The Captivating Smile

August 20, 2006 / Sunday / 3:50 p.m.

Theo loves weekends because we usually all go out together, and one of the places that we sometimes go to is the Tsukuba Catholic Church for Sunday Mass. Theo hates going to mass, for reasons unknown to us. Each time the choir begins singing those solemn, sometimes melancholic songs, Theo would also burst into tears and belt out his signature wail in synchrony with the choir's voices. Then one of us would have to bring him out until he gets hold of himself.

Today was different, however. Throughout the entire mass, Theo wasn't minding the songs nor the people around him. As always, we sat in the room adjacent to the main hall where parents with small children usually sit. The priest, Fr. Michael Coleman, calls this the "crying room." Today, there was a bunch of toys and children's books in the "crying room" and Theo was too busy rummaging through them throughout the entire mass. For once, Mommy D and I finally went through the service together without any interruptions.

After church, we went with a few other Filipinos to Mister Donut for breakfast. As you can see in the photo above, Theo's joyful mood continued until then. He even entertained us with his usual crazy antics.

Undoubtedly, Theo is a looker, and time will come when he'll win many a girl's heart with that captivating smile.

Mr. Multimedia

Theo has not learned how to play computer games yet, but he can surely appreciate the elaborate graphics on the screen. Last Sunday, I was passing the time on a space shooting game and Theo insisted that he take control of the gamepad. As you can see in the photos above, he enjoyed it immensely.



Theo also enjoys watching Disney movies, particularly those of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, as well as Goofy. In this photo, you can see him completely hunched and absorbed in front of the TV. Recently, we have tried to limit his viewing time though, lest he grows up as a couch potato.

We take him outdoors at least once a day, usually to the small parks around the neighborhood. Here, he'll be running around and expending all of his excess energy, which seems to be building up as he grows. The worst thing for him is to be bored at home. That's when he'll start attracting everybody's attention. If you're a parent, you know exactly what I mean.