Curbside Stories

My son was born on January 18, 2008 at around 10:15 PM via Caesarian Section. He weighed 7.9 pounds, pretty large boy.  After five years, I could still vividly remember the first time I held him when the doctor put him on my chest when he came out. I was still at the operating room. I was groggy because of anesthesia, but, I could still remember his loud cry, his pinkish and wrinkly skin, and his angelic face. He is such a darling! He is my life and the only person who brings constant happiness in my life.

I went home from the office with severe headache. I know it is caused by the tremendous stress because of this day's activities. At home, my son would ask a lot of questions, whine here and there about a lot of things... The noise was just unbearable. I felt like my head will blow into pieces any moment. I asked my son to do his things and not bother me even for just a few minutes. I really needed some time alone and quiet... That's what he did. He gave me a soothing head massage. It surely relieved me of headache.

I was a proud mom yesterday. My son was a Bible bearer for a friend's wedding. Although he was having tantrums because he doesn't like to wear his suit, he still walked down the aisle and made friends with other members of the entourage. He was such a darling!

Happy Thanksgiving! Aside from the many blessings I have received this year, there is one thing special that I am really grateful for today... it is my son's second life. Last Friday at around 2:30 in the afternoon while I was busy giving directions to my office staff, I received a news that my son was rushed to the Emergency Room because he was hit and run by a motorcycle. That was the most devastating news any mother could hear about her child. I was not prepared for the day. I immediately rushed to the ER to check on him and he was crying and in pain. I heard him asked the nurse "Where's my Mommy? Where's Daddy?". My heart felt like it stopped beating when I saw him drenched in blood. He had contusion and wound on his forehead, arms and left leg. His right leg was fractured and could not move. At 6:00 in the evening he was scheduled for wound debridement, suturing and casting. He cried and cried while waiting for the schedule until he felt tired. I acc...

It's been a while... My younger sister gave birth to a healthy boy last October 22. He looks like my son when I gave birth to him. He is too cute for words! How I wish I could carry him. They are living in another country so we'd probably see him when he is already walking. I brought up the news to dad and he asked why I didn't name my son that starts with "J"... I broke the unwritten rule... his  name starts with "J' and so are my sisters, brothers and nieces. A few weeks ago I have been busy going around town meeting new faces, meeting clients and taking driving lessons. I don't know if I mentioned in this blog that I promise to have a driver's license before I turn the big 3-0. Yep! I already know how to drive. I'll get my non-professional license before the end of this month. SO HAPPY! We had a Halloween party in our grandmother's house. It was organized by my cousins. They all wore costumes, we played games, we sang a...

My heart skipped beating so many times while watching this video. This is so sick! What the hell is happening to the world??? Why didn't they help the poor child??? Indifference is what slowly kills humanity. It is a plague that slowly eats the most of us. Shame on the 18 passers-by who did nothing to save the child from death. I hope it will not happen to them or to any of their loved ones. And I hope China will think a million times before they pass their law. You can read articles about this soulless video here , here and here .

When you are a solo parent, one of the hardest questions to answer is "Where is Dad?". When you are being asked by your child with that question, what do you say? These past few days, my son has been asking me the exact question. Although I know he is still too young to understand, I tried to tell him the truth one time but he got mad. I am actually running out of alibis. Any suggestions?

That's me and my son. =) This photo was taken by his Dad at Sta. Ana Race Track in Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite. We went there because we wanted Lance to see horses racing. Of course we didn't tell him people go there to bet for a race. I bet he had a really great time because he's still talking about horses even if we're already home.

How's your Valentine's Day? I got a candy heart with cute little rosettes, chocolate and lots and lots of Valentine greetings today.  My son went to the mall with our grandmother and when he got home, he said he has flowers for me. I asked where are the flowers and he said it's inside his pocket. He put his hand inside his pocket and handed me the flowers that are, apparently, invisible. I took the invisible flowers and he gave me a kiss. He said the flowers are invisible because those are meant to be seen only by me. And instead of saying 'Happy Valentine's Day' he said 'Congratulations'. I wonder why he congratulated me. Haha!  In exchange of his flowers and congratulations, I gave him a bar of chocolate. Per usual, he had an ear to ear grin on his face.

Happy New Year! Tonight's dinner is shrimp in butter and oyster sauce. It is actually from last night. I cooked it while I was waiting for the pork sinigang to be cooked. I learned this recipe from my grandmother and I just modified it a bit because I am too lazy sometimes to buy all the ingredients. Photo taken from the pan, it smells so good... I wish somebody will invent a 'smell it' button on the internet. Here are the ingredients: 100 grams medium shrimp or prawns 4 cloves minced garlic 1 medium minced red onion 2 tablespoons melted butter or a two inch thick slice of 1/2 bar of butter 1 tablespoon of oil 3 tablespoons of soy sauce 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce pinch of ground pepper Here is how to cook it: 1. In a pan, put in oil and butter. Oil prevents the butter from burning. 2. Put in the onion and garlic. I learned in one cooking show that it is best if you put onion first before garlic because garlic burns easily and once it burns, it gives a bitter tast...

This happened while I was washing the dishes and my son was in the living room playing with his creepy crawler toys. My Son to Lizard: Go home now or else cockroach will eat you. My Son to Me: Mommy, the Lizard won't go away! Where does he live? Me to My Son: Don't worry he will go home soon. He lives just outside our house. My Son to Lizard pretending to be Cockroach: I will eat you, Lizard. Here I go! Funny sounds in the backdrop as if the cockroach is really eating the lizard... I should spend more time playing with my son and teaching him good stuffs because cockroaches don't eat lizards.  Last night, I tried to teach him The Lord's Prayer so that Jesus and Santa will be happy. He said, "I don't want them to be happy." I told him if they are happy, they will give him toys. He did not buy it, instead he said, "I already have many toys." He proceeded with the Prayer to the Guardian Angel and then said afterwards, "Jesus, please give...

I mentioned that my son was not allowed to eat at fast food chains... well, I took him there one time just because. And I wanted to know if he will really not eat. Obviously, he likes their food. I took this photo and posted it in my Facebook account and not longer after that, my grandma commented. He's caught in the act.

Kids say the darndest things... No, it is not Bill Cosby's show in the late 1990s.  I say kids say the darndest things because my son said something that really amazed me and made me laugh. He's watching Monsters, Inc. when I asked him to hand me my hair clip from the cabinet. He immediately got up, reached for my clip and handed it to me. I said 'thank you' and I asked him what will he say next. I was expecting him to say 'welcome' but instead he said, ' maraming salamat sa Eat Bulaga !' (thank you very much to Eat Bulaga!). It's what contestants say whenever they win something from the show. Well, it's pretty obvious that my son's been watching a lot of noon time game shows. A few days ago, I asked him what's the title of the noon time drama he's watching and he said the title without hesitation. I guess I'll have to ask him what happened in the drama in case I miss an episode. Haha!

My son's favorite Red Ribbon rice meal... Salisbury steak with mashed potato and corn and carrots. For this meal, you also get a glass of drink of your choice and a slice of their cake of the day. Whenever I take my son on a dinner date, we always go to Red Ribbon . It turned out to be our date place because our grandmother told my son that he's not allowed to eat at famous children's fast food chains. Being a smart boy that he is, he said he will just eat at Red Ribbon since our grandmother did not mention it on the list of 'not allowed'. Yummy Chocolate Fudge Cake that I got as a birthday gift from my office mates. Chocolate lovers will definitely enjoy this  sweet treat. I am choosy when it comes to cakes. I don't like cakes with mocha or has the buttery taste. My favorite is their Mango Cake... because I like mangoes. Last Saturday (which is my birthday), I got Black Forest  (thanks Allan) and Chocolate Marjolaine (thanks Leo)... divine! If you w...

My son's nanny is his third and hopefully will be his last. She's just 21 years old, also with a son who just turned 1 and waits for his husband to come home once a week from his work in Manila. I hired her because of the recommendation of my grandmother and because I really need to have someone to look after my son while I work from 8 to 5. She's hardworking and doesn't complain if my son throws tantrums at her. Just this day, Mamalou (as my son fondly calls her) took my son to a play place while I was having a meeting with a client. I know that it is hard to leave your own child to work and I applaud her for making sacrifices to help her husband earn money for the family. Having her around makes life easier for me and I thank her for taking care of my son and loving him as if he is her own.  God bless you, Mamalou!

Today I thank my son's pediatrician who did not charge me for consultation. My son was sick since Wednesday due to cough and colds. I took him this afternoon to his pediatrician and he was given antibiotics and cough syrup. He is cordial and you can sense genuine care for his patient. He talked to my son about what he should not eat while he has cough as if he's talking to his own son. My son nodded to each reminder from his doctor as if he truly understands. God bless you, Doc!

This has nothing to do with Christmas and the jitters because it's nearing.   I just got home from the office, tired as usual and begging to rest.  I cannot rest, not yet, because I still have tons of things to do.  I just want to cry.  I have never worked so hard in my entire life.   This morning, when my son woke up, he looked at me and asked, "Where's Mommy?"   Yes, he asked me on my face where am I.  I was teary eyed when I answered, "I am here.  I am your Mommy."  He turned his back on me afterwards.  I bet he was not satisfied with the answer.  I gave him a hug reassuring him that I am with him, that I will be there when he needs me, and that I am still his mom. I have a lot of catching up to do.  But for now, I will have to cry. I just have to let it out and forgive myself for being absent in my son's life for quite sometime now.

Today's challenge question is really easy.  What are the things that you do everyday that make you totally happy? Photo taken in our favorite restaurant.  I always buy him little toys before we go to the restaurant so that he will not get bored waiting for the food to be served.  Obviously, he's already hungry in this photo. 1. I spend quality time with my son.  I have a very busy schedule, I actually did not have a day off last week.  Despite my busy schedule, I always find time for my son.  There are days that I instruct my son's nanny to bring him to the office and we will have dinner together in a restaurant.  Before he goes to sleep and before I do my part time job at night, I would tell him stories and cook dinner for him.  Whenever I do not have a part time job, I do not open my computer because it is the only time that I get to catch up with his life.  Seeing him smile and laugh and sharing me his stories are what really makes me...

These are the most recent photos of my son.  We attended a debut last November 13 and he was the escort of the celebrant.  Earlier that day he was wearing a yellow long sleeved shirt with necktie that I bought a few hours before the party.   He's so handsome! The blue vest and shirt was his second outfit. He's all grown-up now (not really).  I am teary eyed already.

Me? Satisfied? I think so.  I am not materialistic.  I find happiness in the simplest of things.  When I had a child, everything about me has changed--my priorities and perspectives in life.  When I was still single, I just do whatever I want--taking little consideration about the people around me.  When Lance was born, I had a 360 degree shift.  Everything that I do now is for him and seeing him happy is what brings me much joy and contentment.   I was asked a while ago a classic question of who will I save in case the boat will sink--my son or my husband?  I said, my son.  Of course at this point, it is all about my son.  He's too young not to be taken cared of.  I did not choose to save my husband (if I have) because I know that he would want me to save our child--there's no doubt about it. I have dreams for my child, although I am not sure whether those are his dreams too, seeing him develop his full potential and creating mi...