Happy first birthday Jaco!

We had a very small celebration today and excited you...you kicked / stepped on your cake! Heehee! It was also your first time to open gifts by yourself (well, with Tatay as your gift-opening coach there). Look at you arm-flailing, excited, gift-opening baby you! :p

Well, birthdays are thanksgiving days but for me everyday is thanksgiving, especially when I am with you. Praise God for your good health and all the love that you bring to this family. Love you babe. :)

Dear Jaco,

You and Tatay are very goofy boys. You guys played a lot and it seems you sincerely enjoy each other's company. :) I hope you always do, coz you guys are really great together. :)

Love,
Nanay

Dear Jaco,

When we're just staying home, I have nothing better to do.. so I take pictures of us. Always. That's me being vain. And yeah, me being proud of how healthy and good-looking you are. :)

Dear Jaco,

Ninong's family dropped by for Grandpa's birthday today. That's you with Tatay, Ninong. Kuya Sting and Baby Miles. You guys don't really look a lot alike but people say you have that "Asistores" in you. Whatever that means! :))
Kuya Sting is a really cool kuya, don't you think? And Baby Miles is so tiny, though they all predict he's going to be a real menace. They say you're the most wel-behaved of them all. I hope you all get along well, it's nice to have family that you can hang out with and talk to, that's within the 5-year age-difference. No, I mean, it's nice to have any kind of family around.

Dear Jaco,

We let you drink orange juice for the first time. Something different, huh? Figures. Just look at your face right after.
When you've grown, I hope you won't be afraid to try new things. And I pray you choose those "new things" wisely. I could always help you. Though I've never been the adventurous type ( I order the same flavor ice cream for chrissakes), I know there's a lot of learning in taking risks.
But please, please be careful. Nanay will go crazy if something bad happens to you (that's if I'm not crazy enough when you reach adolescence..).

Dear Jaco

We brought you to our band practice. I think you enjoyed it. Especially musical instruments lying around Tito Alay's house. Here you are playing with the djembe, or at least trying to.

Did you really enjoy watching Tatay and Nanay play music? I hope you did. And I hope you still do when you grow up (that is if we still play). You see, Nanay and Tatay were bandmates before you came, and it's through this music setting that we fell for each other. He's a really good bandmate, your father--talented, passionate, and dependable. Just like how he is now, and he will always be, in our family.
Our other bandmates, I'm sure you'll still know them when you've grown, were really good friends as well. We're family.
If you ever get to be in a band, I hope you find friends in your bandmates. Or bandmates in your friends. Either way, it's easier, more natural to create music with people you love and are happy with.

Dear Jaco,

We decided on taking a walk around Grandpa's village. There's a playground and it wouldn't hurt if we tried the swing. :) You're too young for the slide though but I promise, we'll get to that.

Dear Jaco,

You're grinning with your first few teeth! Amazing how growing teeth could remind me of how big you're getting already. Could you slow down? I'm really going to miss your "baby days".

Dear Jaco,

Here you are, in your playpen with your favorite playmate. :) Tatay likes spending time with you, even if he has very little to spend. If you don't remember that, I will for the both of you.

Dear Jaco,

This is Ninang Nika. She's a good friend of Nanay and Tatay--I hope she could be your good friend too. She's a good soul and we know she'll always care for you, and pray for you and for us.

Besides, she gives the best gifts ever. ;p

Dear Jaco,

We bought you a playpen. Tatay and I spent an hour assembling it. Putting blankets, pillows and shields in places you might hurt yourself on. Tatay even tested it by banging his head against its wall (was a really funny sight, I'm telling you!).

We knew it's time for you to learn to walk on your own, but forgive us for setting limits. This will do for now. Slowly, one step at a time--just like everything else. Promise, I'll let go when I can. Perhaps after I bang Tatay's head on a wall and made sure it's already safe for you.

Dear Jaco,

You're such a good-looking baby boy. I always thought i'm biased being your mother, but No. You really are beautiful.

Dear Jaco,

You used to love "reading" the encyclopedia. Words and pictures are really amazing, I know. I hope you get to love reading. You'll learn a lot from it.

Dear Jaco,

I hope you don't get tired of us.

Dear Jaco,

You guys beat me at silly picture-taking. How will I be lonely with the two of you around?

Dear Jaco,

This was your first time to eat baby food. You were good at it. If you haven't noticed yet, we're good at eating too. I believe our family loves good food. Especially when we eat together as a family.

Dear Jaco,

Nanay loves making teaching materials. Since you're there, watching me work, I might as well try them on you. I must say though, the disguise lookes good on you. Coulda fooled me. ;p

Dear Jaco,

These were your first pictures with a keyboard. Tatay really liked the last one: your pose somewhat looked like Bill Evan's piano posture. You see, Bill Evans is one of his musical heroes. You might recognize his songs from muzak that Tatay puts on during dinner.

I really hope you'll like Music. Or Art.
We really pray you find something you're passionate about. I will do my best to remember that I wished it for you, so we could help and support you in any way we can.

Dear Jaco,

This was your first swim. I know you looked really scared but believe me you liked it after a few minutes.

You know Tatay is a good swimmer. But Nanay... oh Nanay can't do zilch in the water. I hope you get to learn how to swim.

Dear Jaco,

I wouldn't miss the few times I let Tatay do the sleeping. When you were this age, he would come home from the hospital to take care of you while I catch a nap. He's selfless like that. I love watching you and Tatay sleep.

Dear Jaco,

Tatay looked silly in a lot of his pictures with you. You have to admit, he's really funny. I pray we can still make you laugh even when you don't get our jokes anymore.

Dear Jaco,

You had this love-hate relationship with bathing. Nevertheless, noone could argue how good you look posing on your tub like that. When Nanay and Tatay were your age, they didn't make tubs like that for us. Soon, we will let you experience bathing in the rain. Maybe you'll love bathing more.

Dear Jaco,

At 3 months, you already had a variety of facial expression. Your Tatay and our friends will tell you "You're so much like your Nanay". Believe them.

Sometimes anak, what we can't speak of, we say with our eyes. I pray that your eyes will only carry truth and beauty.

Dear Jaco,

You won't believe how ecstatic I felt the first time you flashed this big smile. It's like your first real happy picture.

I pray that I never forget this smile of yours. And that I see more versions of it in the years to come.

Dear Jaco,

Today, you went on your first out of town trip. Nowhere too far, just for a family affair to Cavite. And you behaved really well during the trip, pretty good for a one-year old. We're no travel junkies but i hope you get to see the world yourself when you grow up. There's a lot to learn out there and don't be afraid to do so. :)