the first two pages of the report are in narrative form and it reads (excerpts only)...
"...academically you (the report is addressed to iñigo) excel in reading readiness and math readiness skills. you know the names of the letters of the alphabet as well as their letter sounds. what you do not know, you absorb very quickly during class discussions. you have mastered identifying numbers 1 to 12. we have already begun to learn how to tell time by the hour. it is remarkable you grasp our daily concepts so easily. that's amazing, iñigo! this skill will surely benefit you when you move on to a big school.
i have noticed you have opened your doors to making friends with your classmates.
...i am amused with your quiet conversations with swiss, marco, and andy while waiting for your name to be called.
the last trimester, i have watched you grow more independent, more involved with school activities. it also seems as though as you have grown happier about coming to school. your enthusiasm in the classroom is quite contagious which help others become more enthusiastic too. i love the way you smile when you get excited about everything be it worksheets, art projects, or playground time. it is also great that you have eagerness to learn..."
iñigo strutting his stuff during their circle time
the remaining pages discussed what they--all the three teachers--have observed and haven't observed on our son based on the checklist they have provided, so typically it's all about iñigo's strengths and weaknesses and if he has already achieved the milestones for a three-year old.
all in all, the report made jude and i very proud about our eldest son's achievements in school. everything that the head teacher wrote about iñigo were all positive. this prompted me to schedule a one-on-one consultation last monday with teacher celes, the head teacher, as i was thinking she may probably missed out or deliberately removed the not-so-good things to say about my son and since i still have plans of homeschooling iñigo i want to probe further on the areas which need improvement. and lo and behold... there's almost none! :D teacher celes and i only had a brief discussion as she had nothing else to say about iñigo but praises. she started by saying that we have a very smart boy and he picks up (the lessons and instructions) very fast. i thought my ears were clapping that time! hahaha. she was also surprised that iñigo didn't have a hard time adjusting in school despite the fact that he only comes to class 2 to 3 times a week. it even made me prouder upon hearing that teacher celes had nothing against iñigo's behavior in school as my son listens (i couldn't believe this! hehe) and he knows how to share--two of the typical concerns she has with the other kids.
...and yes, she loves my son's eagerness and enthusiasm in the activities they are doing especially when they are off to the playground and iñigo will shout with one arm up "let's go now, classmates!" i can't believe she's talking about my son as he was really timid before especially when he's swarmed with bigger kids. iñigo has definitely came out from his shell and is a big boy now. though his teacher said that there's still a trace of that little boy in him as he's not confident sometimes of trying new things but with just a little encouragement from the teachers, he abides and iñigo is usually left euphoric with his new accomplishments like the first time he wrote his name and it was really a big deal for him as he told each of his classmates and teachers that he was able to write his own name--awesome! hahaha.
teacher celes also mentioned that he needs more concentration but she was quick to explain that it's probably because the tot is just overwhelmed with the many things he can do in school as he only comes a few days a week.
after ten minutes of discussion (i also brought up the fears iñigo has lately) teacher celes concluded the consultation by saying that iñigo is almost ready for big school.
and lastly, am sure it's not part of the progress report but teacher celes probably couldn't resist not to say that iñigo is very pogi... :) i almost laughed when she added that "i have a one-year old niece but she's still too young... probably when they are older..." nyek! hehehe.
their moving up day (sort of graduation day) is scheduled next week and i can't wait to see iñigo with his classmates doing a dance number. the whole family will surely be there to cheer for kuya iñigo. :)
i left the boys on the bed for a quick trip to the restroom and this is what i found when i came back to the room... something which made me grab my celfone for its camera...
...babaw but i think every parent will really be overjoyed upon seeing her kids bonding together and it made me wish that i can do magic and freeze time so i don't have to be concerned with sibling rivalry, jealousy, fight over the same toy... or girl? 'wag naman po... hehe.
the joys which parenthood can bring... :)
a trip to manila ocean park was really in our plans after christmas but we canceled it for some reasons. a week later, iñigo's teacher told us thru a letter that they will have a field trip in ocean park on january 27th--great!
i admit i was more excited than the kiddo as i knew he'd love the place. jude was also excited for him and he actually wanted us to go there as a family but unfortunately there's a training for him, which was also scheduled on the date of the field trip. but this also gave me a major dilemma as no one will be left in the house with theo. i was about to ask the assistance of my cousin who's off from school that day but the daddy decided last-minute to stay home.
since the daddy can't drive us iñigo and i just took a cab going to the theme park. there's a transportation provided by the school for those who will not be bringing their cars but i opted not to avail this as the fee is twice the amount than if we're going to pay for a taxi ride rount-trip. call time was 10:00 a.m. but we reached the gate at 10:15 a.m. i was glad to see that our group was still waiting outside the building. :D
iñigo joining the choo-choo train
the train started to dissamble as soon as we got inside the park. the kids together with their guardians made their own itineraries and it was pretty obvious that we just have to help ourselves throughout the tour. i was quite disappointed because one of the reasons why i decided to let iñigo join the field trip is because i wanted him to share his observations with his classmates or peers. it definitely didn't happen but i was still glad that i was there with him. more than half of his classmates went to ocean park only with their nannies and honestly speaking, i can't help but feel bad for these kids.
a rare chance to pose together with a classmate (it's gota)
we moved from one room to another until we reached the big aquariums like those labeled with laot and karagatan. the sights were nice indeed but we can't fully appreciate them because there were also a lot of other guests, mostly students, who flocked in front of the glass panels or sitting on the ledges. iñigo and i had to be content in looking at the sea creatures from a distance. it was during this moment that i thanked my decision of not going there last december as for sure the crowd was bigger (and rowdier) and we'll be forced to leave early for theo's sake.
nonetheless, iñigo still had an enriching experience inside the ocean park. he immediately looked for his book of sea animals as soon we got home and he pointed to his daddy what he saw like the stingray and the shark. he's also now fond of the plastic miniatures of sea animals which he received as a christmas gift from one of his classmatest. the trip was worthy after all! :D
it's an everyday challenge for us now to keep up with iñigo. it's because he's a typical three-year-old: zesty, active, curious, energetic, demanding, assertive and i hate to say this but he really is, naughty. ;-) he easily gets bored in the house so it's a must that i have some activities for him under my sleeve. his assertiveness (read: matigas ang ulo :)) is quite striking and i often find my voice on a high pitch... but he knows my rules, and these are to minimize his mess in the house as much as possible, to listen and follow mommy's orders, and not to play rough with his baby brother. he abide sometimes, but most of the time a lot of reminders and follow-ups are needed. many people though, including his teachers in school, say that he is a well-mannered boy. they have probably compared him with other kids as i have also observed that most kids of iñigo's age are already rude and extremely rowdy. am glad that iñigo is far from being as such.
he also loves his school and has shown improvement in his socialization skills since he first attended preschool as he now interacts with his classmates, with the initiative sometimes coming from him, unlike before when other kids seem to be alien for him.
...and just like the other kids, iñigo never runs out of energy and we always find him running and jumping, even inside the house. he loves to play ball games and is good at them, which only shows that his gross motor skill is already fully developed.
playing soccer on the grounds of don bosco mandaluyong
but what we really love about our eldest son is he remains a happy kid. he loves to laugh, mostly on mundane things, and crack a joke. he can be quite silly though, which jude and i just find normal for his age.
"what's so funny, iñigo?" :)
one time while we were strolling inside greenbelt 5, iñigo saw a young boy who looks exactly like russell of the movie "up". i knew it would happen since he already did it before. he called on to us and pointed to the direction of the kid and said "look dad, it's the chubby boy". it wasn't enough for him this time. he even followed the boy and chanted "chubby boy... chubby boy..." i thought i would faint because it's the daddy of the kid who took notice and glared at him. hahaha.
i still let him watch the tv but i try to limit it to 2-3 hours a day. he also knows my rule in terms of tube viewing, i.e. when the scene is becoming violent, he must turn off the tv. he faithfully abides and is more strict than us as he would remind me or jude when we're watching boxing matches or santino (may bukas pa for him) that "it's not good..." :)
quite surprisingly, iñigo is very heavy even if he looks slim to some. now weighing 18.5 kilos, he is actually at the borderline of becoming overweight. he still has a good appetite and even hearty sometimes especially when his favorite sinigang is served. he also eats two snacks in the afternoon. growth spurt, maybe. :) am also happy that he is still fond of eating veggies, especially the fiber-rich leafy and green ones. this is something am really thankful for because i know that feeding the little ones is usually difficult.
we're also happy that he is very eager to learn. as of this date, he knows how to count one to 20 and can identify these numbers correctly... thanks to the elevators, remote controls, and other gadgets. he also knows to tell time in hours, even before it was taught to him in school. he got the concept of time from me since i always give him deadlines and i use the clock for him for reference. he also know phonics by now. his teacher and i were really amazed that he learned it easily since he only goes to school 2-3x a week. we're expecting that he can read simple words when he turns four. though am really not in a hurry when it comes to his reading skill but if it he will show any interests to read early then why not... iñigo loves to read, i mean he loves me to read his books for him and it's a must that i read 2-3 books for him before bedtime. there are even some books that he had already memorized the lines per page. :D
he is also becoming more independent. aside from feeding and bathing himself, he also insists to put on his own clothes (except for those with buttons) and shoes and he does it right.
one of his milestones last month is sleeping at night without wearing any diaper and am proud to say that he is really good on this as he only made two accidents in our first week of trying and after, no more wet sheets! :D i look forward to the days that size XXL diapers will no longer be part of my grocery list. iñigo still refuse to use the toilet bowl when pooping. *sighs* he's still scared until now...
...and since we're on the topic of his fears, he is back to his old self who's scared of pools and seas. whenever when we're on the beach he just keeps himself busy by making sandcastles. but it's not only that... to our dismay, iñigo is also now afraid of riding an airplane! even a visit to disneyland would not convince him of going to hong kong if it would require him to ride a plane.
yes, you read it right... iñigo is now going to school! but let me clarify first that we're not yet ditching our plan of homeschooling him, for his preschool years at least. it's just that iñigo was bugging us to send him to a regular preschool that we can no longer say no. add to that is his need for another environment where he can mingle and interact with other kids.
so we scouted for a school near our current house, a job which was not easy for us as either the tuition of these schools is too high and/or the schedule of their classes won't fit in with our lifestyle nowadays. we're not morning persons. :D then a colleague of jude referred to us to family partners learning center which is located at the other end of our street. we inquired and iñigo attended its trial class. the tuition is quite steep but since we observed that iñigo liked the school as well as the teacher, and everything that happened that day, i.e. school routine, we decided to give it a shot and enrolled iñigo. his classes start at 8:30 am and ends at 11:30 am. but since we're not morning persons, he joins his class at 9 am. hahaha!
trial class, warming-up stage; he refused first to join with his classmates in the circle time nor take a seat
he now pulled a chair and observed intently but still won't get near them... shy pa 'sya :)
he now approved to sit with his classmates but was still quite shy. :)
ayan na... he's now playing with the other kids. shy no more. hehe.
theo attended the trial class, too. our whole family was there to cheer for kuya iñigo. :D
the school uses the progressive method of teaching which is another reason why i enrolled him there. the kids accomplishments and abilites are not measured in grades. as told to me, the teacher will just give the parents during one-on-one consultations a report on what their kids can already accomplish by that time as well as their strengths and weaknesses. more importantly, i like the school because i think it won't interfere way with our learning principles since it doesn't dwell that much on academics. they allot a lot of time for free play. he belongs to the vertical class which is for kids three to five years of age (there's another class for toddlers). but there are also moments that they are sub-grouped during activities; younger kids do one activity while the older kids do another. but what's good about this is iñigo can mingle with his peers and with a little bit older kids as well.
so how's iñigo doing in school?
as his teacher celes said, he's adjusting quite smoothly. his teacher and i we're both surprised that it only took him a day to adjust and that was his first school day (after the trial class). there was even no crying moment which i feared before especially if we had to leave him inside the classroom. it's actually the mommy who is still suffering from separation anxiety as i still lurk outside their room for the entire duration of their class. hehe.
and quite surprisingly, iñigo is well-behaved in school! :D. he follows instructions and rules and doesn't show any signs of resistance. uhm...can we just stay in school all the time? hahaha. am also quite proud that iñigo is usually the first one to finish their worksheets. he's really that interested in schooling.
***
i never thought that jude is a stage-daddy in the making. he's really concerned on what his eldest son would wear on his first day in school. and when i told him that i'll go with iñigo he refused and dressed up as he also wanted to witness the little boy's first school day experience. never mind if we had to bring theo with us. the same thing happened during the united nations day. he and theo (who he carried using a sling) followed us in school to see kuya iñigo participating in the program. :D
more pictures of iñigo in school here, including those taken during their united nations day program.
our initial plan was the concert would only be a date between me and jude but the daddy made a last-minute decision to bring along the little boy. i had apprehensions with this decision as i imagined the concert venue filled with unruly crowd and iñigo getting bored since there’s nothing to be seen in the concert but song and dance numbers. but everything was only in my imagination as the concert was so organized and iñigo was so entertained by the show.
iñigo danced along to one of gary v.'s songs
the concert even turned out a very special treat for us as aside from the free concert foods and freebies also abound in the concert. we even brought home a souvenir cd of gary v. and packed meals from italiannis and tgi friday’s! =P
the happy and BUSOG family =D
sidekwento: iñigo asked me before the start of the show on when jollibee will appear on the stage. duh! it’s because he heard me wrong when i told him that we’re going to watch gary v… sounds like jollibee. nyahaha!
one of my souvenir shots of gary v.
***
we’re taking every opportunity now for family dates as we’re sure that we will be homebound again in the coming months so when the movie “up” opened two weeks ago we were one of the first moviegoers to see it. guess who requested… err, nangulit for us to see this movie? yup, it’s the little boy. and guess who plead that we leave the movie house when oversized canines appeared in the screen? hehe. but of course we didn’t leave… i just told iñigo to put his arms around me and close his eyes when he doesn’t like what he sees in the movie. the tricks worked. the movie is so good and funny to be left unfinished. the daddy and the mommy had a good time watching it.
***
i thought we will not be able to watch it but then, we did! and the mommy was as happy as iñigo when i received a text message from the concierge of glorietta mall that we won two stubs for the dora show's the big piñata. i made sure we were there (atrium of glorietta 5) early last saturday so we can have seats in the front rows.
the dora fan of course was delighted to see her with boots, the map and sniper on stage. too bad we can't stay longer for the free picture-taking as i got a call from our neighbor in cabuyao that our house there was ransacked and we have to be there immediately. =(
it's my terrible birthing experience with iñigo, which pushed me to enroll in a lamaze/childbirth class for this pregnancy. as much as possible, i want myself and baby TL to be free from any drugs during the delivery as i blame the epidural anesthesia i had for the low apgar score of iñigo after he came out from me. well... i'm thinking iñigo must also be too groggy from the drugs as i was that time. i'm also leading my family now into a chemical and drug-free lifestyle as much as we can so it's a good idea to start it from birth, right?
aside from my desire for natural birth, i also want to avoid the other mistakes that have had happened in my first and one of the biggest mistakes i made by the way was letting iñigo grow big (he’s almost an eight-pounder) while he’s still inside my tummy. with my slim frame, it was a miracle that i was able to deliver him via normal procedure.
the fee is quite pricey as we shelled out php 4,000 for the entire program but that’s nothing with all the practical information and tips we learned from the classes such as prenatal exercises, breathing techniques, preparation of childbirth plan and other details regarding childbirth, which i find very empowering not only for the mothers-to-be but more for the fathers-to-be as it could help them in coming up with an informed decision concerning their partners in any unlikely event... and not just depend on what the doctors will say, you know...
but more than the knowledge acquired, what i appreciate more about lamaze is it really encouraged the guys to get involved in the childbirth experience of their partners—from the labor stage up to post-partum. the men were made aware of what we feel and fear.
jude trying out one of the floor exercises taught to us by ms. kanapi
***
aside from preparing ourselves for the delivery day, we have also readied now baby tl’s things such as his crib, clothing, feeding bottles, diapers, etc. i started to shop for his new clothes (as there are also hand-me-downs from his kuya iñigo… can’t help me not to recycle as most still look new) on the day i found out his gender. talk about being excited and shopaholic, haha.
one of the first stores we raided is the export overruns store of baby clothings in #48 zodiac st. bel-air, makati city. it's where i bought some of the onesies, frogsuits, and towels. i was happy with my loots especially with one of the frogsuits as i thought i bought it cheap but got disappointed later on when i shopped in landmark and the same towels were selling at a lesser price, hmpf!
***
aside from all those i mentioned, we are also preparing the big brother-to-be we have in the house, i.e. kuya iñigo, for the the coming of baby TL as i know it would require a major adjustment for him since he’s used in having all our attention. we have already talked about his younger sibling as soon as the pregnancy kit turned positive and encouraged him to kiss, caress, and talk to my tummy as much as possible.
i'm also grateful for this book, which i bought from booksale (or diplomat?) and i have been reading this to him since last year, just one of his books collection...
i’ve already shared here that iñigo sometimes pretends he’s still a baby--even tried to climb the crib as he insisted that it’s for him--but with the help of the book, we’re able to point out the cribs are for babies only like our baby TL and that he’s the big brother in the book. =)
iñigo practicing how to carry a baby brother. we brought him with us in the last session of lamaze class... pasado na ba? =D
he was like this three years ago...
but now he's already this big... and kulit...
our son is now a certified preschooler! =D
***
a peek of what happened last wednesday, 8 july 2009, the day our adorable little boy turned three years old...
actually, nothing grand happened as jude had to be in the office from 10 am to 2 am of the following day... yes, he's that busy as there's a major event in their office which he had to oversee. but he was able to meet us in the nearby shakey's branch to have lunch.
our handa for the little boy on that day--pizza, spaghetti and mojo potatoes. btw, jude had to remove his barong as his son was using like a hand towel. hehe.
we-were already a loyal customer of that shakey's outlet btw and the staff there know iñigo so well... probably because he's their only customer who demands for their crayons... that's why when i told them that it's iñigo's birthday that day they gave him a surprise...
a free sundae for the birthday boy =D
after our lunch, we headed on to our house for the much-awaited opening of iñigo's gift from daddy and mommy--the thomas the tank engine set!
iñigo resisted the urge to open that gift for more than a week as we bought that toy eight days before his birthday. i have to put that box though in a higher place... just to be sure. hehe.
we capped the day by going to greenbelt chapel at 6 pm, but that was after tugging him from his train set as he was really hooked and played with it for hours. thanks to the new toys he got from his party and the train set is temporarily taking a rest... and mommy's pocket too for the batteries. =)
next post... his 3rd birthday celebration in jollibee.
time will come that i will already forget all about these so please let me post them while i still can...
“i’m so hungry, mommy! my tummy’s hurting… let’s eat donuts?” - upon seeing the mister donut outlet in front of our building. take note, we just had our breakfast before we went down.
one of iñigo's first puzzles, a 12-pc.
but iñigo had been playing with it for the nth time and i thought he must have already memorized the pieces and its exact location in the board so i thought of buying him more... as i want to challenge him. bad mommy! =D we upgraded to 15 and 18-pc. puzzles and again after some time of playing with these toys, i bought more and we moved up to 24-pc. puzzles just like the one below.
he was able to build this for the first time in just less than a minute
the last puzzle i bought for him is a 28-pc dinosaurs puzzle. it was quite difficult as i've also tried it myself (took me more than two minutes--shame! hehe.) but with the rules already on top of his head, iñigo had beaten mommy and built it in only less than two minutes!
"no sweat, mommy!"
time now to upgrade to 30+ pieces... =)
it's already the month of june and while other parents are sending off their kids to school almost everyday, i take 30 minutes of iñigo’s play time, may it be in the afternoon or in the evening, and tell him, “we will do something…” or “you will learn something...” the kiddo has really no idea of what we are doing and for him it’s just like another play. he also looks forward to this time that he can use his crayons, activity books that i was able to buy in the local bookstores, and other media for learning. our set-up is very informal, unstructured, flexible… i don’t even follow a particular curriculum right now as i feel there’s no need yet. i teach what i think he needs to learn as of the moment, not being pressured that other kids are already starting to do this and that; and i teach what i think he is very much interested on that’s why teaching him about baby animals was a breeze as he’s really into animals and nature. he was able to differentiate the coconut tree and banana tree among other trees as soon as he turned two.
but i also slowly introduce him into letters and numbers, aside from the basic concepts. he has also now mastered drawing a straight line and a round shape, not as crude as they were weeks ago.
my only goal for this year or school year is for him to get familiarized with our homeschooling routine and hopefully, he'll get used to sitting down for 30-minutes to an hour everyday so that when by next year and we are already subscribed in a particular curriculum it’s easier for me to teach him more serious stuff. it’s still hard to teach someone in his terrible two so am taking it easy right now. i also like to develop his zeal for learning and that the initiative to "sit and study" would not come from me but from him.
i was teaching him the sequence of the letters
proud of his accomplishment
working on his activity book
he was a good pupil here as he followed mommy's instructions =P
learning the vowels thru his activity book and magnetic letters
btw, if you're curious on what activity books am using right now for iñigo it's the little genius and easy to learn (ETL) books series which we bought from powerbooks (one of iñigo's favorite stores these days as we're able to read other books for free. hehe). each only costs php 60.00 to php 65.00. it's really for preschoolers as their target age range is from three to four or five years old. i also bought some imported activity books in booksale which i find useful in the coming months.
