Hong Kong - Day 1 (Novotel Citygate)

Toilet & Bath for Matt & Kyle, originally uploaded by gratitude.

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Pre-school Jitters

My hands were clammy. I felt my tummy in knots. I couldn't relax at all as I sat there on the first row with Jerry. My kid in Nursery2, being a finalist in the Voices of Children poem recitation contest, was about to compete with the rest of the finalists.

He was the 4th to recite. Finalist number 1 recited softly and sheepishly even as the mom moved closer by the stage to give moral support. Finalist number 2 or 3 didn't go up the stage at all. Oh no!

Jake was next. I saw him peer from the side of the stage as if looking for our faces in the audience. We waved at him. He flashed a big smile upon seeing us and then he walked up the stage...

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When Cute is Not

Me: Hmmm... *kiss, kiss*...*hug, hug*...(Smothering my 4 year old son)
Me: Why is my Jake so cute?...*presses cheek*
Me: Why is your skin so soft, hmm?
Me: Mama wants to hug you... always.
Me: Cute cute cute....
Me: This one is cute (presses cheeks)... this one is cute (pats his tooshie)...and this too (points to his male organ).
Jake: No! That's not cute.
Me: Huh? If it's not cute, then what?
Jake: Big.
Me: Oh!

And then in my peripheral view, I saw my husband laughing.


Jake and me (using Photo Booth)

Buwan ng Wika

Jake, Andre, DD

To celebrate the last school day for the Buwan ng Wika (month of the Filipino language), Jake wore Barong Tagalog (national costume for men) to school this morning. My crazy imagination gave me a visual of how my boy would look like in about 20-25 years, when he decides to wear the same type of outfit for his wedding. Eep... Erase! Erase!

So anyway...

There may be a high percentage of non-Filipino students in his school, but, to the delight of parents, that didn't stop them from singing Filipino songs and dancing to Filipino music. :) They even re-enacted the "bayanihan" spirit where an assigned group of high school students jointly carried on their shoulders a hut made of nipa around the gym.

It was a short affair that lasted for about 2 hours max, just enough time for me to get back to work right after. To cap the morning session, Jake's class had a feast of all-Filipino food that the parents were requested to bring. We contributed pansit palabok, heheh... Is that even Filipino? On our way home, just like the rest of the mommies, I managed to bring pieces of budbud and bibingka that I wasn't able to finish.

A Little White Lie

In the car after a trip to the mall....

ME: (Tapping Matt's knee as he was listening to his iPod) Matt, don't drink Jake's Chamyto alright? Please tell Kyle...

MATT: Yes, Ma...

ME: Did you hear me Kyle? (Just making myself clear.)

KYLE: Yes Ma. (goes back to listening to his iPod)

ME: Ok... If you want to, you ask Jake's permission.

JAKE: But, but... I will say no!

I told the youngest to share what he has as long as the elder brothers ask his permission... but I realized he sure knows how to fend for himself.

---

Earlier this afternoon, while walking in the mall between my two elder boys...

ME: Ugh, I feel my tummy jiggling as I walk *chuckles*

Kyle laughed but Matt chose to say something:

MATT: Yeah Ma, I see it!

ME: Che! Boosit. :P

And all three of us started laughing. Sometimes, a little white lie goes a long way, I figured. :D


Jake, Matt, Kyle - eating mami noodles and halo-halo with gusto

Want Some?

The other night, I spotted Jake in the dining room busily doing something. I thought nothing of it at first since his nanny was next to him overseeing whatever he was busy with. And then I saw Jake cutting something with a pair of scissors.

ME: Jake? What are you cutting?

JAKE: I'm making spaghetti, Ma.

ME: Oh...

I worried a bit about 2 things: 1) He might cut himself accidentally and 2) He might be cutting real noodles and thus wasting food needlessly. So I got up from the couch to check that everything was ok. It turned out I had nothing to "fear". He was dexterously maneuvering the blunt scissors (sigh of relief) to cut through his play doh (double sigh of relief).

JAKE: Here Ma, have a taste...

One of the Perks

I'm a busy full-time mom, not a SAHM*, nor a WAHM*, but a regular working mom with flexible work hours. Thanks to my job at M. One thing I love about my kind of work is that it enables me to spend time with my youngest. Not so much now with the 2 elder boys since they're at school for most of the day, but spending at least 2 precious waking hours with my bub is cathartic to me.

In the middle of being online, I get comic intermissions viewing this...


My Jake as Superman and his friend Zach as the Flash

and these...



It definitely made my day today! :)

*SAHM - Stay at home mom; WAHM - Work at home mom

Driving the Boys... Away!

Going out of the bathroom, I ran to the room to avoid getting the laminated floor wet. The sons were there perched on the foot of my bed while watching MTV. Kyle and Jake were in an argument about why Jake changed Kyle's cellphone ringtone.

"Ah-erm... I'm going to change." I said, clutching my towel, water from my hair now dripping on the floor. "Hel-lo? Did you boys hear me?"..."I'm in a hurry!"... Nothing. "Excuse meeee"

No reaction whatsoever.

I rummaged my wardrobe cabinet to get some clothes and muttered under my breath "Fine, stay here and see me naked!"

I heard footsteps and saw them gone in a flash.

Hmm... always worked like a charm!

Couch Hogs

After having lunch at home, I decided to watch tv while Jake was all busy running in and out of the toy room (it's supposed to be a stockroom that got invaded by toys hence the name) bringing with him all the stuffed toys he and his two elder brothers accumulated over the yearssss.

I couldn't watch tv in peace as he kept showing me one furry animal after another. "Oh how cute!...", and some variations of it which I managed to say each and everytime he showed me one (yeah) just to get him off my back. Then he placed it next to me on the couch.

Anyway, that went on for quite a while that I found it pointless trying to see Oprah in between Pokemons and farm animals so I decided to just head back to the office. Jake and I hugged and kissed.

As I was about to get in the car, I managed to glance back at the living room. The whole couch was invaded by the furries! And Jake was sitting on the arm chair and appeared to be reading a book to his animal minions. And within earshot -

"Bye Ma! Yaya, please change the channel to Cartoon Network".

Ah, I get it... the conspiracy to drive me out so they could watch cartoons instead of Oprah. :P

Powered by L-Carnitine

One time while reading about the benefits of L-Carnitine, a natural compound produced by the body...

ME: One of its benefits is to boost one's energy

HUBS: Really?

ME: You know, even if I don't lose weight by taking my L-Carnitine (diet pill) supplement, the energy boost it gives me is enough reason I should keep taking it. It gives me the same energy as what caffeine does. Good huh? (That's me, rationalizing again.)


(Jake barged into the room. He was running and shouting, jumping and then running again and seemed hyper-active over something)

HUBS: There should be a way to harness Jake's L-Carnitine. He seems to have an excessive amount of it! :P

I chuckled and nodded in agreement as Jake zipped out of the room as fast and as boisterous as he came in.

Tutorial?

Jake playing one of his favorite games...
---


No extra-curricular summer courses for the boys were planned for this vacation. We did not enroll them since we initially planned a short trip within the month. However, due to some conflicts in our schedules, we decided to just postpone the trip for November during the boys' sem break.

So what kept/keeps them busy? Matt went to China with his classmates. He's due to be back this week after more than a month of immersion and studying Mandarin. For the other two boys (Kyle and Jake), it was more of just being home taking turns playing with their toys or watching tv. Ugh....

Much as I wouldn't want them to spend most of their time sitting and playing virtual games, we let them be. However, we occasionally broke the monotony by taking them to the movies or to the mall for afternoon treats or to my mom-in-law's place to spend time with her.

Anyway... it's not too late to spice up their summer vacation, is it? There's one more month before classes officially start for them. Yeah... I know, the trip or our schedule is a pretty lame excuse... If it's any consolation, it's knowing that 4 year old Jake already knows how to work my Mac. ;)

To Hug and To Hold

I was hurriedly getting dressed for work. While moving about with a towel on my head and another one wrapped precariously around my body, Jake, who was playing in the room, started to say something.

Jake: Can I stay here? Can I look at you?
Me: (I pretended not to hear for 2 reasons. I didn't want to slow down by shooing him off. I could slip into my clothes without baring myself naked after all. And no. 2, I wanted to just let him forget what he just asked me. Hehe..)
Jake: (Didn't say a word and quietly got up, walked towards me and gave me a hug)
Me: (I hugged him back, still trying to keep my towel on. I was glad he didn't persist on taking a look at me while I dressed up. That would have scarred him for life. Haha! Or scarred me emotionally if he said anything about how fat I looked.)
Jake: (Looked up at me and smiled)
Me: (I smiled back and hugged him tighter. What's a few seconds of a tight embrace right? I stood there stroking his head with one hand while tugging at my towel with the other. Why was I even entertaining thoughts of him making fun of my figure? My boy just wanted a hug after all... And that was what I was giving him. I hugged him some more while slowly walking him towards the door. Just before he could finally step out of the room....)
Jake: Ma...you have a very big tummy...
Me: UGH!



Jake the rascal
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It's a Bright World

Andre, Jake, Michael, DD
---


Jake is seen here with his classmates / friends from the Nursery 1 class. They all participated in yesterday's big production stage musical entitled "It's a Bright World" at the Waterfront Hotel Lahug.

Jake was a natural. He was dancing and acting out his (small) part like he's so used to performing. Now I'm sure "hiya" or being timid is not one of his traits. Thank goodness! That surely came from Jerry's dna. Hehe...

Judging from the naughty look on their faces, Jake and his friends all look like they had fun... Hopefully these fun-loving young school boys grow up in a bright world indeed.

Father & Child

Jake in his element.... with Jerry during the Father and Child Date...

What's Your Story?

Jake
-


As I stepped into the car where Jerry and Jake were waiting, Jake excitedly blabbered about his day and how school went, finishing part of his story even before I could sit down and close the car door.

"Ma, you know, I fell in school and hit my head on the floor", he repeated in one breath.

"What? How did that happen?....", my attention instinctively zeroed in on what he was saying.

"I was with (insert name of classmate which I totally couldn't remember), when Michael ran and bumped us", he said.

"Wait, so you mean Michael bumped you and a friend, then you fell down, right?", I clarified.

"I went to the clinic. Teacher Cai brought me but I didn't cry", he continued without answering my earlier question.

"Ok, so you were with a friend when Michael bumped you. You fell down and hurt your head on the floor. Then Teacher Cai brought you to the clinic, right?," I repeated as I understood it.

"When did this happen, during recess? Where did you fall, inside the classroom or outside? Where was Teacher Cai?", I interrogated as I began to worry that Jake might have hurt his head badly. Jake stared at me, seemingly confused at this barrage of questions.

"Come on... tell me your story...", I prodded.

After a brief silence, Jake started talking... "Ok....

...Once upon a time....."

Happy

While relaxing in bed with my Macbook on a bed tray on my lap... I was curiously reading about the latest on the dj and the gg... Munching on the last morsels of nuts, I saw Jake in my peripheral view approaching and talking. "....Pacman?"... was the only word I could make out from what he said. "Huh?" I shot a glance at him while I kept reading and munching.

"Is there.... Pacman?", Jake repeated.

"What do you mean "Pacman"?", I asked.

He climbed on the bed with me and said, "Is there one more pack Ma?", pointing to the pile of empty peanut packs...

Oh.... I get it....

*Kaso... ubos na...*




Yup... finished 'em off, 8 mini-packs all!

Jake's 4th Birthday

March 11 was a weekday and we surprised Jake in school with treats for all his classmates and teachers. Regulation food was Jollibee's spaghetti and chicken combo meal. We prepared loot bags filled with goodies and stickers and small thingamagigs plus colored squiggly balloons to the delight of his friends. :D

While everyone was eating... I snuck behind Jake to give him a hug and a kiss. He was smiling at me, his joy was evident though he was mildly nursing a cough. "Are you happy Jake?", I asked trying to validate his reaction to all this. With bits of chicken sticking out of his mouth, he nodded and beamed a wide smile.

He then moved his face closer to mine... Aw he was going to kiss me back! Sweet thing...

"Ma, where's the cake?", he whispered.

Dang!

Maximum Tolerance

One day after school, I saw Jake with scratch marks on his face.

JAKE: Ma, Carl fight me again.

ME: Did you tell Teacher Cai?

JAKE: Yes...

His nanny proceeds to say that the teacher always calls the attention of Carl because he always figures in petty tiffs with the other nursery kids... And she adds that the mom is always advised about her son's behaviour... Anyway...

ME: If Carl goes near you, just walk away

JAKE: But he will follow me man

ME: If Carl follows you, tell your teacher

JAKE: Teacher Cai will get mad but Carl will still follow me... I will sumbag (hit) him na lang

ME: No, a good boy doesn't hurt or hit another person

JAKE: But he will fight me

ME: Best to tell your teacher

JAKE: If he will fight me I will hit him and throw him in the trash can! (of course he couldn't be serious, but he kept mumbling about hitting or throwing him in the trash can)

JAKE: If he gets my toy again, I will throw him in the trash can! (trash can na naman)

ME: No... that's not the way to make him stop...

And this conversation would go on for a few minutes...

JAKE: ... I will throw him in the trash can...

Exasperated...
ME: Well if he goes near you the next time... (my voice trailing.... inaudibly....) give him a quick kick.

JAKE: Ok Ma!

Did I just say that?



Rocky Jake

In less than a week...

... Jake will turn 4...

I'm pretty sure I have an idea of what he wants for his birthday... Great timing that Tito Junnie is coming... :D



Jake and 2nd degree cousins Renzo, EJ and Lois



Last weekend while in the car with the boys, 11 yo Kyle said: "Ma, I know what I want for my birthday (in Oct yet... hehehe)... a pair of Converse shoes." "Oh, okay... we'll see if that's what you still like when the time comes," I said knowing for sure that he might change his mind within the next 7 months.

"Hey, Tito Junnie is coming, we might be able to ask him to get us something then" I blurted out. "On second thought....", I said stopping mid-sentence after realizing it was cheaper actually to get shoes locally at Mamplasan.

"Ah, I know!" Jake interrupted. "I'll tell Tito Junnie I want a PSP!"

Aha! Brilliant idea!

Wardrobe Preference

Rockstar dude meets diva

Originally uploaded by gratitude

One afternoon, while inside the car, Jerry said "Jake, tell Mama what you told me earlier." Jake, who was sitting on his nanny's lap, gave me a very wide smile but didn't say anything at first. "Ok, what did you do in school this time?", I said chuckling.

"Ma.... (Jake was grinning)... Teacher Cai said.... (now I was getting nervous)..." , Jake haltingly narrated.

I just looked at him as I tried (in my mind) to egg him to speak up. "...Teacher Cai said... I should wear briefs.", he continued.

Oooh!


@-->---

The following day, we made sure to buy his pack of briefs. Jake is actually potty-trained. At home he even naps in the afternoon in his shorts without his diaper. He just wears his diaper at night under his jammies especially since he finishes 3 bottles (21 oz) of milk even while he sleeps. I just thought it was the school's requirement to keep pre-schoolers in diapers to avoid "accidental leaks".

Anyway... so there, another son of mine coming of age. :D