Babies

Babies - How cute these little things are. How I love to cuddle and flung my arms around them. I’m fond of carrying them around, strolling till my arms ache due to weariness. I opt to be with babies below 1 year old because, they don’t move too much, and I don’t have to chase after them. I just wanted to sit and stand in place. It’s heart-warming when you see their first smile, you’ll really love it when they cooed, your heart breaks when they cry out loud. I don’t know what babies feel when they cry. Perhaps, they feel uncomfortable with their clothes, they look for their parents, or they wanted to be entertained.

In our compound, we already have three babies. The eldest among these infants is Abiella Marie Kapunan or Jelai, she is my cousin. I guess she’s seven months old, yet turning eight this May 22 or something. I really don’t know. Haha. I don’t have time to ask while typing this post. She already crawls, sits, and stands with something or someone to lean on. She’s a very sensitive baby. She tends to be with her own brothers and sisters, and parents, of course. She doesn’t want anyone to hold her. You know what, every time I carry her, she cries real hard. She slaps her little hands on my face and stretches her body. I hate her when she does that. I’m really on the verge of hurling her out of the house. Haha. She also loves to ride on her rattan stroller. Well, she doesn’t have such exquisite cushioned stroller ‘coz rattan’s the only thing her family could provide. Jelai’s a malnourished baby. She’s underweight and often catches cold. Anyway, I spend more time with her than any other babies in our compound.

The second baby here in our extensive family is Brennan K. Chua. He is my nephew. Brennan’s 3 months old, I guess. He’s a plump little baby, with stubby fingers and legs. He has big round eyes which almost peer into your soul. We don’t see him often just like Jelai. I seemed to think that he’s isolated from everyone. His mother, his Wowa, and his Yaya Pani, in my perception, doesn’t want him to mingle with us. Anyway, he’s a real rich kid. Isn’t it obvious? He is Brennan K. CHUA. Haha. I’ll leave that fact for you to ponder. Yet, later on, as he grows up, he comes at his Lolo Totot and Lola Daging’s house. In that way, I could see him. I also, walk off to their house with some business. Manang asks me to talk to Brennan. Yet, there are conditions. You should speak English when talking to him. Well, it’s not a requirement but Manang prefers it. We also aren’t allowed to touch his face. Sigh. I’m not used to be with Brennan though he’s such a cute and healthy baby. I’ve never carried him in my arms. He’s heavy - Heavier and bigger than Jelai.

Our third baby, the newly born is Bai Alexia Kapunan or Alih, my niece. She has big eyes, a sculptured high nose, and wide lips. She’s a little scrawny, with long fingers and legs. Well, this thing is complicated. My cousin is unmarried, and got pregnant at the age of 19. She’s under graduate. I could not foresee the future of this infant. Her boyfriend is a muslim and also an undergraduate. I guess, they would depend on their parents. I also have no idea if Manang would marry Khalil. But, as far as I know, our family, particularly Manang’s father doesn’t acquiesce on the idea of her, tied on a Muslim family. For the record folks, Manang Daping is Jelai’s sister. So this leaves us the question, how would the family provide milk and other proper nourishments for the babies without support from the male’s side? Yet, I still see Khalil’s family support them. He and his sister Hauni often visits and watch Manang. Their parents do too. Perhaps, they seek responsibility and rights to the child. I can’t blame them anyhow. It’s their blood running on the child’s veins. The baby was surgically removed from my cousin’s belly which means a lot of money was used up. Pity! She’s suffering the pain from operation right now; she keeps on moaning and telling us that she’d rather have a normal delivery than ripped up.

Too bad I won’t be seeing these kids again. It’s going to be months ‘till I meet them again. They’ll be growing up, and I’ll miss it.