Yikes...

It was 2 days ago, when I thought am gonna just sit on my chair and finish Yllac's leftover lunch when I heard him from the other room meow-ing. He peeked through the door and meowed like a cat with his hands clawed trying to scare me. It was a permanent ink. At least I got a good giggle. Everybody in the office had a good giggle. Oh boy! I could use this as a Holiday card. 

Yllac is getting so big. But I love that he still crave for my approval and I know Ill miss it when he no longer need or want my attention. Am telling you, these little-kid-years are fleeting. I love it when Yllac still rely on me to read him a bedtime story. To read in an animated voice that gives him the best laugh of his life that i truly cherish. His laughter is magic. Someday i will no longer hear those sweet baby tiny voice that calls me mommy. Soon, he'll be a teen and then a grown man. So I'm trying hard to relish the fading years of his litteness left in him. I marinate in the morning snuggles and sweetness of him. I exalt in moments of his playfulness, obsession with his toy fire trucks, inevitable crying, tantrums and I especially cherish his childish mispronunciations. Above all else, I have to be mindful of my limited time in this stage of our life, My kid is getting bigger. I have to get all the cuddles now.  

A Blink....

My big boy fell asleep in my arms like a baby after lunch today. I held him till my arms numbed. The millions of times he falls asleep on me seems so fleeting now, but I can’t imagine a day when my heart won’t long to have him in my arms. It's been a blink. Such a blur. A flash. Yllac just turned 4 last December. He is truly a joy in my life. He is also my hardest work. I pray for the next four years to pass a little more slowly, though i know the reality is that they will even go trice as fast. 

Two Days In The Office With Me...

Last week Yllac joined me in the office. And here's what happened...

Soon as he said hi to everyone, he went on to "work" immediately.

Everybody in the office went out for meetings, so it's just me and Yllac in the office. And when he's not working or making any calls, he's usually in front of me. Just walking back and forth. Eating snacks or stealing my pens and sticky pads.

The following day, he took on more responsibility. He attended his first meeting and did some major note taking that no one (even me) understood.

The only thing he needs to say is "superman" and up on the air he go. Second day was heaven for this boy.

Again, when he was not attending to phone calls...

..or assisting people...

...he was busting his moves to his own version of ABC and BINGO. Ladies and gentlemen, that is my child. I adore him so so so much.

And then after a couple of hours he got really really reallyyyyy bored. 

All of these happened four days ago, when his daycare was still closed for the Eid holiday, and while his Dad and i have to report back to work. I decided to take him with me because my workplace is a little relaxed as you can see. I really am thankful for this company that is very supportive of working Moms, where Yllac is always welcome to join. Going to work with a toddler and toys in tow can be challenging for all concerned, but sometimes parents don't have much of a choice. When a babysitter is not available, or the day care is closed or a sick child can leave parents without much option but to bring kids into the office or continue working from home. Thankfully it's not a problem here. Honestly I don't wanna do it much often. It's really challenging. I was praying the whole time Yllac never cries or that he won't max out his patience. Two days went by pretty fast without tears and not too much noise from my little one. But of course there was a lot of spills and crumbles to clean after. Other than that, I can say, It was a miracle. 

Hello fellow Moms! Have you tried to bring your kids to work? Was it fun? Or was it really FUN? Care to share some of your trusted tricks?

What's Next? He's Off To College?

first day of school. Nailed it! 

Two weeks ago, Yllac started daycare school. (he is 3 years and 4 months next week) I woke him up earlier than the usual. I dragged him to the bathroom with his arms and legs wrapped on me. And with his eyes closed he whispered, "mama, toohbash pleaseee.". I put him down on his step stool, i gave him his toothbrush and started brushing is teeth, still his eyes half open the whole time. And the yawning, oh the yawning! And I think to myself, he is soooo cute. Sometimes I look at him and cannot believe how much he has grown. Starting school means, he's in fact starting to have a little life of his own, a life for a couple of hours without daddy and mama. It's a little scary if i think about it that way, but as we all know, the ultimate goal of parenting is separation. Oh the irony! Being a good parent is like, unleashing a great human being into the world. So, you see, it's a very difficult job. It's very conflicting when you love someone so bad, all you wanna do is protect them, bottle them up, away from any harm. But you also want them to be healthy, independent, confident, loving and well-adjusted person. As much as we want to protect them, we need to keep pushing them ever so lovingly and gently out of our nest to figure out things for themselves, do thing on their own, and to let them develop attachment to other people outside our homes.

Yesterday when Jayson and me dropped him to school early in the morning, he never let go of my hand and asked me to come with him. He pulled me down and said, "mama come". So i let him lead me as he take me to see his classroom. As his teacher greeted us a good morning, he let go of my hand and ran to hug and kissed his teacher. She hugged him back, looked at me and said, "he is the sweetest boy." Whenever I talk to his teacher, my only question is, - is he happy?. Because if he's happy, then he can do anything. He will dance, play, and sing and will do all kinds of kid stuff. I figure, if he's happy, then learning would be so much easy. Sure enough, everyday, he comes home with an empty snack and lunch box, a note from his teacher, that he was indeed in a happy mood and different colored stars on his hands.  And by 8pm, he is out! Snoring, drooling, dreaming. W O W!!!! Schooling is cool am a tell yah!   

While I am not seasoned enough to talk about parenting, the ins and outs of this gig, right now, I'm like this mama bird, letting my baby bird stretch his baby wings for a little flying practice. I want my boy to soar someday, but I don't have any idea how to do that, so Im giving him a little push now. Start practicing those little wings.... 

And, life lately...

a little sandstorm

oh these two!

whoever said, you cannot play with your food anymore when you grow up, doesn't know the fun on making this egg in a hole sandwich. So you make a bread-hole using a small cup. Butter the pan a little, toast both sides of the bread and pour the egg. Season with salt and eat them good. yum!

We love this little shawarma place near our home. We just park in-front of it, wave to whoever is on the window, and these cute guys ran to us, to ask for our orders. And just like that, two shawarmas to go. One chicken, one beef. No onion for me, but lots and lots of yoghurt sauce. 7 riyas for one shawarma and I am as happy as a beef-eating-clam.

Do not throw away your cereal boxes just yet. They make the best drawing pad ever! 

"art" collaboration project of Yllac and his Daddy.

-the end- 

ps,

I know I haven't been spending much time here on the blog, but I want you to know that I miss you.  I wish you an awesome day!

Last Thursday Evening...

So, where's Yllac? Can you find him?

The day Yllac came into my life was the real game changer for me. I don't understand parks and playgrounds before. I never went to one. It bores me. But now, i am this close to living in the playground. We go there seven days a week. Three hours a day. No matter what the circumstances are, or time, we go there! I remember the first time i put Yllac on the swing with me, he was barely 6 months old. The first time he felt that swing, he giggled, he closed his eyes feeling the wind on his face. I remember this pure joy i felt seeing him so happy like he would die from laughing. And I knew I have found a cure to "everything".

While we love our first park in the Philippines, we were just a bit surprised at what playgrounds here in Doha are like. They are like your average parks alright, complete with everything, swings and see saws.... only on STEROIDS! (I will share more photos soon)

Last Thursday night I managed to take a snap on some playground actions of Yllac sliding like a little daredevil on this skate park with other kids twice or trice his age. There was a lot of panic from me each time I thought i lost him. Jayson and I was eying him from a safe distance, but this boy was fast. One blink  he could be anywhere. He could be climbing up, or sliding down head first. Sometimes in a solo number, but mostly sandwiched with other kids. I lost count the number of times i screamed to Jayson "can you see him, can you see him?" He was there alright. Alive. We may not see him, but I can hear his scream. I can hear his Yays and Woooooohs a bunch of times. He was even throwing some "yala! yala! yala! ( go go go) in between yays and wooohs. He's happy. I am happy. After a good two hours of rolling and sliding on dirt he was ready to bike again and go home. He was covered in dirt when he hugged and kissed me and asked for his juice. He is my brave boy. He smelled a little too. 

And as a Mom, I'm just glad he didn't wore white last Thursday night.

Bubble Rehab...

i keep this one in a special photo album reserved for rough days when i need a quick smile..., my child, Yllac Lorenzo Burrito...  

How's your weekend my friends? Mine was awesome! Like, capital Gaaaaa-R-E-A-T! Saturday is the most wonderful day of my week because that's the day my Aunt and his son comes to stay over at my house. That means extra pair of hands, energy, and ideas to entertain this little boy of mine. I do entertain Yllac with bubbles but am gonna be honest, Yllac likes the crowd cheering for him each time he gets near one and pops one. He likes the exaggerated sound of clapping and laughter. So I guess, the bubbles on the weekend is much more exciting for him than bubbles with me on weekdays. I'm sorry Yllac, Mama wasn't born an  octopus.  I mean look at him. Once the bubbles come out, he's crazy. ...this boy is gonna need a bubble rehab anytime soon.

Happy Monday!!!

Around Here Lately...

So, Hi! Hi! Hi! hello! hello! hello! hello!  to you! Woooohooo, that's the coffee talking but, you know what, I wanna say Hi to you too.

Anyway, anyway, anyway, Lemme tell you something about myself theses days. So every night before 8 pm I go to bed close to being dead. Thanks to the little dude I live with, and his refusal to take a nap during the day. Soon as he hit the bed and closes his eyes I drained the last of my batteries to tidy up the house and just completely let myself feel the exhaustion. You know, the whole combination of doing errands, house chores plus busting a move, and cartwheeling all day plus singing all kinds of songs, from Mickey Mouse, to Hi5 to Eraserheads, yup! my boy likes the Eheads. And you know what's good about exhaustion??? it's a gift. You first feel it in your eyes and as soon as you close your eyes you'll slowly feel your whole body letting go. It's like flying. Floating. Only on your bed. Tranquilized to perfection. You can actually operate on me, take out my liver and I won't flinch. And then 10 hours passing without me knowing it, next thing I hear is the sound of my little dude calling me mama and saying over and over again, "dede" or Mama, up! Dede. I mean, I cannot remember the last time in my adult life I've had 8 hours of sleep without interruption. And lately I am scoring more than 8 hours of sleep. Am I back to being a toddler or what? And I have a feeling I am getting taller too. It's like I am in this infinite loop, operating in repeat day after day. And I love it. Am a tell yah, I can fall asleep in trenches, in spite of the roaring of canons and shrapnel over my head. Dude I am in total peace. 

Anyway, anyway, anyyyyywaaay,,,, enough of the bragging.. I figure I wanna share some of the photos I took this week. Hope you enjoy them...

Last Monday, right after Yllac's class it rained faaareaking hard, just after we got inside the car. If we go straight home, and me opening the gate, I will get wet. I don't wanna take a bath last Monday so "we" decided to drive around and wait for the rain to stop. Seriously though, I am just an idiot taking a cue from a 2 year old's scream (because I know he does not want to go home yet, I can tell from his scream when he saw our house). And what do you know...when we stopped for gas I saw my little dude smiling from ear to ear. Happy as a clam. So for maybe an hour, my clam and i hang out with the cows. Fun date! 
 

I Am Bah-bah...

Irrelevant photo? Check!

Yllac poking this small butterfly a week ago, and BAM it moved. He's a good screamer. I feel safe with him.

Saying that I have a very complicated baby these days is an understatement. Oh well, thee-thee, pamalamadingdong, let me count the ways...

Let's say, for instance, I am gonna tell you that I  hate it when people don't eat my food. When I say people,  I only mean Yllac. As his bahbah (that's code for mama) i need to make sure that his food is not too cold and not even warm. He's in no way having any British blood in him but he likes his food in a perfect room temperature. And when it's not.... yah know what I mean? And anything meaty, I have to make sure that it's been broken-in first. Most days, I feel like I am a bird more than a human being. 

As his bahbah I can only dress him in shorts that's above his knee and no long sleeved top. Anything below the knee (except for pants of course) would unleash the end-of-days. At least for us two. 

As his bahbah, I know (and this he gets from me) that he is the most imperfect sleeper. It's good to produce one of my kind so there will be someone for him for the rest of his life to understand what it's like to need sleep but you just can't get it. But it breaks my heart seeing him all exhausted but can't seem to sleep it off on his own. Right now, all that I ever want as a mother is to have a special power or magic or whatchamacallit or spell to make him sleep in a snap of my finger, or to make him stay asleep and dreaming for as long as i want, aaaaaand to have this power to make him wake up all happy and cheery when Im all toasty and good to wake up too. Because this past few days he's my little white sheep every morning, complaining every little details of where should i pat him, or where should be my left arm go, or the blanket isn't covering all of his body and legs. I mean, come on Yllac, you're not even three and this is the drama we're having every day, every morning.

He is very complicated. Playtime isn't all about play and being laid back these days, when Elmo isn't sitting straight (elmo has no backbone fyi) he'd scream for me, "bahbah bahbah, emo, emooooo!", so i would get rid of elmo and replaced it with mickey mouse. The other day his choo-choo train ran out of batteries, so he screamed for me, all tears and goo streaming down his face. My poor little baby, all emotional and loud for his age. Sometimes watching him in full rage is equal parts amusing and terrifying.  Mothers, yah feel me? 

Honestly, there were times I find myself asking when am I gonna have my "life" back. Like, when am I gonna have a full long bath? Or when I am gonna wash and condition my hair again? Or I can just settle for a simple blow dry. God knows I've been dreaming for that night where I can sleep on my side again or to eat real food to warm my stomach for instance... (oh God please, no more Jollibee!!!) Or, it would be great to have an hour or two so I can answer emails, visit people's blogs and leave comments. I miss doing those. Or to have a quiet day so I can answer emails and visit people's blogs and to reply or just leave comments. I miss doing those. Or to have one afternoon for myself inside a coffee shop without having to chase another human being while I enjoy my very cold brain-freezing yummy iced latte. Anyway, anyway, anyway... you know what, Yllac is my purpose in life. Sometimes I forget that, I have to keep that in mind. Maybe even before I was born, God planned to create Yllac and plans to hand him to me. To me, his bahbah. This little boy dude - stubborn and bright eyed, and me, we're a great team.  Maybe in 18 years time we'll figure this all out, but now, He is for me and I for him. So now we just snuggle. Snuggle, snuggle, snuggle....His little hands clutching my arms holding so close to his chest, never letting me go.

anyway, anyway, anyway... this was us yesterday at 2 in the afternoon. I mean, we're not always meltdowns and cries over here.

this was my little sheep at 4 in the afternoon. HAPPY!

and at 5, this happened. He doesn't want to go home. Ggggggreat!

Photo Dump + Yllac's First Cinema Movie (Planes)...

Mickey Mouse and Elmo are Yllac's Woody and Buzz. YahknowhatImean? Also, If you're interested to know, I don't take photos when moving. So we're safe here. 

Last Thursday, my chicken-little and I went out for a date. It was phenomenal. Because last Thursday was Yllac's very first cinema movie and mine too since I gave birth to him, so my heart has been jumping for joy since then. The whole experience was amazing. I think it's more of a big deal for me than for him. So forgive the gazillion of photos commemorating this special day for us. From getting our movie ticket to picking our movie snack, I gotta say, everything went smooth. Too smooth it scared me. He was holding my hand the whole time. Never letting go. It was a big moment for me as his momma and a little heart-pinching because my baby isn't a baby anymore. Obviously. Suddenly, he became this new person in my eye last Thursday. When I look at him, I can see a little dude. I can trust him to walk beside me or sometimes he'd let go of me but still maintaining that close walking distance between us. We're like ducks. He knows my quack. It's like we have this invisible string attaching him to me while I was clutching our small bucket of fries and a large soda and a huge bag on my shoulder, he was just following my every step and sometimes would hold to my skirt as his eyes roam around. I was really surprised and that's too too too cute for my book. And when I showed the cinema people my stamp he gladly showed his arm too. OH!That.Killed.Me. I let him sit on my lap at first and once he got comfortable he then took his own seat, covering his ears from time to time if the sound is getting too loud. Honestly, I'm not even sure if I followed the movie because I was glued to him the entire time. He would laugh and scream and move his hands mimicking the plane and clap, - oh the clapping,  (most especially at the end) and I was just in complete awe. I mean, a heard of bongo-playing elephants could have stampede in front of me and I wouldn't care to move... I am completely in love with this little person so absorbed with his first cinema movie. And you know what that means...my life just got more exciting. So exciting, especially when he farted. So loud! A bunch of times! Oh well, after the fart, I was sure I got my baby back. Seriously Yllac, never ever fart on your first date. But it's okay, that's years and years ahead. Right now as his mom, I'm okay with the fart. 

Happy Friday folks. I wish you a loooong and fun-filled weekend with the ones you love.

my top and skirt: thrift
boots: gojane
bag: target

Yllac Lorenzo Lozada: God's gift c",)
Yllac's pants: SM Kids