Thoughtfulness
A niece spent some days with us (technically, with my cousin and sister at the other house) since they also have some sort of sem break in grade school. She's my goddaughter, the daughter of my cousin. Her parents are so not well-off and she goes to a public school... the cousin living with us (with my sister, actually) usually has to pick up her brother's slack in providing for his family.

Anyway, I lent her a children's book, part of my weird collection, to read when she gets bored while she's staying with us. Having also attended a nephew's 7th birthday party, I gave Duday (real name is Marjorie) one of the loot bags we took home, keeping the other for Jojo's niece Iya.

For several days, we noticed Duday writing down notes or something, copying who knows what from the book I lent her. Finally I asked her what she's writing. She then told me that she's jotting notes nga because she wants to tell the stories she's reading to her brother when she gets back home.

Awww. She's turning 9 this coming January.

Then my cousin told me that Duday hasn't eaten the goodies in the loot bag I gave her. What she did was write on it, "Happy 7th Birthday Pau", intending to give it as a gift for her brother's 7th birthday.

Awww. "The Gift of the Magi" comes to mind.

But really... I was touched enough to cry to my husband while relating these stories to him. Touched at how thoughtful and generous and good my niece is, and ashamed that I was never a sister like her to any of my siblings.

But I guess that's the thing with having much and not having enough... Duday knew her brother wouldn't have the usual birthday celebration, but she didn't allow it to stop her from giving him a gift. Whereas I (and even my hubs) always had cakes and presents and birthday money growing up... we both started giving our siblings gifts when we were already working and had all those disposable income.

Sigh. To have been someone like her :) To be someone like her. To have kids who will be like her.

I also felt a trifle guilty for keeping the other loot bag for Iya, who went trick or treating in her neighborhhod (Ayala, Alabang)... feeling that Duday had to sacrifice her treats for her brother. But I was just being thoughtful of Iya, and Duday wouldn't have done this wonderful thing for her brother.

Anyway, I assure my readers that I made sure naman na Duday wouldn't go without... and that Pau would have a birthday cake pa din :)

*~*

Meanwhile, Pappie Jojo outdid himself again in terms of thoughtfulness. Because he returned to work today, after a month-long leave, and i've been having pumping woes, I woke up to Yakee's crying at 3 AM last night to see two envelopes with Yakee... letters from Pappie and Yakee.

The letter from my husband is full of love and compliments and assurances and hope... and an old pendant he's given me before, now plaited in white gold and hung on a new chain. It used to be a silver pendant which i'd loved, something he found for me in one of his trips abroad several years ago... but had stopped wearing because most of the stones have fallen off and it's gotten really tarnished.

The 'letter from Yakee' is full of love and gratitude... and my push present, my engagement ring with a new ruby stone. It's also white gold now too, because hubs wanted it to go with the pendant.

Sigh. Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have indeed done something good to be so blessed.

*~*

Yakee pooped for the first time in the CR... yun lang nga, sa floor bumagsak ang kanyang explosive poop. I was bathing him for the first time and decided to do it in the CR since I couldn't carry his tub na once it's filled with bathwater. Howell... it wasn't as disastrous as I feared it to be... at least Yakee missed his water, and his tub :D