"Fridate" with Isha

 I was never really fond of kids. They're annoying; they cry a lot and most of all, they're messy. Plus I had this idea in my head that children will never like me, so I never really liked them back. Until that day that I started thinking about having my own children and my friends were asking me to be ninong (godfather) of their children. From then on, I realized, I love children, because they bring so much joy. They become instant endorphin boost. Yes. They're still annoying, they cry a lot and they're still messy and most of all, not all of them likes me, but I still like them.

Ninong Kyle and Baby Isha

Isha, on our first encounter (2012), didn't like me. She'd cry at every attempt of getting her out of her chair or even trying to make her smile with a little peek-a-boo. Back then she still had stranger anxiety and didn't want anyone to touch her aside from the people she's used too.

Last Friday, we decided to hang out at Abreeza mall because Marianne is leaving for the states soon. We asked Edz to bring along Isha because we really wanted to see her and Marianne will not be seeing her for 2 years. We met at Coffee Bean at around 2pm. Marianne and I got there first and we talked about a lot of stuff happening in our lives. Trying to catch up on each other. We may live in the same city, but we don't see each other that much because we have different schedules. 

When Edz arrived, we went to Shakey's for lunch. Isha was still aloof. Turned away every time we attempted to get her from Edz so that Edz could eat. I observed her for a few minutes while the girls were talking. I realized that the kid was fond of food. So I had an idea. Bribe the little girl with food. It actually worked.

At Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. Isha busy looking at the cakes.

Isha started loosening up. When I try to reach for her hand, she gives it to me. When I try to carry her, she'd reach her hand telling me its OK to carry her. So that whole afternoon, I became an instant nanny. We went back to Coffee Bean right after lunch. The whole time, I let the girls talk and I was Isha's nanny-slash-bodyguard.

At the Lounge

It was exhausting following Isha around because she doesn't want to stay put. She loves to move, she's always curious, always looking at things. We went around Abreeza letting her walk on her own. It was a quick endorphin fix for me. I was happy the whole time. It was like having my own daughter to protect.

Doing our Ninong and Ninang duties

The whole afternoon was really fun. The girls did their catching up on things and I did a good job looking out for Isha. I don't mind doing it again. Its exhausting I must admit but spending time with people you love is priceless. At least now, I have an idea on how to make her come to me: FOOD!