How We Celebrated Baby-ik's Birthday

Baby-ik's birthday fell on a Monday this year. Sadly, we couldn't do anything (fun) on weekdays considering that his dad still has to go to work despite the community quarantine going on. So his family decided we celebrate it on a Sunday instead. They were very pushy to celebrate it in the beach. By-ik loves the sea!

Just a little backstory, we had a fight a day before the celebration. It could have been the hormones influencing my mood... I just wasn't feeling okay that day... was feeling grumpy and I was having the worst mood swings! By-ik wasn't having the best day as well, so he snapped at me, though he tried his best to make me feel better later on in the day after realizing I just needed comfort and reassurance. #Pabebe He even told his parents he wanted the celebration cancelled because he wanted us fixed. We both never expected  for it to push through.

We didn't get to have proper sleep that night, so I told him he could come celebrate with them and I would just stay home because I was feeling exhausted. Staying home was my excuse so I could make him his birthday present. Hehee! But he insisted I come because a birthday celebration without me isn't considered a celebration for him.

Fast forward... his family decided to go on a small man-made island in Cordova. It was a pretty small island and there were very few people that day. Probably because you need to get on a pumpboat to reach the island. If I remember it right, there was another family of six on the island. Of course, we still practiced social distancing. Going to the beach was still allowed during this time. 

By-ik holding my Swaki

Asked him to pose for me

By-ik brought me pillows and blankets because he wanted me to be as comfortable as possible. I rested almost the entire time we were there. By-ik saw two coastal foragers and noticed they had Swaki (sea urchins) in their pails. By-ik bought two lapads. He knows how much I was craving for Swaki the past days. Though I wasn't allowed to eat anything raw due to high risk of Salmonella, I still ate anyway. Couldn't resist. Felt really guilty afterwards.

Swaki. By-ik bought two.

By-iks dad also grilled fish and squid while we were on the island. His mom brought homecooked dishes for us to feast on. It was an intimate and memorable celebration with his family.

The whole family, including me, dipped in the sea for a few minutes after that. By-ik went snorkeling. He was so happy to have found fishes, crabs, sea urchins, star fishes. He found Coral Banded Shrimps. They were so pretty!

And then we had to leave. We decided not to stay longer because of the community quarantine. Wish I had taken more photos though. If only I was feeling a little bit better...

Stationery Haul

It was supposed to be by-ik's birthday but he bought me all this stuff for my journal. Very timely because the 24-hour curfew just started the same day at 3PM, and all malls will be temporarily closed. He actually thought of me at a time like this. He said the fact that I was there to celebrate with his family was more than enough for him. By-ik is just so precious!