Humans of New York

Recently, I've made some changes to my Instagram account. You see, I've been "unselective" with regard to the people I follow. I really didn't care. Until I decided, once and for all, that since I spend so much time on Instagram anyway, I should un-follow those who have meaningless and negative feeds and only follow accounts with inspiring, beautiful, and meaningful feeds.

Because of that, I unfollowed many accounts of people who always post meaningless and mean messages, people who post pictures that are against my belief, and, well, sellers who flood my feed with objects I will never buy.

Then I looked for accounts that would make my Instagram-browsing a bit more meaningful.

So now, my feed has less trash and more stuff like this:

http://instagram.com/christian_worship

I have heard of the website, Humans of New York, before, but I did not know Stanton also had an Instagram account. When I found out about it, I didn't waste time and began following it. I don't regret doing it because all of the photos are beautiful and many of these photos contained thought-provoking and inspiring stories. Here are some of my favorites:

Funny stuff

Inspiring stuff

Stuff that reminded me of some points of my childhood (and even adulthood)

More inspiring stuff

Stuff that made me afraid and made me cling on to God

Kiddie fashion inspiration

Stuff that bring back my "faith" in humanity

Stuff I couldn't relate to but liked because of the beautiful subjects

Relatable stuff about parenthood

Stuff that can make anyone smile and feel warm all over

Stuff that made me think

And stuff that reminded me that it's never okay to judge. Ever.

What I really love about this account is the different stories behind the faces that I might encounter randomly on the road. It reminds me that behind every face lies a story that is not only special but also potentially inspiring. Most importantly, this account continually reminds me to always be kind to others for they are fighting their own battles, just like I am.

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The Emergency Fund: Tips on How to Build It

Hey there! This is Part 2 of my "talk" about emergency funds. If you didn't read the first part last week, I suggest you read it first to understand why I'm insisting you create one. Just click here.

Okay, ready?

I am no financial adviser nor am I saying that I'm doing so well with my finances. I'm just your regular, info-hungry 20-something mom.

I'm also just your regular working gal who finds it so tempting to spend all of her income on shopping. It's a monthly struggle really!

But that's just the thing. Many of us don't really need the credibility of finance gurus. Most of the time, we just need someone who's on the same ground as us., someone who experiences the same "temptations." I'm as average as one can get, so you can be sure that what I am saying is not only relatable but also practicable!

I admit that out of all the non-negotiables in my budget (check this post for more about non-negotiables), I find it the hardest to allot money for the emergency fund. It just looks so pointless because I don't know what I'm saving up for or why I need to do it.

But I also have to admit that during times of emergency, I praise God for his imparted wisdom and for convicting me that, yes, an emergency fund is necessary.

I already wrote a post detailing the reasons why one should have an emergency fund, so let's go straight ahead to the practical tips and how-to's. Here are some of the commonly asked questions about emergency funds and my attempt to answer them.

1. How much should I save?

Allergies? Seriously?!

I've never had allergies growing up.

Nobody in my immediate family has allergies. The closest relative I know who has allergies is my cousin; he's allergic to shrimps and shellfish (sad!), but I assumed he got it from the paternal side of his family. Aside from that, I've never had close encounters with allergies.

Until one day, when I included cooked gabi (taro) in my lunch salad.

I don't think this was the offending salad, but for posterity's sake, let's assume that it was.

All of a sudden, had a feeling of itchiness inside my mouth. Even my throat was super itchy. Now, I've been eating gabi all my life and I never once had a reaction to it. I thought my lettuce leaves were already bad, so my immediate reaction was to throw my salad away and to eat a lunch of rice and viand.

A few days after that, I encountered yet another dish with gabi. Again, I innocently ate the vegetable/ root crop but then, I had the itchy sensation again. This time, I was sure that it was the gabi that caused the reactions, but I was still surprised to develop a new allergy so late in my life. It turns out there is such a thing as adult-onset allergies. Sorry, I was not informed; I didn't have the need to inform myself about it.

I found this interesting, but even though I like gabi, I wasn't so bothered about it because I have the choice not to eat it.

Then I had a new allergy.

My right eye has been itching since last weekend. As in it's really, really itchy at certain times of the day, especially during at night. The itchiness level is the same as when I have pink-eye or sore eyes, but I know I don't have this because my eye is not red at all and there's no puss (sorry, TMI). It's just really really itchy and it feels sandy inside.

A quick Google search revealed that I must be "suffering" from an eye allergy. The problem is I don't know what's causing the allergy! Any ideas?

So , after growing up completely allergy-free, I now have two allergies, one of which I am still not sure of. Life has a funny way of surprising us, doesn't it? :-)

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I Cut His Hair and Other Stories

1. I cut his hair.

Yuri's hair is getting too long. In fact, when his friend, Scotty, came to visit, his American dad told me, "Do you like to keep his hair long?" Not at all! But the problem is that I dread cutting his hair. It always turns out to be such a struggle, and our house would sound like a slaughter house - no kidding. That's why his hair is always cut at home with me, my mom, and his yaya. I could never dare to bring him to a proper barber shop for kids for fear na masayang ang pera.

Observe:

Polo from SM, H&M jeans, Pitter Pat sandals

But yesterday, I saw a chance. You see, I'm the one looking after Yuri when he sleeps now. I try to get some work while he sleeps. Yesterday, the connection was lost for maybe 40 minutes, and I had nothing better to do and I spotted a pair of scissors nearby, and you know what happened next.

Snip, snip.

Tah dah!

2. Goodbye, high-chair. Hello, crayons!

We Were Merely Freshmen

Someone in my Facebook feed shared a photo of our first batch encounter way back (n) years ago. I won't specify dates, but if you can look at the photos, you'll see how most girls wore boot-leg jeans. That should give you an idea.

And oh, the UP Mindanao atrium's walls weren't painted yet. And there was still a giant "ashtray" in the middle of it. And smoking wasn't yet bawal. And the roads were not paved. There, so many hints na.

The photo shared was one of a course different from mine, so I kind of stalked the original owner to look for the complete album. I didn't know the poster but I'm sure she was years ahead of me.

Anyway, I finally found the album and was pleasantly surprised to see many photos. Back when digital wasn't very common, this was a feat! I was even more surprised to see a photo of my bloc - which included me!

 Credits to the photo owner, Tata Sua Peronilla.

We were few but not that few. This photo had more upperclassmen than freshmen, and many of my classmates were probably on the opposite side.

Can you spot me?

Why You Need An Emergency Fund Right Now

Wow, it had been a while since I last wrote a Finance Friday post! I planned on writing one last week, but Yuri and I were both sick which didn't inspire me to write.

This was also a busy week as some of our relatives arrived in the city and we got busy touring them around and generally making them feel welcome. Just last night, they were up late because Mama was teaching them how to bake macaroons and her famous moist chocolate cake:

 And my toddler found a new friend in his cousin:

To be honest, I still wouldn't have gone around to writing an FF post if I didn't get to read this interesting post about Jesus having an emergency fund. Interesting, right?

This leads us to the topic of the day: emergency funds.

If I can categorize my friends into those who are financially "okay" and those on the brink of getting broke (I really can't, but this is hypothetical), I'm sure the main dividing factor would be the emergency funds - or the lack thereof.

You see, it is considered "common sense" to set aside some amount of money for the rainy days; however, only a few actually do it.

Unfortunately, even Christians can belong to the "other" category. I have many Christian friends who are buried in debt simply because they don't have an emergency fund. In fact, I'm still waiting for a Christian friend to pay back the debt she has owed me for 3 months now.

Before I proceed, let me clarify that I am not pressuring her to pay me because, praise God, we still have just enough to get by. This is just for illustration. Now, the reason she borrowed money from me for the first place was because of a medical - you guessed it - emergency. She is young and single, was working full-time then and was earning a good amount of money, but in the time of emergency, she had nothing to cover the expenses with.

The debt could have been avoided had she begun an emergency fund prior to the emergency.

It's Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month!

May is Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month! Did you know that?

I didn't, until I received a message in my inbox about it. It's such a shame because more awareness should generate about this common disease. But it's great that companies, like the American Recall Center, are working toward spreading awareness about this cause. They've created a graphic that outlines some facts and risk factors about the disease. For example, nearly 75% of all hip fractures occur in women!

Since this disease predominantly affects women, I thought I might share the graphic with you:

There’s more information on the disease at http://www.recallcenter.com/hip-replacement/.

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The Impromptu Beach Trip

I was not able to work nor was I able to blog yesterday because my dad literally woke us up and told us we're going to Samal Island.

Ha?!

We weren't prepared, although we did have a big stock of food inside the fridge. You see, my tita, my cousins, and a nephew of ours arrived from Bicol last Sunday. They are staying in a little hotel near our subdivision (Luxor One Inn), and the arrangement is that they visit our house to eat a meal, i.e. breakfast or lunch.

Yesterday, they visited us early in the morning to eat breakfast at our home when they, apparently, had the idea to go to Samal. Then, they woke us up (I was already awake, but Yuri was still sleeping) to tell us that. What?! Being the good sport that we are - aside from the fact that no one could complain about going to the beach on a summer day - we immediately got up, ate breakfast, and prepared our stuff.

Can you spell haggard??? Just look at that face. And hair! Poor Yuri got woken up from a deep sleep but was excited anyway to go back to his favorite place: the beach!

How to Encourage your Toddler to Talk

Let me preface this post by saying I'm no expert-mom. I'm just a regular mom who happen to be a sharer (an oversharer?) of stories especially those fellow moms will find useful.

In my own words, I'm more of an aha-mom than an alpha-mom.

I consider myself blessed to have a kid who began talking early. 16 months may not be as early as other kids, but Yuri's verbal development was rapid. I don't believe it's a product of his IQ (as his dad and grandparents like mentioning) - although I do know he's smart like all children - but a product of the environment carefully created for the purpose.

For example, last year, if you've already been reading this blog then, you will see some monthly posts where I listed Yuri's new words. Aside from serving as milestone posts (I don't trust myself with a paper), they actually serve a real reason (which I will tell you later).

Before I tackle the "tips" or the ways I did to try to stimulate his language development, let me repeat that I'm no expert - just an ordinary mom who happens to love learning. I don't think it would harm anyone of you to read and try these tips but do manage your expectations! Hehehe.

Are you ready? Here they go:

1. As an entire household, don't have moments of silence. Don't stop talking.

We didn't have any problems with these because we all love talking. In fact, the only time our home fully quiets down is when Yuri is sleeping. I think it's crucial to let the child see and hear and be aware of talking, and we all know how babies love mimicking adults.

Tip: If you are a quiet person, make an effort to always talk. No quiet time (or worse, gadget time!) please! If you find it awkward, tell your child about the activities you do. For example, "I'm washing my hands!" Or "Gusto mo maghugas ng kamay?"

2. In connection to number 1, get a talkative yaya or caregiver.

Under the Weather Thursday

I'm very thankful that our weather has turned from smoldering hot (which caused the brownouts) to fair and rainy. However, a side-effect of the rapidly changing weather is sickness.

I actually started to get sick the other day, Wednesday, but still worked because, well, I didn't want to miss work. Then, yesterday, Honey (Yuri's yaya) had to go to school to get enrolled for the new school year, so I had no choice but to be absent. That was okay because I felt even sicker than I was the other day and I really wanted to rest.

However, as you mothers would know, there isn't really true "rest" for a toddler mom. So I tried to lay on the bed while my toddler ran around the room and only got up when the situation called for it.

Mom in the Disposable Mask

 Yuri entertained himself by playing by himself and with himself

He loved himself, too.

Then I let him watch some Instagram videos. He loves Vito's videos by Frances Sales

We ate a lot, too. We emptied the pantry again. My father often remarked that I'm the only one he knows who has a big appetite in the morning. Well, I have a slightly good appetite for a sick person, too!

 

I was just reminiscing the moments when I watched Disney Junior in the wee hours, and one of my favorite cartoons was Gaspard and Lisa. Then just yesterday, somebody gave us boxes of these chocolates! Thanks!

Don't look at me. It's the boy's doing. He licked the chocolates while I ate the almonds haha.

Of course, the sticker is mine!

When we finally finished the box (errmmm), we opened a tub of peanut butter. Hey, no judging! Yuri ate the most of it!

Then I went back to lazing in bed  and Yuri played hide-and-seek...

...with himself. Kawawa! :-)

While I enjoyed watching movies like Click and The Book of Eli. And the walang kamatayang...

I woke up feeling a lot better today - but the bad news is that my Yuri has fever! Poor Yuri wasn't in the mood to eat anything - not even peanut butter! But the good news is that he's more active now and even ate three pieces of toasted mamon. I hope the fever will be completely gone before the day ends.

How about you? How are you doing? I sure hope you're doing better than we are!

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My Toddler Beach Trip Checklist

I know it's the middle of May, and I know (if you're in Davao, too) that the weather has turned from ultra sunny to rainy-now-and-then, but in the Philippines, it's always summer so I'm gonna go ahead and post this checklist anyway.

Actually, I prepared this post a month ago but failed to write a draft due to #brownoutproblems. And sayang naman ang photos. And we're bound for another beach trip naman so...

Anyway, if you're Filipino like me, going to the beach is no alien task. That's because anywhere you go in the city, the nearest beach is just a few minutes away. I still could remember my high school and college days when we'd go off to a beach-trip when classes are cancelled or the professor/teacher is away. It's literally pack your bags and yourselves and go!

However, I found out (not in the hard way) that going to the beach with a toddler in tow is completely different. Before, I only needed my phone, a towel, and some extra clothes and I'm good to go. I didn't even bother bringing sunblock then (my negrita photos will prove it), and I didn't care.

Now, it took me a couple of shopping trips just to complete Yuri's stuff for his first trip to the beach - and it was just a daytrip! If I could pull off going to the beach bringing just myself, it wouldn't work with a toddler because there are so many possibilities to prepare for and risks to avoid.

If you're like me who have a toddler and want to pack everything but not overpack, I'll try to help you by showing the most essential stuff I brought to Yuri's first beach trip:

1. Sunblock

First is, of course, sunblock! Evidently, one sunblock isn't enough for our company of 5 1/2 (you know who the 1/2 is hehe). In fact, Yuri gets the biggest share of sunblock because he has the most sensitive skin among us.

At first, I wanted to buy organic sunblock, but I didn't pursue it because they usually are more expensive and they don't provide as much protection as the commercially-available ones. I know that SPF 15 blocks 94% of sunblock, but somehow, I can't imagine wearing SPF 60 on my skin and only SPF 15 on my son's. At the beach. In the Philippines. During the summer.

How about you? What brand of sunblock are you use for you and for your little ones?

2. Skin Protection Kit

What is a good mom?

Yuri's "gift" to me. A "basket" daw with "bananas."

Hallmark doesn't make any money from me because I don't celebrate holidays except for Christmas, Easter, and birthdays. I looove these major holidays, but I see the "rest of 'em" as just ordinary days.

I don't even celebrate Valentine's Day, much less Mother's Day.

I guess that's just how we were raised. My family is not big on celebrating birthdays na nga, Mother's Day pa? The same can be said for Job, although he tries to send me simple "special" messages on those occasions (but I love the just-because messages more...)

But there's one person who never fails to send me heartfelt greetings on Mother's Day. That's Honey, Yuri's ate or yaya.

Although I'd never admit it to her face (sorry, I was never the expressive type), I feel blessed that God sent her to us to help me take care of Yuri. That's even though she makes me want to scream sometimes, okay, many times. I mean, ako yung may event pero 10 minutes nalang ako nakapaghanda kasi she took 40 minutes to get dressed? Mga ganun.

But that's off-topic hehe. Really, I feel blessed because in spite of her kaartehans and, sometimes, disobedience, I believe in my heart that she truly loves Yuri. I think that's the most important trait you would ever need to find in a yaya.

Going back to Mother's Day, that early morning, while Yuri was still sleeping and I was laughing over a joke Job cracked, I received this text message:

Of course I was touched. Who wouldn't? I don't think all household have helpers who are as thoughtful as Honey. But never being the emotional type, I immediately thought, "Oh no, she thinks so highly of me. Whatever have I done to deserve that?"

First of all, I'm far from the alpha-perfect mom image. I let my child eat sweets and processed foods. I don't really care when he touches something dirty. Sometimes I give him what he wants when he throws tantrums. There have been times when I want Yuri to go away because I'm busy or stressed at work - though I will never have the heart to tell him that.

I am not "the best mom ever." I let Yuri watch TV and play with gadgets so that I can rest after working. I sometimes tell him to pee in his diaper because I'm too sleepy or lazy to get up and accompany him to the potty. Sometimes I let him bite on a toy that I know is dirty. One time, I even let him eat a lollipop.

The Things I'm Thankful For

My current circumstances find me ranting and complaining more often . I don't always do them aloud, but I see them in my planner-diary. I know they happen in my heart, and God knows what's in my heart. Somehow, they don't work for His glory. At the same time, I am getting tired of this spirit of ungratefulness and melancholy, so it needs to be quenched.

I often listed a number of my worries in my planner (and in here), so I'm doing the reverse. Despite the circumstances, I now choose to count my blessings. Praise Jesus!

What are the things I'm thankful for? A lot, actually innumerable, but yesterday was such a beautiful and smooth-sailing day that I felt compelled to write a gratitude post.

I know it's not true that if we are in the Lord, we are exempted from the world's troubles. That's not the way it works. I believe that there are days when we are tested with fire to strengthen our character and, hopefully, glorify God.

However, we are also given days that are smooth-sailing and sweet. They also test our character in a different way, but I'd like to believe they are there to give us a glimpse of what life would be with God and without the effects of sin. Yesterday, I had one of those days, and boy did it feel great!

1. I hope I am not speaking too soon, but my laptop and I were (I think) finally getting along well. And just in time because the 7-day replacement period ends today! Hehe. There's nothing wrong with it, but I was just so used to my old laptop. But I'm very grateful to God for giving me provision to replace my battery-less brownout-unfriendly laptop! 

So this is how it feels to be helpless and frustrated

So this is how it feels to be helpless and frustrated.

I know I sound like an ungrateful brat who couldn't find anything to be thankful for, and I'm apologizing in advance because, in a way, that's true.

However, you need to know where I'm coming from. I'm an unmarried mother who can't legally get support from my child's father. That sounded wrong so let's get that straight. He wants to support us but I can't freely "get" it because we don't have the blessing of my parents yet. It's a long story but I hope you get it. The point is I need to work hard to provide for our needs and wants.

I don't have problems doing so, to be honest. God blessed me with an awesome job so that I can earn while I stay home with Yuri. It's a job that has provided for us for almost three years now. But this daily power interruptions - it's making me feel so frustrated. It's wreaking havoc on my work and personal life.

God knows how much I avoided making public complaints about these brownouts. I tried to keep a cheerful spirit about it and even wrote a positive post about it, but it's so hard. I get worried. I get frustrated. I feel helpless that I can't do anything to alleviate my young son's suffering.

I have a type-A personality so I always have a plan. I always have a backup plan. But I have absolutely no control over this.

You see, we've been experiencing brownouts since March or April but it wasn't really felt because they didn't last long and they were infrequent. Then they became more regular. Then they became longer.

Just recently, we began experiencing two daily brownouts: 1 was 2 hours long and the other was 4 hours long. Imagine not having electricity 6 hours daily during the summer. It was almost untolerable.

Last Tuesday, our power went out at 5pm and didn't come back until 9pm. When the electricity finally came back, we finally settled in for what I thought would be a good night's sleep. Then, at 1am, I woke up because it felt really hot. The power was out again. Poor Yuri was drenched in sweat and I had to change his clothes. Upon doing so, he woke up and got terrified because he recognized it as "bawnout." I don't know why he gets scared because our room is always dark or dimly lit, so I'm guessing he's scared of the heat. The power only returned at 3am.

On the same morning, our power went out again at 10am and returned only at 2pm. Yes, we didn't have electricity during the peak of the summer sun.

Last night, when I was giving Yuri a sponge bath before bedtime, he told me, "Tulog na tayo, takot bawnout." My son, at 2-years old, already understood the concept, anticipated it, and got scared by it. A 2-year old shouldn't be afraid of anything. They should be brave - even to a fault. But somehow, my 2-year old understood that we should get to sleep early before another bout of power interruption occurs again.

To add insult to injury, starting today, we have to suffer 7.5 hours of brownouts daily. That's almost 8 hours. What's next? 10 hours? 24?

Sometimes I fantasize about moving to another place, but that's just what it is: a fantasy. Sometimes I just want to curl up into a fetal position:

Okay, that was just an excuse to include Yuri's adorable photo here. #comicrelief

Kidding aside, I want to say it's unfair. I want to cry foul. Especially when I hear about other areas in the city that don't experience brownouts as long and as frequent as we do. But the reality is that many provinces in Mindanao also experience what we experience, some even worse. I have no right to complain.

But I also have my own reality to worry about. My reality is that my laptop, even if new, can only afford me a little over 2 hours of work. My reality is that, as a freelance worker, I do not get paid if I do not work. My reality is that, as a single mom, this is major bad news.

My reality is that I am alone taking care of Yuri at night. My reality is that I cannot change his sweat-drenched clothes and fan him at the same time. My reality is that I have to hold him carefully when I go downstairs to seek a cooler area in a completely dark night. My reality is that I'm the only one who can appease him when he cries because he's terrified. His tears and sweat combine, and as a mom, I feel oh so terrible. My arms ache when I use the handfan as an attempt to make his sleep comfortable, but I don't even have time - or, frankly, the energy - to think of my own comfort. This is my reality.

Lord, just like how I physically comfort my son, I know You want to spiritually comfort me. And I really do feel Your comforting spirit in the dead of the night. I yearn to seek Your presence as I am alone. I know you know how I feel because You've been through a lot worse. And while You keep reminding me to have a gentle and thankful spirit in these trying moments, You also tell me that it's okay to feel helpless. That I shouldn't be so hard on myself. Well, I really should feel helpless, shouldn't I? After all, it's all out of my control. It's You who are in control and You are in charge.

Lord, it's terribly difficult, but I'll keep holding on to Your promise that, just like how I carry my son downstairs barely seeing anything, You will carry me through every rocky path. Unlike me, though, You see everything, including my future.

If my son can trust me, how can I not trust You?

Finally, I'll hold on to what You keep telling me that all things that happen to me You will use for my good and for Your own Glory.

Amen.

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Anatomy of a WAHM with a Clingy Toddler

Lately, Yuri has been extra clingy. I mean, he's always been clingy. Ever since he was born, he never was the type of baby you could leave alone even for one minute. He never was the type of baby that could sleep long on his own. But I've accepted that and just thanked God that I'm blessed with a clingy kid.

But lately, he's become even clingier. I don't know what happened, but when something goes wrong with his toys, he runs to my office table, crying and wanting to nurse.

He throws tantrums like all toddlers do but we just ignore it. However, his tantrum-style turned from screaming and thrashing around into "run-to-momma-and-find-boobie."

Small toys wouldn't fit into the back of his toy car? Run to momma and find the boobie.

Big toys wouldn't fit into the back of his toy car? Run to momma and find the boobie.

Books don't fit into the back of his toy car? Run to momma and find the boobie.

Books, small toys, and big toys fit into the back of his toy car but fall off when he moves the car fast? Run to momma and find the boobie.

It's quite exhausting especially when I'm busy working - especially now that we have daily brownouts! - but I just don't have the heart to refuse my toddler who still finds comfort in nursing.

I know it's just a phase but I don't know how long it would last!

So on most days, my messy table looks like this:

But when Yuri decides he needs to nurse to comfort himself about toy-related stress...

An additional item is attached to me.

Am I wrong in tolerating this behavior? If you think I am, what do you think should I do?

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Yuri at Costa Marina Beach Resort

I really don't know how much salt and saltwater Yuri ate and drank last Sunday.

I am no beach bum for a couple of reasons. First, I'm a mall-and-airconditioning kinda girl rather than an outdoorsy girl. Second, I don't know how to swim. #confession

However, when Yuri was growing up and beginning to develop a mind of his own, I noticed his certain affinity to the water and the outdoors. Water plus outdoors equal to beach, right? So I was willing to drag my butt to the beach all for the love of Yuri! Good thing Samal Island is just 30 minutes away!

Long story short, after too many cancelled plans, postponed dates, and change of venues - our first options were Villa Amparo or Playa Azalea - we finally found ourself in a beach that is a lot nearer to Davao but still beautiful on its own merit: Costa Marina.

Only 15 minutes away from Davao's shore, Costa Marina is a popular beach getaway for many Davao locals because of its affordable rates. I also chose this resort because it's a lot "quieter" than the more popular Paradise Island.

Well, it wasn't really quiet that day since we were surrounded by a lot of barkada-type groups who were drinking. That's the downside of going to the beach on a Sunday. Nevertheless, I still appreciated that the beach wasn't crowded.

Just like what I had thought, Yuri immediately fell in love with the sea! It was love at first sight and he wasn't even slightly frightened of the waters.

When we went to deeper waters (me carrying him of course), he even wanted to let go and swim on his own. Not yet, baby!

Then, while other kids (like me) would scrunch up their faces upon tasting seawater for the first time, this kid of mine licked his lips and said, "sarap!" It was hard for me to keep him from drinking more. My goodness!