Last Monday, our 14 month old son had a fever which lasted a couple of days. CJ was very cranky, agitated, and had no appetite during the course of his fever. We eventually found out what the culprit was – a Canker Sore or mouth sore, which is otherwise locally referred to in the Philippines as “singaw”.

It’s no wonder he didn’t want to eat. Eating was a very painful experience and so he preferred liquids over solid food. He’d cry every now and then and we couldn’t tell why. We verified this with CJ’s pediatrician and assured us that there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. He gave us some helpful instructions on how to ease the pain. Whew! We’re glad it’s finally over with. It’s another lesson learned from Parenting 101.
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Other Sources:
eHow: How to Treat Canker Sores

CJ’s growing up real fast. I can’t believe he’s a year old already. We’re glad that he’s at the pink of health and his development in terms of mental and physical capabilities is astounding. Watching him grow up is definitely one of my life’s joys.

We’re very thankful for this first year. CJ’s journey from infancy to toddlerhood has had its ups and downs. He had a few bumps and bruises here and there, but this hasn’t stopped him from being the brave, confident, bubbly and curious toddler that he is.

His interests vary. He’ll rather have the entire house as a playground instead of being couped up with toys in one corner of the room. We tried putting him in front of a TV, but it’ll only last a minute. He’d rather run, jump and make noise and play with the grownups. But he really lights up when there are other kids around.

There are days when he’d dash to the window and do a full scan of the sky with arms a-pointing if he hears a plane jet by, “maaamaaa” “deeedeee” “whoooo-whoooo”. The same routine holds true if he sees lizards in the ceilings too. (Did I just make a rhyme?)

He’s growing up to be a handsome and adorable kid. Strangers even ask to have his picture taken with them at public places like malls. And we’ve gotten to know quite a few people this way. It’s really quite funny and interesting. :)

A typical weekday routine goes this way: He’d wave and say “bye” every time we leave for work. What’s hard is he’d cry too. And when we come home at night, he’d rush to meet us and squeal to his heart’s content. And if we happen to come home late, he’ll make an effort stay awake as much as possible to greet mom and dad. This makes us particularly look forward to the weekends to spend more time with him.

Parenthood definitely has its challenges and perks. And I’m definitely looking forward to the coming years.

To my anak, CJ, daddy’s here to say, “Happy Birthday! We thank the Lord for bringing you into our lives. We love you!”

CJ’s first birthday is next week, the 22nd. But we still can’t quite figure out how to celebrate it. Should we splurge? Or should we keep it simple yet solemn? As a parent, it’s really hard to decide especially when there are a lot of things to consider.

But I’m really happy and proud of him. He’s growing up so fast that we can’t keep tabs on how many bumps and bruises he’s had while doing things toddlers usually do, which is, to wreak havoc on everything that comes their way. :)

We love his “lambing” ways and are always amazed at his aptitude for learning things real fast. I hope he maintains this learning curve. And while he’s doing it, learning about the world around him, I’ll be sure to guide him every step of the way.