Necessary ouchies

I know a number of grown men and women who grovel at the sight of a syringe being prepared for use. It's amazing how we never stop needing injections even after getting dozens of jabs.  

I can still remember the day mom took me to the health clinic when I was 5 years. I had no idea why we went but I'm sure if i did, I'd have bolted right out of that building before you could say vaccine. The irony was that I had not sensed danger until the syringe was unleashed because all this time I was with Nurse who was our neighbour. My naive brain thought we went to visit her at work the way we visit dad in his office. Let's just say I didn't talk to our nurse neighbour for a while because my trust in her was lost. Injections hurt like a bee sting and the aftermath is what makes us uncomfortable for quite a bit yet we do this because we want to be healthy. How much more for our babies?

It seems cruel that we celebrate our baby's first year of life with rounds of injections and oral vaccines. If there was a way babies could get immunized without the injections and its aftermath, I would certainly head that way. My little baby is headed to the clinic to have another round of vaccines and the last visit is still fresh in my mind. The way Baby cried his little heart out when two jabs got right into his tiny thighs, I instantly felt mortified. He cried as if he was telling me how betrayed he felt because I allowed this to happen to him.

What made it worse as that he was excited, grinning, gurgling and cooing at me right before it happened. I think he must have thought I'm about to give him a bath, something he takes to like a fish to water. It suffices to mention that I spent the next 48 hours consoling him and reassuring the child that the bad man with the ouchies will not get him. Sad thing is, Baby has a long way to go if i go by the immunization card. Too bad Baby is too young to be comforted with ice-cream.

Heartbreaking as this routine is, these are the necessary ouchies that we must put our children through so that their little bodies have a fighting chance in this diseased earth. It makes me wonder whether our world has become more diseased or our immune systems has corroded deplorably. All I know is either health providers or the pharmaceutical companies or both are making a killing selling vaccines expensively.Thanks to organizations like Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, vaccines like Rotavirus will be available to all people from all the corners of the world. Possibly one day, vaccines will be free for all. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Decades of Vaccines Initiative The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Decades of Vaccines Initiative

Glimpse

Lots of glimpses i've had, glimpses of what lovers share.

Nothing the Gregorian language can describe this but the 'sense' language can.

Touching him is addictive, its like i cant get enough of it

His scent, that scent so sweet, clean, fresh.


My days are filled to your wordless banter, your hearty silent giggles and gurgles. 


When you are fussy, shedding baby tears, I kiss them away, giving you reassuring hums.

The sight of him is what I longed for all day, all night.


His smile, his gummy smile is so captivating, melting the recipient of the such blessing.


So I continue to glimpse, using any excuse to gaze at his cherub face.


Watching him sleep is like looking at a Masterpiece, God's best work yet.

Diapers, maids and all

Today baby, I almost had a mental meltdown. You are just 8 weeks and maid number 3 is exiting. I’m beginning to wonder whether wonderful maids who stay for years really exist. I usually wonder whether you’ll remember any of them. The thing I thank God for is that none of them were cruel to you.

Today began with the mission to the hospital for your second round of DPT and polio. You didn’t like the first round and tears were shed. This time round, you wailed your heart out to the point where you fell asleep immediately. The first time was easier because you only had one injection; this 2^nd time had 2 injections and so both thighs were sore.

Now I understood why they space out these injections, so that you may forget the pain you had felt for a month. This may sound random and queer but i found it fascinating seeing your blood. In my mind, your blood is a result of your dad and I’s DNA. Hmm…

The day before was also a tough day for your Aunt Joyce; she had to undergo surgery for 4 hours and now she has to have full bed rest for 3 weeks. I'm not sure how she’ll obey the bed rest thing considering she’s always the up-n-go kind of person. She adores you to bits, considering she was there from the moment you appeared into this earthly existence. The hospital has a policy for children so I won’t be able to take you to see her until she’s discharged. She’ll be staying over at your Guka and Cucu for Buru till she fully recovers.

It’s been pretty cold lately to the point where people are bitterly complaining about the weather. For you and me, we are mostly indoors so we can’t tell either way coz we’re safe and snug at home. I'm thinking I had my maternity leave at the most opportune time and maybe all the possible future siblings of yours ought to share the same birth month as you. J Just a thought.

As usual, daddy fell asleep before me and miraculously, for the first time in days, you slept way before midnight. I was beginning to fear that you will adopt the habit of sleeping at midnight, meaning that when I return to work I’ll be sleeping for 5 hours only. 5 hours because you seem to delight in waking at dawn. Being very sleepy, I’ll stop at this paragraph and listen to you breath then fall into sweet slumber. Today was a rough day for you and I. Tomorrow may be worse or better but so long as its God, you, me and your daddy… let tomorrow worry about itself. The maid issue will be resolved as well.

Love you my little prince