My firstborn, Yamyam, turned two years old last week. Good thing it was a holiday on her actual birthday (August 21) because there was a typhoon and my little girl was having a high-grade fever. My husband was also slumped in bed with fever and chills. It was a horrible day for me. Thank God for our little Amreen who's being a ray of sunshine for her stressed mom. Lol!
Jabar and I are resolved to not celebrating birthdays with a huge party. We were not raised that way but the society we live in, especially among us Meranaos, adapted to the Western influence of putting up birthday parties. Last year, when Yamyam turned a year old, we brought her to Ocean Park Manila and had a sumptuous dinner with my siblings. A simple gesture of gratitude to The Maker who gave us the gift of a beautiful child.
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| Amina Mariam. |
As our family is embattled by the ongoing Marawi siege, and after both kids and husband had bouts of viral infection, I feel I am more compelled to give a thanksgiving merienda to be grateful for everything we are blessed with in spite of the crisis we are going through. It was nothing grand. The husband and I grabbed layers of pizza and a bucket of chicken and a dedication cake to share with our DFA-DCC family whose presence in our lives is a major blessing itself.
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| As the "party" was about to start, the husband was called for a meeting. Hence his absence in this photo. |
Jabar and I grew up in big families where playing outdoors with our cousins and neighbors was a major part of growing up. We were never brought to playhouses (we don't have that in the 90's, I guess) or in curated parks (there was none in Marawi, haha). We used to head out of our house and climb trees and play kanggagalawanga, patintero, batir-lata and everything that involves running and shouting. Haha! Jabar and I had beautiful childhood memories in Taraka and Marawi, respectively. This time, we live in the part of the metro that is quite inaccessible to an open space where our children can play and just be kids. Hello, Manila don't have parks save for Luneta and the La Mesa Ecopark in Farview! We don't live close to our families either whose children they can play with. We're quite isolated and I don't allow my children to play gadgets or watch TV all day long. Considering how play being a major part of a child's growth and development, I feel sad for them having no one to play with. That's where the DFA-Day Care Center saved us. I am so grateful that my husband's office have this facility for their kids!
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| Twinning dress c/o their Babu Nasheba. |
Jabar used to bring Yamyam in the DCC once a week. Now that Amreen is quite big enough to play with the other kids, we're bringing her too! Yes, I go with them three times a week which means going to the office is now a family affair! Haha! Alhamdulillah. We are eternally grateful to the teachers and to the teacher aides for being very accommodating and welcoming. Even my children's yaya looks forward to going to DFA every other day since she has also formed a friendship with the other yayas.
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| Teacher Coleen and the kids. |
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| The birthday girl was bugnutin on that day. Her unusual self. |
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| Teacher Faye and the kids about to sing a birthday song to Yamyam. |
It was a very simple merienda to give thanks and as a reminder that we should always count our blessings and to choose to look at the brighter side of every situation. In spite of everything, I am so blessed to have my daughters and my husband beside me. We are grateful for our good health and for the beautiful people surrounding us. Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah.
Happy 2nd birthday, my love!
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