Jakjak, Year One | 2006

Time flew by so fast that suddenly Jakjak was one year old. Who would have imagined that the 811 gram boy, born two months ahead of schedule would be this gorgeous, hyper-active, super-happy mighty mite!

Well, we certainly had high hopes and we had been praying for his recovery and catching up from day one. And God answered our prayers. And the prayers of all those who had prayed for Jakjak (and I know there are too many of you guys to thank in one simple blog - so Thank You!). All throughout the year, Jakjak had been going back to the doctors to check for any abnormality that may have come about due to his being pre-mature. His eyes in particular, had been checked more times than we would have liked. Believe me, the way it's been done, even if you know it's safe because of the clinic and the specialization of the doctor, if you were there while a little boy protested, you would have asked them to stop. But we knew it had to be done, and it's all for Jakjak's sake.

365 days later and he is up and about as normal as any boy half his age would be. Normal would be an understatement though. Because Jakjak had begun to speak in audible words, Jakjak had started walking and climbing up and down the stairs (to the worry of mum and dad of course), Jakjak had started to increase his attention span to listening and quite a bit more stuff that children older than him would have just started doing. 

And we knew all this to be gifts from God. And to thank Him for all his blessings, we celebrated Jakjak's first birthday with the less fortunate children of Little Angels Home, in Tagaytay City. Children who we had been caring for (in our own little way) since we found their little house tucked away in the hills, oblivious from the public eye. It was so low key (back then, anyway), that we had to slow down every time we went to visit as the turning point was hardly visible from the hi-way. One year of happiness for us, one day of happiness for these children. We want to even the odds some more one day.

This is the orphanage we have pledged to sponsor way back in 2001. We would have celebrated with family and friends, but these kids needed more of Jakjak's love. It was a small salo-salo (feast) with cake and balloons. A loot bag for the kids came with cookies, candies, juice and then some. We had lots of fun! And sharing the fun with these kids was worth all the effort (would you believe I was suffering from diarrhea the whole time). We thank everyone who was there and shared our blessings.

Chocolate Pudding | 2006

I honestly believe that I have graduated from being a beginner to a full-fledged father two nights ago.

 We were about to give Jakjak a shower (we take him with us for showers now). So I take off his shirt and diapers. Holding him with his arms locked to mine, and my other hand supporting his butt. At first there was this noise, "prrrrt-prrt", and I said "Jakjak, did you fart?". He gave me this oddball look and I thought to myself "Oh - sh!". Sure enough, poop comes rushing out of his butt and directly onto my palm. Surely, I was not about to drop him, so I make my way to the toilet and aim his butt-hole at the bowl. Apparently, he doesn't like toilets and begins to cry! Lo and behold, all his poop ends up in the palm of my hand!

I swear. That was a riveting experience that all fathers should be subject to.

Mommy Mei-Ann | 2006

My big sister had played a very big role in Jakjak's life. One that is very unlikely to be forgotten. And I'm sure deep inside Jakjak knows this. And if not, well, it's best that he knows how much her aunt, her god-mother and 'mommy' loves him.

My sister had been wanting to work overseas for quite some time. I guess, being a registered nurse, she felt the same way most nurses felt back home. Over-worked and under-paid. But for whatever reason, God has not given her the opportunity to do so. And when God does these kinds of things, you just know there's a reason for it. And when you think about it, and believe me, you won't have to think hard, you just have to look at Jakjak. And you remember how it all began, and you'll know just what God had planned.

Mommy Mei-ann had been working at Asian Hospital in Alabang, Muntinlupa when Judy had a, let's say, 'baby call'. And she had been there all the way to see us (Judy, me and Jakjak) through the whole having-a-baby thing. She taught us how to get things ready for the baby, she taught us how to take care of a baby and she made sure we were doing good during our time at the hospital.

Then out came Jakjak. And she was doing her part as head, of all places, the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit, which was Jakjak's first home out of his mum's womb. She watched over Jakjak and she made sure that every one of the nurses there that looked after Jakjak knew what they were doing. And we knew that Jakjak was in very good hands, because God sent angels to take care of him at a time that we could not. One of those angels, was my big sister. And when Jakjak was ready to go out into the world, my sister soon was given a new chapter in her family's life, and God whisked them away to Arizona. Given all that had happened, it was one of God's best laid plans for us. Which is why, there is no moment in our lives that we doubt His will over ours. And wherever Mommy Mei-ann is, you can be sure that God had sent his angels her way as well. We love you!

Up and About | 2006

Everybody knows that children learn the basics of life in due time. Babies learn to turn over his tummy from lying back side down. Then they learn to crawl and then they sit down and eventually, walk!

Apparently, nobody told Jakjak about the sequence of things. Sure, Jakjak learned to turn over from lying down. Which caused us extreme panic as he found it fun to roll over and over and fall off the bed. The second time he fell off, we decided it was not normal anymore and kept him in the crib even if he did not like it very much.

So, roll over, check. Next step, crawl. And crawl he did. Awkwardly at first. Falling face flat on the bed during the first few weeks. It's due to the fact (we reckon), that Jakjak has a big head which probably caused the imbalance. Of course, it never stopped him from learning and making crawling one of the fastest ways to get around the room.

Alright, crawl, check. Next step, sitting down. Now this is the part that nobody told Jakjak about. Because in the days that followed, Jakjak learned how to hoist himself up on his crib by grabbing the railings and pulling himself up. From there, he studied how to balance himself on two feet. And soon enough, he could move, he could walk. And even though he fell and bumped his head a number of times, it never stopped him from learning. Probably because he had something in mind ... like moving about to grab things that tickles his fancy (which is just about everything, actually).

So, walk, check. And then he finally learned to sit down.

Supermarket Frenzy | 2006

We loved doing the groceries when we were starting out. We used to have this magic list that contains the basic things we needed. This list magically doubles itself before getting to the cashier. It's possible that the simple pleasure we found in shopping has trickled down to a supermarket frenzy. Mostly though, the 'magic' list is usually made up of chips and chocolates, which makes the frenzy last over two aisles.


When Jakjak was big enough, he joined the frenzy as well. Initially, he only sat down inside the cart and messed around with the things that we put in. Soon enough, he was able to stand inside and reach out to the aisles. He managed to knock down a couple of biscuit boxes and chocolates before we pulled the cart off. And being as small as he was, he never liked sitting on the baby seat that's actually built in with the cart. What happens is he sits down face forward on his milk formula. This worked for a while until one time he couldn't move with all the groceries piled up inside the cart.

Jakjak is still part and will always be a part of our supermarket frenzy. It became a family affair that Jakjak looked forward to every once in a while. Especially when he learned how to walk and run about shouting in the supermarket (at the very least, you can easily find him if you manage to lose sight of him).

That Messy Pup | 2006

I am partly Obsessive Compulsive. I have the tendency to put things in order of their color. And I clean up and arrange my furniture at least once a week. My computer files are sorted by folders and file types and I do not burn CD's whose content are incomplete.

When Jakjak came into my life. He turned it topsy turvy and inside out! I now had to clean up everyday and re-arrange my furniture every hour. My notebook now had to be 4 feet high and placed on a very sturdy table. I go to the office everyday knowing that by the time I get home, the house would have been run over by a hurricane named Jakjak. I did that for the first few weeks, and I finally got tired and left it to fate, that I would never have my 'clean' life back until such time that Jakjak becomes aware.

Of course, I still cleaned up after his mess. Just not that often anymore. Every night before going to bed, we put away his toys, mop the floor and disinfect every nook and crany of the house. It's during this time that Jakjak is also learning how to walk with the help of a baby walker. Actually, walk is an understatement, because, he soon learned how to kick the floor and launch his walker forward (sometimes backwards, he has bad sense of direction back then). And this made spills look like lagoons, a clump of toys became 'hidden' treasure, and you never knew what surprise awaits you when you turn to a corner.

Nibblers | 2006

In close to six months, Jakjak grew his first set of teeth. Two front teeth from his bottom gum. Two weeks later, two more popped out on the top gum. That signaled the sign of a new era. Bite marks!

During his 'teething' period, Jakjak chewed on just about anything. His blanket, his stuffed dog named Mozzart, teethers that we bought for him, his crib and of course his mom and dad. Putting it aside, it was also the start of Jakjak eating real food. This brought a sigh of relief initially because I calculated how much we have been paying for high grade infant milk with all the letters of the alphabet thrown in the package. You know, vitamins A, B, C with Prebio 1 and AHD and all the acronyms you can think of. But hey, you get what you pay for because, Jakjak did grow up to be smart and tough, for a baby born at 811 grams.

Back to eating then. We have already introduced Jakjak to baby food even before he grew his teeth. He munched on carrots and squash (apparently, they did not server Gerber in potato chip flavor). He tried lots of different things when he was still just a few months old. So when he finally grew teeth and learned how to use them properly, he was eating cookies, fruits, vegetables and fish! Although, he did not eat most of the time as he just wanted to lick the flavors of the food that we give him. Which was a bit frustrating because we really wanted him to gain mass and weight. Still, the combination of milk and a healthy diet kept him fit and lively. And in the end, I didn't save anything at all, in fact, for the most part, I ended up paying more as he learned to enjoy organic baby food!