7.29.2007
Toddler Wrestling
Toddler Wrestling from malou.khan and Vimeo.
They say having two boys is a handful. But we're enjoying every minute of it. Just take a look at this video! More videos to come once I download and crop the videos we've taken.
This clip was taken during our trip to Singapore. But we see this scene on a regular basis. It's not just the macho-wrestling that they're into though. They scratch, pinch, pull each other's hair too. Until today, Hadrien is sporting a scar just below is lower lip. Baz got quite a scolding for that. The funny thing though is that when he was sent to the corner, Hadrien decided to join him there. I guess Hadrien realized that he must have done something to so annoy his Kuya!
7.24.2007
Fountain Fascination
I was in Rockwell mall today with the two boys, and of course we had to pay a visit to the jumping fountain on the first floor. The circular, colorfully-tiled Rockwell fountain sends out two to four bursts of water into the air, which then come back down with a splash. The kids love watching the water shoot into the air, and because they're Baz and Hadrien, particularly enjoy the anticipation of waiting for the water to burst from the nozzles.
Which reminds me about the boys' fountain fascination, which I attribute to Baz who passed it on to Hadrien. It was certainly encouraged by Gramps Nas and Gramma Cholly, who'd always take Baz to the cascading ring fountain in Greenbelt across from Baz's first favorite restaurant, Sentro 1771 (where he was enough of a regular that the waitresses recognized him and knew that he preferred the table with the banquette on the far end near the bathroom). Another favorite fountain is the circular one in Shangri-la mall, where Baz first coined his "walk around the fountain" song; and the walk-through ones at Greenbelt 3.
The boys make it a point to draw our attention to different fountains on our usual routes: there's the small single fount under the Buendia flyover as we make our right to Buendia; or if we're on the way to the Gramma's condo there are the Manila Pen fountains at the corner of Ayala and Makati Ave. and the black tiled fountains at the Ayala Museum, on Dela Rosa. On the way home it's the fountain in the driveway of Tektite Tower, which apparently never run for more than a few hours a day, hence sparking a usual debate among the brothers about whether it's "on!" or "off!"
We don't have pictures of these fountains unfortunately, but we should get around to capturing them despite the fact that they are everyday. So while we're doing that I've attached pictures from other places (from above: a fountain in Princeton University; with Daddy, at a fountain in a New Jersey mall; and the fountain in front of the National Archives in Washington DC).
So sure, kids love water, after all. Yet it's refreshing that B and H are fascinated by the manipulation of water - shape and form dictated by forces they can't see and perhaps can't yet explain. They enjoy just the watching, and they're willing to sit and observe how water flows and ebbs through the space, sometimes noisily, sometimes not. Very Zen of them.
Which reminds me about the boys' fountain fascination, which I attribute to Baz who passed it on to Hadrien. It was certainly encouraged by Gramps Nas and Gramma Cholly, who'd always take Baz to the cascading ring fountain in Greenbelt across from Baz's first favorite restaurant, Sentro 1771 (where he was enough of a regular that the waitresses recognized him and knew that he preferred the table with the banquette on the far end near the bathroom). Another favorite fountain is the circular one in Shangri-la mall, where Baz first coined his "walk around the fountain" song; and the walk-through ones at Greenbelt 3.
The boys make it a point to draw our attention to different fountains on our usual routes: there's the small single fount under the Buendia flyover as we make our right to Buendia; or if we're on the way to the Gramma's condo there are the Manila Pen fountains at the corner of Ayala and Makati Ave. and the black tiled fountains at the Ayala Museum, on Dela Rosa. On the way home it's the fountain in the driveway of Tektite Tower, which apparently never run for more than a few hours a day, hence sparking a usual debate among the brothers about whether it's "on!" or "off!"
We don't have pictures of these fountains unfortunately, but we should get around to capturing them despite the fact that they are everyday. So while we're doing that I've attached pictures from other places (from above: a fountain in Princeton University; with Daddy, at a fountain in a New Jersey mall; and the fountain in front of the National Archives in Washington DC).
So sure, kids love water, after all. Yet it's refreshing that B and H are fascinated by the manipulation of water - shape and form dictated by forces they can't see and perhaps can't yet explain. They enjoy just the watching, and they're willing to sit and observe how water flows and ebbs through the space, sometimes noisily, sometimes not. Very Zen of them.
7.14.2007
Literate Alaskador
We've posted before about the personality differences between the two boys, most of which we've attributed to birth order. Add alaskador to the list about Hadrien, which already includes pilo, and siga.
This morning at breakfast Baz was eating pancakes, one of his favorite breakfast foods. Three quarters through, however, he stepped from the table to get a calendar from yaya's room (he likes to start the day by checking out what date it is). So Hadrien - who sits just an arm's reach away and, I'm not discounting that he was probably expecting Baz to up and leave sometime during the meal - takes the opportunity to grab the last delicious mouthful of syrup slathered pancake. Grab fork, spear pancake, straight to mouth. Didn't matter that Hadrien had already finished his own pancake a few minutes before. Nor did he bother asking for more pancakes, probably thinking that nothing's quite as delicious as pancake taken from the mouth of babes.
Naturally Baz was upset and doing his "Hadrien got my pancake" routine. And here's the alaskador part. As Baz is wailing about his lost pancake, Hadrien steps from the table, walks casually to their room, and returns with one of their favorite Eric Carle books, "Pancakes, Pancakes," which he then hands to Baz.
This echoes the last time Hadrien did something similar. Baz was throwing a tantrum and calling for "yaya Dora, yaya Dora" to do something for him. After a few minutes of hearing the same thing over and over, Hadrien walks into their room, and comes back out with a Dora book.
Both times I absolutely love it that Hadrien doesn't say a word as he's handing the book to Baz. Kind of like, "Um ... ayan." This tells me that Hadrien's as sophisticated a thinker as his brother, but he's applying it in different way :)
This morning at breakfast Baz was eating pancakes, one of his favorite breakfast foods. Three quarters through, however, he stepped from the table to get a calendar from yaya's room (he likes to start the day by checking out what date it is). So Hadrien - who sits just an arm's reach away and, I'm not discounting that he was probably expecting Baz to up and leave sometime during the meal - takes the opportunity to grab the last delicious mouthful of syrup slathered pancake. Grab fork, spear pancake, straight to mouth. Didn't matter that Hadrien had already finished his own pancake a few minutes before. Nor did he bother asking for more pancakes, probably thinking that nothing's quite as delicious as pancake taken from the mouth of babes.
Naturally Baz was upset and doing his "Hadrien got my pancake" routine. And here's the alaskador part. As Baz is wailing about his lost pancake, Hadrien steps from the table, walks casually to their room, and returns with one of their favorite Eric Carle books, "Pancakes, Pancakes," which he then hands to Baz.
This echoes the last time Hadrien did something similar. Baz was throwing a tantrum and calling for "yaya Dora, yaya Dora" to do something for him. After a few minutes of hearing the same thing over and over, Hadrien walks into their room, and comes back out with a Dora book.
Both times I absolutely love it that Hadrien doesn't say a word as he's handing the book to Baz. Kind of like, "Um ... ayan." This tells me that Hadrien's as sophisticated a thinker as his brother, but he's applying it in different way :)
7.10.2007
What Baz Learned in School Today
Baz likes school. Despite not talking much (sometimes, not at all), and still not eating lunch, he likes being there.
Today when I got home he asked me about his "ska." "Scar," I thought, fearfully. So I asked him to spell it. "S ... K..," plus he was pointing to his head, so eventually I figured out he meant "skull." Apparently today they were doing the basic anatomy part of the curriculum, and were talking about the brain, which is inside the skull, which is part of the nervous system.
I don't recall running into these terms until I was in grade school, so obviously what's considered basic learning has advanced quite a ways. Baz asked me what the color of the brain was (gray), what would happen if I didn't have a brain (you would just lie on the floor, was the answer he provided), where the nervous system was ("All over your body, Baz, from your brain all the way down to your toes"), what color the nervous system was (which stumped me, actually, although I said, "maybe it's blue"), and finally - a little off topic but an interesting question nonetheless - what would happen if I wasn't wearing an astronaut suit on the moon. To the last I answered, "You wouldn't be able to breathe." Baz agreed, but did one better: "Your body would fweeze." Who knew a four year old understood the deep vacuum of outer space? That's my boy!
Once again I am humbled and gratified by Baz's curiosity and interest in the way things work, in cause and effect, and in facts. I hope he will never lose this childlike wonder, and at the same time, that in talking to him and learning from him, I will regain mine.
(Picture courtesy NASA)
Today when I got home he asked me about his "ska." "Scar," I thought, fearfully. So I asked him to spell it. "S ... K..," plus he was pointing to his head, so eventually I figured out he meant "skull." Apparently today they were doing the basic anatomy part of the curriculum, and were talking about the brain, which is inside the skull, which is part of the nervous system.
I don't recall running into these terms until I was in grade school, so obviously what's considered basic learning has advanced quite a ways. Baz asked me what the color of the brain was (gray), what would happen if I didn't have a brain (you would just lie on the floor, was the answer he provided), where the nervous system was ("All over your body, Baz, from your brain all the way down to your toes"), what color the nervous system was (which stumped me, actually, although I said, "maybe it's blue"), and finally - a little off topic but an interesting question nonetheless - what would happen if I wasn't wearing an astronaut suit on the moon. To the last I answered, "You wouldn't be able to breathe." Baz agreed, but did one better: "Your body would fweeze." Who knew a four year old understood the deep vacuum of outer space? That's my boy!
Once again I am humbled and gratified by Baz's curiosity and interest in the way things work, in cause and effect, and in facts. I hope he will never lose this childlike wonder, and at the same time, that in talking to him and learning from him, I will regain mine.
(Picture courtesy NASA)
7.09.2007
Hadrien the Performer
I'm in desperate need of a firewire cable. The kids are growing up so fast and much too much of their antics can no longer go unrecorded. Yesterday, I attempted to buy one and just my luck - they gave me a USB cable - utterly useless!
Today, Hadrien pulled me away from my Mac with a part of his toy which he was using as a microphone. He then demanded that I sing "I'm singing in the rain" not just anywhere but in the hallway of their room. When he was satisfied that I was in the exact spot he wanted me to perform in, he danced and swayed along as I sang. He then called his Daddy and watched as Raffy and I both sang and danced while he watched with a mischievous grin and his hands on his hips.
Before being sent off to bed, he spun around with arms outstretched and called out "townd of mutik"... What else but his rendition of Maria Von Trapp's Sound of Music :) True to form, he repeated this over and over when he realized that it was a hit!
Today, Hadrien pulled me away from my Mac with a part of his toy which he was using as a microphone. He then demanded that I sing "I'm singing in the rain" not just anywhere but in the hallway of their room. When he was satisfied that I was in the exact spot he wanted me to perform in, he danced and swayed along as I sang. He then called his Daddy and watched as Raffy and I both sang and danced while he watched with a mischievous grin and his hands on his hips.
Before being sent off to bed, he spun around with arms outstretched and called out "townd of mutik"... What else but his rendition of Maria Von Trapp's Sound of Music :) True to form, he repeated this over and over when he realized that it was a hit!
7.08.2007
Swedish Meatballs by Chez Baz
Without any prompting, Baz chose Swedish Meatballs on Noodles as his specialty du jour! For 3 days in a row, he would open his Rachael Ray cookbook to the appropriate page and read off the ingredients he needed - "pound of ground sirloin, 1 large egg beaten, cup of bread crumbs, nutmeg". Obviously, he still doesn't know how to read fractions but give him time :) He then painstakingly read the procedure... "place the ground sirloin in a large mixing bowl...."
When it was time the drop the Knorr beef cubes into a cup of hot water, he paid no need to my advice to drop it in gently and learned the value of following instructions. In keeping with his aversion to getting his hands dirty, he refused to shape the meatballs! Even an enthusiastic demonstration by his ultra-clean daddy was of no avail....
The Swedish Meatballs on Noodles turned out to be a success! It called for 1 cup of heavy cream and a tablespoon of grape jelly - how could it go wrong, right?
When it was time the drop the Knorr beef cubes into a cup of hot water, he paid no need to my advice to drop it in gently and learned the value of following instructions. In keeping with his aversion to getting his hands dirty, he refused to shape the meatballs! Even an enthusiastic demonstration by his ultra-clean daddy was of no avail....
The Swedish Meatballs on Noodles turned out to be a success! It called for 1 cup of heavy cream and a tablespoon of grape jelly - how could it go wrong, right?
7.01.2007
Mototycles
Swiss Inn in Alabang, where we had lunch today, is on top of a BMW dealership. The cars and motorcycles were right there on the showroom floor, and naturally our adventurous boys couldn't resist. They took turns riding the mototycles, and reminded me to get them hemets.
Baz looks really cool in this shot, and he's on this thing like a trick rider:
And this is Hadrien's "What are you looking at?" expression, which looks even more menacing on a big bike:
It's probably inevitable - boys being boys - but I am not looking forward to the day when they ask for the keys to the car, or ask us to buy them a motorcycle, for real. Sorry boys, if you're reading this when you're 18: you're going to have to buy your big bikes yourself. Maybe the ones you rode today are selling cheap on Ebay.
Baz looks really cool in this shot, and he's on this thing like a trick rider:
And this is Hadrien's "What are you looking at?" expression, which looks even more menacing on a big bike:
It's probably inevitable - boys being boys - but I am not looking forward to the day when they ask for the keys to the car, or ask us to buy them a motorcycle, for real. Sorry boys, if you're reading this when you're 18: you're going to have to buy your big bikes yourself. Maybe the ones you rode today are selling cheap on Ebay.
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