticed that he was observing me. he would glance at me from time to time while he carried on with his play. he was playing with my pilates ball, his daddy's orange cones for basketball training, assorted balls (football, basketball). he was also moving the chairs about and had the brilliant idea of throwing the balls in between two chairs like in basketball! he was particularly happy until he threw the pilates ball which couldn't fit in between the chairs. he abandoned his play and went on to check his other toys. he played with the maracas and i noticed that he was about to hit the floor with it so i took the other maracas and started playing and singing. he joined me and started singing and playing with the maracas, too! the kookaburra song came naturally. after a while, he got the other maracas from me and gleefully ran around the room holding it with both hands. 

i resumed with my cleaning (i was wiping the chairs and tables) and then he started to join me. using a small cloth (the cloth used in reading glasses), he wiped away the dust and started sneezing! but he slowly took his time and cleaned the chairs with so much focus. 

after a while, seeing me wash my rag cloth, he also wanted to join me so i let him wash his own rag cloth. he couldn't reach the sink so i helped him push one of the chairs to boost him up. of course, he liked "washing" which eventually turned into splashing and extended time playing with water. the challenge for us parents is to how to properly transition from one task to another without forcing our child. what i did was ask our yaya to get the clothespins and show it to him. he immediately knew what it was for so he happily let go of the wash basin and followed me outside to hang the rag cloths.

then i got the broom to sweep the floor and i was so touched when he got the dust pan and gave it to me!

it was work/play and not only did i accomplish my housekeeping chores, i also had a great time with my son!

my son's ability to "comprehend" what's happening in his environment as well as managing to "cope" with the changes is a milestone.

look who's getting ready for the parent-child program this coming saturday!

with his new pair of rain boots!

as a mother in iloilo city, i have noticed that it is quite hard to look for places to go to where both mother and child can have a pretty decent dining experience together. i am not sure if this is due to the fact that i am quite different than most mothers that i know of. the different point of view about parenting that i adhere to for my child is not really mainstream so my child and i are literally going against the stream. it's hard and i am more often than not misunderstood but i am solid and consistent not for them but for my child. (this deserves a different post altogether).

but i am so glad i discovered camina balay nga bato in arevalo. 

it's an old house owned by the camina (ca-mee-nya) family and it's a treasure trove of antique finds. been wanting to visit the place since last year but it was postponed several times. when an opportunity presented itself, i initially hesitated bringing my son because he might just be breaking things but, i should've known that he wouldn't. silly me. the most that he did was just throw all the sigay (shells) used in the sungka (a local table game using sigay) on the floor! i knew he could handle the sungka and sigay because we also have it at home. oh, how he enjoyed running around. apart from the fact that there were no other visitors except our group, solid wooden floors are really a great help.

the one thing that actually drew me to the place is their native chocolate drink (tsokolate) from their homegrown cacao in a tablea or what is also known as chocolate rounds or rolls.  i prefer to call it chocolate tablets. they prepare it the traditional way using a batidor or batirol (whisk) and tsokolatera (chocolate pot). they prepare it as you arrive so you are welcomed with a hot chocolate drink together with some local delicacies. it was raining when we got there so a cup of steaming hot chocolate was simply perfect! (well, i think i had the whole pot to myself! sadly, no sweets and chocolates yet for my little boy so he was just busy nibbling the bread).

at the ground floor, they have a curio shop where they sell local products including the tablea and its implements. they also have an old baby grand piano on display. my son, of course, couldn't resist playing on it because we would also have that same ritual at home. it was just disconcerting to hear "chopsticks" wafting through the halls of the old house. :)

quiet. cozy. simple. rich in history and culture. time well-spent. a perfect day for baby and mommy.

i am a mother. 

the weight of this word is so heavy i cannot begin to tell you what a big responsibility that is. as a newbie mom on the day i turned 38 (yes, my son and i share the same date of birth), i have since discovered that rearing a child is probably one of the most challenging tasks a person can ever be given.

and so my task of raising my child began almost two years ago and i begin to share with you my musings, travails, boo-boos, delight, discoveries, and everything else that comes in between.

puya means child in capiz, where my mother hails from. in the cycle that is life, this is likewise a tribute to how i was raised by my mother and how it has influenced my own parenting style. and, how we contradict each other since the day i found out i was pregnant and the unending battle of principles, traditions, superstitions that has since plagued our mother-daughter relationship that has, thankfully, always ended in conflict resolution amidst some tears and tension. 

i called my mother nanay. my son calls me mommy. no difference at all.