the report that made us parents very proud

i received a six-page report from iñigo's teacher last friday. it's a progress report, the first and the last for iñigo for the school year since he just joined in her class november of last year. i was anxious to see it because i really had no idea what's going on inside the classroom since the day i decided to stop lurking outside and immediately leave the school premises as soon as i dropped him off.

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. :)

 

 

 

 

how's the kuya doing?

after our photo-ops with the newest member of the family, my ob brought theo outside the delivery room as she knew that iñigo, along with his tita beth, was there in the reception area patiently waiting for the arrival of his baby brother. since i knew that i could already be wheeled into the recovery room i asked the nurses if i could be brought first to my two boys. i had mixed emotions upon seeing them together for the first time. iñigo, as soon as he saw a little body wrapped in blue blanket in my doctors' hands, exclaimed, "i'm a big brother now!" (these words are the same as the title of the book we're reading to him ever since.) all the people around him were laughing except for me who was laughing and crying at the same time... hormones!

iñigo posing with his baby brother and daddy

iñigo loooooooves his baby brother. we never had a problem with him if it's about jealousy or sibling rivalry. he's even concerned especially when theo is crying and he'd be the first to go to his side and console him, "don't cry, theo... don't cry..." he'd also remind me to get theo when he sees that am not budging, "mom, theo is crying.. he's kawawa!" or if he thinks his little brother is already hungry, "give milk to theo, mom?" :)

the only concern we have is he can be too doting to theo to the point that he's already hurting the latter like he'd hug him tight or he'd squeeze or pat his head (horrors!). well, what else can we expect from a 3-year old but roughness.

theo is sometimes annoyed with his kuya iñigo's presence, hehe.

iñigo is always there too to help us in taking care of our baby. come nappy change time, he'd run to my side as it's his self-appointed duty to put on the straps of the diaper (and  there'll be an outburst of rage if i forgot to involve him). we'd also see him sometimes entertaining theo with his dance or song number. and what's more delightful for us as their parents is when we hear him saying, "theo is so cute! (with a twang)" as if his little brother is the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

he's letting his baby brother play with his thomas the tank toy

we're really glad that iñigo is easily adjusting to his new role as kuya. though we're also making an effort to not make him feel neglected now that there's a new baby inside the house, i still think that he's just happy over the fact that he already has a sibling.

i am not sure what right i did but there's one thing for sure... jude and i are proud and happy parents. :)

more pictures of our little boys in this album.

 

 

 

he'll turn 3 years old soon =D

only one month to go and iñigo’s going to blow another birthday candle, though the blowing would happen three days later as we’ll have the celebration on the 11^{th of} july instead... cakes are expensive these days so he’ll just have one cake… i-explain ba? hehe.

since it’s been months already that i made an update of his developments i think i should make one now before he turns three for posterity’s sake.

 

mental aptitude and communication skills

 

• he’s ready for school but we opted to teach him at home first and so far, so good as i didn’t have a hard time teaching him as he’s a fast-learner (walang kokontra sa mommy! hehe). he knows to recite the alphabet and identify the letters, count from one to fifteen in english and uno to diez in spanish… thanks to dora for prompting me to teach him the latter; identify the numbers, and count things he see around and tell how many they are.

• he loves to know more about animals and can name most of them, even those that don’t exist in this country but sees them in books. he can also name some of the young animals such as the puppy, kitten, duckling, chick, piglet, calf, foal, tadpole, kid, cub, caterpillar, and joey.

• learning the basic shapes come so fast for him and there was even a time that he was addicted to round shapes as he’d call our attention whenever he saw one that is shaped as round. it’s the colors that he had a difficult time of learning except for black and white and up to this date, he’s still having a hard time with color “red”. but i know he’s just taking his time. i’m already past the stage where i was afraid that my son is color-blind. hehe.

• he’s now becoming adept with the english language and knows when to pluralize a noun like “many houses”, “two feet”; he also knows when to use the past tense of some verbs like “rode” and “drank”. it’s his tagalog that sounds funny, it’s barok-style, so i plan to read him books in tagalog like those adarna books recommended by some mommies so he’d also use this language fluently.

physical development

• i wonder about his actual weight right now but when we went to his doctor last january for his shot he was already weighing 15 kilos then, almost perfect for his age as said by his doctor. and mind you, he’s getting heavier and heavier every week and jude now is complaining of how his back is aching every time he carries iñigo.

• what am most happy about is iñigo’s health is continuously doing well and except for the runny nose brought by his allergy last cold december, he had been sick-free since he turned two. we had nothing to worry about when it comes to his health and i hope and pray that he remains healthy.

• but i think i have to pay more attention now to his eating habits as the little boy is starting to become picky… thank god he still eats veggies! his mealtime would also be cut short by playing unless he’s really hungry.

• he’s also becoming more athletic. i saw him one time climbing a wall inside a play area in glorietta and i was surprised to see that he could do that as the other kids who played in the same wall were about 5-7 years old. he’s also showing interests in some sports like soccer and tennis (gaya-gaya kay maisy, hehe) and he’s now not afraid of swimming. =D

toilet training

• iñigo has improved as he now aims for the toilet bowl when he pees, flushes it after peeing, and washes his hands in the lavatory. jude was so proud of his son when he saw him doing this… and can’t believe he has a son who has toilet manners. bwahaha!

• unfortunately, he still poops in his diaper. we tried many times to let him sit on the toilet bowl and let that thingy fall down with matching cajoles to iñigo but all of these attempts were not successful (umuurong ‘ata… hehe).

behavior

• is it because he knows there’s another baby coming soon or he just misses our nursing moments that every time he drinks his milk he’ll cry and insist that I carry him on my lap and hold him like a baby as he’d even recline his body and let my right arm catch his head and that i should utter this: “ang baby ko… ang baby ko…” haaaay, he’s pa-baby lately and i have few clues on where it’s coming from. =(

• but my heart leaps when I hear him saying “please” and “thank you” especially when it’s “thank you, mommy,” after i prepared his milk or fixed his toy. ang babaw…! hehe.

• male hormones is definitely kicking in his body as he’s crazy over heavy equipment like tractors, bulldozers, big automobiles, machines, etc. his eyes open wide when he sees one and he even dreams that his daddy will also have a big car like tito dylan’s land cruiser (ang taas mangarap!). i remember being troubled about iñigo’s liking over girly stuffs but now i know it was just a phase. =D

• i mentioned about assertiveness (read: kakulitan) and the little boy has a high point on this. he also becomes uber-naughty especially when we’re in the mall that’s why malling with him is no longer an enjoyable thing for me. i always find myself playing tug-of-war with him especially when he sees a toy or anything fancy. for disciplining, time-out works sometimes with him but i also now use spanking, just the threat that i will get the hanger already freezes him.

it seems that iñigo is not yet finished with being a “terrible two” and instead will just upgrade to terrible-R three… wait i think i already said this when he turned two. okay… then i hope it’s only terrible-ST three and he’ll mellow at the age of four. please, lord? =P

 

iñigo during the li'l hands club fun day in megamall last 31st of may.

the camera didn't catch him scratching his tummy while watching the mascots...

hay, bata-batuta na talaga... =D

hope to upload more of his recent pix soon... i mean later... hehe.

soon-to-be irrelevant

it was two saturdays ago when we dipped again in the pool but this time we were with the family of dylan, jude’s bestfriend. after serving as iñigo’s lifeguard for one hour or so, i asked one of the girls of dylan, hannah, to replace me while i swim in the bigger pool for a few minutes.  but it didn’t take long and i went back to the kiddie pool as i saw iñigo, without his floaters on, swimming alone (and enjoying his new learned skill!) while hannah who took fun of teaching him how to swim was a feet away—horrors! i immediately grabbed his torso as soon as i reached him but to my dismay iñigo shoved me and cried, “go to other side (of the pool), mommy!” the little boy wanted me to get back to my own business as i interfere with his’! i told this story to jude who wasn’t in the pool area that time and both of us laughed about it. but i took this incident seriously and marked it as a sign that my son is now starting to build his own world. *sniffs*

 

i should be happy and mighty proud that at his age iñigo can already and would insist to do most of the things on his own. we’d often hear him now saying, “iñigo/me only!” whenever there’s a task to be done, and he’s also quick to remind us whenever we get in his way as he’d say, “no! (on) my own!” he really feels he’s a big boy now and thinks that all things are possible without my or his daddy’s help. and because of this milestone that i now feel am becoming irrelevant for my son. if not for the hugs he asks before he goes to sleep at night i would already tender my resignation to jude as the mom of his son. hahaha.

 

but i still wonder why iñigo never fails to ask me for “help, please?” when it’s time to keep his toys away. hehe.

 

iñigo in one of his fish-feeding moments in greenbelt. he feels it's his task to feed the fish everyday =)

 

guess who's the official photog of our family now?

move over tripods (as if we always bring this, hehe)... and daddy, you can now rest... because someone already assumed the role of taking pictures during events, and probably in our upcoming trips.

it's the christening of his cousin sandy (an and rozunne bustamante's daughter) last saturday and iñigo stole the scene by taking pictures left and right... even of the other guests who were equally amused with him.

below are some of the pictures taken during the event.

the banner

the cake

lolo jun, ninong an, tita rozunne, lola nor, and sandy

the daddy and the mommy... of the photographer. =D

baby sandy with lolo jun and lola nor

daddy and lola nor

hmm... did you also observe in the pictures how the "subjects" look, if not stoop, down? we probably need a platform for our little photographer. hehe.

here's a picture of the photographer who was so fond of her new cousin...

iñigo was playing here with his baby cousin

his lola nor commented on iñigo's advanced motor skills, including the dexterity and focus which he displayed while taking pictures. jude and i just kept mum as we already knew this even before (hehe ...yabang parents! =)). but still, we welcome these praises and positive comments from other people as validation of our parenting.

 

mommy's 'american idol'

it's american idol season once again and as usual i'm glued to the TV during wednesday and thursday nights. iñigo knows this and it's he who reminds me sometimes that it's already "idol" time. =)

it was a terrific show last wednesday night as the thirteen hopefuls were showcasing their singing talents. but i didn't expect that there's another one inside our house who dreams of being the american idol. iñigo was only dancing in the first upbeat songs but when one of the contenders sang the michael jackson song "beat it" iñigo not only danced but looked for an improvised mic and sang his heart out to his own version of the song, which is "bilet". =D too bad i can't share the video right now but i can say it's really hilarious.

i'll just share the pix taken that night. the whole stage, este floor was for him.

"bilet... bilet!"

 

iñigo doing his dance steps

 

"was i good or great?"

going back to the show, who do you think will win in this season? adam lambert is fast becoming a favorite not only of the judges but also of the viewers. he's good and definitely a  cutie, but i think he's a gay... oops, just my POV =)

as for me, i go for lil rounds or the sixteen year old latina. i wish them good luck.

sweetness

the feeling was like being paid back a hundred times for those sacrifices i made for him when it's iñigo's turn to comfort me when my left foot got sprained after a 6-liter container of distilled water hit it after i opened our car's door. it was awfully painful and jude had to carry me up to our sofa (extra challenge for him) while the little boy rushed behind us.

jude immediately made a cold compress for my foot while iñigo was there on my side and assured me that, "ich okay, mommy." he'd touch the cold compress once in a while as if he was checking that it's still in its proper place and then he remembered something, "iñigo get doctor's set..." and ran to his room to get the toy. jude and i both laughed but we just let him do his own thing. he just wanted to take care of mommy, that's all.

mommy's little doctor

***

we were outside the house this afternoon to play and at one moment i saw iñigo picking up the flower of the cogon (am not really sure on this huh) near our house. but to my surprise, he went to me and said, "iñigo give flower to mommy."

my heart melted like a butter under the sun. i just hope he really knew what giving of flowers means... hehe.

better than daddy's roses =D

 

 

 

another bo sanchez's article on homeschooling

i'll just give the link:

http://bosanchez.ph/will-homeschool-work-for-your-kids/.

jude and i are seriously considering to homeschool iñigo for pre-school and--if i still can--up to grade 3. we decided that the formidable years is with us.

afterwhich, the daddy will enroll him in his alma mater... as if the mommy or the child has a choice. hehe.

i think i won't have a hard time teaching iñigo his lessons as the kid is really passionate about learning... i just have to make learning a fun thing for him to do. he loves reciting the abc's and the 123's; i can talk about science topics with his eyes glued to me as if he's so amazed on how mommy knows a lot of things... este, how things around him work. he absorbs words fast... it's just this afternoon when i was stunned when i heard him use the word "pobably (for probably)" correctly. oh my, am really a proud mom and i can't help but share it here... this is our site anyway. harhar.

i just hope the kiddo would always be like this and won't get bored when it's already study time... or i might tell the daddy to send him early to don bosco.

 

 

all by himself

the little boy can feed himself already…

 

he sips from his cup on his own too and take note, it's drip-free! the mommy is just so proud of him. =)

it’s just lately that we train him to use cutleries and eat on his own. but the sippy cup thing… he already knows how to drink from it since he turned one. and when he turned 17 months last december, he’s completely weaned from the bottles. he should because avent nipples and teats are so expensive. hahaha.

oh my, my little boy is no longer a baby. sniffs.

 

check out this picture too...

 

 

i took this picture when i saw him making kupit of this wheat bread from the bread bin. takaw noh? hehe. my little boy just loves to eat.