ayeliti

that's what we call her sometimes, a pet name for her nickname Ayel. it was my husband P who started calling her that.

she came into our lives unexpectedly. i hadn't counted on being a grandmom last year, but there she was--a tiny person oblivious of her surroundings. when my son R timidly handed her over to me three days after she was born, i felt a lump in my throat. "my son's daughter..." i thought to myself, "that makes me a grandmom".

having known how and what it was like to be a mother in my teens, i was already going through several levels of anxiety. R was not ready for fatherhood... not yet. technically, he was still my "baby", just learning to stand by himself. my mom, including some friends and relatives advised me to stand back and let him face up to his responsibility and obligations. it was his (their) decision to begin with.

i did... i mean, i tried to steer clear to let him be the father he wanted to be. i was just a few yards away, anyway. during the first weeks, he would knock on our door to ask if it was normal for babies to cry continuously even after they have been fed... or what could have caused the tiny blisters on her face... or how soon can she be given a warm bath...

i am always awakened by little Ayel's cries in the wee hours of the morning, accompanied by R's voice imploring her to go to sleep already. at times like this, i would hastily put on a robe to see how they are doing, and then take little Ayel and rock her softly till she falls asleep. my heart goes out to my son R who badly needs to get some sleep himself. he could hardly keep his eyes open.

Ayel is now seven months old--a very energetic child who can't seem to stay in one place. she may be my son's daughter--"his" obligation and responsibility, but what the heck. she is our little girl and she has all our love and attention. even my mom who reminds me against smothering Ayel smothers her herself. and i've made it my hobby to take her picture almost everyday--to capture every possible moment of her growing up.

Ayel has given us more than she can ever comprehend for she has become the excitement in our normally routinary existence and gave each one of us a new role to play in her life. she has given us fun and laughter with her smiles and antics. our formerly individual schedules have been synchronized so that there will always be one of us looking after her. and though we were not aware of it before, this little girl with her reddish-brown hair and bedimpled little cheeks is the cherry that completed our pie.