Category Archives: Yaya stories

all-around blessing

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Ever since we got Mateo a yaya, I realized how extremely difficult it is to find a good one. His first yaya was really good with him. She knows how to play with him and even teaches him a lot of things. She’s not too motherly though, more like a playmate to Mateo. Unfortunately, she’s not very good around the house. I’ve had more than a few stressful moments simply because she ‘forgets’ to do things and when she remembers them, she doesn’t do them according to my instructions.

The next yaya was better around the house. She cleans everything even better than I do. She cleans things that I don’t even tell her to clean. However, she’d often just carry Mateo and wouldn’t say anything to him. Since Mateo is more important than the house, she had to go.

We had two more yayas after that but lasted only for several days. Both of them had to leave due to some family problems. The yaya that Mateo has now has been with us for a month already and she’s such a blessing (as far as I know and have observed). She’s good around the house and good with Mateo too! She even reminds me about things that I tend to forget like buying bathroom lighting. I’m very thankful that we got a good, well-rounded one this time. I just hope and pray that she’s also happy with us and that she stays with us for a long time.

off to a good start, hopefully

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We’re now entering the second week of school and already, we missed a day because of typhoon Frank. I would have expected myself to be ecstatic about it. Even though I was grateful for the extra day that Ramil and I get to stay home and spend more time with Mateo, I was surprisingly a little bit pissed off because it would delay my schedule. I would lose precious meetings with my classes which means my lessons would be delayed by at least a day. Since I’m still pretty much on time with my preparations (read:a week ahead), the OC in me got frustrated over not being able to keep up with the academic budget I’ve set.

I’m off to a good start this school year. Still not as great as I would want it to be but good enough especially since we’ve got a spanking, newly-constructed, air-conditioned teachers’ lounge. My little pleasures as a teacher are my own personal space and an air-conditioned place I could stay in during breaks. Certainly puts me in a good disposition. Everything looks nice now in our lounge, everyone has their own cubicle and despite some CAT6 cables scattered here and there, the place is pretty much organized.

On another note, it’s such a relief that Mateo and the new yaya are getting along great. Sometimes too great, much to my dismay. I guess it’s just the jealous mama in me, which I’m trying to squish by the way. Mateo would definitely be better off if they fall in love with each other. They’re now certified playmates and sometimes, Mateo would call out her name as if asking to be saved whenever Ramil and I are berating him for some naughty deed. He’s also adjusting well to being in school everyday. It’s good that out of his 5-6 hours stay in school, 2 hours is spent on nap time. Also, his social skills are now superb. He’d willingly say hi even to students he doesn’t even know. It’s also great for him to always be surrounded by teachers. I am so grateful for our co-teachers, they also make it a point to converse with him and check on him whenever they see him around school. I’d even often catch some of them teaching him things and some tricks.

So yes, after weeks of terrible adjustment, we’re all okay now (I think). I’m optismistic about the next few weeks and months ahead. I just need to remember to keep my thoughts and actions positive.

updates

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I haven’t updated my blog in quite awhile. Blame it on my decision to go back to teaching full-time! Hehe! I’ve been so busy the past week trying to prepare for the opening of classes tomorrow. Mateo has had two yayas in a span of a week. Ramil and I have resorted to getting one from an agency since we really couldn’t find anyone. The first yaya we got from the agency was okay but still really young. We were willing to let her stay but after a few days with us, she got a call from her mom in Zamboanga informing her that her younger sister died. So we had to let her go and the agency gave us another one. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the new one is better so far. She’s only been with us for three days so we’re still keeping our fingers crossed that we finally found someone for keeps.

Ever since I’ve been reporting for work full-time, Mateo has been a regular schoolgoer too. Ramil’s work hours are from 7am to 3pm while mine is 9am to 5pm. Mateo and the yaya goes to school with me at 9am while they go home with Ramil at 3pm. Since our house is just a mere 5-minute drive from school, he’s adjusting well to the set-up. Although I cried for several nights over our time together that will be lost, I’m lucky that I still get to see him at least every 30 minutes whenever we’re in school. My little boy is growing up so fast, it’s so easy to get sentimental lately. I even fixed a lot of his baby clothes last weekend so I can keep them in the cabinet because they don’t fit him anymore. He’s such a talker now and would sometimes easily say phrases. He also likes to sing with me even though he’d only end up singing the last words of each line of a song. I still worry that we might be ‘sending’ him to school early, though we’ve noticed a big improvement on his social skills. Here’s a picture of my boy from two weeks ago, definitely not a baby anymore.

not so baby anymore

yaya-less once again

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Once again, Mateo’s yaya went home. This time though, she told us way ahead of time that she wants to visit her mom in the province. Initially, she told me she’ll be back after two weeks but after several days, she told me that she’s not sure if she’ll be coming back. It would have been no trouble at all since I’m supposed to stay home this summer. However, I decided to teach math summer classes so that we could augment our summer income too. My class is still ongoing until next week and we’re left with no one to look after Mateo. The remedy we’ve found is to ask a former co-teacher’s wife to look after Mateo while we’re in school. Their house is just a few blocks from school so it’s easy to drop him off and pick him up. Ever since yesterday, Mateo and I have our morning bonding times when it’s just the two of us at home. It can be quite a struggle keeping him entertained. If only he has some swing sets he can play with. What we do is just play with his toys, read his book, blow bubbles, and anything else we can think of. Despite getting so tired with taking care of him and playing with him, I feel myself getting younger each day ;)

yaya on double duty

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Yesterday, I was a full-time yaya, with two little boys to look after. Mateo’s yaya left last Wednesday night because of some family emergency. She told us she would be back by Thursday morning but Thursday morning came and went and there was no yaya. The day looked bad already when Ramil woke up with signs of an asthma attack, he was having difficulty breathing. He took several puffs of his inhaler but by lunch time, he wasn’t feeling any better. I was really mad when the yaya didn’t arrive in the afternoon. It definitely looked like I won’t be able to attend my classes too.

So the day went by with me juggling a sick boy (Ramil), a hyper boy (Mateo), and some chores that I couldn’t put off (like cooking lunch). By late afternoon, Ramil surrendered and admitted he needed to be nebulized. So still without a yaya, I had to drive Ramil to a nearby hospital with Mateo on his sick Dada’s lap. Then I found out that I needed to fix something in school and I promised to drop by once the yaya arrives which I hoped was true. We went home, had dinner, then got a message from the yaya that she left her wallet and she’s asking if we could pick her up somewhere. So off we go again to get her. I was too tired to be angry and to reprimand her. I was just relieved that I could finally work on what I need to do. So after picking up the yaya, they dropped me off in school and I was able to finish what I needed to do.

So there goes another double duty day for me. It definitely makes me aware of how dependent we’ve become on Mateo’s yaya. She apologized when I got home and of course, I had no choice but to tell her that I hope it doesn’t happen again. Oh well, and to think we lost money yesterday because of the whole thing (teachers are on a no work, no pay during the schoolyear).

Mateo and Ramil sleeping

one of my few breaks yesterday

just me and my baby

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That’s how it’s going to be next week. The new yaya will be leaving on Thursday, with or without replacement. Ramil and I wants her to go already since she claims to be pregnant. We wouldn’t want anything happening to her while she’s with us. So next week, it will just be me and Mateo. Good thing it’s the school’s 2nd trimestral test next week, I don’t have to go to school. Yipee! I’m looking forward to testing and challenging myself once again. I just hope Mateo chooses to be a good little boy next week. Hehe!

mamu in the house

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I’ve already blogged about the new nanny here. Since we don’t like how she handles Mateo, Ramil and I decided to bring Mateo and the new nanny with us to school on her Monday with us. It turned out to be a wrong decision because Mateo, being unfamiliar with the person looking after him, didn’t sleep the whole time we were in school! I really felt sorry for my baby that day. That very same night, I called my mom and asked if she can stay with us for the week just so we can leave Mateo and the nanny at home with her. Good thing she agreed! When Thursday came, I hinted at my mom that maybe she’d like to come again the following week. At first, I sensed a no for an answer because she’ll be traveling for more than two hours just to get here. In the end though, after observing the new yaya with her grandson, she had no choice but to agree. Mateo loves it when she’s here. I honestly believe Mateo has never been taken care of as well as how my mom takes care of him when Ramil and I are not around. Thank you mamu!

the yaya search is still on

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The new yaya has been making efforts to be more playful and warm with Mateo. Unfortunately, I still don’t feel that they are getting along well enough. Then today, I got a call from her aunt saying that our new yaya’s husband wants her to go home because she’s pregnant! WHAT?!?! There’s just too much difficulty with this yaya that we got.

So we’re still searching for the right one. Good thing my mom agreed to stay with us for a few days so that Mateo will be well taken care of. Ever since the first yaya told us she’d be leaving, I’ve had this overwhelming desire to split myself into two. Unfortunately, I don’t think I would be able to handle everything even if I stop teaching. Mateo is just really a handful now, I wouldn’t have time for household chores if it was just him and me at home. It can really suck when you’re faced with situations that make you realize that you can’t have things the way you want them or that you can’t do everything that you want.

I just really hope we find someone soon. Someone who will take good care of Mateo, someone who will also love him. It would be a great bonus if she’d be a whiz at household chores too! Is that really too much to ask?

yaya woes

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Mateo’s new yaya arrived last Friday. Her skills in housework are superb but how she handles Mateo is a bit lacking. She’s not bubbly like Cat, Mateo’s old yaya. I’d rarely have her talk to me what more to Mateo? She’s not really a warm person and she has this tendency to be a push-over to Mateo. A co-worker told me that sometimes it’s difficult to find a yaya who’s both great at home and with the baby. I’m still very willing to wait it out and observe them. I hope she and Mateo get along with each other pretty soon!

she’s the one

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These are the words I hope to be uttering once Mateo's new yaya arrives on Friday. I haven't really been too stressed with our quest for a yaya. I sincerely believe that there's a yaya for us somewhere out there. Finding the right one can sometimes be like finding the right man or woman for you. Despite going through several hits and misses, I know she'll get to us. I just hope this is it :)