Gender Distinctions

Sometimes I wonder what Daddy Cat thinks about being the only representative of the male species in our household.



Laila is sometimes ruthless in reminding him that he doesn't 'belong' in our exclusive girls group. 'Ikaw boy, ako girl. Si Mummy girl,' she tells him.



At bedtime, Laila would push his hand away when he reaches over me to rub her in the belly. But before doing that, Laila would check whose hand it was disturbing her road to dreamland. If she sees it's mine, Baby Cat just tucks it under her arm. If she realizes it's Dady Cat's, she swats it away with agonized complaints of 'A sikep! Moov over! Moov over!'



She also resists Daddy Cat's embraces while she openly seeks for mine.

I enjoy every bit of it of course. Go girl power!!!

Socialite

It looks to me that Baby Cat is getting invited to more parties than me.



I'd first encontered that idea in family-themed comics. I thought it was a funny exaggeration. Now that Laila's social circle has expanded to preschool I realize that it wasn't so much of an exaggeration after all.



This week she was invited to the birthday party of a classmate. A couple of weeks ago it was the party of a neighbor. A few weeks before that was the party of another neighbor.



Oh well. I guess it's not the parties that bother me as much as the cost of gifts to get her friends. Sounds cheap to scrimp on birthday presents. But, hey, I scrimp on everything.



But great presents do not necessarily have to be expensive. Daddy Cat and I get a lot of good items on sale. And I prefer giving books instead of toys and books always look expensive even on sale.



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I don't say it out loud often enough, but I am excited for Laila whenever she attends parties. It helps her improve her social skills. I just beam whenever she smoothly adjusts to new situations and venues.



I was more aloof when I was about Laila's age. I guess I was a bit shy. But that was primarily because I didn't get enough opportunity to practice my social skills.

Blah Blah...Blahk Ship

Baby Cat is a big songbird. Her current fave song is this one:



Blah blah blahk ship

Henny henny whul

Less-sir less-sir

Hee haa hool

Hann hnn hnn ster

Hann hnn name

Hann hnn boy

Lainn

Blah blah blahk ship

Henny henny whul

Less-sir less-sir

Hee haa hool



Certainly you can recognize her rendition of Bah Bah Black Sheep. She's basically gotten the tune although she has yet to master the lyrics. Her made-up words to the song sound better to my ears though.



I can never get tired of her singing. I actually beg her to sing, bribing her with anything on hand. A piece of chocolate, a cup of chocolate milk. Anything! Just to get her to sing.



It's bad practice I know. I turn hypocrite and forget for the time being what baby books say about bribes and their long-term effects. But wouldn't you do the same if you were me?



Her mini-concerts are something to behold. Laila becomes a soft-voiced soprano--if there's such a singer type--avoiding all eye-contact but continuing to sing nonetheless. When she's in a really good mood, she includes a swing of the hips and some flailing arms to her routine.



She also belts out a Rock-a-bye Baby once in a while, and then abruptly stops to exclaim with concern: 'Hulog yung baby baba, lakas hangin kse.'



Baby Cat might not be able to say the lyrics right, but she understands them.

Seeing the World

I often have these bouts of insecurity, worrying that I'm depriving Laila of precious time and attention and nurturing because of the work I do.

And then there are moments that I am reminded why I do the work I do and how I am hoping that my work would help Laila become a responsible and well-rounded individual.

I went to Sulu and Basilan last weekend. What we hear about those two islands is never good. It's always blood and gore or poverty and deprivation. We do not hear how beautiful the islands are. But they are.

Here's a photo of the mangroves in Tabyawan, Basilan. Even the brigade headqaurters there has a scenic view.

I think this is Sta. Cruz island just off the shores of Zamboanga City. It's not developed, but Col. Bob swears it's a perfect diving spot. I'm inclined to believe his claim. The water was crystal clear I could see the bottom from way up in the chopper.

I don't have photos from Sulu but the aerial view is just as scenic.

I'd like Laila to see these same places when she's older. Only, I wish she can visit Sulu and Basilan without worrying over personal security.

Compweeter Whiz

I've never been a techie. New technology brings out the rebel in me and I tend to hold back from trying the latest craze until almost everyone I know has picked up the bug.


I still treat my computer as a lightweight typewriter and mobile mailbox. My cell phone is, well, a mobile phone. I still don't know how to turn on the blue tooth. And I don't know how to check email sent to it. I've learned how to send an email from the phone, though, because it's my lifeline when I need to file a story and I'm in the field.


But Laila? She seems to enjoy technology more.

Here she is checking out my office laptop and 'working.' We hve a desktop at home and she's gotten adept in handling the mouse and clicking to where she wants to go.

Months ago we bought her a CD that has these kids' games. She calls it her Doggie ABCD (she still calls VCDs and CDs ABCD). One game involves fetching a newspaper, a shoe, a bone and what-have-you and giving it to the talking doggie. Another game allows her to click animal parts and the computer will 'talk' about it. It also tests her knowledge with shapes and colors, numbers and the alphabet.

Needless to say, she loves it. And I got my proof that she has mastered control over her hands and the basics of shapes and colors and etc.



And, as I''ve discovered recently, she knows how to get the CD from the CD dive and turn the compweeter off. She even remembered to switch off the regulator. I really don't like her handling anything that's plugged into an electric socket, but it was too late for me to do anything. (Mental note to self: don't let Laila do it again.)



I also bought her a toy laptop that she loves tinkering with. It teaches the same things but runs on two AA batteries so it doesn't add to the electric bill.

Hopefully, she sustains this romance with learning even when she gets older.

Rain Rain Go Away

Laila's been kept home from school the past three days because of the rain. Lucky her! How I wish I could've stayed home, curled under the covers instead of trudging through the downpour to get to the office.

She understands now that she doesn't go to school when it rains. No sense in risking her catching something just to get a perfect attendance in preschool. They don't even check the attendance. We realized that last year when most of the other parents kept their kids home during rains. there was a time when only Laila and another classmate attended class.

Now we know better. So her raincoat's been packed away, never to be used unless it's really, really necessary.

I remember my Mom making me attend class even when wind and rain was strong enough to whip away a grown carabao. Of course they checked the attendance in elemetary. But still, it would've been nice to just stay home.

Like now.

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The rain wasn't so bad last night. I mentioned this to Laila and. for the first time, she noticed it.

"Who turned off the rain?" she asked me and I just had to laugh.

I was about to come up with a make believe reason--I don't want to explain the rain cycle to her just yet--when she came up with her own.

"Jesus turned off the rain becase it was noisy. He couldn't go to sleep."

I couldn't have come up with something better!