Cool - Week 9

Yesterday (February 26) was Theo's 2nd month birth anniversary, and as such, we had a small lunch party at home together with my boss, Prof. Isoda, her son Suguru, my labmate Han (from South Korea) and an old friend, Ms. Suetsugu. It was also to celebrate Prof. Isoda's birthday, which is today, February 27, and Han-san's completion of his doctorate. Mommy D prepared some very mouth-watering Filipino dishes which everyone enjoyed.

For about two weeks or so, Theo will be having formula because Mommy D developed shingles which requires her to take oral and topical medication. Although shingles is self-limiting, we do not want to take any chances as far as Theo's health is concerned; thus we have decided to temporarily halt the breastfeeding until the doctor says that there is no longer any trace of the medication in her milk. There is a possibility, however, that Theo will catch chickenpox because the same virus causes both the shingles and chickenpox.

Theo didn't seem to notice or mind the difference between breast milk and formula because he would just suck up with gusto whatever formula we prepare. The photo above was taken this morning during Theo's bath; he just had three feedings of formula by then. As always, he's just cool as ever!

The Cute Jester - Week 8

Nothing beats Theo (now 8 weeks old) when it's time to be cute and when he's contented with his life and well-being.

This past week, Mommy D played around with our trusty, old digital camera and caught Theo in some of his unguarded moments. And as you can see from the photos above, Theo has the potential to be a court jester, not only in terms of making people laugh with his facial antics but also in winning their hearts with an incredible cuteness that only babies can portray.

Theo can melt your heart, without an iota of doubt.

The Sumo Wrestler - Week 7

One day, we awoke to the realization that Theo, now 7 weeks old, has grown so dramatically since he was born on December 26, 2004. (Yes, that's the same day when a powerful earthquake and tsunami devastated various parts of Asia, killing almost 300,000 people.)

I am posting this photo above to show family and friends in the Philippines, Japan, the US and around the world how Theo's body and arms just seemed to inflate in just less than two months. From the look on his face, I think he himself is startled at how humongous he has become. And this is all because of 100% pure, unadulterated breast milk, nothing else!

Will he be a future sumo wrestler? You tell me.

The Last Samurai - Week 6

As you can very well see from the photos above, Theo, now 6 weeks old and wearing Japanese-style apparel, is surely raring to grow as "The Last Samurai", hopefully to replace Tom Cruise in the not-so-distant future. Well, come to think of it, as far as cuteness is concerned, he surely beats Tom Cruise hands down in this category.

Indeed, as the previous post says, you see glimpses of God when you see a baby slowly growing before your very eyes. Parents are just there to assist God in the making of a miracle.

The Cost of Raising a Child

An old friend posted this piece (below) on her blog with an introduction saying that this has been making the rounds over the Internet for quite some time now. The author is unknown so he/she cannot be properly acknowledged here. Nonetheless, we are pleased with the author's insights and I am posting his/her piece here again for everyone's enjoyment.

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The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down.

It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "rich."

Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140?

Naming rights. First, middle, and last!

Glimpses of God every day.

Giggles ... under the covers from the other room every night.

More love than your heart can hold.

Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.

A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.

A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles, and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up.

You get to finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek and catch lightning bugs.

You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney movies, and wishing on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck.

You get to be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the training wheels off a bike, removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step, first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal.

You get another branch added to your family tree and, if you're lucky, a long list of limbs from your your branch called grandchildren and great grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God.

You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.