Hip-Hop

... is now officially deceased. Case in point:

Blake Lewis-- cocky, pasty, diminutive, wannabe-beatboxer and second-rate Idol; trading spit with Doug E. Fresh. DOUG E. FRESH, ladies and gentlemen. "The Original Human Beatbox" himself, hawking his craft with a Munchkin hack. It's enough to make me cry.

Mommy's Girl

Any parent under the sun will tell you that a kid's preference will swing from mommy to daddy and back again in less time than it takes either of those parents to say "No, honey, you can't have that third popsicle." According to "experts", every growing-up phase children go through they change their minds about which parent they like best, so you really shouldn't take it seriously. Then, of course, there will be that time when the child will hate both parents, which I hear, is always fun for all involved. *shudder*

However, that being said, Chamina is clearly still in the Mommy's Girl phase. Don't get me wrong, she loves her Daddy and will look for him when he's not around, as in "Mommy? Where's Daddy? Is he stuck in traffic?" They wrestle, he throws her in the air and tickles her like there's no tomorrow, and they still love watching basketball together (she lies down on Daddy's tummy with her pillow and is content with life). But when she's tired or hurt, there are no hugs and kisses Daddy can give that will stop the "I want my Mmmommmmyyyy!" screams.

This, I know, will not last forever. My own mom reminds me of how it was the same for her, and how in the intervening years, my preferences would swing wildly from one to the other. At times, it was tricky to navigate the transition from mom to friend, and she often warns me of pitfalls she made in her life. If that's the ride I'm fated for then let it ride, but I do hope I end up with the same kind of relationship with my girl that I have with my mom. Every now and then, there are times in my life (just in the last couple of weeks, in fact) when I've been hurt and tired and all I want is to scream "I want my Mommy!" Funny thing, she is still right there with the hugs and the kisses. I always feel better after them, too. It isn't that complicated, after all. Thanks, Mom. Happy Mother's Day, everybody.

My two best girls

Cheese Ball

Okay, some people binge on ice cream; some have an undercover crack habit; I have "Dancing with the Stars". Edgar has almost given up talking to me Monday & Tuesday nights between 8-10. I can't help myself! Like most Americans, I began watching mainly because of the promise of gold-digger Heather McCartney's fake leg falling off (you know you're waiting for the same thing! See you in hell!). But now, I have developed a married-woman crush on Apolo Anton Ohno and I looove Laila Ali (although she does kind of startle me when she talks, her voice is so low). I even want John "Cliff" Ratzenberger to stay awhile longer. *sigh* TV makes fools of us all...

The Landlord

I saw "The Landlord" a couple of days ago, and I can't stop laughing every time I think of it. I doubt Will Ferrell needs the free publicity generated from my blog, but I'm hell-bent on getting all my two readers to view his comic genius. You won't be sorry! And the world is not ready for Pearl. By the way, the image on the right has nothing to do with the video clip; I just thought it was frickin' hilarious.

Easter

I don't know why, but every Easter I'm reminded of that scene in Steel Magnolias at the very end, when they have an egg hunt, and Darryl Hannah's character goes into labor right in the middle of it while her husband (dressed as the Easter Bunny) catches a ride from the guy who plays Dolly Parton's son. It's such a random scene, but I always have to think about it at least once during Easter.

Our festivities didn't have pregnant ladies going into labor (although this might have been different if Maloos had been there!) but there was an honest-to-goodness Egg Hunt this time (if you recall, there was a faux-hunt last year). Quatarites Joaquin & Sofia joined the fun, as well as their cousin Alex (Gaby's brother's son) from Phoenix. Marley, Katrina, and Chamina rounded out the kid-quotient, and since all of them were a year older, egg-hunting made a little bit more sense this time around. Although, on second thought, I may be using the word "sense" a bit loosely... Chamina liked to pick just the eggs that were either translucent or had sparkles on them. She repeatedly tossed the eggs from her basket she didn't think were pretty enough to make the grade. Katrina was only interested in opening the eggs and eating the chocolate inside, and Sofia just liked to wander around and look at everyone else's baskets. Marley and Joaquin seemed to tire of the hunting after a short while, and adults were the only ones picking up eggs after a little time had passed.

Chamina & Katrina had Easter
dresses in the same shade of green

Bun & Fli, checking out their loot

Fortunately, there were also exciting announcements to be had: mainly, Mark and Christa are engaged! Yay! An upcoming wedding-- and it's an Ople boy! Frankly, I was surprised nobody present keeled over from shock. Of course, there are so many wedding-starved women in this family (yours truly included) that even if the couple decided they didn't want to plan a single event, there would be "planners" a-plenty to take up the slack.

All in all, an Easter for the books...

My adorable God-child!

Katrina, Marley, Chamina, & Sofia
(Katrina was in no mood for pictures)

Planning the bachelor parties
(Oh yes, more than one!)

The inseparable duo

New Haircut!

With a new season comes a new look! She had her first "salon" experience at Orange's own Kids' Hairstyling studio, which was quite enjoyable for both of us. Chamina, because she got to play with a weird cootie-toy while her hair was being cut, then she got a lollipop right afterwards. Enjoyable for me because I didn't have to be the one cutting her hair! Now, she's all ready for Spring. Next thing you know, we'll be visiting a nail spa for her first pedi...

"I so cuuute!"

Pre-Schooler

Happy girl!

The first six weeks of her post-uteran life passed like an eternity for me. It was as if God wanted to erase every pre-Chamina memory I ever had in as short a time as possible. Constant worry, no sleep, and a complete and utter feeling of incompetence (did I mention no sleep?) made me wonder why in the world I ever wanted to have a baby in the first place. But time is kind, and after I emerged from my cocoon of "What has happened to my world?" bewilderment; life with her began to be... well, there's nothing like it. I wonder if there is any parent who doesn't look around from time to time and wonder at the sublime madness that is parenthood. I'm not even talking just about parents of young children, I'm also including those parents who have 18, 21, 31 year olds, who never seem to be able to stop worrying whether their kids are okay. I know I'm going to be one of them someday.

I worry when she doesn't tiptoe into our room at 2 in the morning, whispering "M-mo-mmy" plaintively and dragging her stuffed toy and pillow before snuggling into her cozy, makeshift bed on the floor next to our bed. I wait for those sounds nightly, and when they don't happen, I have to get out of bed just to check on her and see if she's alright. She always is, but I always check anyway.

I know I will have to change, even as she changes, our routines never quite staying the same long enough for me to get comfortable. My pre-Chamina memories have come back to me (maybe not as sharp and intact as they once were), but they seem more distant somehow. They serve to ward off senility and remind me how much I have to be thankful for now... especially for one little preschooler (and her faithful dog).

It doesn't look like it but they're playing, I swear!

We Belong in the Zoo

I never wrote about Chamina's first visit to the San Diego Zoo! How could I have missed such a turning point in her life? :) We took a midweek trip during my Winter Break just to go to the zoo with Nonna and Poppy. The crowds were minimal, the day was beautiful, and we got to see animals galore. Among Chamina's favorites: the elephants, giraffes, the hippo ("He's fat!" she declared flatly), the tapir (because it looks like the one in "Go, Diego, Go!"), and the rhino... which, well, let me just explain:

We were passing through the rhino enclosure as the beast was jogging around, getting exercise. Chamina wanted to take a closer look, so I paused and explained what it was. Then, the creature decided it was a good time to pee. So, it stopped right in front of us, and like a typical man just whipped out its member and did its business. My mom and I gasped, and Chamina yelled out, "Mommy! Rhino has a poin-toin-toin... like Rollo! It's... BIG!!!" She started laughing hysterically while pointing to the swollen, red schlong, gushing pee. It was awesome.

Here's the handsome devil, but we're blocking out his manhood.

That was pretty much the capper. Really, how does it get any better than that? To this day, she'll explain to anyone who'll listen that she saw a rhino with a poin-toin-toin like Rollo's, but now she says "It was HUGE!" and she even indicates how enormous by using hand motions (think "I caught a fish-- this big!"). Too bad Poppy didn't get a photo of the offending creature's private parts. It would've been a classic shot along the lines of my brother's photo in front of the copulating zebras 30 years ago. Ah, the memories!

Mommy, are the elephants going to pee, too?

Remember me? I'm back!!

Egads, sorry! I really dropped the blogging ball these past few weeks. I couldn't find the USB cable for my camera, so I couldn't download photos for the longest time. I couldn't very well blog without photos (let's be honest, you look at this for the pictures, right?), therefore no blogs! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Anyway, this is what Chamina looks like now, in case anyone's forgotten. :) Now that I've got my USB cable back, I promise to update religiously (or at least more than once every 6 weeks).

Ah! SNOW!

Edgar and I left Chamina in Nonna and Poppy's capable hands last Saturday and drove 6 hours to Mammoth for a child/dog-free weekend of snowboarding. (Gnarly, dude!) Since going to Big Bear last month (see Bina's blog!), I've been collecting snowboard gear in what has become quite an expensive pursuit. I figured I'd need to put the boots/bindings/board to work sometime before the next millenium, hence the trip to Mammoth.

Joining us on our journey were several intrepid boys: JJ, Ben, Anton, EJ, Eric, and Mark D. (who-- God bless him--also brought along that magical console known only as Wii!). They actually (with the exception of Mark) drove in the dead of night to get to Mammoth in time to snowboard all day Saturday and Sunday. Since Edgar and I couldn't very well leave Chamina without warning in the middle of the night, we settled for boarding on Sunday.

Thank goodness, too, because Sunday was wonderful! It snowed the entire day, but it wasn't too windy or stormy, so we didn't have too much trouble with lifts or anything (except for me trying to get off of them without landing on my face). We were able to board all day without the trails getting icy or packed, and my butt was grateful for the soft, soft snow that kept piling up on the ground.

After hours it was all about the Wii, baby! I wish I could've taken pictures of the boys boxing or the doubles tennis matches, but I didn't even know I had my camera until the second night(!). Still, I managed one of EJ and his grill... when Jay decides to share the ones he took of everyone snowboarding, I'll post those, too!

Heartbreak

This post is not in the usual spirit of perky observations of my child, but I had to sound off somewhere and the lame FOXSPORTS blog BlogJam's Blog won't let me add a comment to the 3,534 it already has regarding this issue. That being said, I'm pouring my heart out here.
I've been a Charger fan for as long as I've known about football (which is a looong time, thanks to an older brother who steadfastly coached me on all things pigskin... he refused to have a sister who threw or caught "like a girl", so I can actually work a pretty nice spiral). Now, I can't quote stats, I only recognize key players from year to year, and I know my limitations in understanding strategy, but I love my Chargers and I've stayed upbeat about them through thick and (mostly) thin times.

This past season was like a string of magical games since September! I saw them go from week to week and WIN with nothing more than luck and LT's superb skills. Being a true Charger fan, I went from being cautiously optimistic at first (you CANNOT go full-throttle after a couple of wins, it just doesn't work that way with the Chargers)... to being pretty uplifted when the wins continued to pile up... to being absolutely F*&$#&@N' thrilled when they ended the regular season with a 14-2 record. Unbelievable.


However, as all things with the Chargers inevitably go, the roller-coaster highs always seem to have a way of crashing spectacularly down again. As was the case on Sunday: you've read it elsewhere already if you're any kind of football fan. I was lucky enough to bear witness to that heart-attack-waiting-to-happen known as the playoff game with the Patriots, and it was every bit as nail-biting and heart-pumping as the sports writers recounted. That was the most intense, bitter loss I have ever felt for my team in my life. It wasn't that they lost, it was that they really could have won, but didn't. I remember watching the Super Bowl a long time ago (the only one they've been to) and thinking "I love you guys, but this ain't gonna happen." This time it was totally different. This was our game to lose, and we lost it.

I don't blame LT for getting emotional about this season-ender. He truly is a great player and he deserved a shot at Super Bowl glory even if some of his teammates did not. His outburst at the end of the playoff game was entirely pardonable, and his trademark restraint and poise will erase this incident to nothing in due time. To all those Pats fans who were insulting him on BlogJam's Blog, I only have this to say-- they're the ones that sound like complete jacka$$es. When Tom Brady is gone and New England is no longer the juggernaut it's been in this decade, maybe they'll display a little more "class" and remember what the word "humble" means. Meanwhile, I'm rooting for the Saints to go all the way (go Brees!).

As pathetically depressed as I am about it now, though, I know almost exactly what will happen to me in about 6 months or so. I'm going to peek at the Bolts roster, make a few timid overtures to find out what's going on with the team, and come fall, I'll watch them again. And hope. Like one always does with the Chargers. There's always that hope.

Happy Holidays

Yipes! I've been seriously remiss on my blogging, I'm afraid... I'm on a new quest this year (tell ya more about that in some other post) and I've been messing around with that instead of doing the more important work of keeping all my readers (i.e. 3 people) updated on Chamina's doings!

But let me be remiss no more! I'll start my penance by talking about Christmas. This is definitely a Christmas Chamina will remember, although the scary thing is that she also seems to remember last year's holiday season as well (when she was 1 and a half)... We ate dinner out the other day, and Edgar and I were playing the stall-tactic of showing her photos from our cellphones to pass time before our meal got to the table. There was a photo of her taken at the hotel where we stayed in Manila last year, and she said "Oh, look! A picture of me, in da Peel-ah-peens." Edgar and I just looked at each other, rather frightened than impressed. Neither of us had talked about or even looked at these pictures in months, and we had NO idea how she knew or remembered where she was at that time. Scary.

Speaking of scary, we avoided the whole Santa-visititation at the local mall, because I already knew what Chamina's reaction would've been. She's not into talking to strangers AT ALL. Being forced to sit on a stranger's lap and get pictures taken would probably have sent her into traumatic shock. We instead opted to keep Santa and Frosty as abstractions, at least for this year. She saw Santa in pictures, read books about him, and we explained the whole coming-down-the-chimney-to-deliver-gifts thing. She balked at that last part a little bit, but was content with the rest. Frosty, on the other hand, became one of her best friends. She LOVED the "Frosty the Snowman" song and story, looked for him whenever we were out, and mourned his loss sadly when she noticed Christmas decorations being taken down.

But (of course) by far the best part for Chamina (as it was for all of us, Rollo too!) was having two whole weeks to visit and spend time with family and friends.

Here's Chamina, tearing open the "Dora's Enchanted Castle" Santa delivered Christmas morning.

The 3 Stooges at Tee Jean's house

Rachel, Karla & Tina... "Ay! Mga dalaga na!"

Acting silly with Tia Maloos

School Days

Edgar and I spent some time with Chamina at her pre-school last Thursday for their "Friendship Day". The kiddies had prepared "friendship soup" (like a vegetable minestrone), homemade bread and fruit leather and we had a nice little dinner in her classroom with the other parents. We had a chance to see how Chameans spent her days and talked with some of her homies.

One of Chamina's favorite activities- digging for "treasures"

Samantha, her amiga por vida

Holiday Photos

Chamina and I went on a quest to take Christmas portraits this morning. I usually have her pictures taken at Kiddie Kandids inside Babies R' Us, because you could walk right in and there's never any wait. I didn't anticipate a holiday rush being that it was a regular old middle-of-the-week Tuesday. I mean, everyone couldn't have taken the day off like I did this morning, right? When I got there (at 10am!) I was told there were no sitting times available until 2:00! Yipes! I guess everyone did take the day off.

I called one other Babies R' Us and Sears-- no luck. If anything, the wait was even longer. So, I busted out my ELPH and took some shots of my own at home. They aren't professional grade by any stretch of the imagination, but it doesn't take much to make kiddies and doggies look cute! I'm kinda glad I didn't spend a truckload of money on photos after all, because Chamina was interested in posing for maybe about 10 seconds before she started getting antsy. I managed to get in a few pretty pictures, though! Bribery is the key, it turns out, for both humans and animals.

"Say CHEESY!"

Ok, one more and I'll let you watch "Big Sister Dora".

Turkey Day

Turkey Day on the (Mira) Mesa: Another "friendly" game of Turkey Bowl saw the white-jersey Chargers roll to victory despite their stunning lack of Oples and an abundance of girls (Yeah, Tina and Theresa, we rock!). Unfortunately, no one was around to videotape the darn thing (What? Blasphemy!), so it was up to everyone's fuzzy memory and a few courtesy shots from Karla.

Yes, that's EJ's scary, white butt in the middle of the picture below.

Why?!? Dear God, WHY?!?

Uncle Jim's was the place to be afterwards, with the hot tub bubbling warmly and the gorge-fest piled high in the kitchen & desserts in the dining room. I swear, I don't know if it's a Filipino thing or just an our family thing, but our spread always makes even those gargantuan Thanksgiving dinners on TV look slightly anemic. Karla's to-die-for sinigang na baboy made everyone's second-helping list and pretty soon it had disappeared behind many an expanding waistline along with the lechon kawali, BBQ pork, and pancit. Man, I love this holiday!

There were birthday shout-outs to Kimay and Uncle Bob, who turned 21 and 50 respectively (redux birthdays are very much in vogue now). This came with even more delicioso food (mango cake- yum). Did I mention how much I love this holiday? =)

The best part is the hanging-around-with-people-you-adore time, but that goes without saying...

After the sh*t-talk, bati na naman

The little monsters

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Feet

Here's a good shot of the silly chupacabra's foot... she has Fred Flintstone toes like her mama (all even and spread-outish), but her feet are still cute.

Potty-Training (aka The 7th Circle of Hell)

Why aren't people just born knowing how to use the damn toilet? I subjected Edgar, Rollo, Chamina and myself to 3 days of intensive potty-training madness because a co-worker of mine swore up and down this was THE ultimate way to get kids using the "potty". She sent me the guide, which I proceeded to devour like a starved beast.

One vital question before I continue my story is, "Why am I so desperate for Chamina to get out of diapers?" Well, I actually never intended to hurry her through the potty-training process, having been a rather difficult child to train in that area myself (or so I've been told). I figured, she's bound to get it before she goes to kindergarten so what's the rush? Then circumstance reared its unpredictable head: Miss Myrna decided to retire after 21 years in the child care business, and Chamina needed to find another daycare! EGADS. (What does this have to do with potty-training, you ask? Read on...)

Edgar and I immediately rushed to UCI Child Care Services (where we've been on the waiting list since I was 3 months pregnant with Chamina). We were told there was an opening in November! Yay! The Child Care Center's affiliated with a wonderful university, its reputation is unmatched in Orange County, and Edgar would be RIGHT THERE in case anything should come up. It was perfect! We toured the classrooms, playgrounds, we met the Director, Chamina's teacher, even the pet chicken "Chickety-Chick". All was well, until we saw the fees. Not to bore you with sordid details, but my eyes bugged out and I think Edgar may have swallowed his tongue.

Anyway, seeing as how this was THE BEST option hands down, we "sucked it up" so to speak, and enrolled Chamina. There was a ray of hope, however. The fees went down pretty drastically if the child had "toileting skills". AHA! Hence, 3-day potty boot camp.

Now, back to my potty-training nightmare... it's not quite as bad as labor, birth, or the first 6 weeks of mothering, but it ranks pretty high up there. I had to muster up all my patience not shake the bejeebers out of poor little Chamina every time she peed on the floor. You see, this 3-day guide goes for the jugular-- you are not allowed to use Pull-Ups, Training Pants, or any other padded contraption that may make things easier for you and your child. No, you just use regular panties and CLEAN UP the mess everytime she makes it.

"But," you may think,"How often does a child pee/poop during the day anyway? Once? Twice? It can't be that bad!" HAHA. The Nazi guide also tells you to ply your unsuspecting kid with all forms of liquid (popsicles, juice, water, milk) ALL day, so they can "practice" going to the toilet as much as they possibly can. Isn't that a form of torture you're not allowed to use under the Geneva Conventions?

I didn't think either of us was going to be left standing after the first day of this. Chamina peed so much I prayed we wouldn't get washed away in a river of urine. Thank God for tile floors! The second day was only slightly more bearable. I was beginning to doubt my own sanity, and I was sure I had compromised Chamina's as well.

Then TODAY happened. AAAAAHHHH! God really does listen on Sundays. I don't know what was different about today, but today she just GOT IT. She caught herself before she let go, told me "I need go toilet" and when she got there, she peed. HOORAY! She had one accident (which was actually mine and her Daddy's fault, because we weren't around and we both thought the other was watching her). I can't believe I'd be so happy about bowel movements and urine, but I was elated. I know she's far from being fully trained, and any parent would tell me in a heartbeat that she'll have many more accidents to come, but for now I am at peace with the potty.

Enjoying her umpteenth popsicle on Day 2

Wow, some things ARE instinctual!

Marley Fest 2006

No, this post's title isn't referring to a bacchanalian feast in celebration of Bob Marley. Rather, it headlines the 3-day craziness that was Leelai's 3rd birthday!

First up was a trip to the Long Beach Aquarium with the two monsters, where a GREAT time was had by all. We went on a non-crowded day (always a plus) and Chamina & I got to experience the Lorrikeet habitat for the very first time ever. It's not for the faint of heart, let me just say that right now. Tia Melon and I got molested by some very aggressive birds! Uncle Shevitz was much better at handling our (psycho) feathered friends, while Leelai and Cham just looked on with dazed, kind of scared, expressions.



We got to see all the fan favorites (manta rays, sharks, starfish, etc.) and even got special Halloween treats like touching a snake and a lizard (Marley was all about the hands-on experience but Cham was content just to look).

holding hands

Gigil!

The next day was Marley's Chuck E. Cheese birthday bash in Diamond Bar! Chuck E. Cheese was another first for Chamina, who TOTALLY loved the rides, games, kids, and food. In fact, the only thing she didn't love was Chuck E. Cheese himself. Poor mouse! It was like a scene from one of those movies, where the guy in the costume comes out and all the kids gasp, run away, and cry their eyes out. Chamina had a different technique: she turned her back on the offending creature and ignored him until he couldn't be ignored anymore. Then she just screamed "MOMMY!" That always works.

The monster approaches

AAAHHHHHH!!!

Aside from the creature-scare, she had a blast running around with partners-in-crime Leelai & Joey. While everyone else was packing up and getting ready to go, all you could hear was "GGGRRRRRROARRRR!!!!" and the three girls tearing around the play area and careening down the plastic slide.



Day 3 was the capper to the festivities, with Halloween and Marley's "real" birthday, at the Juarez clan's house in Glendora. I was afraid Chamina wasn't going to last until Halloween night, especially since her Lolo reported that she hadn't had a nap that afternoon... uh-oh. Sure enough, she took a nap on the way to Glendora, and did NOT appreciate being woken up when we got there. A long tirade and a few snotty boogers later, she agreed to get dressed in her princess outfit and go trick-or-treating with the rest of the gang. Jillian became her mentor: they held hands on the way to each front door, she helped Cham get down any steps, and she reminded her to say "Trick-or-treat" and "Thank you!" It was truly one of the most adorable things I have ever seen.

pictures with Lolo before the drive to Glendora

Afterwards was a muuuuch smoother time, with the little ones playing with their bags of goodies (but only one treat!), and everyone enjoying each other's company. Leelai had a pumpkin pie cake and a rousing rendition of the "Happy Birthday" song, then she, Joey, and Cham got silly for the cameras. Those 3 are hilarious together.

Aurora & Jasmine

All in all, it was hectic, crazy, and exhileratingly fun!