Monday, April 7, 2008

About you,Isabel


One day, should my daughter be able to read my blogs, I'd like her to know the following about herself:

1. You were originally supposed to be named Amanda, but dad didn't think it would sound good with our last name so, it was changed to my next choice which was Isabel.

2. That your nickname, Beau, was derived from a character played by Michelle Pffifer in the 80's fantasy film Ladyhawk. She was named Isabeau, the french version of Isabel (which is a spanish name). Your dad and I made a compromise - you are to be named Isabel (as Isabeau sounded too foreign) but will be called Beau.

3. That your other nickname "Cibelli" was actually coined by your Lola Myra.

4. You were born practically bald but your head was so perfectly round that you were cute anyway.

5. You started sitting up by yourself at 5 months, which was way advanced, and started walking by yourself at 12 1/2 months.

6. Your first semi-solid meal was plain lugaw with a pinch of salt - which you kinda liked.

7. Your 1st nanny cut off your eyelashes while you were sleeping, which pissed the hell out of your dad and me, so we fired her on the same day.

8. That it was unusual that you actually liked green olives, ampalaya and black coffee.

9. You had "sore eyes" for a week when you were 7 months old that you passed on to me and your dad, so you had to go live with Lola Aring & Lola Dey for 10 days.

10. You loved the sprinkler in Tali and you would cry everytime we had to tell you it's time to stop playing with it.

11. Your favorite tv show was the Backyardigans, Dora The Explorer and Elmo's world.

12. You didn't like the car seat at first, but now, you've grown to like it.

13. You love ice cream, any kind. But most especially Cold Rock's Mint Chocolate Chip with Violet Crumble (mommy's favorite).

14. Your first word was "papa".

15. Your favorite viand is tinolang manok, your favorite pasta is pesto and vongole.

16. You never liked juices, but you loved to drink water.

17. Lola Myra gave you your first haircut when you were a little more than a year old.

18. You're a petite little baby, but mama's hoping you'll catch up.

19. You've had allergic rhinitis since you were 9 months old.

20. You'll be forever our pretty little baby Cibelli.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Lola Flory


I already miss her. I do.

When I was much much younger, my mom's mom (my maternal grandmother) used to stay with us in our house. Looking back, I must admit I was not able to reach out and enjoy her company as much I should have. To me, she was just there, this lady with gray hair, sagging face and a slow walk. She wasn't the sweet lady type, in fact, she would reprimand me and shout at me whenever I was being naughty as all kids would sometimes be. She passed away when I was in Med school, after being hospitalized for nearly a year. I did not even cry during her funeral, maybe because she was already sick for a long time and the family was prepared to loose her.

The 1st time I met my husband's grandmother, I was smitten. I remember we had just started dating and he brought me to his house to meet his family. I remember sitting right opposite her, she welcomed me with a smile and invited me to sit down. She started to talk but horror of horrors, I could not understand a word she was saying! It was almost a whisper and her voice was cracking - almost robot like. Everytime she'd start talking I would just nod my head and smile. Sometimes Quitos (my then boyfriend now my husband) would "interpret" it for me, so I could answer back - she was asking me a question pala! Anyway, to cut the long story short, we got married, and I got to know my Lola Flory even better.

I always looked forward to her calls - the most memorable of which came around 1 month before she passed. She had a cataract surgery a couple of months ago, and she would always call the house giving us updates on what her doctor said and asking us if that was ok. You see, my husband and I are both doctors, and she valued our advice more than any of the other doctors she went to. Unfortunately, she had an eye infection post-surgery that just won't go away. One morning, the phone rang, I answered it and it was her. "Anna'" she said, "can I ask you a silly question?" "Yes lola, of course" I answered. "How often do you shampoo your hair?" Hmmm.. This is a new one, I thought. I wonder what this question would lead to. So I said "Lola, I shampoo everyday, but if I'm just home, maybe every other day." "Ah, ok. Coz my doctor told me to shampoo more often because it might be contributing to my eye infection" So I asked her, "Why Lola? How often do you shampoo your hair?" And she gives out a small laugh and I could hear her hestitation until she told me "once a week!" I laughed and said "oh Lola, you should shampoo more often, it's a tropical country. Your scalp can get very oily and stuff will grow on your head" and I could hear her laughing "Is that so?", I said "Yes Lola". She thanked me and we put the phone down. After 3 minutes, the phone rang again, and I knew it was her so I picked it up "Anna," she said. "What shampoo do you use?" "Lola, I use Dove. But You can use something milder, like a baby shampoo." "Oh, ok. I'll do that" she said.

I did not hear from her for a couple of weeks until Holy week came along and we were invited to their house for a small dinner. She made my favorite mashed potatoes (the recipe of which she ws able to pass on to me and my sis-in-law, Celine) and we had a nice time just chatting and watching Cibel (my daughter) do her tricks. The week after holy week, Quitos got a call saying that Lola wasn't feeling well, so we went to their house in Sanlo and checked on her. She said she was feeling tired all the time and weak. We checked her BP and told her not to worry because she was fine. A couple of days later, we brought her to the Emergency Room. After reassurance from the doctors and after a couple of tests that all turned out to be normal, she was sent home.
The next morning, Lolo calls and says that she is having a hard time breathing. We go check on her and was alarmed on how dyspneic she was.

She sat down, catching her breath, she wrapped her arms around my waist and asked me "Anna, am I dying?", I didn't know what to say so I just reassured her and said "No, Lola, you're not dying! But you know what? We're gonna take you back to the hospital to see whats wrong with you." SHe just nodded her head and said "God's will."

She had a directive for no extraordinary means, which basically meant no resuscitation will be done on her if and when the time comes. She passed away at 9:15 am, the morning of March 31st 2008. I cried and cried and cried.

We cremated her after 3 days, just as she wished. And I keep hearing her voice in my head, and I keep expecting to get a call from her. And I'm still crying, and I am still missing.

What a wonderful lady who devoted her life to caring for her loved ones. She will be truly missed.

I love you, Lola.