honestly?

Who knew that two-year olds can be diplomatic with their answers...or refreshingly honest (but brutal). My niece, Isabel, can certainly be both.

One night, after a hearty dinner, Isabel's mom, Miles and Nana (yaya) were preparing Isabel for bed. Nana pointed to mommy Miles and asked Isabel: "Taba ba 'yan, Isabel?"

Isabel blurted out, "Taba!"

Mommy Miles looked at her with this "what-did-just-say?" look and Isabel hastily changed her answer and said, "Ay busog lang! Busog! Busoooog!" Good answer! Nice save! Diplomatic comeback!

They say kids don't lie... I sometimes wish they would.

One Saturday afternoon, I babysat Isabel as Mommy Miles and Daddy Ricky went out on a date and watched the musicale, "Next to Normal" (that's me...almost normal). Isabel slept most of the afternoon. Since she's a restless sleeper, I laid down beside her while reading a book. After a few hours of sleep, she rolled on her side, stretched a bit, rolled again on her other side, opened her eyes and came face to face, eye to eye with me. As I gave her my sweetest smile, she stared at me for some moments before declaring: "Pangit Ninang".

Awesome!

2-year old Isabel putting on make-up (picture blog)

2-year old Isabel checking out make-up









Isabel trying on blush

Isabel so engrossed and enjoying experimenting on make-up


The finished product!

more babes moment

My niece, Isabel, turned two last December. It's amazing how fast and how much she's learning, we could hardly keep up.

She still wears diapers but she has toilet trained herself and did not have any use at all for the potty trainer. If, say, we're out in the mall and she needs to go to the comfort room she'd say,"CR! CR! Ceeee-arrrrr!". And she has discovered and thoroughly enjoys using (more like playing) the electronic bidet at their house.

One time, we were on our way to the Little Gym. Miles, her mom, was driving and I was seated at the back with Isabel and Nana (Isabel calls her yaya Nana). She saw my rosary bracelet and grabbed for it literally yanking it off my wrist. She looked intently at the rosary, saw the cross dangling from it and said, "Sowi Jesus, sooo-wiii!" She then held the cross and kissed it.

I asked her, "Why sorry?"

Miles answered nonchalantly while driving, "Kasi tinawag niyang 'bad' si mommy."

Isabel said just as nonchalantly, "Charing!"

Shoe-ba-da, Tiddy, etc.

Swiish...thud!

That must be what a flying shoe sounds like. During our high school homecoming finale number, while we were singing and dancing to the "Sha ba da, pa pa rap pa ra pa ra...." in Leah Navarro's Ligaw Tingin song, a shoe flew...and it was caught on video! This "SHOE-ba-da" has become my favorite part of the program (well...second to my "front act" for Mercy's solo, of course)!

"Tiddy." My almost two-year old niece, Isabel, calls Mr. Bean's teddy bear "Tiddy.". My sister corrects her, "Its Teddy." Isabel insists it's "Tiddy." And so they go "Teddy, anak!" "Tiddy!" "Teddy!" "Tiddyyyyy". Of course, "Tiddy" wins.

Isabel is fast learning to say what she wants. One time, her mom asked her if she wanted to go with us on a short to drive to Edsa Shangri-la. She said after careful consideration, "Iwan". As we were about to leave, she changed her mind, ran after us and squealed, "Wait me! Wait me! Wait meee!". Need I translate?

The "Shoe-ba-da", "Tiddy" and "Wait me" moments are just a few of the recent deposits I've made in my funny deposit account. I've got tons of funny deposits made and whenever I feel down and in need of cheering, I dig in and withdraw from this account to give me a lift and boost my spirits up.

My "Simple Joys" journal has also become a major deposit account. When I find myself wanting, when life's little challenges suddenly seem big and overwhelming, when I fear "L" knocking at my door ("L"oneliness)...I turn to my Simple Joys journal and go through my deposits and I'm transported to a land of blessings and smiles and laughter.

When problems seem to take over, I take a moment of prayer and look back on the many deposits in my funny and simple joys accounts. I am once again reminded that my problems are a pittance, that God has got my back covered, that I am infinitely and abundantly blessed...more blessed than I ever deserve to be.

Have you stocked up on your funny and simple joys accounts?

another babes moment

I just love hanging out with Isabel, my almost two-year old niece. One never knows what she's going to blurt out.

While at a Shell gas station on our way to Heaven's Gate for the observance of All Saints Day, my sister, Miles, went to the C.R. while Ricky went to the Select store to buy stuff. Isabel, the yayas and I were left waiting in the car. I had a serious conversation going with Isabel, part of it went like this:

Me: "Where'd daddy go?"
Isabel: (while rubbing her hands together) "Wash."

Me: "What about mommy, where's mommy?"
Isabel, after pausing for some moments and looking up as if thinking, said (with pouty lips), "Wiswiswiswiswis..." (translation: mommy went to pee).

That was the first time she said/did that. Usually, whenever she knows anyone is in the restroom, no matter what one was doing, she'd answer, "Poo-poo."

straight from the mouth of babes

My sister recorded on video in her smartphone some of the dance and song numbers we (jubilarians) performed during our SMC Grand Alumni Homecoming.

My almost 2 year-old niece, Isabel, whenever she gets hold of my sister's phone, has been constantly requesting, "dance, nang" (translation: I wanna see the videos of my ninang dancing.) She waves the phone to whoever was around and proudly points me out strutting my stuff on stage. People, of course, always try to indulge babies and say "Ooohh! Ahhhh! Wooow!"

One time when Isabel was showing a video of me dancing, she was asked, "Wow! Dancing si Ninang! Maganda si 'Nang Isabel?"

Isabel, without batting an eyelash, innocently answered: " 'ngit!"

So...there you go. Straight from the mouth of babes!

baby talk

My boss brought to the office her younger son, (almost) 3-year old Santoy. We had a delightful series of conversations that went like this:

Me: San ka punta? (He was to stay at the office day care for the day)
Santoy: (at least this was how I heard him say it) Hachua chi chucher (translation: dun sa teacher)
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Me (pointing at random letters for him to identify): What’s this? (pointing Y, L, and U)
Santoy: Y; L; U (applause, applause, applause)
Me (Pointing to “J”): What’s this letter?
Santoy: Labi! Labi!

I looked at her mom questioningly and she translated: J is for “labi” - meaning Jollibee. (Now why didn’t I get that?) And of course “M” is for… guess what? – “ado” (McDo).
*************
Santoy has visited the office several times in the past and he knows us by face and some of us by name. Her mom had told him to call Atty. Chay as Tita Chay. So this time we asked him if he remembered her name. Of course he did and he called her: “Pi Chay” (This is already an improvement since he used to call her “Ki Kay”)

I was introduced as Ate Maan and Santoy said: Gogi (translation: Pogi! – I was flattered…I think)

This triggered us to ask Santoy: Are you a boy or a girl?
Santoy (with a naughty smile on his face): Chiklit! (translation: Secret!)
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He was holding a packet of goodies and I asked him what it was and he said: Tolek (translation: chocolate)
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I asked him to recite the ABCs
Santoy: A, B, C, D, E, EP, G, H, I, J, K, lemanamemanO, P, Q, R, S….

Conversations with him turned me into a heaving mass of a loud laughing machine! I can’t wait for him to visit the office again for another round of conversations. His presence sure brought sunshine to an otherwise gloomy and hectic day.

Children are such a delight to be with. You can’t help but smile and melt at their innocence. No wonder God wants us to be like children - pure of heart.