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... =)
iñigo was "recruited" to be the bible bearer in my second-cousin's wedding in novaliches sometime in april. since the wedding was scheduled ten in the morning, it's not surprising that we arrived one hour late and iñigo was not able to join the processional... may this serve as a warning for those plan to invite us on their occasions. =)
since there's nothing for him to do when we arrived and he was excited to see his cousins, he just kept himself busy inside the church by playing with them...
btw, my ate was laughing hard when she first saw him as his pants was already bitin and it was obvious that he was not wearing any socks. blame it on the mommy who was still in her extended lihi stage that time and was so lazy to prepare the things he needed for the wedding beforehand. it's only that morning that i realized the black pants and black shoes which he first wore in his ninong an's wedding six months ago were already short for him (kids really grow up so fast!). i just asked one of my cousins to buy him a pair of socks in the nearest convenience store, which should be sheer enough to let iñigo's feet fit in the shoes. my cousin went back to the church with white socks.
...with his ate rhea
shortly after we arrived the members of the entourage were called to go to the front and we were happy to see iñigo behaving well again and readily flashing his trademark peace sign... the one which always covers his face in the pictures. =)
and when it's time for the recessional part, he did his best to walk alone...
but guess what he's holding in his hands? it's definitely not a bible... =)
this picture was taken during the reception, throwing of the bouquet part... guess what the little boy did in front of the crowd?
iñigo stealing the moment from the bride as he was showing his jollibee dance steps =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 11th 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
physical development
toilet training
behavior
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
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 =)
i made a little experimentaton lately because i made up this conclusion that iñigo became aggresive and hyperactive now that he had longer tv (more of dvd shows actually) hours. but it wasn't late when i realized the other change in his tv viewing habit--he watches toy story 2 more frequently for the past weeks, everyday actually as he's fond of the characters in the movie. and true enough, after he watched the movie one morning and i observed him to be violent as he kicked me, pulled my hair, attempted to ride my back, etc. i asked him why he was doing it and he answered, "like the donkey in toy story"... bingo! the dvd is now in the trash can.
i now have second thoughts if i will still let watch iñigo the other hollywood-made animated movies which we also have dvds of like chicken little, ratatouille, madagascar 2, and cars (i collect them! haha). though they are marketed for children there are some scenes in these movies which i think my son is not yet ready to see.
now iñigo is back to his old favorites like maisy mouse, pooh, and backyardigans. these are also my favorites for him because i observed that he imitates the characters here and pretends that he's like or among them. but still, i limit his dvd-watching to 2-3 dvd shows a day and that's only less than 2 hours of viewing time, enough time for me to tidy up the house or cook our lunch. hehe.
***
as for tv programs, iñigo isn't much a viewer of these since even me or jude is not fond of watching tv nowadays, except for news or our favorite reality shows. but even with little exposure, iñigo already made up a collection of his favorite commercials, such as...
camella homes - bulilit... bulilit... sanay sa masikip... iñigo fell in love with this commercial, or should i say jingle, the first time he heard it. he puts a smile on his face everytime it's being played or i sing it personally for him. he also tries to sing the song sometimes. but there's nothing more amusing when he tries to copy that boy in the commercial--making small steps sideways as if he's sandwiched between two walls. =D
LBC - spell remittance? =) oh boy... should i be happy with this commercial or not? i didn't know that iñigo likes this commercial only after i turned off the tv while this commercial was being played and iñigo cried to me and said, "watch remittance, mommy." i didnt' get it at first and out of nothing to say i uttered, "what... what do you know about remiitance?"
but iñigo has an answer... "capital L-B-C."
lastly, i get to sit comfortably inside a kiddie salon unlike inside bruno’s or a neighborhood salon where i served as iñigo’s booster chair and entertainer as well and i had no escape from the hair strands that fell off from his head. lucky me if it won’t shoot into my mouth. aghast!
you'd never see him smiling like this inside bruno's, hehe.
"daddy, bruno's don't have this car."
peace sign... that's for mommy as she had it while the little tot was having a haircut.
the following pix were taken inside cuts for tots... see how he charmed with his new do the pretty little girl who was there inside the salon. =)
i find the kids of this generation overly indulged and expensive to raise… you agree? jude and i would sometimes talk about our childhood and there’s already twinkle in our eyes when we speak of visit to luneta park and fiesta carnival, afternoon trysts brought by hopscotch and chinese garter played with other kids, playing under the rain, scramble with hersheys, pretend plays with whatever we can get from our house or garden. our sources of happiness then are few, simple, and cheap. but it’s a different tune now for this generation’s youngsters. for one, there’s always a wide selection for them of almost anything: to watch, to do, to visit, to play with, etc. iñigo sometimes would take time to decide on what he’s going to watch among the dvds we have at home. having fun for him means going to the mall and having snacks in jollibee, mcdonalds, chowking, or kfc (iñigo knows their signages very well); or riding the carousel in enchanted kingdom. i know the parents are at fault as we were the one who introduced those to him.
iñigo also has a standard for birthday parties. he expects to see in every party a cake, balloons, giveaway toys and… who else but jollibee mascot! it’s probably because of the numerous jollibee birthday parties he attended since he’s one year old. again, jude and i would exchange stories of our own birthday parties during our childhood. we had our own share of bonggacious party but it’s only once in a lifetime affair like he had it when he turned one, while the grandest birthday party thrown to me was when i turned seven. my mother even bought a new component before my birthday just to have good music in my party... pang-trip to jerusalem and stop dance lang pala. bwahaha! birthday parties during our time were only done inside the house or yard, even the grandest ones for us, and we’re already happy to see a cake, spaghetti, fried chicken, and hotdogs on sticks on our party table.
hmm… why am i telling all these? i must be probably inggit with my son’s time. hehe. it was only two weeks ago when jude attended the first birthday party of one of his cousins in bounce in rosario, pasig. iñigo, as usual, was excited even a week before the party and kept on reminding me to buy gift for the celebrator. the day of the party came and we drove to the venue that afternoon. since the location of bounce is a bit far and traffic was also quite heavy that time, iñigo involuntarily fell asleep inside our car. but what’s so funny about him was as soon as jude parked the car in front of bounce and turned the engine, iñigo quickly got up from his nap and shouted “birthday party na!” =D
he was not ready to see inflatables and playground equipment in that party but was soooo happy nonetheless when he was already in the play area as it’s probably a different experience for him. we can’t even take a decent shot of him as he was running, jumping, crawling, and tumbling all over the place. i was particularly proud of him as unlike other kids who have nannies to push them up for one of the inflatables, iñigo managed to climb it on his own… well, that’s after looking around if someone is gonna help him but there was none (i was just observing him from a distance). i strongly feel it’s one of the advantages of not having a nanny for my son.
iñigo never ran out energy for the two and a half-hours the play area was opened for the kids. he was even one of the last kids who left the place. the daddy too btw enjoyed the facilities offered by bounce and even joined iñigo inside the play area. i let him be… it’s what he missed during his time. =D
to rafael—the birthday celebrator: happy birthday again! to tita monette and tito alex: hope you will have another baby and you will celebrate it again in bounce! iñigo who kept on talking about the party that night has already upgraded his standards for birthday parties.
so now… any invites coming? =)
some of the pix by the way taken from that party... we never had those during our time so enjoy! hahaha.
iñigo can't wait in these pictures for the play area to open
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.
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.
iñigo now leads us during prayer time. he already knows our prayer (we made it short and standard for him) since late last year but it’s only lately that he’s zealous about praying. he would even pause and pray when he becomes aware of an image of papa jesus in front of him.
let me share with you his prayer before going to bed…
"papa jesus, tenk you for the bessings. bess us always: daddy, mommy, and nyigo. keep us heathy and smart… and safe."
this would be followed with a round of thanksgiving which usually about what happened or he received within the day.
"thank you for the kids (his playmates)…
thank you for kuya aaron (a playmate)…
thank you for chicharon…
thank you for thomas the tank engine...
thank you for the dinosaurs…"
and he never forgets about our jobs…
"thank you for daddy job,
and mommy job,
and iñigo job."
yes, all of us have jobs! =D
that's the prayer before bedtime. prayer before mealtime is another story. he used to be a silent follower to us before but his face is this serious and we can't help but laugh… while praying... =)
but now he also leads us in our prayer ever since i made it short and sweet.
"tenk you lord for the food."
but when he's in the mood to pray, or probably talk, expect that everything i serve on the table will be mentioned from the rice to the viand including the “tapis”… that’s patis. hehe.
mickey mouse lives in hong kong
iñigo asked me one day, “mommy, go to hong kong… like?”. i was surprised to hear that from iñigo. i never thought he already knows there’s a place on earth named hong kong. but he probably got it from me as i always show him the pictures of our hong kong trip and the brochure on hong kong travel which we got from the airport.
“why do you want to go to hong kong?” i became more interested.
“go to disneyland! see mickey mouse!", he quipped.
aba, asensado na… he only talked about going to enchanted kingdom but suddenly his itinerary becomes farther and more expensive.
“but we need to have a lot of money iñigo to go to disneyland… do you have a lot of money?”. i was challenging him to come up with a good answer. but iñigo ran to our room and took the coins i left inside the drawer.
“mommy! look… iñigo have money! yehey!” showing me two one-peso coins.
“but iñigo it’s only two pesos. you need more of these… lots of money.”
i received a nod for an answer. i thought he already dismissed the idea of going to hong kong as he never bothered to reply. but after a while iñigo exclaimed, “i got it!” and ran to his room where his coin bank, filled with one peso coins, is placed. he was so happy when he showed it to me, “mommy, iñigo have lots of money!”. hahaha. so that’s what he was thinking all along. poor little boy… and he thought going to hong kong is just that easy.
now when asked where mickey mouse and friends live iñigo would give a quick answer...
“hong kong!”
the cow jumping over the moon
there was a reported lunar eclipse last monday night so all of us—jude, iñigo and me--were all in the porch to wait for the eclipse to happen. but iñigo, remembering the line from his favorite book “goodnight moon”, mumbled about the cow jumping over the moon. but he was not contented. he quickly ran inside the house and picked up one of the blocks scattered on the floor. he joined us again outside and to our surprise, tossed the block upward which made it to land in our front lawn. jude quickly chided him for the misconduct, “why did you throw your toy?”
but the little boy had an answer, “daddy, cow jump over the moon.”
oh, i see. it’s the cow-shaped block which he threw outside as his intention was to make it go over the moon. i never thought of that! haha.
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
time-out is our best armor right now in terms of disciplining iñigo. unlike before, he'd take it now more seriously and just hearing the threat, "i'll put you on a time-out again..." is enough for him to behave. although it usually works, there are still times when the kiddo is extra "naughty" and extra "assertive", which warrant me to put him on his time-out chair for a minute.
i already have a collection of anecdotes which happened during or after his time-out session at this start of the year and i'd say it's like a telenovela--all my emotions were stirred. haha.
scene 1
i forgot the reason behind his time-out but i know i was using the computer when this happened.
mommy: sit down on you chair... and don't play with your toys huh, you're for a time-out
iñigo: (sobbing) opo, mommy.
i left him in his room and went back to the computer and got myself too absorbed by the emails i was reading. i heard faint sounds from the other room but i ignored them thinking it must be iñigo again singing or just in his "talk and talk" mood.
but the kiddo... hinde na siguro nakatiis... walked out his room and approached me.
iñigo: mommy, finished na time-out?
the mommy simply forgot about him and his time-out session! bwahahaha.
i then remembered what i was hearing minutes before he walked into our room; he was like crying this: "mommy! time-out is finished!" over and over again. my poor son... to think that 10 minutes have already passed... hehe.
scene 2
i already put him on a time-out as he kept on playing with the food on his bwol despite my several warnings. he obliged and afterwhich asked him to finish his meal. but the kiddo was really makulit, he again started to pick and throw away the cookies from his bowl.
my patience was starting to wear out. but i managed to just tell with him, but with firm voice, "iñigo, stop that huh... i already told you many times not to play with your food as it's not good."
but the son went down from the dining chair and walked towards his room.
"okay, time-out again!", iñigo said with a casual voice.
no sweat for mommy! but wait... i was not asking him to have a time-out. he probably thought it's better to have a quiet moment in his time-out chair for a minute than to be nagged by mommy.
but, oh well, that did him good. =)
scene 3
this one is a drama scene. i didn't imagine my two-year-old son confronting me as early at his age. but i realized he probably got the idea from our small talks after the time-outs... i'd usually ask him, "let's have a talk, iñigo... why did mommy put you on a time-out?", and he'd usually give me the correct answer.
again, i couldn't exactly remember why i had to put him on a time-out. i recall he was insisting to do something alone, without mommy's help. but i opted not. i felt guilty with my decision to give him a time-out, i know my son was just trying to be independent... but then it already happened and i just had to learn my lesson.
iñigo: no time-out, mommy! (the kiddo was crying. he also probably felt that he didn't deserve the time-out)
mommy: no, sit down on your chair... mommy will just tell you if your time-out is already finished.
fast forward...
mommy: okay, finished na ang time-out.
i decided to welcome him at the door of his room which i don't usually do. but i was still a few steps away when iñigo walked out crying...
iñigo: mommy, talk!
mommy: (puzzled, but was trying to suppress her laughter because of the little boy's facial expression). what?
iñigo: talk to iñigo! (he was in confrontational mood. gee... you should have seen his face--pang-famas!)
but i couldn't speak. i was already laughing. i was covering my mouth with my right hand to suppress my laughter but when i was already sure that i couldn't, i backed off and went to another room.
my son was just asking for us to talk about what happened, that's all... mahirap ba yun? hehe.
the infamous chair in the house--iñigo's time-out chair
the kiddo would sometimes confuse us and make us believe that he's a grown-up trapped in a two-year-old's body.
go ahead mommy but i'll stay here and watch...
i'd better finish this fast before daddy looks for his burger...
(yup, sinalisihan ang tatay! =D)
"mommy, iñigo pol (fall) in line"
(okay, good, while i shop in the grocery. hehe)
"iñigo wear sandals and go to store"
(but with mommy of course)
and our favorite picture for the week... jude was saying he'll show this off to his officemates...
"shake-shake-shake!"
he's already peeing all by himself since the start of this year. he knows the drill... the drill taught by mommy (not the daddy), can you believe it? it's just simple... he'll pull down his bottom and put out his tweet-tweet, aims the target, and as he finishes he must shake first the tweet-tweet before pulling up his bottom so as not to wet it. so now, whenever i hear him say, "shake-shake-shake!" i know the son had been a good boy again and peed without asking mommy to assist him--wonderful!
i just hope this is also the case for the other one... but i know we'll get there... soon. =)
iñigo is a "talker". he loves to talk and he talks a lot. there are only two instances when he is quiet, it's either he's asleep or he's in serious business with his play. for the rest of the day, he's talking. he was like a sports commentator as he'd keep us updated with whatever he's doing; and/or seeing around the house (even outside), or on the tv or dvd show he's watching. we are grateful though that he articulates even those smallest details he is into as even if we are busy with chores, we know what he is happening to our son. and of course, we are happy that our son's language skill is above average for his age. we are also glad that we can already converse with him sans the guessing game, making our life easier.
but there's one problem which we observe that comes along with his fast-developing language skills: he parrots every word he hears from us. i found myself stunned from time to time as i was like hearing myself thru him... "naku naman!"... "oh my god!"... "kasi naman"... "my goodness!" those are just some of my expressions. =P
one time he was calling his daddy to show something. he started with "daddy...", followed by "daddy... daddy!". but jude apparently did not hear him so he called him for the last time, "love! loooove! (with the tone as exactly as mine-demanding. hehe). it was a funny moment, but then it also made me pause and think, "shucks.. ganun nga ba ako tumawag kay jude?". nyahahaha.
but it was yesterday afternoon when jude and i promised to each other that we will guard ours word more carefully. iñigo was playing with his toys when one of these slipped from his hand.
"AWW, SHIT! the twactor (tractor) fall down.", he said.
both jude and i were in the sala where the kiddo was playing. our eyes met and both of us felt that one was accusing the other... yes, we're both guilty! hehe. but i was quick to pass on the blame,"uy, ikaw din yun, huh!". haha.
then another toy fell down from the sofa...
"OH, SHUCKS! the car fall down."
i nearly laughed. that's definitely me.
young minds are indeed like a sponge, so we now take the responsibility of filtering everything it will absorb.
may god help us. =)
his name is inigo bus-ta-mante (with a twang), and he is now daddy and mommy's little buddy in the house.
he runs fast... talks a lot especially when in the mood... laughs and chants, "burger! burger! burger!" even for the smallest joke or antic... sighs with "my goodness" when reprimanded (harhar)... sings his favorite nursery rhymes, including the alphabet song, a lot... dances to any tune that catches his fancy... reads (or rather asks mommy to read) his favorite books often in a day until he already memorized the lines... wears his own clothes, socks and shoes... puts peanut butter or cheese spread in his sandwich... decides on critical issues in his life like how to eat his koko krunch cereal (with or without milk, depending on the time of the day)...
my goodness! we no longer have a baby... he's all grown up.
***
our little buddy also loves to take pictures, and has a collection of pictures of mommy's friends--most are his ninangs--who he asked to smile and pose for the camera, such as this one (his ninang joy/mommy's bestfriend)...
something to remind him that there'll always be a christmas gift every december... hehe.
a lot of parents doubt if they have the skill to homeschool their kid. in fact, i was one of those parents. but as i was told, i also realized that i am already doing the job of a teacher for my son... but the difference is it's in a more relaxed and unstructured manner.
my son should thank me as i'm a "cool" teacher for him... and my style is somewhat lax. little did he know that i don't want to stress myself. hahaha.
but honestly, i just let him learn what he wants to learn by now and learn the other things when he's ready. simply put, NO RUSH--my mantra as a mom.
as far as he can imagine...
you remember the toy that i bought him for his first birthday? it's the wooden blocks set. i also bought him the wooden train set, which added to his collection. he's very much into these toys and these alone can keep him busy for hours. i love it! haha.
and what i love more about these toys is it develop a lot of skills in him: imagination, creativity, balancing, building, shaping, pretending, etc. he can now manipulate the blocks set and train tracks on his own. he can build a round railroad, a sloping railroad, a straight one... he's an engineer in his own rights. =)
i heard someone criticizing schools which did nothing but ask its pupils to imagine and fantasize. i winced. it's what i wanted my son to primarily do at his age. hehe.
the little bookworm
he began flipping book pages even before he took his first solid meal and i'm glad that now, reading books is always part of his daily routine. he has his set of favorites such as eric carle's from head to toe, sandra boyton's goodnight mooon and runaway rabbit, and joanna cole's i'm a big brother. the dr. seuss books are just waiting for him to learn to read.
speaking of reading... jude was very impressed with his son when he heard him reading words. even without the pictures, iñigo can now read some words like apple, lion, horse, dog, cat, umbrella, fish, etc... words that he frequently see in his books. he also can read the names of the popular establishments: chowking, SM, jollibee, mc donalds, kfc... even tapa king. hehe.
though i am happy on his new skill, i still doubt that sight reading will do him good later on. i am not yet keen of introducing reading until he's five or six, and by then i guess he is already ready to read through the phonics method.
aside from sight reading, he also knows most of the letters by now and can recite the alphabet song, although still slurred in some letters like "w" and "x". but as i've said, no rush... it wasn't me who taught him anyway, but himself... see? =D
count him in
iñigo saw our family photo in our PC desktop and began counting, "one daddy, one mommy, one nyigo (for iñigo)... yehey!". it was a funny moment for me, but it was also the start of iñigo's skill on counting.
i taught him how to count even before his second birthday but he was not contented to stop with any number and he continued until he's done with "10". so six apples was as still 10 apples for him. hehe. but now that he has matured, iñigo would count correctly. he would count the teddy bears in his book, the plates on the table, and whatever he sees around the house... then followed by "yehey!".
he also knows how to motivate myself. =)
Q & A portion
mommy: what's your name
iñigo: nyigo!
mommy: how old are you?
iñigo: two!
mommy: where do you live?
iñigo: cabuyao! (with a twang, feeling kano)
mommy: what's your complete name again? iñigo bustamante...
iñigo: nyigo mante...
mommy: bustamante
iñigo: cabuyao!
yeah right... our son has also a tendency to be extra PILYO!
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artistically challenged
my son also has his own share of weaknesses and one of them is arts. he's not interested in coloring and drawing figures. though he would ask for a color or pencil, and paper, but give him a few minutes and he's no longer interested. i also bought him a molding clay but he's not too keen...
the most that he can do is draw a round shape and identify some colors.
but it should not come to us as a surprise as both of his parents are also not into arts. =)
the only thing he does best in the arts section is photography... este, taking pictures. =) i guess you will be surprised that the photo below was taken by him.
he made the tower--12 blocks stacked up--all by himself, too.
there you are. iñigo's report card in his 28 months of learning and growing. i realized that it's kid's semestral break this time and most of them already received their report cards... so i thought of also doing my son's own report card for his milestones, accomplishments, and waterloos. =)
i can't help but to share what our budding engineer has already made at his age...
the wooden blocks set became his favorite toy eversince i gifted him with this. with good hand skills and imagination, iñigo is making giant slide, bridge, tower, building (such as in the left picture above), and castle of enchanted kingdom (right picture above, though i'm not pretty sure why there's a cow on top).
engr. iñigo dominador bustamante... hmm... sounds not bad at all, right? =D
i'm not sure though if his lolo jun and his daddy want to have another engineer in the family after them. they think he has more potentials in acting... look how he plead for his one pack of cookies...
pang-famas!
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aside from his hands the other part of the body that iñigo loves to use is his MOUTH as he still is a hearty eater... even up to this day (i remember i already blogged about iñigo's big appetite in this site but i'm really a happy and proud mom so i blog it once more).
give him his food, and spoon or fork if necessary, and i have 10-15 minutes of peace in the house as he's busy eating. among his favorites are fish, chicken, beef, pork, veggies, pastries, pasta... yes, almost every food i can think of... lucky me right? and it's sometimes a battle between us if he still insists of cookies after a full meal.
i'm really so glad his appetite isn't like mine when i was a kid as i was really a picky-eater.
btw, i let him eat on his own as much as possible, as i wanted him to be independent at an early age, which i think is precursor to early maturity and high level of self-confidence in kids.
