Farewell Joey, Hello Joaquin

First off, please indulge my penchant for statistics. We are 12 children - 7 brothers and 5 sisters, of whom 11 are married. The 7 brothers have 17 children or 2.4 children per brother. The 4 sisters have 10 children or 2.5 children per sister. Hunky-dory. Of the 27 children, 14 are boys and 13 are girls, which is also right on target. But statistics can be deceiving. Because if you drill down, you will see some very skewed numbers. Of the 17 children of the 7 brothers, 12 or 71% are girls. And of the 10 children of the 4 sisters, only 1 or 10% is a girl. And the lucky sister with the girl is me, and that girl is Anna!

So it is no wonder that when Anna got pregnant and asked us to stay with her for 4 months - 2 months each before and after her delivery - Manny and I left our very comfortable, socially active, and spiritually fulfilling life in Manila and came flying to Silver Spring. We were only too happy to share these precious months with Anna and James. Though it was not without trepidation. For when Manny and I left Manila last Thursday, September 3, his 87 year old mother was still in the hospital recovering from a hip surgery. This was her second surgery in 2 months because while she was still mending from her first hip surgery in June when she fell out of bed, she fell again on August 26 while getting up from a chair and required surgery. The surgery on August 28 was successful but she developed pneumonia. However, her pulmonologist assured us that she would be all right and gave her blessing for us to leave. And she was right. Today, we received the wonderful news that my mother-in-law has been discharged from the hospital and is now recovering in our home in LGV. We know she will be in good hands with Manny's older brother, Boy, younger brother, Molly, and my ever dependable Daday looking after her.

So we're now enjoying our stay with Anna and James in Silver Spring. We have been running errands for the baby shower on Saturday (a major production) and wearing our toques again (so far so good in the kitchen). We will stay here until January 4, when we all fly back to Manila where Anna will spend the last month of her maternity leave. She is due to deliver baby Joaquin on November 9.

With Facebook, Gmail and Skype, we have been constantly communicating with family and friends. On Thursday, my Mom arrives from LA to be able to attend the baby shower. She flew to LA from Manila last Sunday to visit my older sister in Pasadena. On Monday, she and I will fly to Nova Scotia to visit with my younger sister for a week. So the only person I really miss is our 10 year old granddaughter Joey. Because of her autism, we cannot really interact with her other than in person. We last saw her the Tuesday before our flight when she gave me a wonderful surprise. While we were in the car to bring her back home, she kissed me without any prodding from me. This was the first time it happened. She must have understood me when I repeatedly told her that her lolo and I will be away for a long time and that we will miss her a lot.

I guess it will be a bi-continental life for Manny and me from hereon. With a new grandchild on the way and a daughter in the US, and a grandchild and two sons in Manila, Manny and I will be shuttling back-and-forth for as long as we are strong enough to travel. It's a good thing my Mom has taught me to "bloom where you're planted." So wherever I am, I try to appreciate and be grateful for the beautiful things around me. Just this morning, when Manny and I went out walking, I couldn't help but feel God's love embrace me with the wind blowing in my face, the smell of pine tickling my nostrils, and the postcard-pretty houses and lush foliage enthralling me. Life is good and God is great!

Just two pictures to complete this post which were taken on our first full day in Silver Spring. The first picture is of Manny, Anna and me on the balcony of the penthouse where the baby shower will be held. The second is of Anna and James inside the penthouse.