#maharlika2023la woke up after an hour and a half nap, earlier a 45-minute nap.
Lolo @enriquedlz took over for 4 hours as Grandma was not feeling well. He persisted in shadowing him as he climbed the stairs, crawled all over, and then fed him.
#maharlika2023la was extra thirsty and had 2 bottles, and he ate his scrambled eggs with tomatoes and panettone bread.
Then he crawled to the living room. He took the sticks and hit the kulintang with rhythm. I foresee drumming as part of his life.
He was full of joy and energy and waited for his sister, #princess2015la, whose joyful presence is inimitable. Their love for each other is so palpable. They genuinely take delight in each other’s presence. It was truly a joy to watch them both anticipate, greet one another, smile, kiss each other, and play.
Then as #princess2015la left, she shouted: “I love you, Grandma.”
I was so exhausted taking care of my youngest grandson, #maharlika2023la who is handsome, charming, smart, and loving. Today was one of those days. Yet, after seeing these photos, my fatigue evaporated.
He got down from the sofa on his own. He climbed the stairs so fast and went down the stairs too.
He ate a lot today. He finished his solids and ate my banana bread with 3 bananas, sour cream, and 1/8 of an avocado. Yummy! He had two stroller walks and two half-hour naps.
Me: Hugging my granddaughter, #princess2015la as she explains the Oregonian beads on her bike.
#princess2015la: Sorry, Grandma, I am going to miss you while I go biking.
Me: It’s okay; you are going to have fun with your grandpa.
Two bikes are loaded into the bike rack.
Do you want me to give you some money?
#princess2015la: I don’t need money, Grandma. I don’t (with emphasis), she said.
Me: Oh, I like hearing that. It means to me that you see beauty wherever you go and that you can play with anything you find.
But ask Grandpa to buy you ice cream. He buys me that when I go biking with him. Do you know he has taken me, his children, and now you bike riding on the beach?
I forgot he also took his mother tandem riding at the beach, restoring the use of her legs, while I supervised her walking 4 miles around Lake Merritt in Oakland, with her husband, Enrique, Sr.
Enrique, Jr., requested that I supervise his mom walking, while he attended an activist meeting. Then after, we all went camping, and my mother-in-law, Felisa, got to walk much better. While walking, she had eagle eyes, detesting me, not her son. I kept telling her I was just following my husband’s request.
A very biased post – ha, ha, my 8mo #maharlika2023la was taught by my 8yo #princess2015la how to play the kulintang. She has a very good ear for music and plays the ukulele instinctively.
So does her brother, who started beating any object with rhythm, the way their #grandfather taught them before he went to do Camino Norte.
My neighbor Jim speculated how big sister is treating the younger infant. He was surmising they are competing for attention.
I said with pride, “Oh no, #princess2015la is so loving to her younger brother.” You can see how they both light up in each other’s presences!
I love my grandchildren so much. All we do is fill up their love tanks and their parents are intuitive about taking cues from them: my granddaughter is taking up climbing camp and she’s enrolled in ukulele class.
I volunteer one of my weekends so parents can have a date, occasionally.
This is our first time to watch a play at the Pantages, together. Mom agreed I can take her. Of all days, it was yesterday, the height of Hurricane Hilary. She was brave, so was I. But I didn’t push my luck and I parked across the theater, few steps to our seats from my car. We enjoyed the play and its props’ changes was non-obtrusive.
