Same Old Brand New Floor

I find it amazing how a four year old can appreciate the simple things in life. I often wish I had Keisha's perspective towards life, but I don't and I don't think I'm doomed (yet). We were busy the whole day today and yesterday repainting our house as we are near to closing our internet cafe. I have to admit, when the living room set was delivered today, I realized how much I missed having an actual living room. We were also busy repainting the bathroom, scrubbing the walls, panting the staircase, and painting the floor red, the color it once was.

I admit to being really tired and cranky from all the work we've been doing but when I saw Keisha rubbing her foot against the red floor as she smiled I asked her, "Do you like it?" She instantly said "Yes" and that she found the floor pretty. I felt that all my efforts were rewarded and that everything was worth it. Well, I knew that from the start but I just couldn't help but feel appreciated.

It's way past midnight where I am and my husband and I just finished waxing the floor and making some last-minute touches. We still have 3 PCs left, so we're not totally closed yet, and we're not totally finished decorating the house and all. But I'm glad that we got a lot of work done together, and as I'm resting while blogging, I'm waiting for my bathwater so I can take a much-needed shower.

Merry Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS Keisha and Nicole!

Love Mama, Papa and Grandma.

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve, and Keisha is asleep. I guess she couldn't fight off sleepiness anymore after a tiring day we spent at my mom's place. I guess I'll just have to wake her up later when it's time to open presents and stuff. And when I'm done cooking.

Goodbye PCs

I'd like to collectively apologize for the three of us who haven't been posting on this blog for several days already. We all have been pretty busy with the holidays and stuff plus the fact that we're selling the PCs we have at home. I'm glad and sad at the same time. I'm sad since we're losing an additional source of our income and we're not going to see friends we've already made through the shop as frequently as we did. But I'm glad since Keisha and Nicole will now have more time and space to play with each other instead of being stuck upstairs all the time.

What also makes me glad is the fact that we are going to buy a living room set again, and we're also going to be able to make some repairs in the house. We can get the sink fixed, get a screen door installed downstairs, bring Nicole's crib downstairs, and even take care of fishes again. We're also going to have the privacy we lost, and well, we'll have a living room again.

Having the internet cafe was a blast, and I'm sad to see it go. But with two growing kids to think of, I don't regret making this choice.

Tooth Extractions

I got two of my teeth extracted the other day, and they still hurt quite a bit. How is this related to Keisha? Well, for starters, my eldest daughter has been really considerate and did not bug me with carrying her, which she usually does. She would also often ask if my gums hurt and if I needed anything.

Keisha would also ask if I already drank the antibiotics and the pain relievers the doctor prescribed, and her reminding me of those things made me not forget, since I'm honestly not that good when it comes to drinking medicines on time.

Yesterday my mom, Leslie, and Keisha went to a mall and brought me back a shirt with red stripes, which looked great. I'm glad they had a great time, although I was left with Nicole. Good thing though I had my cousin to help me out.

I know I promised previously that I'll try to make my share of this blog, and again I apologize for not being able to complete my end of the bargain. I'm glad how this blog has been going, though, and I'll really make an effort to post as often as I can after work.

Kids and Work

Whenever I feel the urge to not go to work, I always remember what our CST Trainer Donna said, "You can't have a career and be a parent at the same time." I'm beginning to think she's right.

I can't afford to stay at home for another year for a lot of reasons. One is Keisha's going to attend school in a matter of months, and I want to enroll her in a private school, which translates that I need money. Second, we still have quite a few debts to settle, and I want everything to be cleared before the new year starts. Third, Henry's trips are coming to a close so most of the expenses will be shouldered by me for the time being.

I'm thinking of getting a new job since I saw this really close call center for me to work at, so I get to save not only on fare expenses, but the center being close means I also have more time at home, since I won't have to worry on travel time as much as I do now. But the hassle of applying for a job is something I don't want to get myself into at the moment. But if I've decided on not going back to eTel, then it's a reality I'll need to deal with.

I'm only glad that Keisha seems happy I'm home, and I also get to spend some time with Nicole (why her name changed from Simone to Nicole I promise one of us will get onto that). It's something I seriously miss while at work. I guess the only thing left for me to do is to discuss how I feel with Henry and take it from there.

Monic and her Blogger Password

I'm glad my mom in law has access to her Blogger account again. I wouldn't want to be the only one blogging on this blog, since it totally destroys the purpose of having it at all. We decided to put this blog up for the purpose of sharing our thoughts about Keisha's daily activities, and I definitely didn't want it to be a monologue.

I hope she finds enough time in her busy schedule to squeeze even a few minutes for blogging. I'm sure when Keisha's older, this'll be something she'll appreciate and thank us for.

The last post she made regarding Nicole's baptism I'll leave for her to finish, although I'm not sure when she can. I won't spill any details; I'll leave the storytelling to her this time.

I'm Back!!!

I forgot my password and Leslie had this great (although late) idea of using the Forgot Password function in Blogger just recently. It's been months since I last posted, but I'm glad that Leslie has been keeping the blog up-to-date.

Well, what can I say? Almost everything that happened to us are documented here already. From our trip to Ongpin up to Keisha's birthday. I just noticed that there are no entries for Nicole's baptism. But I know why, though.

My son was really busy and sort of out of his mind when Leslie got hospitalized for appendicitis, so he wouldn't have time to blog about it. Leslie had trouble sitting still for days, so she wasn't blogging either. And of course, I was busy with their kids.

I'll just try to remember when exactly did we have Nicole's baptism and I'll get right back at you.

Keisha and Sleep

I don't know what's gotten into me yesterday but I felt like a dead cow after I got home from work. I slept right when I got home, woke up for lunch, and resumed sleeping after eating lunch and I didn't wake up until Henry came home, which was around 11:00pm or so.

Keisha was trying to wake me up repeatedly, and I remember she was saying, "Mommy wake up!" or "Mommy please wake up!" but I just couldn't bring myself to open my eyes for anything longer than 10 seconds.

I don't know why she was waking me up, but when I finally did, she was already asleep.

Yesterday was Great!

Since I started working again after almost a year of being a stay-home mom, I once again have this nagging feeling inside me that I'm not giving Keisha and Nicole enough time. Due to my shifting schedule, I try to squeeze in sleep, household chores, blogging, and playtime with my kids in the 12 hours or less that I have when I get home around 6:00 am, since I leave around 6:30 pm for work.

But yesterday was different. It was literally a great day for me. Since I spent a couple of hours sleeping at work (yeah, I know, don't ask me how and why) and I managed to get some shut-eye on the bus while I was going home, I didn't fall asleep until around 1:00 pm. I had a lot of time in my hands and I took advantage of it. I finished all my paid posts around 9:00 am, went to the market, cooked lunch for everybody, helped around the house, and I had a lot of time to cuddle and play with my two kids.

Keisha loves playing pretend, and we spent a lot of time doing just that with Nicole. And I have to admit, when Nicole peed on me, I didn't mind the least. To be honest, I missed that. I missed cleaning her bottom as well when she has poop, and taking baths with Keisha as well. And Keisha even sang me a song to sleep around 1:00 pm and stayed by my side until I fell asleep.

And what's even better is that Henry came home really early yesterday, around 4:00 pm. Although I barely had three hours of sleep, I felt like I've had more than eight. I was really glad that all of us were there, and he even brought me my favorite snack, Pringles in Sour Cream and Onion flavor.

I didn't get any sleep after Henry came home, but I didn't mind. I still went to work last night feeling refreshed and great. Although Keisha wasn't able to walk me down the street with her dad where I'd ride the bus to work, I was able to kiss her goodbye and she still saw me off the door.

I wish I had more days like yesterday.

Sleeping Beauty

Keisha's still asleep as I write this, although when I went upstairs to change from my work clothes she opened her eyes and accompanied me to my room. I got a few good minutes of snuggle time before I took her back to her grandma's bed to complete the rest of her sleep. It was still too early, anyway.

She specifically requested for another bag of Oishi's Ribbed Cracklings in Salt and Vinegar flavor which I did get her, in addition to a chocolate donut from Ministop. I also have two pieces of the red candy she likes eating, mainly because it colors her entire tongue red.

I'm not sure if I'll still be awake when she wakes up and eats all of my presents, but I know that when we see each other later this afternoon, I'll know how she felt.

Chocolates and Mentos

While I was at work today I tried as hard as I could to keep my mind off of junk food and save my money until I get home so that I could buy Keisha something good as a present. I ended saving more than half of the money I took with me, as the only things I spent on while I was out was for five pieces of candy and my fare.

So when I got home, I got off at 7-11, not where I usually get off the bus on the way home. I initially wanted to buy her something from Jollibee, like a breakfast meal or something, but the store was still closed so I went to 7-11 instead.

I ended up getting her a Hersheys Cookies and Cream bar and a Mentos tube, grape flavor. She absolutely loves Mentos, although I was a bit hesitant to buy her cookies and cream as a flavor for Hersheys. She's used to the regular brown colored and dark colored chocolates, so I didn't know what her reaction to white chocolate would be.

After I walked Henry to where he'd ride the bus, I was surprised to find Keisha up and awake. I gave her my presents, and she smiled, although her eyes were still half-closed. She ate the Hershey bar instantly and said she'd eat the Mentos later. I was really happy that she liked the cookies and cream flavor, although she noted that it was a bit crunchy, because of the cookies and all. Right now she's upstairs with her godmother, grandmother and Nicole, just playing around. When I wrap up my blogging for today, I'll join in the fun before I sleep and take on another night at work.

A Present when I Get Home

Keisha has this way of either bluntly stating that she wants me to buy something for her when I get home from work, and when I say bluntly I mean she literally says, "Mommy buy me a Hershey bar later, OK?" Now when she's trying to be subtle, she pokes around my bag, asking what this and that is, and then puts the bag away with a pout and doesn't say anything for a couple of minutes.

Last night, she and her dad walked me down our street to where I ride the bus to work. I really felt bad when I got on the bus because the moment I did, she shouted, "Bye bye Mommy, take care," in such a sad voice. I took a couple of seconds to turn around and wave back at her before the bus driver moved the bus forward.

I kissed her goodbye before I got on the bus I a couple of times, but somehow I still felt bad about leaving her. In a way, I'm glad that I'm on the night shift since she's asleep when I'm gone, and when I get home she normally wakes me up or just snuggles with me while I sleep. I know this for a fact because sometimes, I wake up and I find her beside me, just staring at me.

Keisha can be a brat sometimes, but I guess all kids go through that phase. But what I love about her (aside from everything) is that she makes up for all the tantrums she's thrown during the day with a kiss or an embrace, or even a simple, "I'm sorry," that just melts my heart and makes me forget whatever she's done.

So tonight, she specifically asked for an Oishi Ribbed Crackling snack. Although it's junk food (I know, I shouldn't be feeding her this but it's just a treat) I still decided on buying it and we'll dive into it probably later this afternoon when I wake up, unless she's already beat me to my bag and ate it all by herself.

Peace of Mind

This week, I'm glad that I don't have to feel bad or uneasy whenever I leave for work. Why? Because one of Keisha's godfathers and his wife are staying with us over the week. I'm glad that my mom in law has someone with her to accompany her whenever I'm asleep during the day and when I leave during the night.

I'm glad that Keisha will have someone to play with while my mom in law is busy doing something else, or whenever she's busy attending to Simone (aka Nicole, which I'll need to explain in a later post).

At least I don't have to worry about how the kids will be whenever my mom in law attempts to do laundry during the day while I'm asleep, or how they'll be during the night while I'm gone. As I said, I'll have peace of mind for this week.

24 Days Before Christmas

I can't believe it's only a mere 24 days before Christmas, or a couple of days over 3 weeks from now. I'm busy shopping and bidding for a lot of things at Ebay, and I'm still wondering what to get Keisha, my parents and Ate Elena, my mom-in-law, and Henry.I don't even want to get into what I'm going to get for myself...

And the worst part of it all is we don't even have our Christmas tree up yet...

Shopping with Keisha and Monic

As mentioned in Henry's post, I recently had appendicitis and I was confined for several days. I'm trying to see it in a positive way, like I had the time and chance for a much-needed break, but I also feel that I have been so left-out and behind a couple of things, like my blogs for example.

So when I got home and took a few more days' worth of rest, I wanted to move around not just because my doctor advised me to, but because I wanted to take back what I seem to have missed. I'd consider myself a bit knowledgeable about surgeries and operations, having given birth to my two daughters via cesarean section. But I don't know why, but this one felt different.

Moving on, as part of my moving up and about, Keisha, my mom in law and I went shopping. Therapeutic, huh? Lol. But I had a really great time save the constant nagging and misbehaving Keisha gave us a dose of almost the whole time we were outside. I understand the reason for her being so - she was already sleepy and tired from all the walking we did.

What I loved best about our trip today was that we found so many beautiful dresses for Keisha for a really low price. We paid a visit to a nearby thrift store initially in search of jeans for me, but we ended up buying more for Keisha and I only brought a jacket and a long-sleeved shirt (which I absolutely love).

My mom in law was at her usual haggling self; she got us really big discounts off of the already discounted prices, and even got the store owner to put other kid's dresses on layaway for us. Talk about gift of the gab, huh. Well, better call it a night, since I still have some errands to complete in the morning.

Appendicitis

I know it's a minor thing, but I was really worried when Leslie had appendicitis. Her tolerance for pain for a girl (or am I being subjective) is unusually high, so when she stated her abdomen ached, I knew she wasn't kidding because she rarely says that. She rarely says anything about pain anyway.

I remember when she gave birth to Keisha and Nicole (Simone's real name, we'll have to explain in a later post why), she was still smiling after the operation and with her last cesarean section, she was already sitting down and smiling a couple of hours right after.

Keisha was really worried too; I still recall the look in her face when we started to panic. Although I still remember everything as though it were yesterday, I would like to dwell on the memory of seeing Keisha's face when her mom and I arrived home.

Keisha's Birthday Cake

I finally got around to uploading Keisha's pictures from her birthday. I borrowed one of our patron's Nokia cellphone with a memory card and used the Bluetooth from my Motorola V3 to transfer the pictures to the Nokia one. Then, I inserted the memory card to our card reader and voila!

I now only realized that we only took two pictures on Keisha's birthday, and those two were of her cake. :-(

Addicted to Y8?

Keisha's beside me right now, playing as usual, her favorite games on Y8. This game she currently plays on a regular basis is pretty cool, it's called Kindergarten and I've decided to embed the game here. Hope you'll like it as much as my mom in law and I enjoy playing it with her.

Kindergarten



Click here to play this game

Yet Another Accident on my Mom-in-Law's Birthday

Today's my mom-in-law's 48th birthday, and Henry and I bought her a Belo Essentials Facial Wash and Body Lotion. I wanted to buy her the Whitening Soap to complete the entire skincare line, but despite my best efforts, the three malls I went to during my lunch break at eTelecare earlier were all out of stocks. In any case, I was sure she was really happy that I bought her the said cosmetics, as she had been asking me about them for several weeks already. And what's even funnier is that the first thing she asked me when I got home this afternoon was whether I was able to buy her the said cosmetics.

Moving on to the little accident tonight....

Keisha, my mom-in-law Monic and I were eating dinner earlier tonight when Keisha was swinging back and forth from her chair when all of a sudden, the chair fell with Keisha still on it. Keisha cried and cried, and I was a bit relieved that at least, she didn't hit her head on the concrete. But as my mom-in-law and I were observing Keisha as she was climbing the stairs to see if Simone was awake, we noticed she was holding her hips. I think she may be hurt, but it's something not serious, otherwise she would have complained about it already.

The Pictures will have to Wait

Sorry for everyone who's looking forward to pictures from Keisha's birthday. As I'm currently having trouble with my mobile phone, I'll have to wait for some time until I can figure out a way to upload pictures from my phone to the PC. And given my current shifting schedule at work (for this week it'll be 11pm-8am) I just might not have enough time to look into it.

Hopefully Henry will have some time to spare to sort things out, or we'll just resort to sending pictures through MMS one-by-one. Sheesh.

I'm Back to Work!

After several months (or almost a year) of being a stay-home mom, I again find myself working for another call center, eTelecare. The pay's really good and I'd have more to spend for personal luxuries and I just might have enough to buy Keisha a violin for the upcoming holiday, Christmas.

I just miss the amount of time I used to have with Keisha and Simone. I miss bathing with Keisha and watching the many tv shows that we watch regularly. And with my current shift which permits me to be home around 2am, they're already fast asleep.

On the other hand, I am grateful for the current schedule I have, which is a 4pm-1am shift. I get some hours during the day to spend with my daughters and Henry. And when I get home and I find that I'm not yet sleepy, I have time to attend to my blogging jobs until around 4am.

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed though for our schedule for Client Specific Training; I hope it's a schedule that's as fine and convenient as my current one. Although I don't mind working in a night shift since the night differential rate is actually 30% of my basic pay, I just can't imagine sleeping through the entire day while everyone's up and about. Plus the fact that I'll still be in training for 4 more weeks. But in any case, I really don't mind. I'm doing this for them anyway.

Happy Birthday Keisha

Happy Birthday Keisha!!!
from all of us.

We'll be posting pictures later this week. As of now, while I'm still not done cooking, Keisha is really beyond excited and won't stop picking at her birthday cake, dipping her fingers in the spaghetti sauce, and eating the hotdogs with marshmallows.

Measles Shots

Again, my apologies for being too busy at work that I haven't had much time updating this blog. I'd just like to share that today, Keisha had her scheduled immunization for measles, coupled with a dosage of vitamin A and deworming as well. Although I don't believe Keisha has worms, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

As I was at work, I naturally missed this event. Although there were times when Keisha was a baby, I was able to go with Leslie for Keisha's shots. Now, I haven't even been with Leslie even for a single immunization shot of Simone's. But I'm glad I was able to participate by having Keisha drink her deworming tablet, which I think is almost adult-sized. It was a bit big, and I understand Leslie and my mom's hesitation for having Keisha drink it. I've seen her swallow bigger pieces of meat anyway, so I was positive the tablet wouldn't be a challenge, which I was right on.

Funny how Leslie had this weird idea of splitting the tablet into two and have Keisha drink one at a time, and my mom for even a weirder idea of melting the medicine in hot water then adding it to Keisha's milk. I understand their concern, and I'm also proud of my daughter for proving them wrong. She swallowed her deworming medicine like nothing. Hurray!

Our Trip to Ongpin

Well, what can I say? I lost Php1,000 on our trip to Ongpin and still have no idea how, when, and where I lost it. However, one thing I'm glad about is the fact that we were able to buy almost everything Keisha wanted - a ring, a pair of earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. We were even able to buy her shoes for her upcoming birthday on the 29th. Second, I was able to get some quality bonding time with my mom in law after all the headaches I gave her.

Keisha's behavior when shopping reminds me of my older sister Elena and my husband Henry. They're both like this - once they've bought what they want, they're often irritable and want to go home immediately. They also rush you when choosing your stuff, and is very impatient while you want to take your time while choosing.

Well well well, all I can say is that even though I lost Php1,000 during our trip to Ongpin, I'm just glad that Keisha is happy. That's all I need, anyway.

Just an Observation

Hmmm...I recently noticed that I've been almost taking over this blog for some weeks now. I can't blame my mom in law though, she's busy with chores and the kids and all, not to mention the headache I give her every now and then. I can't blame Henry either; he's always busy with trips and work and all, and I perfectly understand why he'd prefer getting rest on weekends than spend it sitting in front of the PC as I always do.

Keisha, my mom in law and I are planning a trip to Ongpin tomorrow, as we're planning on buying a pair of earrings and a bracelet for Keisha's upcoming birthday. If our budget permits, we might be able to buy her a ring as well. I'm just thinking of how Henry would manage the day if we were to leave Simone with him. Although he has his cousin Cris with him (Keisha's godfather), I just can't imagine what sort of a day they'd have. We'll be gone for probably just a couple of hours, but let's see how he'll manage when he's left all alone with Simone.

Leaving Home

I don't know what I was thinking, but I don't regret doing it. I took Keisha and Simone to my mom's place and we stayed there for a night and two days as I was pissed off at my mom in law. So fine, her brother stays at our house, but I don't expect it to be close to forever. I have to admit he is pretty useful every now and then but geesh, he smokes inside the house which is a big no-no for me and doesn't flush the toilet when he pees. I don't know if he was toilet trained by his parents or he just somehow lost his manners as he got older.

Another thing I find strange is that the guy has a house, family and older kids of his own. So why in the world does he choose to stay with us? I guess the answer is pretty obvious. Given his manners and his daily activities (which basically is nothing), not even his kids would want him to stay with their families. Even his own wife doesn't want him around for crying out loud.

I pity him, I really do, but I don't pity him enough to make him want to stay at my house forever. This is my house, and I should have a say with what goes in it. When I told my mom in law that the rice she cooked wasn't enough since Henry was coming home and was bound to eat dinner here, she stormed off and declared that she and her brother would just eat bread instead. Not that I was being stingy in food or anything, but I was only stating a fact which she took negatively. I got pissed so I packed my kids and left in a huff.

Henry went to my parent's house the night later and took us home. He said he had spoken to his mom, and frankly, I don't care if he did or didn't. I wanted them to realize that there are just some things that they can't always do. I don't see anything wrong with proving my point, and if they do, the door's open and they can leave.

The only thing that made me sad about leaving was the way Keisha cried when her dad called at my mom's house. She was literally crying buckets of water and asking me repeatedly if I didn't love her dad anymore. I do, but I love them and myself more. I know the day will come that she'll understand why I did what I did, and I'm just glad that she had a blast staying at my mom's place.

Weaning Keisha from her Bottle

My mom in law and I have literally drained our minds with ideas as to how we can get Keisha to stop drinking her milk (chocolate or whatever) from her bottle. She knows how to drink from a glass without spills (and she's turning 4 in a matter of months) but she just won't stop. I think her drinking from a bottle is her way to make herself fall asleep or something. But I always thought that only babies enjoyed the sucking reflex...well, I may be wrong.

We're hesitant to take drastic actions like putting chili powder on the bottle's nipple so she's stop drinking from it altogether. But knowing how smart she is, she'll probably just ask us to buy her a new bottle.

The Godfather

Just kidding with the title, but it's also true. Keisha's godfather Chris is staying with us for the time being. He's back in the travel industry with my husband and since he lives in Bulacan, staying here for the meantime makes it easier for him to commute. Also, their reporting times at work range from 3am-5am, so by staying here, he gets enough sleep and gets to save on fare too.

Keisha's always been nice to her godfather, and I know she's being extra nice lately since her birthday is a couple of weeks away. I'm just glad that they're getting along really well and I have an extra hand in case we're all busy. Plus, he cooks really well too.

Choosing the Right Job

I'm a mother of two daughters - Keisha who's turning four in a matter of weeks, and Simone who just turned 3 months weeks ago. Whenever I mention work to Keisha, she always frowns and walks away. When she doesn't, she asks me, "Why are you leaving me? Will you be home soon?"

I've worked in call centers before, I've considered a career in teaching, nursing jobs even. But what I'm really looking for is a job that will not take me away from my kids. I've been staying at home for several months already and I'd like to help in the finances, too. I hate seeing Henry tiring himself out at work even when he's sick just so he can earn money for us. Although we have our own internet cafe, I feel somehow it's still not enough.

I've turned to blogging as a source of income for me from home, and I honestly enjoy it. I get to do what I love - write - and occasionally get paid for it at the same time. I hope this blogging venture of mine will be successful so that I don't have to work away from home.

Keisha's upstairs watching Jumong with her dad, and I wonder how tomorrow will be for all of us.

Busy with Y8

Keisha's sitting beside me right now in front of her own pc, busy playing Bratz Babyz on Y8. I find watching her really amusing, she's really concentrated and has her brows tightly knit in focus on the game. When you call he attention, she'll rarely respond; and even get annoyed at that.

She just switched the game to Scooby Doo, and just switched it to Deal or no Deal right now. She's looking at me; I think she knows I'm writing about her as I often glance at her and smile.

One of our neighbor's son JM is currently watching her play and rooting for her. I guess I'll just never cease to be amazed at her everyday activities.

Bubble Gang

Since it's a Friday, Keisha got to watch her favorite show - Bubble Gang aired every Fridays on GMA 7. For a three year old (she'll technically be four 24 days from now), I am amazed at how she manages to laugh at punchlines and read between the lines of jokes. There was even one time we were watching the show together and she looked at me first before laughing (the joke was green).

I guess I'm still amazed at how children's minds function and develop. I know she's really smart for her age and I'm happy. I don't want to take the credit for her being smart and shrug it off as genes, but sometimes I wonder how she got that smart that fast.

Now if I can focus her energies towards writing and reading, we're off to a good start before she goes to school next school year.

Daddy's Home

Henry came home around 5am today, and my mom in law woke me up to share a bowl of soup with her and Henry. He had all these funny stories about his trip, souvenirs and food for us and for our friends.

Keisha is normally hard to wake up from a deep sleep, but when we shook her a bit and told her he daddy was home, she instantly stood up and kissed him.

This afternoon, we went to SM Valenzuela and brought her toys of her choice, a bit of grocery shopping, and we ate ice cream, hot dogs, and other stuff.

They're asleep already, and he'll be gone for another day tour. I'm just glad that the waiting period for Keisha's over.

Looking for Daddy Part 2

This is Monic, I forgot my Blogger password so I'm using Leslie's instead. Lol.

I wonder when my son will be home exactly. I know he'll be gone 4 days and 3 nights, but I can't give an exact date to Keisha in the fear that I may disappoint her. What's funny about my granddaughter Keisha is that there are times when she seems to have no care at all for her dad, yet while he's gone, she's the person most affected by his absence.

I remember the first time Henry went for an out of town trip and she threw a huge fit right after he left - not while he was still here. It's hard to get her to sleep since she anxiously waits for any sound our front door makes and she rushes to see if it's her dad already.

No matter how hard Leslie and I explain to her the situation, all she understands is that her dad is not home and she wants him home, fast.

Looking for Daddy

Keisha's been driving me and my mom in law nuts with her constant questions regarding where her dad is and when he'll be home. The first time Henry went on a long trip, Keisha literally threw everything she could find around and cried her lungs out. While her dad was still here, she even asked, "If I behave really well, would you still leave?"

I knew Henry felt bad about leaving us, but he has to do it for the money. The 5k he'll be taking home means a lot to us. I'd like to think and state that when Keisha grows up, she'll understand why her daddy leaves us for work, and eventually not feel sad while he's gone and just look forward to his return.

Funny, I perfectly understand why he leaves for long trips, but I still feel sad.

Accident Prone Keisha

Around noon yesterday, Keisha was doing bunny-hops on the stair steps, and before I could say "Stop" she tumbled down the stairs with her back going first. My mom in law and I almost had a heart attack, luckily the refrigerator was stationed below the staircase; so her back hit the fridge and broke her fall. She fell for almost 4 steps, I think. Everything was a blur. Luckily, she wasn't hurt or anything but it took us almost half an hour to calm her down and stop her from crying.

I'm sure she learned a lesson yesterday. As a parent, I don't want getting my kids hurt but sometimes, it's the only way for them to learn. I'd like them to know that when they stumble, it doesn't matter how high or how hard they fall, but how they get themselves back up.

Meeting Aunts

Henry and I picked Keisha up from my mom's house earlier tonight. We went there around 4pm since my aunt Vyon and her two daughters, Amanda and Marty, came home from Riyadh. She's been working there for as long as I remember, and this was the first time Keisha met her and her other aunts.

Keisha had a fun time staying at my mom's house, primarily because she had my older sister Elena with her anyway. I was worried she wouldn't eat that much after she recovered from her fever and cough, but my sister said she ate a lot. She slept early, too.

I was concerned about Keisha's interaction with Marty. Although technically she is Keisha's aunt, she's only 7 years old and Keisha's almost as tall as she is. They didn't get along really well, since Keisha bullied her most of the time, but Keisha was quick to apologize and acknowledge her mistakes. When Simone grows up, this would also be the first time Keisha will have someone to play with.

I'd like to think that this is due to the fact that Keisha did not grow up playing with other kids her age, nor with any kid at that. I'm sure she'll outgrow bullying other kids, especially when her sibling grows up.

Right now she's busy watching "Ful Haws" (not sure of the spelling of house) with Vic Sotto and Pia Guanio. It's 11pm right now, and she'll probably fall asleep once the show is over.

Busy at Work

Really sorry we haven't been able to update this blog as much as we'd like to. For starters, I'm busy at work and Leslie's busy with the kids, my mom's pretty much busy with a little bit of everything.

Even though I'm at work, I love going to home. I love the way Keisha's eyes lights up whenever she sees I'm home, and especially if I have a little something for her, like her favorite chocolate bar. I think it was yesterday when I gave her a big baby doll that laughed whenever she moved it. She was really happy at first, then later on got annoyed when the laughing wouldn't stop. She managed to figure out on her own that all she needs to do is to stop moving the doll. After she did, she left the doll on top of her clothes cabinet and hasn't moved it since. She also gave strict instructions to not move the doll unless she told us to.

Sleeping Habits

Keisha didn't sleep this afternoon. She ended falling asleep really early, around 6pm and ended waking up around 10pm. We couldn't get her to sleep right back, so she ended up going downstairs and playing her favorite PC games (she threatened to scream and wake Simone up so we just let he have her way). I was (and still am while writing this) watching the shop, and then I remembered she hasn't had dinner yet. So I ended up cooking her instant noodles (her favorite) which she ate wholeheartedly.

After her late dinner, Henry managed to convince Keisha to go to bed, and she agreed only if we let her drink her milk from her feeding bottle. We've been trying to wean her from the bottle and get her to drink from a glass, but we've been unsuccessful. I hope that when she goes to school next year, she'll stop drinking from the bottle herself.

Keisha's Turn

My mom's all better, but it's Keisha's turn to be sick, I guess. She most probably got her cough from my mom, since they sleep together in one bed, and also the fact that Keisha won't stop kissing my mom. So there, she's coughing in her sleep and has lost a little of her appetite.

What she hasn't lost though, is her appetite for playing computer games. When she wakes up, the first thing she does is to sit in front of the pc and ask my mom or Leslie or me to type in her favorite websites, Y8 and Puffgames. And she's all set - she chooses what game to play herself and even figures out on her own how to operate those games as well. My kid's pretty smart.

And since I'm back in the travel industry, Leslie's the one who usually stays up late to watch the shop. Keisha's ok with having Simone sleep in her bed until Leslie goes up to bed herself and takes Simone with her. I'm just worried since Keisha is such a fidgety sleeper, she might hit Simone or something. But not to worry, my mom stays in the middle anyway.

Still Sick

My mom in law's still sick...it's been several days already, and I'm honestly beginning to worry. She's always pretty tough against fevers, colds and coughs, but I guess she was hit pretty hard this time. It's a pretty good thing I have Henry to help me around the house, or else I'd probably be nuts right now. It's hard to take care of two kids, plus the computer shop and the entire house in general. She is taking her meds religiously, and and hopefully in the coming days, she'll be a lot better and back to playing Tantra.

Keisha is, as always, very considerate with her grandma. She helps me massage her, takes water up to her room, and always asks whether it's time for her to drink her medicines. I'm very thankful to have Keisha around, she's a big help.

Down With the Flu

My mom-in-law's down with the flu...she has a pretty high fever, colds, and body pains. Henry's out at work, so I'm stuck taking care of the two kids and managing the house, plus watching the computer shop....whew. But she still manages to get up and help me whenever she can.

Keisha has to be the most considerate daughter ever. She knows her grandma is sick, so she's behaving pretty well today. She's not making much of a fuss about everything and anything (like she always does) and even watches over her grandma. For today, she's in-charge of watching over Simone, she goes to the bathroom unsupervised, and ate a lot during lunch.

I hope when Keisha grows up, she'll keep this attitude of hers. For a baby (yes, I still call her baby) who's turning four, she's pretty responsible. Simone's lucky to have her as a sibling. :-)

It's Keisha who's Sick Now

Simone's a lot better today, but it's Keisha who's down with the snuffles. Her grandmother caught her stuffing Simone's nasal aspirator in her nose after she just used it on Simone, so everything that she took out of Simone's nose went inside Keisha's (yuck). So when Keisha woke up today, she had watery eyes, sneezed a lot, and talked differently.

After 2 days of fever due to her immunizations, we were able to bathe Simone. Boy, was she happy to bathe! Before she even finished her bottle, she fell fast asleep. I think it'll be after lunch that she'll wake up.

My Favorite Pictures of Keisha

For my first post, I've decided to share some of my favorite pictures with my eldest daughter, Keisha. I've chosen these pictures (aside from being in them) because these are the photos I feel have captured a little bit of my daughter's personality - smart, funny, charming, and even obnoxiously cute. My wife was right, you really can't stop talking about your kids.

While I Can Spare Some Time

I'm busy taking care of my grandchild Simone...her fever is running a bit high due to her immunizations early today, and all she wants is to be carried all the time - even when she's asleep! I'm squeezing in this post since Simone is asleep. I have my eldest grandchild Keisha to watch over her anyway, she'll be screaming my name when Simone wakes up. Taking care of my grandkids are such a joy after all, they're the only grandkids I have. My son Henry is an only child.

Simone Got Immunized

Very early today I took my daughter Simone to the doctor to have her immunization and to have her cough checked. She's been coughing for two days now, along with an occassional runny nose. We were gone for about two hours or so and when we got home, Keisha immediately descended the stairs and asked where I went.

"Where have you been mommy? I was looking for you everywhere."

"Simone and I went to the doctor for her shots."

"Did you bring anything back for me?"

"No, sorry I forgot," I said. I honestly forgot to buy her a present which was something I always did. She frowned, looked at Simone and then screamed.

"Mommy! There's bloooooood!"

One of Simone's legs where she was immunized had a little red dot of blood on it, and there were some that went to her dress. I wonder why kids are so fascinated with blood. Before she could press Simone's leg, I stopped her and explained, "Keisha, that spot hurts. She was pierced by a needle by the doctor."

"Oh, okay then. I'll watch tv instead."

Later this day, Simone got a fever of 38 degrees C, something that I expected as a result of the immunizations. I've never seen Keisha so concerned about Simone. She appointed herself as Head Doctor, applying a cold towel on Simone's forehead, talking to Simone in a soothing voice when it was time for her medicines, and she just laid by Simone's side, watching her sleep and patting her back whenever she coughed.

I guess today was a pretty good day for both Keisha and Simone.