Approve!

Raya and her classmates during their dance competition. Can't believe she'll be 9 soon!

God's Blessings Abound!

After she turned two years old, Cerise was scheduled once again to see Dr. Llego, the Development Pediatrician, for another assessment. I was excited to see the doctor knowing that Cerise has improved already and is a bubbly and walking toddler in our home. But I wanted to know how far she has progressed.

For her last thyroid test last July 31, 2012 once again her thyroid levels have normalized because of her medication. We have noted though that her medication has not been increased for a year already despite her growth in weight and height. This could be a good sign said her doctor that eventually her thyroid would normalize and that she need not take her medication anymore. We pray for that day! Her SGPT (liver enzymes) have normalized!! Her SGOT (liver enzymes too) is still slightly elevated  but lower than the last test last March! Praise God!

Back to the Dev Ped assessment, Dr. Llego noted the following improvements in Cerise:

• Can trot and climb stairs
• Can speak several words and word approximations; also speak a few phrases
• Starting to be manipulative (tests the patience of others) ---> typical of a two year old

Upon her observation and examination, she noted the following findings:

• Confidently walked around but with episodes of falling down
• Able to walk backward
• Imitated intonation of phrases heard
• Able to follow verbal commands

At her current age of 24 months, Cerise's skills in the following areas of development were shown to be at these levels:

• Locomotor (big muscle movements) - 16 to 18 months
• Personal-Social (self help skills & socialization) - 2 years
• Language (understanding others & expressing oneself) - 19 to 21 months
• Eye and Hand Coordination (grasping, drawing, writing) -2 years
• Performance (non-verbal problem solving) - 22 to 24 months

All areas except her Locomotor is of age! Dr. Llego believes that in a few months she may be released from Physical Therapy too. No need for Occupational Therapy or Speech Therapy. She has progressed very well! Praise God! Her doctor recommends that we continue Physical Therapy for further improvement of balance but we can decrease the frequency to once a week. We may discontinue per advice of Teacher Joy. We need to continue development stimulation at home and repeat the lab tests (thyroid hormones and liver enzymes) as scheduled.

Cerise has certainly come along way! She exhibits typical two year old behaviors and can be very insistent on what she wants. She can identify shapes by pointing (star, square, traingle, circle, oval) between 2 shapes. She can match common animals. She likes the alphabet. Cerise can imitate words and alphabets, She tries to converse and most often she SINGS while doing table top activities. :-)

She is a darling! Our darling and we love having her around! God has been so good to us and she is a living testament of that. :-)

Breaded Okra

Description:
Okra is another of those vegetables that I learned to eat after I married Mier. This is one of his favorites and I learned to cook it this way because of him too. Super yummy most especially if the okra is newly harvested. It has a sweet taste to it. :-) Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Okra
Flour
Egg
Japanese breadcrumbs
Oil for frying

For the sauce (I used a Tonkatsu sauce) mix together:
4 tbsp. tomato ketchup
2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar

Directions:
1. Put flour, egg and Japanese breadcrumbs in three separate wide dishes.
2. Add salt and pepper to the flour and mix well.
3. Dip okra in flour, making sure to shake off excess.
4. Dip in the egg, then into the breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumbs onto the okra, making sure that it is well coated.
5. Fry over medium-high heat until golden on both side.

Creamy Polenta

Description:
Since Filipinos are rice eaters, most of our dishes are best eaten with rice. But for a diabetic, starch from rice turns into sugar. Hence, Mier has to cut down on his rice. An alternative would be corn grits, which isn't really very appealing --- unless you make it so. :-) Here I made it creamy and tasty that it's almost like a mushroom risotto. :-)

Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup corn grits
all-purpose cream
grated cheese
butter
salt and pepper
sliced mushroom

Directions:
1. Bring the water to the boil in a sauce pan over high heat. Use a wire balloon whisk to stir the water. Gradually add the polenta whisking constantly until all the polenta is incorporated into the water.

2. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and the polenta is soft.

3. Add the cream, cheese, butter and mushrooms and stir until well combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

4. Perfect side dish for anything. :-)

Ampalaya with Egg

Description:
I didn't use to eat ampalaya (bitter gourd) until I married Mier. I never liked the bitterness of the vegetable. However my mother-in-law would cook this without a trace of the bitterness. Only then din I learn to like the vegetable. Now that Mier is also diabetic, I knew I would have to learn how to cook this. Today, I tried and happily was succesful with my first attempt! :-) This will definitely be a regular in our menu. :-)

Ingredients:
1 piece ampalaya (bitter gourd)
salt
garlic, minced
onion, diced
tomatoes, diced
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Cut the ampalaya lengthwise, removed the seeds then slice thinly.
2. Sprinkle with salt and leave it to soak for about 20-30 minutes.
3. Wash the ampalaya with water squeezing out the water and other juices. Do this 3-4 times. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in pan. Saute garlic, onions and tomatoes. Add ampalaya and cook through.
5. Add beaten egg and mix thoroughly with the ampalaya until egg is well-cooked.
6. Season with salt and pepper.

Corn and Malunggay Soup

Description:
They were selling these super sweet corn in school today. I knew exactly what we would have for dinner. :-)

Ingredients:
Garlic
Onion
Butter
Corn removed from cob (about 2 cobs)
Boiled water from corn (I boiled the other corn separately)
Malunggay leaves
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Saute garlic and onion in butter.
2. Add corn removed from the cob and continue sauteing.
3. Add boiled water from corn and allow to boil. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Put malunggay leaves and serve hot.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Description:
This is our favorite when we go to Chinese restaurants! Thank you to my friend, Arlene for the recipe! Now, we can do this in our home and enjoy it! Super yummy!!

Ingredients:
lettuce head, separated, washed and dried
olive oil
chopped garlic
chopped onions
500 grams ground chicken
1/4 cup chopped water chestnuts

(I wasn't able to include this but you can if you want)
1 cup comprises of 1 tbsp chopped mushrooms shitake
1 tbsp chopped oyster mushroom
1 tbsp chopped mushrooms

2 tbsp chopped woodear mushrooms (tainga ng daga)
2 tbsp spring onions
1 tbsp coriander (wansoy)

SEASONING
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine

Directions:
1. Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2. Mix all seasoning ingredients in a bowl. set aside
3. In a medium skillet, saute garlic and onions in olive oil. Add chicken and cook till brown stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Add water chestnuts, 1 cup mushrooms and woodear mushrooms. Add the seasoning mixture and cook till sauce dries up a little.


TO ASSEMBLE:
Put lettuce in a plate, spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf, add spring onions and wansoy. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a BURRITO and ENJOY.

Croquettas

Description:
I bought and boiled too many potatoes for my Shepherd's pie. What to do with about 1/2 kilo of mashed potatoes? Make croquettas, of course! Good thing I had leftover ground meat from our soft tacos dinner the other night and some grated cheese. Perfect!

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo of mashed potatoes (potatoes mashed with butter and milk)
flour
egg
breadcrumbs
any leftover meat (chicken, pork, beef, etc.)
grated cheese

Directions:
1. Mix mashed potatoes with leftover meat and grated cheese.

2. Put mashed potatoes with meats in refrigerator to cool. When cold enough, form into elongated ovals (or round balls, whichever you prefer) and place in a plate. Place in freezer for a few minutes.

3. Heat oil for frying.

4. Coat elongated ovals with flour then dip in beaten egg. Roll in breadcrumbs then deep fry.

5. Serve hot with salsa or any other dip. :-)

Shepherd's Pie

Description:
My kids love mashed potato! Who doesn't? :-) So I thought of doing this dish complete with vegetables to entice them to eat their carrots and peas. It was a huge hit! Raya actually asked if she can have it for
lunch in school the next day. :-)

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo potatoes
butter
milk
salt
1/2 kilo ground beef or pork
garlic and onions for sauteing
salt and pepper
thyme
basil
1/2 pack of frozen vegetables (carrots, corn and peas)

Directions:
1. Peel potatoes and boil in water with salt.

2. While potatoes are boiling, saute onions and garlic in oil in a pan. Put ground meat and stir around until it browns and crumbles. Season with salt and pepper, thyme and basil. Add the frozen vegetables and cook for 5 minutes stirring constantly. Set aside.

3. When potatoes are cooked, mash them and add butter, salt and milk until creamy.

4. Put cooked meat and vegetables in a baking dish. Layer with mashed potato. Bake for about 20 minutes until potatoes are slightly browned on top. :-)

Lifestyle Changes

A few weeks back, Mier wasn't feeling very well. He thought at first that this was because of his perennial sinusitis. A BP check showed his diastolic a little elevated. We decided to just see a cardiologist just to make sure that all is well. The doctor gave him antibiotics for his sinus problems then asked him to take a full blood check. Turns out that he has high blood sugar, high uric acid and triglycerides, high SGPT and SGOT results. In other words, high everything!

Since both his parents are diabetic, Mier could be considered as diabetic already based on the blood results. Well, he is more than 40 already and should really be watching what he eats. He used to play basketball once a week but when he stubbed his toe a few months back, he has stopped playing. The doctor refused to give him maintenance medicines just yet and says that all these results could be lowered by diet and exercise alone. And of course, less stress in life. :-) Doctor says that medicines are the easy way out and are for life. We won't need this if we eat right and play right.

So armed with this knowledge, Mier and I have talked about some lifestyle changes. More fish and chicken breasts on the menu. Whole wheat bread and gluten free foods. The doctor says we can still eat meat twice or thrice a week but less fat and less rice as much as possible. Mier doesn't want to switch to red rice but I think we can manage with white rice. Fruits can be eaten only with a meal and limited too. As much as possible no sweets.

I had to restructure our menu and plan around our diets. I had to think of fish and chicken dishes that are more palatable. I think so far, I've managed quite well. I haven't heard him complain of my cooking although most of the dishes are experimental. Hahaha! You can check a lot of my new recipes in the recipe section of this blog site.

He has tried to continue basketball and soccer too once a week and he tries to jog or brisk walk twice a week. He plans to go back to biking but needs to fix his bike first I think. We'll be checking his blood again in a month's time and hopefully results will be better already. I think we can manage with a change in lifestyle instead of taking in medications.

With these changes, we hope to teach the kids also to eat healthier and better. They have diabetes genes in both sides of the families (my dad is diabetic too) and I had gestational diabetes in 4 out of five pregnancies. I think this is a wake up call for all of us. Here's to a better life! :-)

Baked Fish in Foil

Description:
Found this recipe in a Cook magazine and saw it in one of those cooking shows in TV. The recipe says to use cod, halibut or snapper. I wasn't sure what the local names of these fishes were and thought maybe the parrot fish (mul mul) would suffice. It didn't come out as I expected it but Mier said it was yummy in itself so I can't argue with that anymore (Hahaha!). I will have to look for cod (ginadara or pina pina here) and do this recipe again with a different fish. But I would agree that it turned out pretty well too. :-)

Ingredients:
fish fillet
salt and pepper
1 1/4 tsps lemon zest
1 tsp thyme
4 tbsps butter, softened
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsps minced fresh parsley leaves
carrots peeled and cut into matchsticks
leeks halved lengthwise and cut into matchsticks
foil cut into 12 inch sheets

Directions:
1. Combine butter, 1/4 lemon zest, 1 tsp garlic, thyme, salt and pepper in small bowl.

2. Combine parsley, remaining tsp lemon zest and remaining garlic in another small bowl.

3. Place carrots and leeks in medium bowl and season with salt and pepper.

4. I made 2 foil pockets dividing the ingredients into 2. To assemble: Place carrots and leeks on center of foil. Season fish fillet with salt and pepper and put on top of vegetable mound. Spread butter mixture on top. Place second foil on top and crimp edges together in 1/2 inch fold creating a packet.

5. Put packets on baking dish and put in heated oven for 15 minutes or less. After baking, carefully open foil, allowing steam to escape. Sprinkle with parsley mixture and some lemon juice. Serve immediately. :-)

Learning to Dance in the Rain

I have always loved the rain. The sound of the pitter patter on the roof, the smell of the grass and the ground getting wet, the feel of the cold air all around. I love curling up in a corner with a good book on one hand and a cup of chocolate on the other while the rains would fall down outside. I have have never been afraid of the simple rain. I would love the opportunity to get wet a little, to feel the water on my skin.

But just as too much of anything isn't good, storms are a different story.

I've had my own share of storms in my life. Storms that I feel have broken and hit me hard and yet I was able to go through them and have handled pretty well. Many of these storms have had strong winds and rains that have slapped me in the face and left me battered and bruised, cold and shivering. But I feel that I have weathered them all in my own way and in my own time, all with the grace of God. Do I ever regret these storms? Maybe at some point in my life. But I have learned that these are what make me who I am right now. That in some way they have molded and strengthened me that when the rains start getting stronger at times, I am able to shield myself from the big raindrops. I have learned when to appreciate it and when to keep its peace.

Recently, I've had another storm in my life, complete with thunder and lightning. This time, anger was just too much. I wanted to lash at the rain, fight it with all my strength and might. Funny because I've had worse storms than this. This isn't even an ounce of the others that I've had before. Maybe it's the timing? The PMS? The people involved? Or maybe I just wanted to see how strong I can be to overcome this. I don't really know. But I was so tempted to fight it. And yet, I knew if I did it on my own, I would fail. I needed His guidance and strength once again.

Maybe God has His own reasons for making me go through something like this again. I prayed for Him to guide me, to help me find the right words and the right actions. To know when to be silent and when to plow on. He promised me a rainbow at the end of the storm and although I still cannot see the rainbow, I know it is somewhere there amidst the clouds. Still hidden but ready to come out and be recognized. In time.

I hold on to that hope.

Kani Sandwich with Wasabi Mayo

Description:
While the girls had their soup with rice, Mier and I had it with this sandwich. If you know me, I LOVE mayo! Hehehe! This sandwich wouldn't have that extra 'oomph' without the wasabi mayo. Yummy!!

Ingredients:
For Wasabi Mayo:
mayonnaise
wasabi
honey

whole wheat bread
kani sticks
lettuce leaves

Directions:
To make Wasabi Mayo, mix together mayonnaise, wasabi and honey. Taste and season to your liking.

To assemble sandwich, spread generous amounts of Wasabi Mayo on bread. Put lettuce leaves then kani sticks. Enjoy!

Colorful Chicken Soup

Description:
My quest for healthy and better food for my family continues!! Made this soup last night and wasn't so sure how the kids would like it but was pleasantly surprised when they all did! :-) Alyssa kept on saying that the soup was sooo yummy! Nadine and Raya expressed their own pleasures. Even Mier complimented the chef. Yehey! Super easy and simple. Something to make again in the future.

The girls had theirs with rice while Mier and I had sandwiches on the side. :-)

Ingredients:
Chicken parts (I used chicken thighs)
Carrots cut up
Squash cut up
Onions sliced diagonally
Spinach shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Boil the chicken (I season with patis) until cooked. When cooked, remove from broth, cut up chicken and discard bones and skins.

2. Boil broth again. Put in vegetables and chicken back. Season with salt and pepper. Boil til cooked. Serve hot.

Pechay Wrapped Fish in Coconut Milk

Description:
This was dinner last night and was a success with Mier! The girls were not as thrilled with it. They ate the fish though but not the stuffed spices or pechay. Hehehe! But I will definitely cook this again. :-) Yummy!!

Ingredients:
fish fillet (I used cream dory)
calamansi
salt and pepper
2 bunches pechay
diced tomatoes, onions and ginger
lemongrass
coconut milk

Directions:
1. Season the fish with salt and pepper and calamansi. Let stand for a few minutes.

2. Put diced tomatoes, onions and ginger on fish then wrapped carefully with pechay leaves. Secure with lemongrass.

3. Bring to a boil coconut milk in a pan. Gently put fish wrapped in pechay in the coconut milk. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!

Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Bake

Description:
Because of our needed change in lifestyle, have been thinking of ways to prepare chicken and fish that is appealing to Mier and the kids. I'm lucky that my kids do not have to eat rice in every meal. I wasn't sure how they'd respond to this casserole but it seemed that they liked it. I got the recipe off the Internet but tweaked it a bit to suit our tastes. Turned out pretty good. :-)

I served this with cream of corn soup on the side. :-)

Ingredients:
extra-virgin olive oil
chicken breasts cut into pieces
salt and pepper and ground basil
minced tomatoes, onions and garlic
spinach, washed and dried
quick melt cheese
tortillas

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese


Directions:
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper and let stand for a few minutes. In a pan, heat the olive oil. Add chicken to the pan and cook until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Let cool, then shred the meat.

2. In the same pan, saute tomatoes, onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and ground basil.

3. Assemble in a baking dish, tortilla, spinach, chicken, tomatoes, onions and garlic, and grated quickmelt cheese. Repeat the process ending with tortilla and some cheese on top.

4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned. Cut into wedges and serve.

Maintaining AP

I was an excited new mom when I had Nadine, my first born, 10 years ago. I knew I wanted to do my best in taking care of this new person for whom I am now responsible for. I tried to breastfeed long but because of lack of support wasn't able to sustain it. However, I wore Nadine in a baby carrier (as slings were not readily available yet then) as I noticed that she preferred that over the stroller. I also co-slept because it seemed that my baby didn't like sleeping in her brand new crib. Basically, I followed my instinct as a mom. I picked up my baby when she cried and responded positively to her needs and wants. I didn't believe in spoiling a baby as they can hardly express themselves. I worked around what I felt was right rather than what the "oldies" said should be done. In return, I had a happy and secure baby.

Then while browsing through Booksale one day, I found the book, The Ministry of Parenting Your Baby by Dr. William Sears and wife-nurse Martha Sears. It actually amazed me that my parenting approach actually had a term --- Attachment Parenting. AP encourages bonding with your baby at the earliest time possible. As I understand it, when you are well-bonded with your baby then you become sensitive to her needs. And when you respond lovingly and timely to what she is asking for then trust is developed in the parent-child relationship. The baby trusts that the parent will meet her needs. And as the baby grows older, that trust eventually develops too.

Reading the book, I felt affirmed with my maternal instincts. The information I got reinforced and enhanced my desire to develop strong connections with my children. With the birth of Raya, Alyssa and Cerise, I developed my confidence in connecting with them and establishing that bond early on. Breastfeeding, babywearing and co-sleeping were the norm in our home.

Although these are mere tools (7 Baby B's) to achieving AP, I wouldn't say that they are absolute. I didn't breastfeed Nadine and Cerise long but that doesn't mean that I am less connected with them than Raya and Alyssa whom I breastfed for more than a year. As long as the end goal is better understanding of your children, then that would suffice.

I believe that being attuned to them and their needs and feelings are what helped my girls be sensitive likewise to other people and animals as well. I've always admired Nadine's high EQ, Raya's different perspective on things and Alyssa's confidence and security. Because I know each and every one of them, know their personalities and characters, I also know how to deal with them effectively. That trust that was once one-way (baby trusting parents) has become two-way. I now also trust them and expect that they would respond accordingly to situations.

I think I now reap the benefits of Attachment Parenting as I've been told many times that my girls are well-behaved and respectful whether I am around or not. They have shown good self-esteem and confidence in themselves. This makes me proud beyond words because they know what is expected of them even without being reminded.

But parenting, of course, does not end here. It is a continuous process and I'll be the first to say that my girls are not really as perfect as they seem. We still have a long way to go. Heck, we haven't even touched the teen years yet! Ha!

How do we keep on using AP as the child grows older? I think the key here is to stay connected with the kids. Nadine and Raya are now 10 and 8 respectively. They are in grade school where they have built relationships with other people --- classmates, teachers, etc. But one thing I noticed, that no matter how far they venture off to build other relationships, there is always a need to reconnect with me and their dad. I think AP comes in here by being sensitive to their need to reconnect and being readily available for that.

How then can we maintain that connectedness while are children are growing up? Three things that I picked up from a video shown in an activity in school may help us in doing this:

1. Have at least one meal together in a day. When the kids start growing up and having activities outside the family, it would be good to have such a rule in the family. I remember that when I was in college, my siblings and I were all expected to be home by dinnertime. If dinner is not possible, then have it at breakfast time. Mealtimes are usually an opportunity to talk about their day or their lives. (Like breastfeeding)

2. Bonding while in the car. With the traffic and the distances in the city, use this opportunity to open up a conversation with your child/children. The good thing about being in the car, especially if you're driving is that you don't have to make eye contact. Hehe! Just listen to what your child has to say or listen while she converses with others friends in the car and get to know them more by their comments and their thoughts. (Like babywearing)

3. Have a nighttime ritual. You need not sleep beside them at night. But right after they've prepared for bed, sneak in to tuck them in or say their prayers with them or just ask how there day was in a nutshell. And before leaving the room, a goodnight kiss and an "I love you!" would be the best send off to dreamland. (Like co-sleeping)

Parenting isn't easy. We all want to bring up children who are sensitive and confident and a joy to be with. Being connected can help us achieve that. These are just stuff I've read or learned about that I want to apply in my life. Some will work, some won't. I guess I will have to sift through and see what's best for me and my girls. If you have any more ideas on how to do that, I'd be happy to hear them! We all do our best given our own and unique situations.

You've Come A Long Way, Baby!

My dearest Cerise,

I can still remember the day we brought you home from the hospital. We were so thrilled that you were finally with us, part of our family. You were the biggest baby born among your siblings and we marveled at your size and your sweet nature.

Then the following week and months after were the most horrible ones for me. We had to deal with your sepsis, congenital heart holes, failure to thrive, thyroid and liver problems, amoebiasis, constant blood work and of course with results. All these obstacles brought about your physical delays. The truth is, I am grateful that your delays are just physical. The last visit to the Developmental Pediatrician showed that she may still be delayed physically but in other areas you are either at par with your age or even beyond.

I still feel a tinge of regret for not bringing you to the Dev Pedia right away and maybe we could have addressed your physical problems earlier. It took a while for you to learn to clap your hands, sit upright, sit down by yourself, crawl and even cruise around the house. I would look at other children your age or even younger than you who are running and walking around and I pray to God that someday, you too will have that joy to be more mobile on your own. At that time, we had to address your more immediate problems, such as your thyroid, and the physical delays had to be put on hold. But nevertheless, we were able to send you to a physical therapist and slowly you gained confidence in the physical area.

I distinctly remember that January afternoon when Teacher Joy, your physical therapist, called me to come inside the PT room. She wanted me to see that you could now sit up on your own from lying down. I literally cried! You see, I was getting impatient with your progress. We've been going to therapy for 6 months already and while you were improving very well, I wanted to see you like kids your age already. I guess you needed to do things in your own time.
 
We are so proud of how you've passed all your trials with flying colors. When I look at you now, a bright and happy baby, my heart is filled with joy. You have improved a lot compared to that little newborn whom I was afraid to leave us before her time. Right now, our goal is that you will soon be able to walk on your own, hopefully by your 2nd birthday. And I know that that is not far fetched. You love going around, cruising and exploring. Soon soon, you will just surprise us with your steps. And I long for that day. In my heart, I know this will come anytime.

I love your with all my heart!

Love,
Mommy

Cerise insists on feeding herself.


Cerise crawling around the house


Cerise walking with minimum assistance

Sweetie Pie

This is my oldest daughter, Nadine. I've always thought that she is amazing. The moment she was born and placed on my chest, I burst into tears overwhelmed with the miracle that lived inside me for 9 months. She was a beautiful baby all wide eyed and observant from the start. And she continues to grow beautifully each day.

Since she is the first of the four girls, I suppose she was a victim of trial and error parenting. Haha! But she wasn't hard to parent. We had that instant bond that developed over the weeks and months and eventually years. She was easy to talk to even as a baby. I remember one time when she wasn't a year old yet and I was talking sternly to her. I told her to look at me and listen to what I had to say. She faced me and seemed to understand right away what I said and what I wanted to happen. I knew she was smart from the start. I knew we had that attachment, that bond with each other.

Newborn Nadine at the hospital

She talked early and would express herself very well with words and actions. She was easy to teach and would sign please and thank you at a very early age. She also had a wonderful sense of humor. One time, when she was about a year and a half, we were listening to the music of winnie-the-pooh and she started singing, "Winnie the Pig! Winnie the Pig!" then she'd look at me at the corner of her eye and then start laughing. She was so adorable!

And she was articulate at such a young age. A few months after Raya was born, she told me matter-of-factly that she "didn't like Raya." It broke my heart to hear her say it but I was also proud that she was able to verbalize it. She was only 2 years old but she was able to tell me how she felt. I knew she was going through the adjustment stage and didn't really take it personally. It eventually passed and she and Raya have grown closer over the years.

She was always gentle with the baby, fulfilling her role as "Ate" even at such an early age. She was my helper then as she assisted me in giving Raya a bath or changing diapers or distracting her.

When she turned 3 years old, we had a small party for her in her school. But before going to school, we gave her our gift, a baby doll wrapped up in the gift wrapper. She didn't know what was inside but I knew she was curious. What surprised me was that she didn't open the gift right away and waited til after her school! I was actually shocked that she had good EQ at such a young age!

Over the years, she hasn't changed much. She is still smart and witty and beautiful inside and out. About two or three years ago, during a parent-teacher chat in school, Raya's teacher had nothing but praises for Nadine and shared with me how Nadine would watch out and visit Raya in her classroom, check that her things and lunchbox are in order, that she has eaten her lunch. The teacher's comments made me smile. Nadine has always made me proud!

Lately she has again been my ever reliable helper at home. Especially when our yaya is gone for her classes, Nadine willingly helps me around the house and assists me in taking care of her sisters. She would put water in the containers of Raya and Alyssa before we leave the house. She would help carry the bags and help entertain Cerise when outside the house. She is such a gem! A diamond in my life!

This week, she has demonstrated once again how disciplined she is. She has been taking extra math classes to help enhance her math skills. The program, ENOPI, encourages the student to do drills everyday. She goes to the center twice a week and on days that she doesn't go, she is tasked to finish work at home. But of course there are days, especially on weekends when we are out and she is not able to do her work. She has imposed a self-rule that she will not use the computer on days that she is not able to do her math. And she really does it! 

Nadine is such a remarkable person! She is 10 years old now turning 11 this year but she has shown maturity way beyond her years. As she enters the pre-teen years, I can sense some angst sometimes or curiousness and observations, typical of a young adult. I pray and wish that she would always feel that closeness with me and that she will know that she can approach me anytime should she have questions that need to be answered. I have told her this already but I hope it sinks in her head.

Nadine with their pet chichuahua, Inky

I have loved her from the moment she was conceived and my heart continues to burst for my love for her. She is and will always be my Sweetie Pie!