inigo at almost five

it's quite hard to believe that our used-to-be small bundle of joy whose giggles and farts were sure to make me and jude laugh is turning five years old in two weeks. i was looking at his baby pictures lodged in my flickr account and can't help but feel nostalgic. he was our only baby then and all our attention was for him alone. now inigo is already a big brother to theo and i can honestly say that he does this role very well. we often tell him how good he is for not fighting back at theo - we know it boosts up his 'good kuya' points. :)

what also makes me and jude proud of our first-born is his precocity. i still find time to homeschool him and as of this date, he already knows how to read two to five letter words using phonics. he also knows the numbers up to 100 and can do simple addition and substraction. but the subject that inigo is so interested about, which sometimes consume much of his time is natural science particularly the solar system/outer space, dinosaurs, and volcanoes - i think he's obsessed with the last, no joke! he draws them everyday, checks them in the internet, and he goes to every detail of each.

inigo is also one inquisitive boy and i often find myself scrambling for age-appropriate answers to his questions. he already asked on how theo got inside my tummy, how his lolo joe was taken out from his tomb and ascended to heaven, who created God and why he created earth... and i was like "uh... let's check in the internet first'. hehe.

i've also thought that he has become more creative and resourceful. i was able to talk to his teacher last year and i was overjoyed to hear that inigo is gifted in some areas like spatial and visual skills. playing with blocks remains one of his favorite play and he uses this toy to express tangibly his thoughts and it just amazes me to find out what's going inside his mind. last holy week he surprised me by doing three crucifixes and pointed one for Jesus. i never thought inigo is that religious until that afternoon.

talk about being pious, inigo loves and never fails to read the bible every night - i am really one proud momma because of this! :) we already read his bible (the version for kids) five times already and we are back to genesis again.

on physical side, inigo seems to be on the lean side. people always comment on how slim he is now. these comments don't really bother me since inigo is still heavy. but i admit that lately his appetite for food fluctuates - there are days he eats a lot and there are days when i have to cajole or scold him.

but one possible reason also why inigo slimmed down is because he's now active in sports. we enrolled him again last summer in futbol funatics for soccer and what do you know... his motor skills and confidence improved a lot. he's alerady running for the goals and he hit the goal a total of three times in the last module.

...and how can i forget, inigo has learned to swim! this milestone really wowed me and jude, and the friends who knew about inigo's pseudo phobia for water. we almost backed out on his first day because he was in tears when he was asked to dip in the big pool. thanks for  the kiddie pool nearby as it's where he'd be warmed up first before the actual lessons. was also thankful that we persisted and on the fourth session inigo was already paddling and kicking without being held by his coach. i, the mommy, was so happy!

but  the biggest milestone he had as of this date, and one which made me happiest, is when inigo was finally convinced (take note: not forced and no crying moments) to use his potty trainer, and that started last april. so all he needed pala was a reward... we used the reward system and for every pooping done on the potty he'd get a chocolate or cup of ice cream afterwards. the 'grand prize' which he got after using the potty for the tenth time  was a timezone treat. since the, using the potty was never an issue - ciao diapers for good! :)