It's been quite a wait.

We even counted down to two weeks too early.



But just this morning, our little one made it to their Linggo ng Wika parade. Today's exactly a week after he made it to school on time for the first periodical exams. Uncast.


(The fiberglass-cast was finally removed Wednesday of last week.)


Weren't we all excited for him to go back to school! It wasn't difficult getting used to an earlier start-the-day routine (preparing stuff from 3:50am, waking him up at 4:30am and carrying him to school at 5:30am).

He'd appear all that dependent and clingy from home all the way up to his classroom on the second floor. But once on his seat, he'd nod repeatedly and reassuringly at us as if saying, "Sige na po, makakaalis na po kayo." We continue to be touched by the simple ways his classmates and teachers welcome him, and especially by some of his classmates' constant gestures of warmth and concern towards him.

And so mornings end with his all-excited high-pitched rundown of how school was (competing with the noise of mostly tricycles bringing pupils home), eyes twinkling with his stories about his new classmates and their subjects and teachers. Bawat tanghali nitong nakaraang linggo, nakakatuwang nakakaiyak na finally, he's back to school!

At home, his 'creations' continue--

"Harold's spinning blade"

"Neil the new engine"

"Decker gets in trouble"

"Tracks of Sodor"

"Harold's helipad"

However, we realize that even if his thighbone has regrown and healed, he wouldn't, couldn't readily walk because the cast had apparently stiffened the flesh surrounding his knee. He's still apprehensive about using the healed leg.


But with constant attempts to practice stepping with that leg's foot, gradually increasing pressure on each step (doctor's instruction), lots of loving advice and encouragement coming from all directions, Tatay's supervision of regular exercises and massage as well as treating him as an uncast child (no more trays, no more special eating corners, no more bedpan and urinal, etc.), we hope that indeed he will be walking again in no time.

Again, thank you all for everything. :)

Stuff@6: Detailed line drawings

Batangthomas hasn't outgrown Thomas and Friends. But at 6 and 1/2, his interest in it has developed from merely watching the show, fancying sets and using his own sets out of Thomas & Friends & non-Thomas & Friends toys in his 'monologues'.

On Fathers' Day he wrote on his card for Loloheart "Thomas Learns a Lesson" -- his first very own written short story. Also at this stage, we noticed that he's been paying much attention to each engine's details. No, not just how many wheels and how short or what color their funnels and boilers are -- but how different each engine's coupling rod, dome, what type of engine they are (Doncaster? tender engine?), etc. He also tries to show the facial expressions on the engine characters' profiles. He expresses this evolving interest in engines' external details thru his line drawings:






He's begun making Thomas & Friends line-drawing comics too:







According to him, that's how Gordon 'the mightiest engine's' coupling rod should be.


Ya, he hasn't outgrown Thomas. He just tends to mix it up with his other recent favorites. For example --

On another note, he says:

Paborito rin niyang idrowing sina Sponge Bob. Maihahambing na sa dati niyang versions :)

Isa pa nga pala sa mga aklat na gustung-gusto niya ang 'The Spectacular Tree', kwento tungkol sa isang puno ng acacia sa University Avenue:


His Grade 1 Teachers saw his drawings for the first time when they came to our residence to facilitate our son's preliminary exams. They remarked that he's very much suited for the Art Club. Kaya lang kahit ilang beses tanungin, sa Math Club pa rin niya gustong sumali. :)