Month 11

Dear Ramon,

Happy 11 months! My gooly goodness. I can just about palpably feel your first birthday descend upon us! It almost feels wrong that I'm not cutting out buntings, or sewing loot bags. But this time I decided to spend more time with you and with your sisters, than holing myself up for hours at a time creating things for your party. Anyway Daddy said I could should get professional help. (by this I mean a party planner, not a psychiatrist) And you know I always just do whatever your Daddy tells me to do.



You're so big naaaa! And so adorably cute! This past month had brought a lot of changes and phases in you. In fact, if I had to write this letter two weeks ago, it would be very different. And the pictures would not be as flattering. Two weeks ago, you had a week-and-a-half long phase, or as I like to call it, The Time the Aliens Took My Baby and Replaced him with RaMonster!

You see, soon after you turned 10 months, you grew teeth! Two at almost the exact same time! And this, my dear, did not help your mood at all. You were more than just your regular Mr. McCrankypants, you were also full blown "nangingilala". Which means no one can hold you, touch you, or even look at you except Yaya or Mommy. Or else, CRY. But if you can see Yaya and me at the same time, Mommy only! No Yaya! And then even if you're with me, you have to be carried while standing. No sitting, no putting you on the bed or in the crib to play. Only carry all the time. Or else, CRY! You weren't you! you were crying all the time! For no apparent reason! You didn't even want to eat! WHAT?! That's when I came to the conclusion that you had been replaced by an alien lookalike. Add to that, you, or rather IT, The Alien, had a rash that covered his back and torso and the sides of his face. I gave him Allerta but that didn't work. Dr. Jojo said it might be bungang araw (prickly heat) and to keep the rash dry and it will go away. But while it was still there, no sleeping for Mommy, and Daddy had to sleep in the den if he wanted to get any sleep at all.

Fortunately, only after about 10 or 12 days (meaning FOREVER) the angels rescued you from the aliens and returned you to me. As in one day you woke up and no more rash and smiling at everyone all day! No more RaMonster! And your teeth made your smiles that much more infinitely cuter! Not only that, the angels brought you back New and Improved! When you became your good natured self again, you also gained the ability to SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT! It was amazing. Happy baby during the day, sleeping baby at night. And Daddy was able to sleep in our room again. PLUS the angels implanted an extra cool chip in your brain because guess what. The thing I've been waiting and waiting and waiting for forever has finally come. You can SIGN!! Real signing. Not just random hand gestures and then confusion when I try to nurse you. You have consistently signed for milk all week. You're like your Ates, you also sign milk to mean water when you're eating. You wave your hands around when you want me to sing "I Have Two Hands." I love this, it's really funny cause you look at me, raise your hands and then sort of twist your wrists. And then when I copy you and sing I Have Two Hands, you break out a big smile like Awesome! I made Mommy sing! I will treasure this and remind myself of this time when one day my singing will only make you go "EW! MOM STOP!"

You also bang your fists together to sign "Change change". Somehow you figured out the sign for change change even if I never taught it to your yaya, and I only taught it to you a couple of times. You did it a couple of nights ago, and I checked and you had poop. And then this afternoon, you banged your fists together and Ate Felma thought you meant "more" but I didn't teach you that. So we checked your diaper, and sure enough it was heavy with pee. I think it's awesome that you can tell us that you're hungry or need changing, or even that you want to be entertained. Although of course, if you're already TOO HUNGRY, and you got this from your father, hindi ka na makausap. No more signing nonsense. You go straight to the WAIL. I have yet to teach you that crying is not the way to get what you want. But there is no getting through to you when you are hungry sapot. And since you're just like your dad, I have no choice but to give in.

You are so like your Daddy in so many ways, not just physically (the tummy, the eyes) but also in many of your mannerisms, like how you stick out your lower lip when you're concentrating, or how you can sit quietly and tinker with a toy for several minutes, forgetting that the rest of the world exists. You are already nearly one, and you haven't fallen off the bed! That's some sort of record for us. To think we didn't put fences around our bed for you, like we did for your Ates. Not that you never tried to fall off the bed. Somehow I'm just able to catch your foot in time. Maybe my response time has improved. But I think it's more cause you have your father's cautious and thoughtful nature. Whether you got his love for travel remains to be seen. So far you haven't been too happy with road trips. Eventually we'll see if you take to airplanes. Maybe when you're potty trained so that your bathroom trips will be Daddy's job. :-D

You are growing up so well and so fast! You love to zip around the house in your andador, running after your sisters and squealing with laughter! The wide circle on the floor keeps you from bumping headlong into things, but if anything gets in your way, you just back up and find another way to go. I think you're super excited to start walking. I'm excited too because then you'll be able to really keep up with Kuya Luis, and oh the trouble to two of you can get into. Don't stab your neck like Tito Ayo, or break your head like Tito Carlo, or your nose, like Tito Norman. But I do hope you run around and climb trees and ride a bike. A proper bicycle with just two wheels. And play basketball like your Daddy and whoop his ass at it. And play football like Lolo Dan and beat him too. I hope you grow up to be active and healthy. But until then, while you can't walk yet, I will enjoy the fact that you want me to carry you all the time, and love being held by me. So grow up eventually, Ramon. But not too quickly. Not till I'm ready. When I'm ready, I'll let you know.

Oh Ramon, you are totally made of awesome! Even when you were being a RaMonster. And I love you so much it's hard to describe. Like when at bedtime, you've finished your milk and the lights are off and we're quietly settling down. You would toss and turn to find a comfortable position until your hand finds my arm, or rests on my neck, and you calm down and in a few seconds, I feel your steady breathing and know you've fallen asleep. And I feel loved by you. And I think, so this is what it's like to have a son. It is a truly magnificent feeling. Made exponentially so by the fact that my son is you.

I love you my Ramomo. Forever and ever.

Love, Mommy