Month 21

Dear Lia,

You turned 21 months last week! Yey! 3 months shy of 2 years. How time flies. Truly, the thing I look forward to most about not working anymore is long mornings in bed with you reveling at all the things you've learned, laughing at your tantrums. Yes, approaching your terrible twos has made you quite moody. And when you yell and scream and lie on the floor, your Lola Cora is prepared to give you anything and everything, from lollipops to gold bullion just to make you stop. Me, I just sit quietly and wait until you finish. For some reason, my way gets you to stop much sooner. Most times. Sometimes, there's nothing like the bribe of candy.



You are a very vivacious, friendly, very social baby. You love visitors and you love going out. When Mari and Tina came over, or when Lola Cora's friends drop by, you readily show off the things you know how to do. You count all the way to twenty, pronouncing each number quite well, except for seventeen, which sounds more like setinben, but you don't miss any numbers anymore, and everyone is impressed. You also count to Tampu! Isa, Dua, and so on. It's the most adorable thing. Especially when counting is not finished unless it ends with an exuberant "Yey!" led by you, and the rest of us are required to follow. At first we thought it's just a series you've memorized from playing Count The Score Learning Game on the internet, but lately you'd point to numbers you see in the streets, on the newspapers or on peoples' t-shirts and scream "Seben!" Or "Two!" and it's always right. Sometimes I would test you with the sudoku puzzle, pointing out numbers and asking what they are, and you don't get it right everytime, but at 21 months four out of five is very very good.



You also know most of your ABCs, starting off well, forgetting M and N, fast forwarding through "tolovi" (T U V) but ending with a perfect X Y and Z. Most recently, we've been teaching you shapes (Tri-gingle!) and colors (Yellow!) and you don't get it yet, but you're catching on. You're very fun to teach because you like to learn, and like to show off. One morning, as you kept me company while I dressed for work, you kept saying Ingginggo! Ingginggo! and I had no idea what you meant. Until you picked out a flashcard from your toy bin and showed it to me. Sure enough, it had the picture of a flamingo. "Flamingo!" I said and you were all, that's what I've been telling you all this time, Mommy. Ingginggo.



Your most entertaining trick by far, which gets the most laughs out of people, especially those who have only just met you is your proficiency in local game show expressions. If we ask you, "Lia, Game ka na ba?" You readily raise your fist and say "Gi na!" And we'd ask, "Anong discarte mo?" You'd punch the air again and yell "Abantiko!" You like to play telephone with just about anything from real phones, to remote controls and you always seem to be talking to "Banker" and if we ask you "Deal?" You would cross your arms and yell "O No Deal!" Other than game shows, you also know the theme songs of Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues and Wonderpets. And whenever you see a pawprint, be it in a Baby Einstein video, or on an ad for Eukobana, you always yell, "Acoo! Acoo!" And we'd answer, "Do you see a clue?" And you'd say, "Where?" What a very fun and engaging child you are.



My favorite of the new things you do is sing. When I'm able to spend some rest time with you, just the two of us on the bed, I love when you snuggle up to me, with your head on my arm and I'd ask, Lia, wha song do you want to sing? And you'd say, "Tiko tiko" so we'd sing Twinkle Twinkle together, with actions. In the end, you always say, "Agen?" and we would do it again. Later we'd switch to other songs, like, "I have two hands," "Bahay Kubo," "Head shoulders knees and toes," and our latest chart topper, "The eensy weensy spider." I love how you say "Kimimas" for singkamas, and wriggle your fingers together for the spider. I love that you like singing, and I love that we can do it together.



Of course, even if Mommy could sing with you all day, after a few rounds of songs, you get bored with the whole activity and do your own favorite trick which is to stick your finger up mommy's nose. For some reason, picking my nose delights you like few other things can. And it's adorable, in an annoying kind of way. If you persist on doing this, I hope you don't keep at it until you're a teenager. That would not be cute at all. In any way.



In the past few months, you've grown much closer to your Daddy. You used to get annoyed when he teased or tickled you, now you love it and you have your own special Daddy and Lia games. He brings you to your room after Baby Einstein every night, and picks you up from bed to bring back to me in the mornings. And he taught you three important words. Daddy was the one who taught you how to say "I love you" And I can't get enough of you saying that. I love you Lia, I love you! And if there's anything I want you to learn and know for the rest of your life, it is that.


Love, Mommy

*note: the 5th picture with Lia holding colored pens was taken by Tita Mari