Watching Jamaine grow up just makes me so happy.
I remember during one of those nights less than two years ago when she was just a little baby in my arms, I imagined the day that she would be old enough to talk with me and tell me stories.
And now that’s what we always do. We always watch her favorite Dora the Explorer episodes and discuss the plots of the stories. Sometimes I would tell her about my day at work and she would tell me about how she cooked food for her customers that day. (The food she cooks are plastic veggies and fruits we bought from the toy store. Her customers are Dora, Boots, and Sunshine Bear the stuffed dolls.)
Sometimes I would show her my vision book and I would tell her about all the wonderful travels we would do and stuff we would buy. She always gets so excited and believes completely that we will. And that’s what gives me all the more motivation to make them all come true.
She has been fond of playing her toy guitar and I tell her she would be part of the music ministry one day. She would be just like Citipointe’s Becky Lucas, only that she plays the guitar too. I tell her that she would meet Becky someday when we travel to Australia and she already imagines she will hug Becky when they meet.
Sometimes I ask her what she wants to do when she grows up and, though she still has long way to find out what her passions are, she says she likes cooking. And we tell her, she can become a chef someday.
And then I realize that as my little lady grows older, I am too. When I look at my photos and I can trace the signs. I always zero in the little lines at the corner and the area under my eyes — two of the more obvious signs that I am indeed aging. (Note to self: Scout for the best eye cream in Watson’s). Now I am thankful we had Jamaine in our mid-20s, we’d still be strong enough to go on shopping sprees, taekwondo lessons, cooking sessions and whatever else she wants to do for the years to come. I am moved more than ever to take care of myself more and preserve my youth as much as I can because we’ve got a whole lot of adventures ahead of us.
For now, I will relish our story times and take our imaginations farther and higher. Soon my little Jamaine and I will do all these things together. And though she’s growing up fast into my sweet lady, when she snuggles next to me at night, I just know, she will always be my angel baby.
