jeremy&jethro

I Stand, Therefore I Am

The nice thing with being upright is that finally, now you can peer into boxes, look down at your feet, maybe even try and check out the view. What’s outside that window, Jethro?

.

Bend It Like Manong

Who knows why they do the things they do? Little boys are a constant burst of energy. Here clearly, Manong Jeremy thinks bending to the floor is a good way to pass the time on the ferry.

We were on board such a vessel for the trip back to Cebu from Negros. For 45 minutes, Jeremy explored the air-con deck, grinning at passengers, inspecting the life vests, testing the mechanism of the glass doors.

He did a little dance, and made faces at the TV. I was exhausted, just trying to keep up. He is wearing the Gap shirt chosen by Tita Joy, in a burnt brown color that suits him very well. He looks so grown up, in his long pants and proper boy shoes.

Summer Kiss

.

You know for sure, one day they'll be chasing each other, screaming bloody murder over ownership of a toy, possession of the TV remote, or playground rights.

You'll be mediating in endless arguments: "He did it!"  "No, he did it!"  "No! He did it!"  "No he did!"

You know you'll have to pull them apart mid-fight, even as they ferociously try to land those small-fisted punches.

You'll be buying two sets of toys, just to keep the peace and possibly, get out of the store with your dignity intact.

Ah yes. You know how it will all be.

But for now, this is how it is:  scampering about in their white sandos on a hot summer day, sun-shiny smiles, their little brown arms locked happily in that child-tight embrace, the wet sloppy kiss.

.

Son = Somnambulant

Jeremy is a sleep-talker. And also, a sleepwalker. I remember being woken up from a sound sleep by a sudden noise—I saw Jeremy standing up in bed and walking! I took hold of his arm and led him gently back down to the bed. He lay down quietly and curled up on his side, snoring softly. He didn’t even wake up.

At times like these you just will your heart to stop hammering and try to go back to sleep.

Sometimes it could also be amusing. After a long day of shooting ball into a laundry basket, Jeremy went to sleep earlier than usual. I was in bed, waiting to fall asleep.

Just as I was nodding off, he suddenly raises his arms over his head and says very clearly, “Shoot. Ball.” Then his arms fall back and he goes on sleeping.  I smothered my giggles into the pillow.  Beat that.
.

Lean Mean Eating Machine

This is the aftermath of a Jethro meal.

Lately he's been happily enjoying a variety of tastes.

New pick: Fish, vegetables and rice. Verdict: Yucky, but he still chows it down.

So-so Eats: Mixed veggies, Cauliflower & Creamed Potato. Verdict: There are leftovers. 

All-time Favorite: Banana and wheat/rice cereal. Verdict: Empty bowl.

Jethro loves messing with his food, mealtime is always a fun event.  Fingers get all sticky with yellow goo, smears and gobs of it on face, knees, bib, shirt, stroller, and of course, me.

And when Mama is a little slow with the next spoonful, watch out—Jethro will chew on his foot!
.

Food Hits, Food Misses

.
We’ve been trying to introduce Jethro to a variety of food tastes and textures. So far, the hits are banana, rice, wheat, and mixed vegetables. He especially loves the sweet, fragrant mix of banana cereal and milk!

The other menu choices were not so well-received though.  We tried feeding him Gerber green beans and the chicken and veggies dinner. As you can see in these series of photos, this is what he thinks of the work of the chefs at Gerber.

.

The New Chewable

Here’s a new favorite toy for a drooling, soon to be teething baby: a strange hybrid of lizard, alligator, and wacky salamander.

It’s soft and chewy, with a rattle filled with colorful beads on one end, a thin yellow tongue on the other. Plus, it squeaks in the middle. Jethro loves it so, he can play for minutes on end with it, sometimes content to just stare at the bright colors. More often than not though, he likes to bite or chomp down on it, or best of all, drown it in drool.

.

Milk Dreaming

Proof that Jethro has appetite to burn:  sleep feeding!

I love how he would finish the last bit of milk from his 4-ounce bottle, and sometimes ask for more. Or how he would put off sleeping until he’s done with feeding.

Just this weekend, I bought two new 8-oz. bottles for him, since the little bottles are fast becoming obsolete. Jethro barely got through the 6-oz. feeds before we transitioned him to 8-oz. batches. Less feeds to make, and he finishes them in no time at all.

.

Lookit That Smile!

Click on Mickey to see an even bigger pic.

Look at that smile. Jeremy, at age two, is quite the charmer. He doesn’t know it yet, but being cute goes a long way towards getting what you want.

One time while I was trying to get him to take a nap, he kept distracting me with smiles and all sorts of mischief. He would half-close his eyes and pretend to be asleep, then when I would look at him in the face he would burst out laughing. Before I knew it, two hours have gone by and all we did was horse around, nap time forgotten.

There was that time also when we were all at our wit’s end telling him to keep off the refrigerator. He was constantly opening it and pretending to be choosing something to take out. After about fifty thousand instances of chasing after him to the kitchen, I was exhausted. I plopped down on a chair and was soon absorbed in watching TV.

For a full five minutes there was silence, then I heard a soft chuckle behind me. I turned to see a grinning Jeremy, eyes twinkling. Grasped tightly in both hands was the bottle of wine we were chilling for New Year’s. He was so proud of himself, pleased that he was able to lug that bottle from the kitchen fridge, down two steps of stairs, and into the living room where I was sitting. It’s a good thing that I do not startle easily.

How can you scold such a charming mug?  I tell you this boy has a killer smile.

 

Just Say No

You know you’ve been doing too much rule reinforcing with your kid when he turns around and flings the rule back at you.

One night, exhausted and just about ready to climb into bed, I was rushing to get Jeremy to settle down and prepare to go to sleep. As usual he was all over the room, opening closets, fiddling with doorknobs, rearranging things.

I was telling him “Jeremy, no no no no no” and wagging my finger to indicate that no, he is absolutely not to touch the electric fan.

I may have been saying no a few times too many that night since all of a sudden, Jeremy turns around and in a perfect, dead-pan imitation of me, wags his finger and says, “Mama, no no no no no.”

.