It feels like yesterday when I would spend countless of nights sleeping in a pillow soaked with my own tears because another cycle of our fertility workup failed once again. But in reality, my little foodie turned six last month!
We entered the pandemic with a four-year-old Zayne who was so excited to be going to school for the first time, but the unanticipated lockdown made all of us caught unprepared for what was about to happen. What everyone thought was a two-week lockdown turned into a year. We definitely struggled as a family, with my baby going through a lot of changes, which made me feel like she was forced to suddenly grow up. Zayne has always been so generous in giving us hugs and kisses, but there are also days when I feel like my baby is slowly slipping away. She still likes to play with dolls and Lego, but she’s also into reading biographies. Most of the time, she would excitedly tell me random stuff like, “Nanay, do you know that Charles Darwin has 10 kids?! Ten kids!!! Seriously?!” She still loves watching Cocomelon, but she also enjoys watching Strictly Dumpling and Korean mukbangers like Hamzy and Sulgi. I think they are one of the reasons my little foodie kept on requesting me to cook new dishes for her. Can you imagine that just last year, she simply requested for spaghetti and fried chicken for her birthday? This year, she requested for shrimps, crabs, and chicharon bulaklak!!!
Because of the extended lockdown, Zayne has been doing virtual playdates with her friends. They would play stuff like Roblox, but once in a while, I also see them doing zumba when they rest their eyes from playing! Haha. I think that is why Zayne chose Roblox to be her theme for her 6th birthday. She chose everything, from the banners to the colors of her balloons and her cake. I think her Tita Pam, the owner of PAMCakes, finally met her youngest yet most meticulous and most demanding client!
Zayne found a peg online, and changed the details to include her favorites – rainbow, unicorn, bunny, yellow flowers and paintbrush. She meticulously designed her Brookhaven avatar and asked Tita Pam to make it the center of her cake. Zayne invited all of her Roblox Amigas to a virtual birthday party. You have no idea how loud the screams were when they saw the cake!
We gifted her a dollhouse which she and Tatay saw from Shopee! Her Ninang Mitch sent her beautiful flowers and an alpaca stuffed toy which we initially thought was a llama. She named her Alfie (because it is an alpaca haha) and now goes anywhere she goes!
I know that her childhood is fleeting, and the pandemic definitely magnified that. Although it has been really exhausting and challenging, I will forever be grateful for the time I got to spend watching her grow into a smart and kind-hearted kid. A part of me wants her to stay little forever, but I am also very excited to see her grow up and pave her own path. I am not sure how long she will still let me smell her armpit, but for now, I will just cherish every moment, every hug and kiss, and every food request she makes. (Even if it includes random requests like ramyeon, tteokbokki and gimbap!) :)
P.S. In case you missed it, Zayne has her own YouTube channel where she helps kids learn new things. Please send my little foodie some love by watching her vlog, liking her videos and subscribing to her channel. :)
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