Thursday, February 21, 2008

Snapshots of Raine

While I fix up in the living room, Raine signs 'milk'. I tell her to wait, since Mommy is still cleaning. She crawls up the two steps into the bedroom, and as I follow her, attempts to climb up the bed. She looks back at me and signs milk again. I oblige. Some things are more important than chores.

***

We're in the guestroom. I put her down on the floor and hand her a book. I search through the shelves. When I turn back to her, she's sitting comfortably on the sofa bed, reading. As I look at her, amazed, she looks up at me, as if to say, "What, you never seen a kid reading before?"

***

Raine and The Hubby are lolling around in bed, on opposite sides. The Hubby reaches out with his hand. "Raine, come kiss Daddy," he says. She looks at him. "Come on, Raine. Please come kiss Daddy." With as little effort as possible, she rolls over a bit and kisses his hand. Who da bum now?

***

Raine loves going through my underwear drawer, ostensibly weeding out my ratty undies. One day, I find the drawer open and not much mess. Raine is playing nearby. "I see you threw out only one panty today," I tell her as I fold and put my poor does-not-meet-Raine's-standards underwear away. She looks at me, crawls back to the drawer, flings out the panty I just put back in plus one more. Then she crawls back to what she was doing.

***

It's getting hard to feed Raine in public, as loves acrobatic feeding. She's very good at it too. She can feed upside down; sitting and bent over double; on her tummy, coming up periodically to gasp for air; on her side, with legs and arms waving in the air. But the most adventurous so far are her yoga feeding poses--she can do the downward dog and feed with ease. I think she was a future in yoga.
***
Someone gave Raine a driving toy, which looks like an abbreviated van dashboard. I find her gleefully driving: turning the steering wheel like some maniac driver dead set on mowing down pedestrians, working the stick shift with her foot. I do not look forward to the day she offers to drive me around.

The Official Press Release

The other day, 19 February, The Hubby and I have celebrated three years of being married. By November this year, we'd have been officially together eight years; by June, we'd have known each other 20 years. This is the story that I will tell Rainey.
We were batchmates in high school. The Hubby doesn't remember our first 'date'. But I do--it was traumatic. We both lived in the dorm. His good friend Al and my good friend Deanne, The Hubby and I had managed to score gate passes to SM City on a school day. This was in the first few weeks of our freshman year--we were all promdis excited to go malling. So as we were wandering around the hallowed halls of SM, our second home back in high school, in our tablecloth school uniform, we run into my dad. Busted on my first try at playing hooky.
We never really hung out in the same crowd. The Hubby was one of those limelight kids, always in the center of everything, in a huge barkada of the popular people. I, on the other hand, liked to stay in the background with my tight, small group of friends. Our last high school encounter--he was the date of one my two high school best friends, and we sat at the same table at the Grad Ball. Must dig up the picture of that.




College, we'd run into each other at the CASAA and he'd regale me with tales of his numerous panganays. Fast forward eight years post high school graduation. The Hubby organized a batch gimmick, which my mom forced me to attend (so we owe my mom big time). I walked into the now defunct Gensan on Jupiter, and the rest, as the cliche goes, is history.
The Hubby took one look at me and decided never to let me go (hey, this is MY version). He rigged the seating arrangement so that we'd sit next to each other. I didn't notice him or his machinations at first. I was telling an old friend that I had just quit my ad agency job and was now a freelance writer. Said friend advised me to get a rich boyfriend to drive me around on my assignments, and I said I needed a car more. Suddenly The Hubby piped in, "I have a car!" And I retorted, "But are you rich?" And he said, "I will be in five years." Talk about pick up lines that work!


At the start, we weren't really dating. We were ostensibly just keeping each other company till I found my rich boyfriend with a car, and he found his playthings (he had just decided to shed his choir boy image and be a playah). Yeah, right. About five weeks later, we were officially a couple. And thus began a tempestuous relationship, full of high drama, two major breakups, a lot of heartache but a lot of happiness as well. We were both ultra sensitive people who held grudges so our relationship was never easy.




What I've noticed among people we know--when you have a major breakup, you either stay apart and count your blessings, or you realize that you can't live without each other and you get married...


We chose the latter, obviously, and two years later we were blessed with our beautiful Erynne Isobel.
And three years later, we have less of the tempestuousness, more of the laughter. I guess after 20 years, we're finally growing up.
Acushla, here's to eight years and counting...

Thursday, February 14, 2008

It's My Party

I'll whine if I want to.

My head feels like it's in a vise grip. My nose is drippy (and the mucous is yellow so it's a real cold) but when I try to blow almost nothing comes out. All my teeth hurt. Yes, each and every one of them. My gums are tender. That thing at the roof of your mouth, by the back, is sore. My scalp is hyper sensitive; touching it makes my head hurt more. My eyes are dry and hot. I'm alternately hot and cold. My ears are blocked. My back is crampy. And I need a pedicure.

I have an article due. Two interviews. More research. An elaborate valentine dinner to prepare. A baby to take care of. Dishes to wash. A house to clean. Toys to put away.

I want my Mommy.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Urgent on the To-Do List

This morning, as I was washing the dishes, I suddenly found myself belting out the chorus of Just Another Woman in Love, together with the neighbor and her YesFM. I can't believe I know the lyrics to that! I constantly amaze myself with the things I didn't know I know.

Man. Must get our sound system fixed.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Something New for Valentine



Thinking of something new to do this season of luuuuuv? Why not spread the love? Adopt a pet!


Lots of cats and dogs are waiting for people to love them and take them home. This is much cheaper than buying a pet from the petshop, and the dogs and cats you adopt will love you undyingly for it.
I'm reposting the adoption guidelines:


"The steps in adopting from PAWS are generally as follows:
1. Print out and fill up the adoption application form found in this:
2. Schedule an adoption consultation (to coincide with your visit to the shelter to meet the dogs / puppies / cats / kittens available for adoption) by calling 475-1688, open from Mondays through Saturdays from 10am to 5pm. Closed on holidays.The PAWS shelter is located at Aurora Blvd, Katipunan Valley, Loyola Heights, Quezon City (at the back of the Ateneo de Manila University). Detailed directions can be found here: http://parc.mefindhome.org/If the results of your adoption consultation indicate that adopting from the shelter is a good fit for you, we move on to steps 3 to 6 below:
3. "Meet-the-dog / cat" session ( we allow a few minutes for prospective adoptive parent and animal to check each other out & see if they are compatible). Our adoption counselors will help you find a dog / cat that best fits your personality, lifestyle, and level of pet ownership experience.
4. Payment of adoption fee. Depending on the choice of animal (some dogs or cats may still be undergoing treatment or are scheduled for shots, spay/neuter surgery, etc.), you can take home your new companion on your first, second, or third visit. Note: Adoption fee of P1000 per dog and P300 per cat is not really an "adoption fee" per se but to help us keep the rehabilitation and adoption program going. =)Please note that all animals adopted from PAWS are:1. spayed / neutered2. have rabies shots, and 5-in-1 shots (for dogs) or 3-in-1 shots (for cats)3. have been dewormed & groomed4. dogs have received monthly heartworm preventives and flea & tick preventives
5. come with a free adoption kit (free sample pet food)
6. may avail of free basic obedience training from our shelter manager (by appointment)7. may avail of free consultation and discounts on services from PAWS clinic (note: by appointment).8. excited to go to new homes and begin their second chance at a good life!"