Moments, Captured In Words

Happy Again :-)

Now I can finally heave a sigh of relief: Eowyn no longer cries when she and daddy drop me off in the office! I must admit I was quite bothered by the tears and the sad face. She never wailed, never threw a fit whenever I get out of the car. Instead, she would just sob quietly, huge tears streaming down her cheeks, and avert her eyes from mine when I tell her I love her and to be a good girl. That image would stay with me as I go through my work day, driving me sometimes to question the wisdom of being a working mom. But all is well now, after about a month of these lonely episodes. Eowyn is back to her usual cheerful self, saying bye-bye to me even before I can get out of the car! Toddlers --- you can never quite figure them out, huh?

Fantastic Two's

Inspired by Mikee's update on Gage, I'm finally, finally, finally (!) writing this long overdue update on my little angel. Who said anything about terrible two's? I think Wyn is just wonderful at this age - mood swings, tantrums, and all! She's growing up so fast - too fast for my mommy heart - and I'm afraid that if I even blink an eyelash, she'd be off spreading her wings and chasing after her own adventures without me. My toddler is turning into a little girl, and proud as I am that she is such a smart, beautiful young thing, I also feel a little melancholic knowing that I can't keep her this way forever. Already I miss the baby Eowyn, but before I get too caught up with my sentiments here, I should share these updates with all you guys:

• Wyn knows her alphabet by heart. Even before she turned two, she already recognizes letters and what sounds they make. I really find it cute whenever she mumbles to herself: "A, A, acorn.... B, b, baby.... D, D, daddy.... M, M, mommy!"
• She can also count from one to ten (although she sometimes skips 4 and 5) and recognizes all the numbers too. While we were going up the elevator in the Olympic Center in Lake Placid last week, people were impressed because Wyn counted from 1 to 10 and even managed to squeeze in 11, 16 and 20. :)
• She also recognizes shapes and colors. I was blown away when she pointed at an octagon shape and told me matter of factly, "That's an op-ta-gon, mommy!" And while we were strolling at Fort William Henry in Lake George, she excitedly ran to a sign posted by a booth and said "Mommy, look! A question mark!" A two-year old who knows octagons and question marks, among many other things, that's my li'l girl!
• Shortly before her second birthday, Wyn is already starting to sing songs. Now she can sing them all by herself. Her favorite song is probably a toss between "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," although she also sings the alphabet song non-stop!
• Wyn is a big ipod fanatic. I have to keep downloading kiddie videos from iTunes simply because she loves them. My - or should i say her - collection now includes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Winnie the Pooh, Little Einsteins, Charlie Brown and Snoopy, Thomas and Friends, Dora the Explorer, and Teletubbies (which she calls monkeys). For all the money that I paid to get my 32 GB ipod touch (a.k.a. digital pacifier), I guess it's worth it now.
• She is also speaking in straight sentences now, and there are many, many times when I was amused with her choice of words. One morning while she was playing with her toys, I asked her if she saw her Hello Kitty doll. She paused for a moment, looked at me, and said before running out of the bedroom, "Don't worry, mommy! I'll find it!" Also, shortly after the 4th of July celebration, Wyn told her daddy: "I'll have to watch the fireworks again!"
• Wyn also had our babysitter laughing when she suddenly blurted out from out of nowhere: "Let the mission begin!!!" I later figured out that this line actually came from one of the tv shows she is watching. Silly girl!
• I haven't started potty training her yet, but I'm absolutely positive that she's ready for it now. Every morning when she wakes up, her diaper would not be full at all (a sign that she can hold her pee for a long time). Within about thirty minutes later, she'd have a big pee. She also tells us when she's pooping and makes a big fuss when we don't change her diaper right away.
• Wyn is also mommy's little helper. The one thing she really enjoys doing is throwing stuff on the big garbage can in the kitchen. When I give her crumpled pieces of paper or any stuff that should go to the trash, she'd gleefully say "This is garbage!" and go running to throw it away.

I'll write more later when I get home... *sigh*

Whew! Moments

Motherhood is loads of fun, but sometimes things happen which just make your heart stop beating for an instant. And then you heave a big sigh of relief afterwards. Thank goodness she's okay! Here are two of my whew! moments that happened recently:

• Driving to work last Monday, Wyn asked for a bottle of milk and I handed her one which I just prepared that morning. Within seconds, she started throwing up and made quite a mess in her car seat. I did not have a spare outfit for her in the car, so we took her straight to daycare to have her all cleaned up (Dan usually drives me to work first, then drop Eowyn at Joyce's). After putting on a new dress on for Wyn and chatting with Joyce for a minute or so, I headed out the door and said bye-bye to my little girl. What I saw broke my heart. Wyn was sitting on the couch with the saddest look on her face and was crying softly. She did not want me to leave. I closed the door behind me and then she started bawling. Much as I detested being late for work, I just could not bear hearing her cry. I went back... and saw Wyn throwing up on Joyce! My baby was sick! That was when I told Dan I need to stay behind and watch Eowyn at least for an hour. I didn't want to miss work because it was such a busy day, but if she doesn't  get any better, I have no choice but to go home with her. So Dan left, and I changed Eowyn's clothes yet again. Wonder of wonders, as soon as I took her out of the bath, she was in her element again. Wyn took me to their playroom and she was a bubbly, happy toddler once more. Whew! I was an hour late for work, but at least I had the peace of mind that day knowing Wyn is okay.
• Finally, weeks after buying the kiddie pool, Dan managed to set it up. Wyn was super excited to get in the water. She rounded up her rubber frogs and duckies and took them out so she can play with them. After about thirty minutes of watching her, I went back inside the house for a little bit. Dan was in the yard and I figured he could watch her for a little bit. Keeping one ear on her, I synched my ipod... and then I heard loud breathing, wheezing noises. I panicked and thought Eowyn was drowning! I ran out as fast as I could, only to see Wyn playing with a cup and blowing on it! Whew! Perhaps I overreacted, but even if there was only three inches of water in the pool, I've read kids can still drown in it. Maybe not likely, but possible. Still, I would not let Wyn out of my sight while she's on the pool unless someone is there to watch her!

Well, have a cool summer, everyone!

Mommy's Little Sunshine

Eowyn sure is one heck of a chatterbox, and everytime she opens that cute little mouth of hers, I can't help but smile at her choice of words and the way she says them. A few examples:

- waking up one afternoon when Dan was away, she went from room to room looking for her dada and finally asked me: "Is daddy home, ha?"

- sitting in her carseat one morning while we were on our way to work, she kicked off her sneakers and suddenly blurted out loud: "Oh no! What happened to shoes?"

- spotting a bag of goldfish crackers on the front seat, she sweetly implored: "Oh mommy. Give me fish, please?"

- handing me a Dr. Seuss book, she ordered me imperiously: "Read One Fish, Two Fish now!!!"

- while reading a magazine, i saw a picture of some really scrumptious-looking grapes, which also happens to be one of Wyn's favorite fruits. Asking her what that was, she quickly replied "Graspe! Graspe!" (pronounced like grapes only the "s" comes first before the "p"). Much to my chagrin though because we had just run out of grapes, she interjected excitedly "Want some? I Want some! Graspe?"

- pointing to a picture of an octopus in a book, i asked her to repeat the word for me. She gamely said: "Opatus! That's an opatus!"

- Wyn was having a tantrum in the car so I started singing Itsy Bitsy Spider to calm her down. However, she started screaming "No! No! No! No spider no!" as though to tell me not to sing that happy song when she is in a foul mood. Dan found it funny and started singing along with me, which only made Eowyn cry even harder.

- if she's not happy with whatever it is you're doing, Wyn would unabashedly tell you to "Stop it! Stop it!"

- Pinoy boxing fans would find this cute: when mommy says "Manny?" Eowyn would then happily exclaim "Paaakk-yyaaaawww!!!" This started when Lola and Wyn watched a replay of the Manny Pacquiao boxing match on tv while waiting for me to finish shopping at SM Davao. Afterwards, mama asked Wyn what they saw and she smugly answered : "Paaaakkk-yyyaaaawww!"

Homesick +++ Baby Update (Wyn @ 22 Months)

I started writing a piece about our Philippine vacation, but I guess it's too soon for me to do that. As I try to relive the memories and transform my thoughts into words, I am suddenly overtaken by a strong wave of homesickness. I can't do it! It's making me cry.

So here goes Eowyn's 22-month update instead: *sigh*

- had her first trip to the emergency room three days after we got back from the Philippines. Stricken with croup and an ear infection, Wyn was lethargic and would throw up whenever we gave her any food or milk. Fearing that she'd be dehydrated, I panicked and Dan quickly called our doctor, who gave us the go-ahead to take her to the ER (it was after office hours on Friday evening). What do you know, when we got there, she was little Ms. Smiles-and-Sunshine again... but not before she threw up in front of the nurse who was taking her vital signs and other symptoms. It's amazing how kids can be sick one minute, then be playful and cheerful the next. If you ask me, I'll take the latter anytime. I'm a scaredy-cat mom when it comes to my baby's health... just ask Dan!

- can eat meals on her own. My parents were surprised when Eowyn would sit with us at the table and eat her food from her own plate. No spoon-feeding, no running around after the baby to feed her! Her favorites include rice, pancit (noodles), fish and chicken. She's also discovered that pan de sal is a yummy treat!

- while she normally has a pleasant disposition, Eowyn can be quite nasty if pushed to her limits. While playing with her cousin Gian, she would usually just let him do what he wants... but when she's at the end of her rope, watch out! She would scream crossly "Go away, Gian!" or "No, Gian!", stunning the little boy to silence. Hee hee!

- she's picking up more and more vocabulary everyday. Try as I may, I can't keep track of all the words that she knows now. She can pretty much identify most things around the house now and can understand what Dan and I tell her. I still find it cute that she'd burst out "That's grandma!" or "Look, it's lolo!" whenever she sees the picture frames hanging in our walls.

- sings a lot! I always tease Dan that we have a little popstar in the making because lately, we've been hearing her croon a song even during the most unexpected moments, like in her carseat when we're on the road or late at night before we go to bed. The one she sings best is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Her version goes like this:

"Twee-ko, twee-ko lee-el star

Hah ah wan-dah what you are

Ah ah-bah da wohl so high

Lahk ah dya-mon in da sky."

What comes as a big revelation to me is the fact that as long as you expose your baby to songs, even if she doesn't seem to be paying any attention at that time, her little mind is already processing all that information. One day, you'll just be surprised that she's already spewing out the lyrics to the songs - like Eowyn did one day when mama and Ilay prompted her to complete the words of the nursery rhymes we've sung to her! Really and truly, I was amazed. I had no idea that she already memorized it!

- This latest development prompted me to buy a whole slew of learning DVDs for Wyn. I highly recommend the Brainy Baby series, which you can get brand new from amazon.com at less than $10 each. It's an investment well worth it, and I should know because I'm already beginning to see the results! With some prompting, Wyn can count from one to ten and say the letters in the alphabet. She's also starting to recognize numbers, letters, shapes and colors.

Truly, it is so exciting to see the transformation of my adorable baby to a smart little girl. When I look at her now, I see only traces of the little one I held and nursed in my arms for over a year! She is all girl now, a toddler with her own temperament and personality. I miss my baby... I do! Sometimes I just wish time can move a little slower, so much slower, so that I can savor each and every moment of Eowyn's growing up years. I'm sure every mommy knows what  mean!

Better late than never... (can also double as Eowyn's 21-month update)

I wrote this blog early last week but I was so crazy busy then I did not get the chance to publish it. But better late than never so here it goes...

I was sick these past few days, and even now, I'm still feeling a little under the weather so I wasn't really able to do much last weekend. In fact, I stayed home all the time and just rested in bed. I would have been super bored, if not for Eowyn's cute antics. Here are some stuff that she did which really put a big smile on my face:

- Finding a pair of her sunglasses from last summer, she gamely tried to put it on all by herself and proudly showed mommy what she did. I laughed when I saw that she had them on upside down so I fixed it for her and told her, "There, Eowyn. Now you look like a movie star!" She then ran to daddy and happily exclaimed "I'm a star! I'm a star!" She would say "I'm a star" whenever she puts the sunglasses on thereafter.

- I suspected that Eowyn pooped and asked Dan to check her diaper.  When she saw her daddy approaching, she squealed "Go away!" at him before running off so he wouldn't catch her. But dada is faster than Wyn, and as soon as he got hold of her, she then demanded "Let go! Let go!" Feisty little girl, isn't she?

- Her new favorite toy is a small beanie doggie which she "stole" from her daycare. Doggie goes with her wherever she goes. It's the first thing she looks for when she wakes up in the morning and it's the last thing she cuddles before she sleeps at night. I get a kick especially when I hear her talking to her friend, which basically goes like this: "Oh, doggie! Blah blah blah blah blah... doggie... hmmm?" One time, probably thinking that Doggie is cold and needs a nap, she took out a piece of tissue and covered her toy with it. Satisfied with that, she told Doggie reassuringly, "Ok, now sleep, doggie, hmmm?"

- After two days of abusively playing with her sunglasses, she finally managed to wrench one of the handles off. She sheepishly turned to me and burst out "Oh, no!!! I broke it! Oh no!!!" then run off to where her dada was, crying "I broke it! I broke it!"

- Seeing me eat a piece of Hershey's Chocolate Kisses, she begged me to give her "more, choc-lit, please?!" I gave her a tiny piece, and she happily ate it. Once it's gone, she went back to me and told me "I want choc-lit! Please? More? Choc-lit!"

- She loves to play with the legs of her Fisher-Price activity learning table (which Dan dismantled because Eowyn would climb up on top of it and dada thinks that's just dangerous) and would ask me to help her arrange them upright with this plea: "Help me? Stand?" Seeing this as an opportunity to teach her all about colors, I would ask her to get the blue one (or the red, or green, or yellow) for me, and she would then give me each piece, saying "Greeeen" or "Red" or "Blue" or "Yell-lowww".   

Yup, there's never a dull moment when you have a baby around!

My thoughts on a snowy day...

Davao, here we come...

It's another snowy day today, another burst of cold winter weather that just amplifies my enthusiasm for our upcoming Davao vacation. I have not packed our bags yet, and even if this task is something I really look forward to doing, I have been holding it off because I know that once I get started, I probably won't be able to sleep anymore from euphoria. I already have an array of warm summer clothing for myself, Dan and Eowyn to choose from... and sinful mommy that I am, most of Wyn's stuff are, of course, brand new and very diligently (happily!) picked. Dada shudders at how much I indulge my little princess, but that's hard not to do when you have a living, breathing, perfect, beautiful doll. Being able to dress up Eowyn is, I should say, one of the things I do so love about mommy-hood. So there. Forgive me, once again, for gushing.

Daddy makes me proud

Because of today's snowstorm, Dan and I may not be able to attend the Honors Society event slated tonight at the UAlbany campus. Not that I mind that much, but I really think it's wonderful that Dan made it to the list once more and all the efforts he is putting into earning a doctorate degree are paying off. It just makes me beam with pride to be the other half of this wonderful, cerebral man who continues to astonish me every day not just with his many talents but most of all his love. If Eowyn inherits her daddy's brains, good looks, and gentle disposition, I will be the proudest mommy someday too (that, if I can be any prouder than I already am at the moment!).

Amazing Wyn

I guess it's safe to say that this early, Eowyn is already showing signs of being just as smart as her dada. She is quick to learn and has continually surprised me with her ability to remember things that I did not even know she noticed. At 18 months, she can recognize all the animals on her books and can point at them or say their names when asked. She can also identify parts of her body from hair to toe. She knows what a hat is, a coat, sweater, mittens, tights, socks, shoes and boots are. She can count from one to ten, if she's not lazy, but otherwise, you would have to prod her. She chants along with mommy when I sing the alphabet song. She'd point at the pictures hanging on our wall and name, with amazing accuracy, who those people are - great grandma, great grandpa, grandma, lolo, lola, mommy, daddy, and so on and so forth. She'd watch a movie or a tv show and would suddenly pipe up "Look, it's raining!" or "It's a monkey!" or "Wow, lights!" or "Hahaha! Funny!" reflecting on what she saw on tv. Truly, it's such a delight to watch her grow.

Lately, Wyn has been speaking in straight sentences more and more. On the way home from work the other night, we saw a stalled truck by the road and a police car with lights flashing parked behind it. From the back seat, Eowyn exclaimed curiously "Look! Did you see 'at? It's a fire truck!" I laughed when I heard her, and asked her again if it was a fire truck. She answered me matter of factly "Yes, it's a fire truck!" Never mind if it wasn't really a fire truck - everything that makes noise and has flashing lights fall under that category where Eowyn is concerned.

Also, when we passed by the mall yesterday, there was an unusually large number of cars on the parking lot. Unsure about what's happening, I asked Dan what's going on there. Eowyn came to daddy's rescue quick, and answered her mommy: "What's going on? I don't know!" I burst out laughing at her response, and told her she's so cute. Encouraged by mommy's laughter, Eowyn continued to chant "I don't know... I don't know... I don't know!" until I gave her a goldfish (parmesan-flavored crackers) to shut her up. That worked, but only for a little bit until she finished munching her food, then went on to pester mommy: "Want some... more fish, please?" Ah, the wonders of motherhood!

Eowyn at 19 months

It doesn't seem so long ago when I wrote the entry for Eowyn's 18-month update. My not-so-little girl turns 19 months old today and as in the past, I marvel at how fast time flies and how much she has grown and developed within the past month. It truly is amazing to watch a baby grow before your very eyes so I make it a point to enjoy every minute of it as much as possible. Even if everything else falls apart, I would still feel lucky because I have her and of course Dan in my life. Anyways, here are Eowyn's can-do and love-to-do list five months shy of her second birthday. :)

- Talks in almost straight sentences now, including more (water or baba or milk or cookies or what-have you), please; i'm poopy; i pooped; let's go; here comes; read book, please; watch movie, please; hug, mommy!; up me (which basically means, pick me up); i'm wet; i'm hot; i'm cold; i'm hungry; want some; what you do?; and good job, baby. We're trying to get Eowyn to say "please" whenever she wants us to do something for her, and thankfully, she is learning to do just that!

- loves to watch videos and can identify all her DVDs too. She knows which disc belongs to which case and also how to properly handle the discs so that they don't get scratched or dirty (i.e., she holds the discs with one finger in the middle hole and the rest on the sides). Her favorite movies include Alice in Wonderland, Little Mermaid, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Shrek 3, Beauty and the Beast, The Fox and the Hound, and Jungle Book. Dan and I burst out laughing one time when she copied the queen from Alice in Wonderland and exclaimed with feelings "off with her head!"

- can sing the ABC song with mommy. I was impressed last night when she started singing with me - in fact, singing ahead of me - and quite rightly too. I would pause in between letters and ask her to sing with me, so that when I stopped after E-F-G, she said H-I-L-M-O-P, and when I paused after singing L-M-N-O-P, she said Q-S-T. It was really cute!

- she impressed her daddy too when, after watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (which I just recently bought), she took the dvd case from the shelf and handed it to Dan proudly. The dementors scared her though and she jumped in bed with me when she first saw them. Ha ha!

- because she almost always tell us now when she poops, Dan and I are thinking of potty training her soon. It's also funny when she says "poopy!" in a rather smart-aleck way whenever she hears Dan or me farting.

- has sixteen teeth now and two more on the way.

- always asks mommy for a "hug" and a "kiss" before we go to bed at night. The best part of it though is that she reciprocates and gives me loud, wet kisses all over my face and hugs me tight then says "night-night, mommy!"

- giggles happily when dada holds her high up in the air and sings "i'm just a little black rain cloud" (from the Pooh movie) while bouncing her up and down. Too bad I can't do that since Eowyn is really getting too heavy for me now!

- makes dainty little spins around the room when you ask her to dance. This is always punctuated with a little "jump" at the end of the routine too while saying with a naughty smile in her face "i jump!"

- she knows the sounds that the following animals and things make:

• dog - woof woof
• cat - meow
• cow - moo moo
• bee - buzz
• duck - quack quack
• sheep - baa
• goat - maa
• bird - teet teet (instead of tweet tweet)
• rooster - cock a doodle doo
• mouse - squeak squeak
• rain - dibble dibble dopp dopp
• train - choo choo
• hand on a door - knock knock
• goldfish kiss - pip!
• thunder - boom boom
• lightning - splat splat
• hippo chewing gum - grum grum

- can identify her eyes, ears, nose, mouth, cheeks, chin, teeth, hair, head, knee, hands, feet, neck and chest. She always says the words too while pointing at the correct body part.

- finally, in preparation for our trip to the Philippines this March, I taught Eowyn how to "mano." I'd give her my hand and she would immediately take it and place it on her forehead when I say "Mano!" Other Filipino words she knows now are lolo (grandpa), lola (grandma), tito (uncle), tita (aunt), opo (yes) and lobo (balloon).

Eowyn's and Foster's Video in Seven Springs

Share ko lang... I had so much fun doing and editing this video. Mareng K, nakaka-miss kayo ni Foster! Hope to see you guys again later this week pag napasyal ulit kayo sa PA!

Video of the Chikitings

100+++ words that Wyn knows

I had originally intended to write down only 100 words that Eowyn can both say and understand, but within 10 minutes of making my list, I have already exceeded my target (and I’m positive that there are still words I have not written down). It was loads of fun doing this, documenting her vocabulary and marveling at how much she really can talk now. Pardon my gushing, but I guess other mommies would understand how every single word counts especially when you hear your baby say it for the first time! What’s more amazing to me though is how much she has changed and grown in the past 18 months. She’s no longer a baby… she’s a bubbly, active little toddler now, and my heart just swells with pride and gratitude that God has chosen me to become this little angel’s mommy, teacher, protector, friend all rolled into one! Okay, before I get too sentimental, here’s my list:

1. mommy
2. daddy/dada (although she rarely says “dada” now)
3. mama
4. papa
5. gramma
6. lolo
7. lola
8. milk
9. juice
10. eat
11. baba (bottle)
12. eyes
13. nose
14. mouth
15. ears
16. cheeks
17. teeth
18. foot
19. hands
20. chin
21. head
22. tickle
23. apples
24. nanas (bananas)
25. fruit
26. crackers
27. cookie
28. bread
29. toast
30. hat
31. coat
32. jacket
33. boots
34. shoes
35. socks
36. tights
37. mittens
38. dress (“dwess” for her)
39. down
40. up
41. door
42. chair
43. knock-knock
44. open
45. close
46. please
47. thanks / thank you
48. hi
49. hello
50. bye-bye
51. more
52. fish
53. cow (says “moo-moo” too)
54. dog (says “woof-woof” too)
55. cat (says “meow-meow” too)
56. bird (says “teet-teet” because she can’t say “tweet”)
57. duck (says “kak-kak” because she can’t say “quack”)
58. pig (says “oink” too)
59. sheep (says “baa-baa”)
60. horse (she can’t remember that horses “neigh” … hahaha!)
61. mouse (knows that the mouse goes “squeak-squeak” too)
62. goat (she doesn’t have trouble saying this word now, and says “maa-maa” too)
63. house
64. lion
65. kitten
66. light
67. truck
68. airplane
69. car
70. bus
71. doll
72. baby
73. book
74. flower
75. pillow
76. blanket
77. bed
78. fire truck
79. pen
80. pencil
81. paper
82. write
83. go
84. yes
85. no
86. play
87. broom
88. where
89. this
90. that
91. here
92. there
93. poopy
94. pee
95. die-pee (diaper)
96. now
97. uh-oh
98. oh no
99. oh my
100. tree
101. cup
102. give
103. get
104. sing
105. walk
106. ball
107. bite
108. big
109. li’l (little)
110. light
111. Pooh
112. Tigger
113. Eeyore
114. Piglet
115. stop

And with that last word, I end my list. Bow!

Eowyn at 18 months

My baby girl is growing up so fast... sometimes I just find it hard to believe that she's really a year-and-a-half old now! It's so much fun watching her grow, especially now when she is talking a lot and just loves to copy many things that she sees around her. Wyn is one very observant toddler, and I'd be amazed that she remembers things I did not even think she would! I'd read a new book to her one night, and when I ask her to get that book the following night, she would give me the correct one right away. And not only that, she would remember the pictures and words on the book too and would point at or say the names of book characters when prompted. This also applies to her toys as well as little miscellaneous things around the house like pencils, forks, spoons, glasses, hats, sunglasses, cookies, etc. She saw Joyce (our daycare provider) nursing her baby, and what do you know, Eowyn began seeking out my booby again for a taste of "milk!"

Anyway, here are the latest updates on my little angel's development:

• can say most one or two syllable word that you ask her to say. I will not even try to write down what words she can say now because there are just too many to list! She may not necessarily understand these words, but boy she can really say them very clearly! Vocabulary-wise though, I'd wager she knows easily more than a hundred words already.
• can say "grandma" and points to grandma's picture on the wall (grandma being Dan's mom). My MIL was tickled pink when she heard Eowyn say "Hi, grandma!" on the phone.
• can say "lolo" and "lola" and can identify their faces on our family portrait as well. Additionally, Wyn can also say "tito" and "tita" with a very distinct American twang. It always makes me laugh when she says "tih-toh" or "tih-tah."
• would readily say "hi, (name)!" or "bye, (name)!" to people especially if you prompt her to. She knows the names of everyone in daycare too, and one little boy's dad was actually quite surprised when Eowyn piped up "bye, bye, J!" when they were leaving. His son is a few months older than Wyn but does not talk as much as Eowyn does. Too bad for me, I guess, since Wyn is really one helluva chatterbox. *grin*
• knows all the animals in her farm books and can also say the sounds that they make. The one thing she has difficulty saying though is goat (although she really likes to say "maa- maa!"). Pig, cow, dog, lamb, cat, mouse, bird, horse, and bee are all peanuts to her.
• enjoys playing with her dolls so much. She calls them "my baby" and loves to feed them, sing to them, put shoes or hats on them, tuck them in bed, "read" books to them, and would even attempt to put a diaper on the dolls and clean their crotch with a diaper wipe. Whew!
• is addicted to the song "Old MacDonald." She would pester me to sing it to her over and over especially when we are in the car. She'd say "ya-ya-yo" (her version of  E-I-E-I-O) demandingly from the back seat , and would fuss when I don't sing. More recently, she's beginning to sing ya-ya-yo with me and join in with the appropriate animal sound as soon as she hears the animal's names. Super cute, if you ask me. :-)
• loves to walk on tiptoes and dance around the room
• can drink from a glass without spilling her juice or water. Very convenient for mommy!
• like a true-blooded Pinay, she loves her rice a lot. Mix it with some meat or vegetable and you'll see one happy baby.

• can blow real kisses now and always makes it a point to kiss daddy and mommy before going to bed, finishing by bidding us a sweet "night-night"

• would tell me "love you, mommy" when I ask her to... it always melts my heart, especially when she kisses me on the lips after

• loves her mittens and thinks that they are a cool fashion accessory. She would proudly show me her hands after I put them on her! Unfortunately, she doesn't like her hat at all... so yay for hooded coats!

Lee's News and Baby Update Part II

Just this morning, I received word from my friend Lee that she and her hubby are expecting a baby! Her email was short and clear-cut, but it captured all the pride, excitement and happiness of a soon-to-be mommy. In a heartbeat, I find myself reminiscing those days when I was carrying Eowyn in my belly. That seems so long ago now, the memories distant and not so vivid anymore, but I definitely still can remember the glow and anticipation of having a new baby. And I guess all new mommies will agree with me when I say that time really flies fast (I can't stress this enough!). In the blink of an eye, your newborn babe has turned into a toddler who's walking and talking and pestering you all day!

Incidentally, Eowyn turns 17 months old today, and I find myself wondering... whew, where did the time go?! So here goes Part II of my update on Eowyn's development:

- to quote Dan, Eowyn's mind is like a sponge these days. She just absorbs almost anything and everything around her. She's saying new words on an almost daily basis, among them jacket, funny, flower (fa-wer), and knock-knock. You may think that she's not paying attention, but you'll be surprised that she can find and remember where things are, like where daddy placed his hat, where she hid her books or toys or pencil, where she left her sock or shoe, where the tv or dvd remote is, and so on and so forth. She'd see a mommy singing to her baby on tv, and the next thing you know, she'll be getting her doll and humming a tune while cradling it! One time, she also found Dan's empty bottle of beer on top of the corner table, and when we next saw her, she had the bottle on her mouth, drinking like a pro, and then sighing "aaaaahhh!" when she's done. It was scary to me, but Dan simply burst out laughing, very amused that Wyn could copy him as well as she did!

- aside from counting, Wyn is also learning how to say A-B-C. She loves the alphabet song and wants me to sing it over and over. She also enjoys watching "Wheel of Fortune" and copies Pat Sajak or the contestants when they say the letters. Eowyn is an expert in saying all the vowels, as well as most of the consonants excluding f, g, h, j, k, q, r, v, w, x,, y and z. I recommend watching this show because toddlers do not only learn how to say the alphabet, they would also be familiar with how the letters are written and recognize them over time.

- loves to watch videos, and can stay entertained just staying in front of the tv for quite some time. Her favorites are Winnie The Pooh's Grand Adventure and a dvd of classic cartoons that includes Popeye, Betty Boop and the Three Stoodges. While she tolerates watching Mulan and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, it seems like she's not really fond of it. She is also very much amused with Mary Poppins, and I thought it was so funny when I found her laughing on her own while watching the movie.

- whenever i sing the kiddie song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" Eowyn would always put her hands on her head but does not point to her shoulders, knees or toes yet. She would, however, touch her eyes, ears, mouth and nose when we get to that part of the song.

- new tricks learned: knock-knock and give me five. She would also "steal" daddy's keys and pretend to open the door while saying "out, walk!" Or, whenever she's pestering me while I'm on the computer, I would give her the keys and tell her to go open the door. She would obediently comply and spend minutes trying to unlock the door, even if there's no keyhole in our doorknob.

- can follow instructions better and understands what you want her to do. She'd get daddy's hat from the shelf, stop crying when you reprimand her (this only works when she's faking a cry), grab the correct book or toy that we asked her to get, find her socks and give it to mommy after she took them off and left them somewhere, go to the window eagerly when we tell her there's a fire truck on the road, and stay still when I ask her not to move when I'm changing her diaper. She now understands basic commands like wait, don't move, stay there, don't cry, come here, go, show daddy/mommy, and eat your food (she's still a very picky eater, unfortunately).

- she's starting to really get a sense of where things are. For instance, whenever we go to the bathroom, she'd often say "kak kak kak!" because she knows that's where we keep her rubber duckie (which I hide on the shelf behind the shower curtain). She'd point at the shelf and triumphantly tell me "duckie!" She also knows that all her toys are stored in her Moses basket in the living room, and that some of her favorite books are kept by our bedside. On the downside, it peeves Dan most of the time that the little pooper knows where the DVDs and CDs are, coz he'd often find them scattered on the floor, the cases open and the discs out (and yes, Wyn can open DVD cases now and take the discs out too). Just recently, I can ask her to put the dvds backs on the shelf, and she would happily oblige perhaps because she thinks it's all a game!

- is very fascinated with baby pictures and videos. She'd sit on my lap and we'd look at her pictures or video clips on the computer, and whenever I stop, she would tell me firmly "More, more!" Di rin sya demanding, ano? Aside from her phones, her favorite toy these days is her baby dolls. She treats them like real babies, humming to them and singing to them and carrying them from room to room. One time, she even attempted to put a diaper on her plush Dora doll! I've also found her many times sitting with her doll and, as though teaching it like mommy does to her, she would carefully point at each body part while saying eye, ear, mouth, or nose. Way too cute beyond words!

- finally, although I am not ready yet for baby no. 2, Eowyn seems to be showing signs of being a wonderful older sister. My daycare provider Joyce, who has recently given birth, tells me that Eowyn is so good with the baby. She would give things to the baby - assorted books and toys, even her shoes - and would pretend to read to the baby. Joyce says my little angel is very generous and very gentle and teases me that perhaps it's time to give Eowyn a baby brother soon. Uh oh!

Post-script: Lee, here's wishing you a safe, happy, healthy and stress-free pregnancy! I really am so happy for you. Don't forget to keep us updated, ok?

Wyn at 17 Months (Part I)

I started to list Eowyn's development update, and whew was I surprised to find out that there are too many things to write about! On a day to day basis, it doesn't seem like there's too much going on, but when I put the words on paper, there is actually quite a lot. So, I'm breaking this down into two installments. Here's the first one:

- growls like a monster... I don't know where she learned this, but it's really funny when she does it. It makes her giggle too when I act scared!

- has recently discovered that hiding behind the curtains and "scaring" mommy and daddy is fun. The little pooper seems to think that because she can't see us when she's behind the curtains, we can't see her too even if the curtains only cover her from the waist up. She'd stand still and wait till we get near then holler loudly "Boo!" When I pretend to be scared, she'd laugh gleefully.

- said her first sentence. We were in bed one night, but Eowyn wanted to go out of the bedroom even if dada already closed the door. She kept knocking on the door and was frustrated when we wouldn't open it. Finally, she blurted out indignantly to her daddy: "Open, door, out!" Dan and I laughed so hard when we heard her say that, it brought tears to my eyes.

- although she's not talking in straight sentences yet, Eowyn likes to mix real words with gibberish, and even mimics the tone and intonation of adults. It's hard to decipher what she means sometimes, because a typical sentence from her would go like this: "Mommy, blah blah open blah blah door" or "Where duckie blah blah blah!" Many times, she has also blurted out quite correctly, "I got shoe!" and "Look, doggie" (or baby or book or whatever it is she wants us to see).

- enjoys pretend play immensely. A big favorite is talking on the phone - she usually starts by saying "hello" then babbles for quite a bit, then ends the conversation by saying "bye-bye." What's really funny is she gets very imaginative when a phone (read: either our home phone and mommy's or daddy's cellphone) is not made available to her. She'd place a credit card, a piece of paper, a small ruler, and even a shoe or a sock near her ear and pretend she's talking on the phone. She also loves to feed her dolls and read books to them.

- can take off her poncho, her pants, her shoes and her socks - all by herself! One time she even managed to take off a rather loose sweater on her own.

- tries to put on socks and shoes on her own. She started doing this about a month or so ago, but she's doing this more often now. She would sit on the floor and struggle as she diligently attempts to put on her socks and shoes. She has succeeded on putting a shoe on, but it was on the wrong foot! Eowyn also likes to wear mommy's and daddy's shoes, and looks so proud as she parades all over the room on borrowed shoes. She's also very fascinated with my high heels (patay tayo dyan!)

- has an ongoing fascination for fire trucks. To her, all vehicles that have lights and make noises are fire trucks. She would excitedly run to the window when she hears a siren and shout " fie tuck! fie tuck!" She would also yell "fie tuck!" when she sees or hears an ambulance, a police car, or a fire truck when we're on the road and she's on her car seat.

- knows how to hold a pencil or crayon and scribble. She can amuse herself with this for a long time, scribbling on the back of a postcard, writinng on her books, or simply just doodling on a piece of paper. So far she has not succeeded writing on the walls - I always catch her in time!

To be continued...

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Everytime I look at Eowyn's newborn baby pix, I just can't get over the fact that she's grown so much! Sometimes I am simply teary-eyed; often, I'd have a big smile on my face remembering those sweet, precious moments when my little girl was just a tiny babe.

See how much she's grown...

I was definitely one super proud and happy mommy, even if the birthing experience was physically draining (to say the least). This photo was taken just minutes after Eowyn was born. She weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces then, and measured 21 inches long.

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Eowyn when she was only a week old. She was a very good baby, sleeping a lot and crying only when she was hungry or needed a diaper change. She looked very angelic especially when she's sleeping, and I thank all my lucky stars then and now to have such a beautiful baby!

Baby milestone: Eowyn started smiling in her sleep when she was one week old!

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Look how small she was! Dan and I always get a kick when we see this picture... Eowyn looked like a little monkey clinging to her daddy's arms. At two weeks old, she was probably just a little bigger than a football. It's quite amazing to see how much she's grown now!

Baby milestone: At two weeks, she was starting to lift her head a little bit when she was lying on her tummy.

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Kabadingan! Eowyn at one month old. I always loved dressing her up even when she was a small baby. She is my little doll... my living, breathing, beautiful baby doll! Hee hee... walang kokontra! Di ba bading na bading talaga si Eowyn dito?

Baby milestone: At four weeks, Eowyn could follow the movement of colorful objects with her eyes. At five weeks, she would also coo and babble a little bit and respond when we play with her.

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Two months old, and always smiling! Eowyn started to learn how to giggle when she was about 7 weeks old.

Other baby milestones at 2 months:

- began sucking her thumb (but thank goodness she never developed this habit)

- could make raspberries and "blow bubbles"

- could lift her chest and hold her head up for ten seconds when she's on her tummy

- started to make crawling motions, and succeeding too!

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At three months, Eowyn was growing by leaps and bounds! She gets very excited when we read books to her, and could hold "conversations" with mommy for longer periods of time.

Other baby milestones:

- points at pictures excitedly on her story books

- picks up her rattle and plays with it on her own

- giggles when I bite her toes or tickle her face with her hair or when we play peek-a-boo

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At four months, Eowyn could manage to do the following:

- say "mama." This is the first word she has learned to say!

- could scoot across the bed, flip from tummy to back and back to tummy, raise her feet up in the air so she could reach her toes, make 180-degree turns when she's in bed, reach for her toys and grab them even when they're far from her... and inevitably had her first fall!

- started eating baby food. On top of her rice cereal, she also loved to eat ice cream, cookies, and even cake! :-)

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Eowyn's baby milestones at 5 months old include the following: 

- broke out her first tooth, and had another one coming out within two weeks

- could say "mama" like an expert

- expressed displeasure by grunting and growling

- could laugh and giggle

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Eowyn's first Christmas was really exciting for me, even if she did not really comprehend what the season was all about. I still wrapped lots of gifts for her, and of course, it was me who opened them for her too along with the other presents that she received from family at friends. Anyway, Eowyn was doing the following at 6 months:

- her baby talk is more extensive: she can say mama, dada, dadi, tete, nana, yaya, lala, and many other combinations of baby gibberish

- she is learning how to sit

- could express a wide variety of emotions, including crying,  frowning, or scowling when she's displeased about something; smiling or giggling when she's happy; sigh and yawn when she's bored; and even give out a tiny scream when she's startled.

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At seven months, Eowyn is a little busybee. She has started to creep and is on the process of crawling. And more notably, she is learning to sit on her own. Her favorites during this age include the following:

Word: dada or dadi

Food: mashed bananas

Cartoon character: Winnie the Pooh

Toy: V-Tech Learning Phone

Book: Puppy Dog board book (a christmas present from Grandma)

Color: Blue (she is attracted to everything blue)

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In February, Eowyn went to daycare for the very first time. I'm sure it was more heartbreaking for me than it was for her. I wrestled with feelings of guilt and pangs of loneliness whenever I was in the office, but I knew that it had to be done. This was all for the best. Luckily, we found the greatest daycare provider in the whole world: Joyce is super wonderful with kids and is almost like a second mom to Wyn!

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At 8 months, Eowyn was a little person in her own right. She loved to crawl a lot, is sitting up on her own, and could pull herself to a stand. She's eating a lot and sleeping a lot too. She could open and close her hand on cue, and is starting to really expand her vocabulary. Dan and I had a rude awakening when Boopy suddenly blurted out "aaahhh, iittt!" after she heard her daddy swearing (ah, shit!).

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From about 10 months of age, Eowyn really started to develop her vocabulary. She could also identify pictures and characters in her book, and started walking when she turned a year old. Life with a baby is definitely lots of fun! Here is her latest picture at 16 months old (she's now learning to hold a pencil and scribble):

Sweet 16

A few weeks ago when we were at Viking Camp, Eowyn demonstrated once again her love for dogs. As far back as I can remember, my Winnie Pooh has never been afraid of dogs - chasing my MIL's two golden labs around the house (both are a lot bigger than her, but they are scared silly of my baby boo), boldly petting a tame bulldog in the park, running after dogs and calling out "doggie, doggie!" whenever she sees one.  To be honest, it makes my heart skip a beat when she does this, especially because she does not understand the danger of getting near strangers' dogs and I do not really know how friendly or hostile these dogs are.   

Anyway, I was saying that at Viking camp, Eowyn made friends with this really timid dachshund. I was not wary of the dog because it looked so much like my beloved Pink (it still makes me sad to remember  that she died from a snake bite only a few months after I arrived in New York). Wyn was happily petting Max, shaking his paw, and even - goodness gracious! - kissing him! The folks who owned the dog were so amused by Eowyn's antics and they asked me how old she was. I told them she's fifteen months - and a boy sitting by the fire side piped up in surprise "She's fifteen??? But she's only a baby!" We all laughed and his mother explained that babies count their age by months, not by years... and so in this note, I begin my update on Eowyn's developmental milestones at 16 months.

Mommy's Little Helper.  Because she now understands basic commands like "get that" or "come here" or "stay there" or "do this," I can pretty much ask Eowyn to do things for me. I would tell her to get her Itsy Bitsy Spider or Mr. Brown or Pooh or Woof or Fish book, and she would always bring the correct one to me. She would also fetch her ball, her shoes, her socks, her dolls, and other various toys or things on command. Very convenient for me, as I don't have to go and get things for her all the time!

And Off She Goes.... Dan tells me of an incident that happened last week while they were in the park by the river near where we live. Wyn was playing happily on the grass when she chanced upon a withered dandelion. She bent down and looked curiously at it. Dada picked the flower for her and gently blew on it, scattering the white fragile fuzz on the air. Eowyn giggled and dada asked her to "blow" on the flower. She tried blowing on cue but she blew too softly. When all the fuzz was gone, dada told her to look for another flower - and off she went searching for one. She found a fresh yellow dandelion bud, but dada told her it's not the right one. Dada told her to look for a "white" one that is "open," and sure enough, Eowyn scrambled off and within a minute, found one ten feet from where they were standing... Always I am taken by surprise at how fast she is learning and understanding new things. I guess for a 16 month old, she's doing quite well!

Tantrum Girl. While she usually has a sweet temperament, there are times when Eowyn would just burst into a temper tantrum. Usually, it happens when she doesn't get what she wants, like if we don't go for a walk or I don't read a book to her or I don't pick her up when she wants to be carried. Sometimes I really think it's funny because it's quite obvious that she's faking her cries. Her worst tantrum so far was when I promised her that we would go out for a walk, and we didn't. All her other tantrums are 10 times milder compared to that one.

Little Miss Know-It-All.  Eowyn knows almost (if not) all of the characters in her books and can remember  what's happening on the pages. For instance, she would wave and say bye-bye on a page where there's a train leaving the station, mutter "hi!" cheerfully when she sees the picture of a hand knocking on a door, yell "boo! boo! boo!" when we get to the part where Mr. Brown makes thunder (he says boom-boom-boom), say "fish! fish!" when she sees the fishes, and so forth and so on. She can also recognize a baby or a dog or a cat on TV, as well as a box of crackers (kah-ker to her), a bottle of milk (baba), and various fruits such as apple (she can say this word clearly), bananas, grapes, pineapples and pears.

New words. She is saying so many new words now, I have lost track  of which words are new and which are not. I guess her latest additions to her ever-growing vocabulary include caterpillar (I only heard her say this twice), mommy (she says this all the time), cracker (kah-ker), apple, happy, more, all done (she says it ah-done), airplane (ah-plane), baby, kiss, hug (medyo Kapampangan 'ata si Wyn because she says "ahg" instead of hug), and night-night (she says "nie-nie"). She also says "hi"  to everyone that we meet (even strangers in the mall, the grocery store, or the park) and bids people "bye-bye" (with matching wave of hand) when we leave. She can also count from one through five --- with guidance, of course.

E-I-E-I-O! My little girl is a big animal lover, but I really get a kick when she imitates the sounds of animals. She knows that doggies say woof, cows say moo, duckies say quack-quack (her version: kak-kak!), cats say meow (her version: may or maw), birds say tweet-tweet (Eowyn says "tit-tit"), sheep say baa-baa, and bees go buzzzz (she can only manage to say sssss). Whenever she sees a dog in TV, she would excitedly point to it and say "doggie, doggie" before saying "woof woof!" She's quite a show, my little girl!

Bedtime hugs and kisses. This, I would say, is my most favorite part of all! Before we turn off the light and go to sleep, I'd ask Eowyn to give mommy a big hug and a kiss --- and she would happily oblige! I especially like it when she smooches me on the lips and makes a loud smacking sound, no matter how much she slobbers on me! Her hugs are so sweet and gentle, the feel of her little arms around my neck is like a touch of heaven for me! How can I not sleep so peacefully afterwards when I have this to send me off to dreamland?

My First Phone Conversation With Boopy

Dan is playing Mr. Mom again today, staying home to watch Eowyn because Joyce (our daycare provider) just gave birth a few days ago. I know that the two loves of my life always have a blast together - Eowyn simply adores her dad and dada just dotes on little Boopy! I called them around lunch time to check on how they're doing, and while I was talking with Dan, I heard Eowyn babbling in the background.

So I asked dada to put her on the phone with me for the very first time.

I can picture my little girl perking up, as she always does, as soon as the receiver is placed near her ear when we're calling her grandma or her lola. Usually, Eowyn is very quiet when we do that. She would just listen for the most part, but if you're lucky, you may be able to get a few words from her.

Imagine my surprise and elation when, after hearing my voice telling her that "this is mommy," she piped up and said "Mommy?" I probably sounded like a nutcase or a very hyper parrot after that, because I kept repeating to her that "Yes, this is mommy. Can you say mommy?" Of course, she happily obliged and chimed back at me "mommy? mommy? mommy!" Thankfully, I was alone on my part of the office so no one saw me showing my practically silly and potentially embarrassing mommy side.

And I am really bad. About thirty minutes later, I called home again just so I can hear Eowyn talking to me on the phone once more! Dan was like laughing at my silliness... but who cares? It's well worth everything when I hear Eowyn's sweet little voice over the phone saying "mommy, mommy, mommy!" It just melts my heart and to tell you the truth, I think there can be no happier mom than I at this very minute!

***more updates on Eowyn's developmental milestones during my next blog entry.

Wowowyn!

Lately, most of my "computer time" at home is spent watching episodes and episodes of Wowowee. And why not when my little Eowyn truly enjoys the song and dance numbers on the show? It makes me laugh watching her dance to the groove, bouncing up and down, shaking her little bum in sync with the Wowowee jingle, the birthday song, Iyugyug Mo, and even the Christmas version of Boom Tarat Tarat! Eowyn can't really say "Wowowee" but she can manage "wow wow wa!"  :-) Iyugyug mo becomes yu-yu-mo. Truly, this stage in her development is the best so far. It's so much fun watching her grow and learn so many new things! Wowowyn!

Tantrum Galore

And I had thought I’d already seen Eowyn at the peak of her tantrums. Yesterday’s outburst was the worst I’ve seen so far.

We just got back from a walk when she started crying as soon as we stepped inside the house. It was a cold day, and even though our stroll in the park and around the neighborhood was nice, I thought that 40 minutes of walking is more than enough. Despite her warm outfit (I dressed her up in a long sleeve tee, a hoodie, pants and boots), Eowyn’s hands were already getting cold… and I was getting tired of pushing her stroller!

Thinking that some milk would calm her down, I immediately warmed up a bottle and tried to give it to her. To my surprise, the little pooper whacked it off my hands and started to scream loudly. I asked her what’s wrong and whether she wanted to go out for a walk again. At this, she began to perk up a little bit, and although still crying, led me to the front door again.

“Okay, let’s go out for a walk,” I said, scooping her off the floor and into my arms. Instead of opening the door, however, I took her to the window… and then it was mayhem! Eowyn screamed at the top of her lungs, wiggled out of my arms, rolled on the floor, and kicked wildly. I tried to pick her up again but she wouldn’t let me hold her. She just screamed and screamed and screamed.

After about 10 minutes, I finally gave up and went to the computer. What do you know? The little devil followed me and continued her outburst at my feet. I took her to the bedroom then and tried to give her the bottle of milk. That made her even more upset and she got out of bed, rolling on the bedroom floor, kicking and screaming and crying so loud. Whenever I try to ignore her and go somewhere else, she’d follow me and do her rant at my feet!

Dan wasn’t home to help me pacify the baby, and since there isn’t anything I could do about it, I just let her cry it out. I felt terrible, but I had to be tough about it. Finally, after more than half an hour of crying, Eowyn crawled into bed and I cuddled her. By now, she was heaving deep sobs and I could tell she was exhausted from crying. I stroked her hair (this almost always works when I want to calm her down) and told her that if she drank her bubba and sleep, we’d go out for a walk after her nap. Thankfully, she took her bottle, finished drinking all her milk, and slept. Whew!

When I recounted the incident to Dan later, he was sympathetic at first. But when he learned that Eowyn’s outburst started after I told her we’re going out for a walk again, Dan blamed me for the whole thing. Whaaa…??? He said I should have known better. Eowyn understands more than I believed she did. I thought she didn’t really know and that I could fool her with mere promises, but she’s smarter than I gave her credit for.

Ayan, na-sermonan pa tuloy ako ni dada! Next time kasi, mommy, careful ka sa mga sinasabi mo. Keep your promises, sabi ni dada. Hehehe. Did you think I took Eowyn out for a walk when she woke up? ‘Course not! By then she already forgot all about it and I wasn’t gonna rock the boat! When I asked her if she’s still mad at mommy, she answered “no” with a sweet smile on her face and even gave me a big hug. I just love my little girl!

Baby Update: Eowyn at 15 months

One of the things I love best about having a toddler is the perpetual fun of watching her learn new things, make comical mistakes, and eventually succeeding with a resounding bang.  From trying to feed herself to climbing furniture to putting on shoes to pronouncing new words, Eowyn just dives into it with gusto.  When she can’t quite make it, she squeals in frustration and comes running to mommy for help (one of my favorite parts too… ssshhh!). 

While I still say that she really is a daddy’s girl, there’s no disputing that she prefers me when she’s in dire shape, like when she skins her knee or falls from the couch or any other such thing.  She turns to me for comfort, and I am the one who can soothe her best.  The moment she’s in my arms and I shush her and kiss her, the crying stops.  That really gives me a deep sense of triumph.  When I make things right for her, I am the happiest mommy in the world… and I hope it always stays that way.

Anyway, here are some of the new things she can do at 15 months:

• Blow kisses
• Give hugs
• Dance after pushing the play button on her musical toys
• Run… and run quite fast especially when she knows mommy or daddy is chasing her
• Say “thank you” when you give her something
• Tucks herself in bed when she’s sleepy
• Use a spoon and fork to feed herself (but this can get really messy!)
• Can eat most anything that we give her
• Loves books and recognizes characters and animals in it
• Can count one-two-three (her favorite word is two, so that when she’s counting, she sometimes says one-two-two-two-two-three, or skip one altogether and just say two-two-three… it’s quite funny!)

Other updates:

• Has at least four new teeth coming out (not sure if they are molars, but I suspect they are)

• Still sleeps in bed with us, and there are many times when I wake up in the middle of the night with her little arm around my neck for the sweetest of hugs, or find her snuggling under my armpit – to keep warmer, perhaps? These two things more than make up for the fact that she’s a very bad bed hog, kicking me or Dan to get more space for herself.

• Loves shoes – A LOT!  When I want her to come to me, the easiest way is to hold a shoe and dangle it in front of her.  Before you know it, she’d be right there so she can wear her shoes.  She also tries to put shoes on by herself, and she is almost succeeding. I don’t know where my little Imelda got her love for shoes, but at any rate, I indulge her a lot.  Dan thinks I bought more than twenty pairs of shoes for Eowyn… but uh, dada, I am not confirming that number.  Hahaha!

EOwyn at 14 months

As Eowyn approaches her 14^th month, here are some of the things that she can do:

• starts to run; sometimes stumbles but doesn’t cry unless we fuss over her
• loves to climb the couch, chairs, and any surface that she can get on top of
• enjoys staring out of the living room window, perched on stacks of 3 gigantic phone books
• talks a lot! Has a vocabulary of at least 25 words now, including book, duckie, bubba (baby bottle), doggie, doll, cracker (she says it kah-ker), cookie, birdie, yes, no, mama, daddy, baby, good, what, now, bye-bye, hi, ‘lo (short for hello), shoes, Pooh, Tigger, night, play, up, and down.
• Can string two or more words together, such as good girl, good night, no mama, bye now, want bubba, what’s that book, this call baby, etc.
• Displays curiosity by pointing at things and asking “what’s that?” Listens intently as we explain things to her.
• Starts to pretend play. Lately she loves to “talk on the phone” and holds the earpiece of her toy telephone close to her ear while babbling animatedly. If her toy phone is nowhere to be found, she makes do with a shoe, a box, a rattle, or a stuffed toy. When I ask her who she’s talking to, she’d say “lola.” (I’m always taling to mama on the phone so I’m quite certain that she’s copying me). Eowyn also loves to feed her dolls, pat them, and tuck them in bed.

"Tiggy!"

Sleepy-eyed but starting to get wide awake, Eowyn crawled out of bed this morning and promptly fished a book from a stack that was on the floor. I watch her climb up the bed again, a big grin on her face and holding the book clumsily in her hands. I settled back against the pillows, enjoying the sight of my little girl browsing the pages of the book.

Then she closed it, looked at me expectantly, and muttered “book.”

I nodded in agreement and said “Yes, baby.”

She smiled, then said “Pooh.”

I could only see the back of the book and glimpsed Mickey and Minnie printed in it (it was a Disney book), so I shook my head and told her “That’s not Pooh, Wyn.”

“Pooh,” she insisted. “Pooh. Pooh!”

Then she turned the book and I saw Pooh and Tigger on the cover. When she saw me smile and heard me say, “Oh it’s Pooh alright! Silly mommy!” she grinned at me and with a smug expression on her face, pointed at Tigger and said “Tiggy!” (It’s the first time I heard her say the word.)

I gave her a hug. That was enough to make my day!

Maybe it's just me... but I speak from the heart!

Babies grow up fast – they really do! I was watching Eowyn sleep this morning and I almost gave in to the urge to cry because she looked so beautiful and so serene in her sleep, hugging a pillow and snuggling under the blanket beside me. And not just that, almost in the space of a heartbeat, she has also gotten so BIG!

Where has the time gone?

In the blink of an eye, the precious tiny newborn babe that I took home from the hospital is no more, and in its place is a pretty, bubbly toddler who is so full of energy and curiosity and mischief. In another blink of an eye, would I find her all grown up, ready to spread her wings, and leave mommy’s side? The thought of that disturbs me. I don’t even want to go there yet!

Which brings me to one thing – in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we sometimes tend to neglect the more important yet fleeting things that come our way… like simply enjoying the moment and creating wonderful memories to last a lifetime.

How many of us try to rush time and not let our babies be babies? With only the best intentions, we teach them to act like adults, not realizing that we can never bring back this stage in their development all over again. For instance, we make our babies sleep in their own cribs even when they are very unhappy about it, force them to self-feed even when they’re not ready for it yet, and generally just teach them to be independent even when they are still so young to handle it! Unfortunately, western culture is just like that.

As a mom, I feel rather strongly about this because I believe that babies should be nurtured while they’re young and be allowed to develop at their own pace. This is not to say that I am against training them to be self-reliant. I am merely saying that we should not force them to do things especially when they are not ready for it. Someday, the time will come when they will no longer need us, so cherish the moments while they still embrace all the nurturing we give them with love and affection!

I am enjoying every opportunity to sleep and cuddle with my baby while I can. It gives me a tremendous sense of fulfillment to watch Eowyn sleep peacefully beside me, smell her fresh baby scent, feel the warmth emanating from her body especially on cold nights, and hear her deep, even breathing and her little snores. Moms who let their babies sleep on their cribs from the very start probably never experienced this kind of high, and maybe they would not understand what I am talking about. But they also don’t know what they are missing!

I guess we all have different priorities and we all have different parenting styles. I will not claim that mine is the best because I def