Oh Lolo! (with a head sigh)

Yesterday, I had my routine doctor's appointment to ensure Micron's heartbeat is doing well and to make sure the pregnancy is thus far, healthy. All good. I left Micro with his Lolo for a few hours while I went out to dinner with a girlfriend for a much needed girl's night out (hey, we're both moms and so much for our night out, we were both home by 8:30 p.m. (just when it was starting to get dark...Lol!!--oh how times have changed!) So Mr. Fliz came home after work to relieve Lolo from his duties. As it so happens, they chatted and my Dad made a remark about Micro and me--something along the lines of, "They seem to 'fight' a lot." Upon hearing that, I chuckled and told Mr. Fliz, "Shows how much child-rearing my dad did as my sister and I grew up."

It set off a button. Micro and I don't fight. As with any stay-at-home mom, you have your moments with your kids, which can easily be mistaken that we're arguing. In my case,it's being 6 months pregnant and trying to keep a toddler from destroying all the furniture in the apartment while trying to teach him how to behave properly. Good luck, right? How do you argue with an 18 month old anyway? See, Lolo has never had to stay home ALL DAY watching my sister and I for days at a time. Because if he did that, people would accuse my dad of 'fighting' a lot with his kids too. My mom stayed home when my sister was born and we had already moved to the U.S. I know it wasn't easy to raise two girls in a foreign country where we didn't have the support of family or good friends nearby.

In fact, upon Micro's birth, it was even more obvious that my dad didn't do a lot of the child-rearing or domestic duties. When he would come over to watch Miles, the messes they both made, were still there for me to clean up. A stark difference if my mom was watching. She would take the time to help clean up our place in addition to watching Miles--which helped me out in the long run--especially when you're a first-time mom. Don't get me wrong, my Dad is super helpful in watching Miles and spending time with him. He plays with him and entertains him perfectly. But Miles is different when it comes to Lola, and that may be because she has all the experience in knowing how to differentiate the cry of a diaper change, being hungry, tired, or just needing to. And mom was helping me clean the kitchen, fold laundry, or whatever housework I had neglected those first few months. Women are naturally nurturing (for the most part, not all, but most) and babies and toddlers are drawn to that. 

I'll let that comment yesterday from Lolo pass. I know during my parent's time and especially in the Philippines, roles of men and women were clearly defined. The man works, while the woman is left to household duties and child-rearing. I'm lucky that times have changed, as it's important for Mr. Fliz to play an active role as "Dad." He is extremely helpful and has always been since Micro came out of the womb. He shares in household duties and even attempts to cook dinner once in a while (might I add, successfully at times too). So next time I hear Lolo make some lame remark, I'll try not to let it get to me--because he has no idea what he's talking about.

Where in the world are you?

this photo can be found at JeffChristiansens photostream

It's been three exhaustive days. Mr. Fliz and I have been in dire search of the elusive Mater. We've combed the dusty corners of our small apartment, groveled on our stomachs as we make our way through our living room, all the while keeping our eyes open to see if he escaped into the dark, musty underbelly of our sofa, arm chair, or TV stand. It's like he disappeared into thin air. Is he inside our diaper champ? Had he befallen some freak accident?

Micro is currently obsessed with the movie Cars, and is always asking for his toy "Maynar." He was last seen in Micro's hands. And that unfortunately, can be deadly. Micro has yet to remember where he puts his toys--sometimes he'll remember, oftentimes, not. Daddy gave the toy as a surprise gift last week when Micro had come down with a 102 degree fever. When Daddy came home, he surprised Micro with the toy Mater and his eyes sparkled. 

Thankfully, Uncle Arnold was kind enough to surprise Micro with Lightning McQueen and Sally--which took his mind off "Maynar" for a bit. A big hug to Uncle Arnold for the gifts. I have a sneaking suspicion that Mater is hiding right under our noses, and we're just having a hard time sniffing him out. Mo, where is he?

Perhaps he's rendezvousing with other "lost toys" somewhere. Hopefully that's the case, so that he's not all alone. Tomorrow, I'm hoping St. Anthony will hear me and help me find our Mater.

 Micro wearing his Cars pj top while playing with his new toys

and his Cars sippy cup

World Cup--here I come!

Watch out Ronaldinho, Beckham, Henry, and Ronaldo--Micro is being groomed to compete with the best. That is, the best in the 18-24 month old "Lil Kickers" league. We enrolled Micro in this "beginner" soccer program three weeks ago, and so far, he's enjoying his time. Let me say, the first class was melt-down city and by this past weekend, he is happy as a camper with s'mores. 

The kids in his age group are all adorable and just fun to watch how little they understand "following directions from Coach," and instead, move to the beat of their own drums. What can you expect at this age? I just love seeing Micro in his uniform and hope he'll continue to do this--so long as he's enjoying it. 

With the World Cup this summer, I'm looking forward to watching it and introducing Micro to the world of soccer. The last time the World Cup was going on, Mr. Fliz and I were fortunate enough to be on our honeymoon in Italy--and they won quite a few games--they won the World Cup that year. Boy, was it fun to be in the midst of the excitement--and let me tell you, Italians take their soccer very seriously--everything shuts down (including taxis) if Italy is about to play--we learned that as we desperately pleaded with a taxi driver to take us from a bus stop to our destination, Praiano (a small town right outside Positano along the Amalfi Coast). 

Let's see who will be competing this year in South Africa for the coveted FIFA cup. I know Micro will be cheering.

"Bubby" Watch 2010

Forget mid-term elections, there's something more interesting going on, and it's called, Bubby Watch 2010. What is Bubby Watch 2010?

According to Micro, it's buses, trucks, mac trucks, and bubbles. In his loosely defined world of words, Micro has a hard time pronouncing certain words (which is to be expected, given his age). Wherever he may be, whether he's in the car, walking around our neighborhood, or he's sitting in his high chair looking out the window to the streets below, Micro's got one thing on his mind, finding the elusive "Bubby." He can barely contain his excitement when he sees one approaching (and may I add, the kid's got great eyesight, he can spot those suckers from a mile away--sometimes just the tail end of it, amid other oversized vehicles). It's become a game while we're driving in the car. How many buses or trucks can we see? 

Mr. Fliz and I are torn whether to keep letting him call those vehicles "bubbies," or correct him. We settled on, agreeing with him when he sees a "bubby," and saying the appropriate name of the vehicle as we nod our head in agreement. Therefore, acknowledging and yet correcting at the same time. I call that, smart parenting ;)

Unfortunately, Micro also calls blowing bubbles, "bubbies." How to rectify that, well, I'm working on it. For now, I just enjoy hearing him expand his vocabulary and I'll always remind Micro when he's older about Bubby Watch 2010.