Letters to Elijah: “Days are long, but years are short.”

Tomorrow marks your fifth birthday. I now understand what it means when they say, “They grow up too fast!“

Flashbacks from the moment I saw you in the operating room, you, my little boy, was the first one who made me a mother. I will be forever thankful for that.

Francis Elijah (November 17, 2015)

You may be unfocused and too energetic on your first few years, but I already notice that you are starting to have certain topics of interest. At age 2, you were amazed with anything with wheels, and your dad made sure he brings home a toy every day we were in Singapore.

Francis Elijah (November 2016)

Then you shifted your interest to Dinosaurs at the age of 3. Thanks to you, I also memorized their names which I seriously did not bother to know before. Again, your ever supportive Daddy bought you a bunch of Dinosaur toys and books, to feed your imagination, to answer your questions.

Francis Elijah (November 2018)

At the age of 4 your maturity unfolds and you began speaking sentences, from phrases to complete ones. I really do not remember how you started learning about the Solar System. The next thing I know is that you are blasting me with questions that I needed to research. Memorizing the 8 planets and the 5 dwarf planets was not enough for you. You asked me to read the books to you over and over again, learning even the planets’ moons, composition and colors.

Francis Elijah (2020)

Months after, you that you started exploring world geography. You learned about towers of the world and started asking me about every single landmark you learned in videos. You memorized their names and location, which forced me to memorize them too.

All I can say is, you are amazing. Your brain works like a sponge and the best I can do is to feed it with facts.

But you are no weirdo, you love watching Ryan’s Toy Review, PJ Mask and Number Blocks too. You happily wore Gecko and Catboy’s costume in your Halloween Parties. I still remember your happiness wearing those.

This year has been crazy, but I am thankful everyday when I get to sleep between you and your brother, squeezed tightly. Again, thankful for your Dad’s hard work abroad, he made you live your life comfortably.

I am sorry for my shortcomings. This year I realized that it is not the time I spend on you, but the time I spend with you that matters. I may have been busy managing my time as a mother and as an entrepreneur, but always remember I will choose you, my sons, over everything. Every sacrifices, your dad and I are doing are for your future.

I love you, always and forever. Mommy will always be here to comfort you from a bad dream. I will scratch your head until you fall asleep. I will pray with you as you lead our goodnight prayers. I promise to be here for you, always.

Francis Elijah (October 2020)

Likewise, Daddy is just a video call away when you need to tell him about how your day went. He loves you as much as I do.

Happy 5th Birthday, my love. Continue to explore and wonder.

Loving you endlessly,

Mommy