Month 8
Dear Ramon,
Happy 8 Months! Of course you turned 8 months 4 days ago. But don't worry, your birthday did not pass by forgotten, it was just that the past 4 days have been quite busy, not just for Mommy, but for you too. You attended Ate Lia and Ate Desi's Christmas play (you fell asleep), you attended the Bukas Palad Concert for JVP, you had dinner with the Lapids and met Tito Carlo for the first time. Lots of fun Christmas events for you and aside from your super likotness, you've been quite good about all the going out.
This past month has been... well, tiring on Mommy's part. You move so much more, you kick so much harder. You've started crawling, although you tend to go backwards more than forwards. It's pretty funny to watch you look at something, and I can see in your eyes you want to get it, so you try to approach it, but instead end up pushing yourself backwards, a few times almost moving backward off the bed. But these last couple of days (yes, after you turned 8 months) you seem to have gotten the hang of pulling yourself forward. With just a little more practice, you'll be following your sisters and cousin on all fours. For now, though, your preferred mode of ambulation is pivoting on your tummy (turning this way and that. you're really good at this already) or rolling. Rolling to wherever you want to go seems the fastest way to do it for now. Other than going Unnh! Unnh! Unnh! Unnh! complaining until you get carried. You get carried all the time anyway. By your yaya and the other helpers who dote on you unabashedly. It's mostly me that lets you move around on the bed or on the floor to give you practice. Which is probably why you complain to me the most.
This month also, you've started to sign! Yay! You're not consistent with it yet. Like there was one day, you signed for milk and when I nursed you, you were hungry, but some time later, you signed, and you just played with the nipple. And then that evening, you signed for milk again but you weren't hungry at all. A few nights ago I posted this on Facebook: "Eeeeee! Ramon signed for milk! Then he grabbed my thumb and stuffed it in his mouth. Now that he can tell me what he wants, I'm doomed. Yay Ramon! December 14 at 10:53pm via iPhone" And I thought perhaps finally you really know to do it whenever you're hungry, but you haven't signed again since. But that's OK, it's progress still. I know you sort of get the meaning, cause when you complain and I sign to you, Milk? You complain louder, as if to say, "Yes! Yes, that's it! Give it to me now! Enough with the hand! On with the boob!"
One first we had this past month, was our first night away from each other. Daddy had a workshop in Dakak and invited me to join him because we were overdue our traditional Mommy and Daddy Overnight Away When the Baby is 6 Months. We were away for 2 nights and I got to sleep and sleep and sleep and miss you a lot. I still woke up in the middle of the night, even if you weren't beside me. Where's the baby?! would always be my first panicked thought. Then I'd remember where I was, calm down and go back to bed, hoping you weren't giving your yaya or lola any trouble, being away from me for the first time. Well, guess what. You didn't! You didn't even cry in the middle of the night when I was away. You'd insist on sleeping beside your yaya, you didn't want to sleep by yourself in the crib. But you just slept. Or woke up and talked. But none of the wild, awful wailing you always treat me to. Is that supposed to make me feel special?
And then, I had to leave you a second time, because Tita Maui got married in Tagaytay, and your Dad and I decided to stay up there overnight, with some of Mommy's college friends, at Uncle Kelly's house. You know what happened this time? Your yaya told me you slept ALL NIGHT! What is up with that anak? But when you're sleeping with me, you still wake up almost every hour, whether I make you cry it out or give in and nurse you. This development really bothered me, and made me wonder if I'm doing the right thing. Because, if we both sleep better apart, then perhaps the rational course of action would be to make that arrangement permanent. And yet, and yet, despite my eyebags, my feelings of lethargy and lightheadedness during the day, all the discomfort, all the not sleeping I'm doing, I can't bring myself to make you sleep with your Yaya at night.
The reason is I consider night time our alone time. Our Mommy and Baby time. During the day, you have two older sisters also clamoring for my attention. And because they can talk and tell me what they want, I tend to spend the day making crafts with them, playing computer, watching the iPad. It's too easy to hand you to your Yaya, especially since it gets overwhelming to watch three kids of different ages at the same time. And also, your Yaya gets antsy if she's not taking care of you for too long. At night, after your Ates are off to bed, you have me all to yourself, and we talk and play and you climb me and I tickle you, and it's my favorite part of the day. The lights are low, and you're all mine. And I'm willing to suffer through the sleeplessness and headaches for this 1-2 hours a night of having you all to myself.
You really are an awesome baby. You're friendly and smiley, even with people you've never met before. You eat a lot! You like veggies and rice. You get angry if they don't feed you enough. You're sweet and charming, everyone wants to take you home with them. You love playing with toys. When you're in the mood, I can leave you in your crib and you will lay there quietly playing with toys for up to 20 minutes. You're really adorable and sweet and snuggly. And maybe it's a mistake to not let you sleep in your own room so that I could regain my health and sanity by sleeping as well. Call me crazy, but I want to hold on to you for a while longer, because I know this babyhood doesn't last forever, and the minute I let you go, I won't ever get your babyhood back.
You make me so happy. I love you Ramon. Forever. No matter what.
Love, Mommy
Happy 8 Months! Of course you turned 8 months 4 days ago. But don't worry, your birthday did not pass by forgotten, it was just that the past 4 days have been quite busy, not just for Mommy, but for you too. You attended Ate Lia and Ate Desi's Christmas play (you fell asleep), you attended the Bukas Palad Concert for JVP, you had dinner with the Lapids and met Tito Carlo for the first time. Lots of fun Christmas events for you and aside from your super likotness, you've been quite good about all the going out.
This past month has been... well, tiring on Mommy's part. You move so much more, you kick so much harder. You've started crawling, although you tend to go backwards more than forwards. It's pretty funny to watch you look at something, and I can see in your eyes you want to get it, so you try to approach it, but instead end up pushing yourself backwards, a few times almost moving backward off the bed. But these last couple of days (yes, after you turned 8 months) you seem to have gotten the hang of pulling yourself forward. With just a little more practice, you'll be following your sisters and cousin on all fours. For now, though, your preferred mode of ambulation is pivoting on your tummy (turning this way and that. you're really good at this already) or rolling. Rolling to wherever you want to go seems the fastest way to do it for now. Other than going Unnh! Unnh! Unnh! Unnh! complaining until you get carried. You get carried all the time anyway. By your yaya and the other helpers who dote on you unabashedly. It's mostly me that lets you move around on the bed or on the floor to give you practice. Which is probably why you complain to me the most.
This month also, you've started to sign! Yay! You're not consistent with it yet. Like there was one day, you signed for milk and when I nursed you, you were hungry, but some time later, you signed, and you just played with the nipple. And then that evening, you signed for milk again but you weren't hungry at all. A few nights ago I posted this on Facebook: "Eeeeee! Ramon signed for milk! Then he grabbed my thumb and stuffed it in his mouth. Now that he can tell me what he wants, I'm doomed. Yay Ramon! December 14 at 10:53pm via iPhone" And I thought perhaps finally you really know to do it whenever you're hungry, but you haven't signed again since. But that's OK, it's progress still. I know you sort of get the meaning, cause when you complain and I sign to you, Milk? You complain louder, as if to say, "Yes! Yes, that's it! Give it to me now! Enough with the hand! On with the boob!"
One first we had this past month, was our first night away from each other. Daddy had a workshop in Dakak and invited me to join him because we were overdue our traditional Mommy and Daddy Overnight Away When the Baby is 6 Months. We were away for 2 nights and I got to sleep and sleep and sleep and miss you a lot. I still woke up in the middle of the night, even if you weren't beside me. Where's the baby?! would always be my first panicked thought. Then I'd remember where I was, calm down and go back to bed, hoping you weren't giving your yaya or lola any trouble, being away from me for the first time. Well, guess what. You didn't! You didn't even cry in the middle of the night when I was away. You'd insist on sleeping beside your yaya, you didn't want to sleep by yourself in the crib. But you just slept. Or woke up and talked. But none of the wild, awful wailing you always treat me to. Is that supposed to make me feel special?
And then, I had to leave you a second time, because Tita Maui got married in Tagaytay, and your Dad and I decided to stay up there overnight, with some of Mommy's college friends, at Uncle Kelly's house. You know what happened this time? Your yaya told me you slept ALL NIGHT! What is up with that anak? But when you're sleeping with me, you still wake up almost every hour, whether I make you cry it out or give in and nurse you. This development really bothered me, and made me wonder if I'm doing the right thing. Because, if we both sleep better apart, then perhaps the rational course of action would be to make that arrangement permanent. And yet, and yet, despite my eyebags, my feelings of lethargy and lightheadedness during the day, all the discomfort, all the not sleeping I'm doing, I can't bring myself to make you sleep with your Yaya at night.
The reason is I consider night time our alone time. Our Mommy and Baby time. During the day, you have two older sisters also clamoring for my attention. And because they can talk and tell me what they want, I tend to spend the day making crafts with them, playing computer, watching the iPad. It's too easy to hand you to your Yaya, especially since it gets overwhelming to watch three kids of different ages at the same time. And also, your Yaya gets antsy if she's not taking care of you for too long. At night, after your Ates are off to bed, you have me all to yourself, and we talk and play and you climb me and I tickle you, and it's my favorite part of the day. The lights are low, and you're all mine. And I'm willing to suffer through the sleeplessness and headaches for this 1-2 hours a night of having you all to myself.
You really are an awesome baby. You're friendly and smiley, even with people you've never met before. You eat a lot! You like veggies and rice. You get angry if they don't feed you enough. You're sweet and charming, everyone wants to take you home with them. You love playing with toys. When you're in the mood, I can leave you in your crib and you will lay there quietly playing with toys for up to 20 minutes. You're really adorable and sweet and snuggly. And maybe it's a mistake to not let you sleep in your own room so that I could regain my health and sanity by sleeping as well. Call me crazy, but I want to hold on to you for a while longer, because I know this babyhood doesn't last forever, and the minute I let you go, I won't ever get your babyhood back.
You make me so happy. I love you Ramon. Forever. No matter what.
Love, Mommy