Anton Lee @ 1.11

Your lolo passed on last 7 August and we flew to the Philippines two days after.

You first met your lolo when you were three months old. Daddy, Mommy, and you went to Tacloban to celebrate Christmas that year. Your lolo said you looked like your Daddy so much that he kept calling you Vinchy.

You saw your lolo again one year later in Manila. A horrendous hurricane hit Tacloban in November 2013 that family members residing in the city fled to Manila. Lolo does not like staying in Manila for protracted periods but he was prevailed to stay on with us this time since conditions were abysmal in Tacloban for several weeks: there was no electricity and water supply, there was scarcity of food and medicines, there were hardly medical facilities left standing, public transportation was unreliable, one had to stand in long queues before being able to buy gasoline, telecommunication was almost non-existent, and there was absolute chaos for several weeks. According to one of Mommy’s former colleagues who went to Tacloban to render medical assistance a few days after the hurricane, the city looked like it was bombed – homes were flattened, the coconut trees lining the airport to the city were gone, people were moving around dazed and without direction, and bodies were lying on the roads unclaimed. Grey and mud puddles were everywhere.

It was during this terrible time that our family weaved a cocoon of security around itself and we stayed together, comforting each other. While we were thankful that our family members have managed to stay safe during the hurricane and were able to move to safer places, we prayed and grieved for those who were not so fortunate.  For weeks we all stayed together – lolo, lola, your uncles, aunties, and cousins.

They say that there is a silver lining in every cloud.  Now that lolo has passed on, we treasure those days in Manila. Those days we spent with lolo were probably the longest since Mommy left home at 18 years old, save for the summer vacations when she was at law school. We treasure those days because those were the last we spent with lolo: enjoying his wit, his sense of humour, and his sage advice.

Christmas 2013

Integrity, humility, love of family, hard work, simplicity in living one’s daily life – these were the tenets that lolo consistently lived by and constantly exhorted us to adopt, teaching by example. He was not one for quick fixes but one who laboured assiduously trying to find a solution to perplexing problems. His workshop was a marvel with all sorts of gadgetry and inventions. Mommy has thought about having his innovations patented at one point, but lolo was a man who only sought to provide his clients with efficient service and practical answers to their everyday issues. While he prided himself at being one of the very few Professional Mechanical Engineers in the region, he was not overly concerned with establishing legacies, always saying that everything is part of the cycle of life.

People who did not really know him and were aware of his intelligence and innovativeness, might have been tempted to conclude that lolo was a man lacking in ambition. Lolo however, was one of those rare breed of men who had that uncanny discernment early in life of what truly mattered.  He was a man who eschewed frivolities, always preferring substance. He put God first; he loved and provided for his family; and he enjoyed his work. Thus, he was able to remain humble in his everyday dealings.

He cared deeply for lola. He did not like being away from home for more than a couple of days, always wondering whether lola was eating properly. When he flew back to Tacloban after the hurricane and lola stayed on in Manila, for a couple of weeks to help us out, lolo always asked how lola was. He wanted to make sure that lola was always being taken care of.

February 2012

Lolo was very much involved in making sure that his children get themselves established before he passed on and that they had the means and the ability to give their own children comfortable lives. He always reminded us to work hard and save for the rainy day. He never failed to stress that education was the best gift that he and lola could pass on to us. He always reminded his children to pray. He had a deep, abiding faith in his Creator.

Christmas 2003

After lolo was buried, we stayed in Tacloban for a week staying with our family. It was during this week that you turned one year and 11 months. We were thinking before of having a big birthday party for you in Tacloban when you turn Two. But that will not come to materialise now.

Instead, we celebrated your month before turning Two quietly with family. Nothing complicated, nothing organised, just going with the flow, happy at just being together. Come to think of it, this is what how lolo just wanted things. As lolo loved to say, “Simple life, simple problems.”

Mommy is certain lolo was with us that day, grinning from ear to ear, happy that his family was all together. If there was one thing that was sure to make lolo happy, it was seeing his brood under one roof, breaking bread.

 

 

 Eternal rest, grant unto him dear Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace; Amen.

S is for Stacking

With patience, persistence
And Zia's assistance
You finally made it go
All the way up!

Anton Lee @ 1.5

Lola (grandma) has been helping take care of you the past two months.
She has been wanting to go back home to Tacloban.
But Mommy really needs Lola now.
That's why Lola is staying with us.
We will always remember this time.
When the Universe has shown us,
That there is always a silver lining
To every dark cloud.

Happy semi-birthday belloching!
You are so loved.

PS. Lola cooked noodles for you to have a long life,
and procured a cathedral cake to make that life
vivid, colourful, and imbued with a mission.

shout out to the www

A New York Times article recently came up with this question on whether posting photos of one’s baby on Facebook, constitutes a violation of the baby’s privacy.  This got us to asking ourselves whether this Blog violates your privacy, Anton Lee Thomas.

Your site is viewable by anyone who can connect to the worldwideweb (WWW). The photos we post and the stories that we tell about you can be accessed by the public.  If violation of privacy means that we share details of your personal life to people other than our close friends and members of our families, then yes, this Blog does to a certain extent infringe on your privacy.

But do you remember when we put up posters on the wall last week? You could not contain your joy.  You could not stop looking at the posters.  You only napped when we changed our sleeping position so you can continue looking at the wall.  One week after, you still get this big smile on your face when Mommy props you up and we “read” aloud the colours, numbers, and match the little boy’s body parts with yours. Your joy spills over and you squeal in delight.
 

 

Such is our joy in you, bello. When you came to us, we were (and still are!) struck with so much awe.  We can’t contain our delight in you.  We need to share this amazement and this happiness. Our joy spills over.

That’s why we put up a Blog for you.  One day when you can read this by yourself, you will know just how much love we have for you, how you've changed our lives for the better (which we thought was already pretty good before you came along!), how thankful we are that you’ve joined our family, how we try to be the best parents that we can be for you (it’s a trial and error thing belloching, Mommy and Daddy never had a baby before), and how we think you’re just about the most perfect little thing out there in the universe. 

You’re our most precious and we just have to make this shout out to the WWW.

PS. We make sure that there is nothing in this Blog that will threaten your security (we don't disclose  full names and addresses nor plans/locations of where you are going to be);  embarrass you; compromise  your chances of entering the university of your choice; or give your prospective employers a reason not to take you in.

anton lee @ 8 months

Thank you Team Fil-Adelaide for my wonderful presents and
Tita Grace for my colorful PJs!

You started crawling around your second month – you crawled then like a little uod slithering this way and that.  By your six month, you could move your upper body fast while dragging your lower half. Imagine Mommy’s amazement when one evening you suddenly started crawling on all fours! This was a week after you turned seven months. By the next weekend, you could quickly get yourself into a sitting position from either prone or crawling positions.

Two weeks after, you could stand upright with support.

Here’s our little secret: It’s all because of persistently doing things day after day. When you turned three weeks, Daddy would flip you like a pancake, put you on your tummy, then cheer you on so you start moving. Every day after that, you’d have your regular tummy time and crawling practice.

Finally did it at 7.25 months!
Thank you Tita Bing for
my pet Turtle!

When you turned five months, we would gently pull you up into a sitting position instead of picking you up from your cot.  By your six month, with just a little pressure, on the count of three, you could get yourself into a sitting position.

When you turned seven months, we lowered the floor of your cot since you were starting to pull yourself up.  From then on, we would gently pull you into a standing position in the morning when you wake up.  Even before you turned eight months, from a prone position, with a gentle pull, you could get yourself into a standing position.

 

Letting loose at the playground!

 

 

Our dearest boy, you see how that little thing we do every day gets amazing results? It’s called, Practice. And Practice makes Perfect.

Standing up with support at 8 months!

PS: Looking at books provides you (and Mommy too!) with hours of entertainment.

Daddy: Anton... Anton!

Anton: (Looks up  briefly and goes back to his book)

Ben the Ghost says.... "Boo!"
(cows say "moo!"; doves say, "coo!"; and owls say, "whoo!")

 

happy half-year!

Good morning world! I am 6 months old today!
 

You give us immeasurable delight

You make us realize our infinite capacity for love

You show us reservoirs of strength we didn’t know we had

You teach us patience

You instruct us in humility

You coax us into pure silliness

You draw us to take this world and ourselves less seriously

You drive us to strive to become better human beings

You lead us to look beyond ourselves

You open our eyes to see the grandeur in the mundane

You unravel to us the infinite complexity of the universe.

 Thank you for blessing our lives, little one.

 

give me an "A"!

You started crawling around your second month, sliding yourself this way and that like a little uod.  It did not take long for you to discover that you can move faster if you use your knees as well.

Lately you have been practicing coordinating your arms and knees.  You raise your arms, then your knees, squirm about, move forward… oops, you lose your balance! You don’t give up.  You prop yourself up again with your arms, raise knees… wait, that’s your butt up in the air, bello.

Persistence - that is an admirable trait that you are learning. Genius is over rated. Of course an IQ score of 190 is not something to be sneezed at, but as Malcolm Gladwell explained in his The Outliers, "knowledge of a boy's IQ is of little help if you are faced with a formful of clever boys." And these days, clever boys seem to be dime a dozen.

Remember the story of the Turtle and the Rabbit which Mommy told you about? The race does not go to the swift, or to the strong.  It does not always go either to the Mensa members.  The race is mostly won by those who persist, those who strive, and those who do not give up.  Mommy used to have a favourite champion figure skater. Her name was Dorothy Hamill.  Hamill fell on her face several times before she won the gold medals. Whenever she’d fall, she would sing, “I put myself up, brush myself up, start all over again!” 

Dear Anton Lee, we are giving you not only an “A” but an “A+” for effort. We have no doubt that very soon you will be crawling faster than the speed of light (in a manner of speaking)!

one month old!

You are now one month old, dearest Little Pebble.

Mommy was astounded to wake up one morning to hear you talking! Daddy who thinks that you’re an accelerated child was not a bit surprised.
 

 

 

                                                                                  Daddy and Mommy have been working this week to get your legal documents in order. We’ve been able to get your Certificate of Live Birth from the City Hall and we will be submitting documents this week to jumpstart your acquisition of a passport.  As we’ve told you before, little one, you’re a child borne from much travelling and your passport will be the beginning of wonderful adventures to come. We’ve taken you to a studio to have your picture taken and you looked smart in your photo, appearing all set to take on the world!

 



You’ve become a chick magnet in our building, Anton Lee Thomas! The ladies emit squeals of delight when you in your stroller pass them by in the morning on your way to get your morning sun. A couple of days ago, a Korean girl held the elevator door for you and followed you all the way to the swimming pool. On another day, two ladies approached you and said that you’re going to become the next Fil-Aussie hot sensation in show business! Mommy is not impressed with these.  You can’t have these adulations go to your head, young man. Mommy is telling you that looks fade but what the vagaries of Time will not be able to take away from you is a kind heart, a hearty sense of humour, and an unwavering faith in the Divine Providence. And no courting girls, until you've finished college, is that clear?
 

Daddy and Mommy are getting to know you better, Little Pebble. We know that when you are not fed on time you get so upset that you turn red all over, clench your fists, and it takes a while before you unclench your hands and return to your normal colour (Mommy wonders if watching all those boxing matches have any bearing on your behaviour).

You have also learned to amuse yourself and you make all sorts of funny sounds while you’re looking at your toy zebra or just studying your high contrast black and white panels.

Mommy is happy this week. She’s been able to have you sit attentively on her lap and you’ve finally paid attention to the book she has been reading to you.

But you know what’s been the best so far? It’s  those quiet moments after your bath in the morning, you looking content, and you staring at Daddy and Mommy as if assuring us, "Hey, you're not doing too bad a job."
 

three weeks old!

You are now three weeks old Anton Lee Thomas.

We went to your paediatrician yesterday and oh my, how you slept calmly while waiting for our turn.  Everyone gushed how absolutely behaved you were.

You have grown, Little Pebble. You now measure 19.8 inches and weigh 6.8 pounds! The paediatrician checked your lungs and heartbeat, all good.  She said that you’ve also lost that yellowish tinge three weeks ago. Mommy thinks your doctor looked very impressed with your clean navel.

You didn’t seem quite taken by your paediatrician though. Mommy became quite alarmed when she saw you shedding tears while the doctor was examining you. “What to Expect the First Year” says it is not until near the end of the first month of life that the fluid that bathes the eye (called tears) begins to be produced in the lacrimal glands over the eyeballs. So imagine Mommy’s consternation when she saw you really and truly crying when the doctor flipped you here and there while examining you.

Daddy and Mommy learned this week not to speak too soon.  Last week, Mommy kept asking Daddy if you were all right.  You did not seem to cry at all and just continued to sleep on and on. A few days after, you started keeping Daddy up almost all night with your inconsolable crying.  Mommy then asked Daddy if something was ailing you. Guess it looks like Daddy and Mommy will worry about you no matter what.

 What’s happened:

       1. We gave you your first full bath this week. You loved it!

       2. Mommy has trimmed your nails.  You were born with quite longish nails and we’re concerned that you might scratch yourself with those nails. 

     

       3. You’ve now discovered how to put your thumb into your mouth. Uh oh, your lola will not be very happy to see this.

4. You love taking the koala position on Daddy’s chest.  Seems to calm you in the middle of the night. 

Most often-used verb of the week: Regurgitate (in Daddy’s parlance, “throwing up”). Anton Lee Thomas, you have to slow down when you’re feeding. You have been regurgitating quite often lately, it’s alarmed Mommy. We asked your paediatrician about this and she’s advised that we burp you more in between feedings.  When you feed, Mommy sometimes can’t help laughing because you keep looking around with your round eyes seemingly checking out possible competition. Looks like we’ve got a competitive spirit in you, young man!

welcome little pebble!

Daddy is calling you an accelerated child.

You were supposed to arrive on 17 September, Monday, but when the doctor examined Mommy last Wednesday, the doctor said that we shouldn’t wait anymore and have you out at the soonest possible time.  Mommy’s blood pressure had suddenly gone up to 150/80 and her hands and feet have become swollen. The doctor asked Mommy to have a urinalysis. Good thing it was negative for protein otherwise the doctor would have taken you out on Thursday and Daddy was just en route to Manila. He would have been very upset.

So Mommy and Daddy’s grand plans for Thursday until Sunday have all been for naught. Daddy wanted to have dinner with Mommy at their favourite Italian restaurant Friday night, have early morning breakfast at this really nice café in Salcedo Village on Saturday morning, and meet some friends during the weekend. Mommy had to quickly tidy up last Thursday at work since she was expecting to finish on Friday. Little Pebble, you know you had two more Board meetings to go through before you were scheduled to arrive. Did you try to escape these last two?

And so you arrived on 14 September, Friday at 10.57 am. You were 17 ¼ inches, 6.3 pounds, and with an APGAR score of 9.9 at 38 weeks. (There is another child at the nursery with an APGAR score of 9.9 but Mommy bets he is 42 weeks old.) You were perfect Little Pebble, Mommy and Daddy couldn’t stop looking at you. Daddy was fabulous as well. He didn’t pass out even if he saw Mommy at the operating table and was able to take great photos and videos of us three.

In all these excitement Little Pebble, you have taught Mommy and Daddy their first lesson: Now that you’re here, you take precedence. Yes, they may make the most grandiose of plans, but the Little Pebble has veto power. Mommy has a feeling one day, much as Mommy and Daddy may want to go again to Italy, we will possibly end up in Disneyland. Or Universal Studios. 

sun's shining!

You are now 32 weeks Anton Lee Thomas!

Our “Pregnancy from Preconception to Birth”, says that you now weigh approximately 3 ¾ pounds and measure about 16.5 inches long from head to toe. Although your lungs won’t be fully developed until just before birth, you are busy inhaling amniotic fluid. This is to exercise your lungs and practice breathing after you are born.

We went to the doctor last Thursday and she said we’re both doing well. We just need to do a blood test two weeks from now to see if Mommy might need some blood transfusion when you come out.

Such terrible rains in Metro Manila from Monday to Wednesday of this week, little one. 427 millimetres of rain was recorded between the late afternoon of 6 August and mid-afternoon of 7 August. It was so bad Mommy couldn’t go to work on Tuesday. It was flooded everywhere! Did you hear Mommy talking to you not to try anything funny on that day? We would have had to swim to go to the hospital. The streets around our building were not passable and visibility was almost zero.

This video was taken from a street where Mommy passes in the morning to go to work:




Here’s another video showing flooding in another part of Metro Manila:



But today the sun is shining brightly dear little pebble. Just like life. There will be times Anton Lee Thomas when you will feel like there’s a lot of flooding all around you. Your troubles may feel so heavy and you might start feeling there’s no end to it all. But trust, little one, that very soon, the sun will come out shining and all your tears will be wiped away. You will say to yourself, “What did I worry for? What was that all about? I am much a better person now than before having gone through that experience.”

Through it all, you know what, little pebble? Mommy and Daddy will always be there for you, guiding you, and praying for you. Mommy and Daddy will not be always able to take away your pain, but they will be there so that you learn from the not-so-good times and acquire the wisdom that comes from the lessons that life hands to you every now and then.

brains vs. brawn

Ten weeks to go buddy and Mommy and Daddy will finally meet Anton Lee Thomas face-to-face! You are now 27 weeks. The book, “Pregnancy from Preconception to Birth” says that this week, more of your brain tissue will develop and that the characteristic grooves start to appear on the brain’s surface.  You now weigh nearly 2 pounds and measure 14.5 inches from head to toe.  Your eyes open and close and you sleep and wake at regular intervals.

You are gaining in strength now, little pebble.  Last Saturday, for the first time Mommy saw ripples in her tummy when you kicked! This makes her giggle a lot.  She now feels like a sumo wrestler whose tummy can jiggle here and there.

Now what are you going to do with that strength, dear one when you grow up?

You can choose to be like Gulliver, when he helped the Lilliputians protect themselves from being invaded (remind Mommy to get this book in the next book sale so she can read the story to you).

You can also choose to be like China today which has sent military vessels into Philippine territory last April 2012 and has refused to budge.

Both China and the Philippines claim ownership over Scarborough Shoal (a group of very small islands measuring 55 kilometers in circumference). Sarborough Shoal is a mere 220 kilometers from Palauig, Zamabales, Philippines while it is 840 kilometers from the nearest Chinese coast!

The Philippines has suggested that the two countries bring the dispute before the International Tribunal for the Law of Sea pursuant to Part XV of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas. China has flatly refused the proposal.

Mommy is very upset over this. China is a big, powerful country and can pretty much do what it wants.  It must be laughing its head off over the puny vessels that the Philippines has been sending to the Scarborough Shoal to protect its territory.  China is making the Philippines feel its economic might.  A couple of weeks ago, China rejected the Philippines’ banana exports saying that there were problems with the bananas.  China very well knows that it will be expensive for the Philippines to export these bananas elsewhere in the world. China is also aware that the Philippines will not be able to domestically stage a boycott of Chinese products.

The Philippines, being a poor and weak country compared to China, is trying its best to settle the matter diplomatically.  It cannot match China in brute strength.

Little one, at any point in time, you will either be the stronger or the weaker one compared to somebody else.  When you are in a position of strength, Mommy and Daddy hope that you will use your strength to be helpful and generous to the people around you. 

When you are in a position of weakness, Mommy and Daddy definitely do not expect you to meet the bully head on.  You will just end up with a bloodied nose.  What you need to do dear one, is to use your head, your mind, your intelligence.  You will need to come up with a strategy.  You’ve got to always remember that a scared and pathetic heart hides behind the face of a boastful bully.  After all, if the bully is truly powerful, why would he hit upon the weak and the defenceless ones? And if it truly believes that he is in the right, why would he refuse to submit before the proper authorities who can make an independent decision as to who has a rightful claim?

the people's champ

Do you remember little pebble when Mommy took you to watch the Pacquiao vs. Bradley fight and Mommy became very upset after because Pacquiao lost his WBO welterweight title? Well almost two weeks after, a five-person panel formed by the WBO came up with a review saying that it was Pacquiao who won and not Bradley.  Bradley, however, gets to keep the title and the belt.

While a lot of people say this is Pacquiao’s vindication, Mommy thinks there was really no need to form such panel.  No one really believed Bradley won.  Moreover, Pacquiao has won 8 titles in different weight divisions. Nobody has achieved this in boxing history. He may eventually fail to defend these titles, after all he is 33 years old and it will become tougher for him to go against athletes in their 20s like Bradley, but unless somebody manages to win 8 or more than 8 titles, Pacquiao’s reign in the ring continues.

And here’s what the Nevada State Athletic Commission can never take away from Pacquiao and the Filipino people: Pacquiao’s shining example that no matter how poor a person is, by hard work, determination, and taking timely advantage of opportunities that comes one’s way, one can rise from poverty and make his mark in this world.  Dear little pebble, Pacquiao came from a family who had not enough to eat and yet he managed to become a world class athlete, educate himself, and get himself elected to Congress. His interests have branched out to community service, entertainment, and even religion. Although some people may think Pacquiao is spreading himself too thin, Mommy thinks that Pacquiao is just showing to himself and to everyone else, that poverty is not a hindrance to success.

There is another important thing that Pacquiao has shown the Filipino people: They are capable of being united.

Philippine history is marked by divisiveness.  We have Filipinos telling against Filipinos during the Spanish colonial period, Japanese occupation, and during the Fil-American War. Present-day politics is more about private and self-serving interests rather than public service. Yet, whenever Pacquaio has a bout in faraway Nevada, there’s a hush which permeates the streets and highways of the Philippine archipelago, Filipinos dispersed far and wide abroad gather in pubs, and in one voice, cheer for their hero.

This is why, little pebble, Manny Pacquiao is and always will be, the People’s Champ. We don’t need a five-person WBO panel to tell us that.

sportsmanship

Mommy took you today to watch the Pacquiao vs. Bradley match.  You seemed quite excited little pebble, you kicked a good deal in Mommy’s tummy!

Mommy is devastated. Her favourite boxer, Manny Pacquiao (that’s OUR favourite boxer… you and Daddy’s too) lost today his WBO welterweight title.  He had a total of eight titles to his name (now down to seven) in eight different weight divisions. Little pebble, no one in boxing history has held such a number of titles at any given point.

Pacquiao lost to a strong and younger opponent, Timothy Bradley.  Bradley is such a good fighter that in his 28 matches, he has not lost a single fight and was able to knock down 12 of his opponents.  He was a worthy contender to our Pacquiao (Pacquiao has had 54 fights of which he lost only three and knocked down 38 of his opponents). 

While Mommy is very sad about the outcome (Pacquaio has not lost a game since 2005), we have to respect the decision of the judges.  That is how it is in sports or in any other contest. Judges are appointed to decide who the winner will be and that the players have to abide with the judges’ decision even if they think that such is not correct.  Of course in extreme cases, the decision of the judges can be contested but that is the exception rather than the general rule.

Despite Pacquiao losing today, Mommy is still quite proud of him.  He fought a good fight and he did not show any fear.  When the decision was announced, he gallantly went to Bradley’s side to congratulate him.  He did not say any bad words against the judges nor did he raise a fit. He didn't forget to say a prayer and even remembered to thank his supporters. That is sportsmanship dear little pebble which Mommy thinks is much more important than winning. Winning is not everything.

Little one, losing in itself is not dishonourable.  It is not possible to win all of the time and there will be times that you may lose.  The important thing is that you did your absolute best and that you prepared well for the game. If it happens that someone else bested you even if you did all you can to win, go to your opponent and shake his hand. Of course you can cry a bit when you get home but what you absolutely cannot do is to lose your temper in front of everyone because you lost.

If you really think that you are better than your opponent, practice harder, analyse why you lost in your last game, study your opponent’s technique, and improve your strategy. Then in the next game, you can show the world that you are by far the better player.

POSTSCRIPT: Daddy liked Mommy so much after he met her that he came with Mommy in Adelaide to watch with her the Pacquaio vs. Cotto fight in November 2009 notwithstanding that he did not know who Pacquiao was and that he did not care for boxing (Daddy is a football and soccer man).  Daddy even made Mommy a special poster from that the Pacquiao vs. Cotto fight.

Guess what Daddy gave Mommy as wedding present in their Adelaide wedding? Not flowers nor jewellery but an authentically signed boxing glove of Manny Pacquiao! Daddy and Mommy did not go to Paris or Florence after their Adelaide wedding but went to the Marion Hotel to watch Pacquiao vs. Marquez.

One day, they might go to Las Vegas to watch a live fight at the MGM Grand Arena… of course you're coming along little pebble.