The other Edgardo in my life is a free spirited five-year old boy who resembles his dad physically but possesses most traits of his Mommy Puring (my mother).
Edgardo Jr. – EJ as we lovingly call him – has been a wonderful work in progress since the day he was born on March 03, 2003. A heavyweight from the start, EJ was born weighing just 0.15 short of being 10 lbs., enough reason why I had to undergo a C-Section in delivering him. I still remember how he looked like a giant baby beside the other newborns at the Nursery of the Santo Tomas Hospital. His pediatrician said his weight and length was fit for a two-month old baby then.
His mental growth has been extraordinary. At barely three years old, he could tell a story about “Cinderella” and other bedtime stories. His memory is so sharp that he can memorize anything he is taught in minutes. Even characters in “teleseryes” and dialogues they have he can deliver with much aplomb, word for word.
My son always carried a confident personality. He goes for striking colors like red, pink and orange… hero worships the Caped Crusader… grooves to the dance steps of Luningning and Milagring of Wowowee… and would always say he loves Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty while quickly adding he is their “Prince Charming”.
EJ was never averse to strangers, and he loves being around people… inquisitive, kind-hearted, and fiercely protective of his mom, his dad and the people he loves.
How can I forget the first time we brought him to Divisoria to buy some Christmas stuff when he was four years old and this burly man bumped me so hard that EJ followed the guy and sternly warned him “Mama ‘wag mo banggain ang mommy ko ha! (Hey Mister, don’t you push my mommy huh!)”.
And how can I fail to remember the night I was rushed to the Emergency Room of St. Luke’s Medical Center, and he went straight to the Resident Doctor and told him “Could you please go to my mommy now, and give her medicine so she’ll get cured and we can go home.”
Born at a time when his dad and I weren’t married yet (Edgar was still having his annulment from a previous marriage then), my son became the healing balm that cured the pains I inflicted my parents when I chose to fall in love with a separated man. My parents totally forgave me and accepted Edgar the day EJ came to our lives.
My son is my life’s biggest miracle… he is the bearer of my hopes and my dreams for the future. He taught me patience… calmness under intense pressure and pain… bravery… selflessness… and gratitude for all the blessings that come our way every day.
My two boys made me believe there are no storms I cannot weather, no battle I cannot win, no odds I cannot overcome. They showed me how it is to love and be loved unconditionally… and how being a family is the greatest blessing one can ever have in this world.
