SOME MORE KIDDIE MOMENTS

Since going Global and moving to the Visayas, my time with my niece and nephew are so precious and far between.  I try to visit them every month and in every visit, Isabel, my 3-year old niece, never fails to surprise me what can now do…or say, for that matter.

OMG  - Isabel’s favorite expression these days seem to be “Oh my God!” “Oh my gosh!” “Oh my golly!”  

When I heard her say these, I thought to myself, “Oh my Lord! Where does she hear all these?”

Stuck – My sister, Miles, tells me Isabel accidentally locked herself inside one of the bathrooms.   From inside the bathroom while trying with all her might to wrestle with the doorknob, Isabel called out to her mom, “Mom! I’m stuck here…forever!”

Miles, in a frantic, kept saying, “Isabel, unlock the door! Open the door, right now! Turn the lock and open the door! OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT NOW!!!”

Isabel calmly replied, “OK! OK, Mom, don’t panic”

Don’t panic ka dyan!!!

Drowning – When I’m in Manila, I stay with Miles and family.  One night, after coming home from a tiring meeting in and an exhausting commute from Makati, I was sooo drained.  To relax, I went straight to Isabel’s room and joined her watching a Pirates show on Disney Junior channel.  In one of the scenes, Isabel excitedly pointed out the hole in the pirates’ ship and narrated, “Look at the ship, aunty ninang! The pirates! They they they put a hole!”  

Aunty Ninang Maan, even in exhaustion, tried to join in the story-telling and continued, “Oh no, the ship is…the ship is… the ship…”  my brain cells apparently too tired as well, grasped for the right words, “the ship is…drowning!”

Isabel looked at me strangely for a second or two and corrected, “It’s sinking, aunty ninang. Sinking!”

Hehehe Drowning daw?

Poker face -  Lady Gaga music video clips have been so visible on TV with all the promotions for her concert.  Isabel picked up a line from one of Lady Gaga songs and she keeps singing over and over, “Kevin slice, Kevin slice, don’t wanna be a poker face….” 

I guess it’s true- the controversial lyrics to Lady Gaga’s songs are just a matter of interpretation. 

Math - Isabel is fascinated with numbers (it’s no surprise really with a math genius for a father).  One time, while punching out and reciting the numbers in the calculator, she asked her mom what the plus (+) sign was for.  

“It’s for adding numbers” Mommy Miles explained.  To illustrate, she cited an example “Say, you have one dog you and you have another  dog.  So, using the plus (+) sign, you add 1 dog + 1 dog, and you’ll have….?” Mommy Miles asked Isabel.

Isabel answered excitedly, “Many dogs!!!”

Oo ng noh?

Inigo – In the car on our way home after a long day of lakwatsa, Inigo, my 5-month old nephew, started getting fidgety and sleepy.  As he cried in frustration, his mom, yaya and I all but tried everything song and jiggle and bounce to settle him down.  Nothing worked….until Isabel held his hands, said, “Hey ‘Nigo, it’s ok ‘Nigo.” and started singing to him in a soothing voice, “Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder….”  

Inigo calmed down until we got home, soothed by his ate’s  singing.  Awwww! What a beautiful sight!

Bless the food -    Isabel leads the prayer before meals anywhere we may be, at home or in a resto.  One time we were in Shakey’s and amidst the noise inside the full resto, Isabel, in a voice loud enough to carry out her words throughout the nearby tables, led the prayer, “In the name of the Father….Bless us oh Loooord, en this this gift,  which we’re aaaabout receive, thru Christ, Lord. Amen! In the name of the Father…”    

After the prayer, Isabel blurted, “Oh no! I forgot again ‘from thy bounty’!”  

 She then made the sign of the cross and started praying again…and, of course, forgot again the line “from thy bounty”