It was 25 years ago today
Top left: Athelstan & Mom, 1986; Top right: circa 1995;
Bottom left: 1999, Bottom right: 2007
Twenty-five years ago the most wonderful thing to happen in a woman’s life (bar none, I insist) happened to me. I had my firstborn son. His father named him Athelstan, after an ancient English king. I had added the name Emil in honor of his paternal grandfather, Emiliano.
For a time he didn’t have a proper nickname. Everyone called him Athelstan in its various Visayan permutations, but none was ever officially his nickname until we started calling him Pakluy, when he was around four years old. The pakluy is a Visayan term for a bird whose scientific name escapes me right now but I was told it’s a very noisy bird, which is why we named him after it.
The eldest child is always privileged, he earns the oohhs and ahhhs of his parents, awed by his first baby steps, his first words, the first book he reads on his own. He becomes, whether he desires it or not, the standard by which all other siblings are measured. He is, whether he likes it or not, the first thing that comes into his mother’s head when the word “baby” is mentioned. His mother worries, whether it embarrasses him or not, what happens to him and how his life turns out.
I wrote about him once, here, a long time ago. It may be scrambled eggs time again, but thanks to the Internet and mobile phones we can still eat virtual scrambled eggs together.
Happy birthday Athelstan Emil.
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Comments
happy birthday to your firstborn, bambit.
wow, 25 years … it is very much your achievement after it is a blessing from God to have the privilege to look after him.
take care.
happy happy birthday paks!
he is the same age diay as my wife tita..i thought 24 pa si
Athelstan…
ako siya gi textsan pag birthday jud niya.. ako gani hagad inom… iya reply is — “tnx dong. hehehe =p”
=)
happy happy birthday paks!
all the while i thought he’s 3 years younger than me. ka age ra diay si Aethelstan sa ako wife tita.
Ako siya gi textsan yesterday, ako sad gani hagad inom. iya reply — “tnx dong. hehe =P
cheers to Aethelstan Emil @ 25!
happy happy birthday paks!
all the while i thought mo 24 pa si Athelstan tita. the same age ra diay sila sa ako wife.
ni text ko niya yesterda, ako gani hagad inom. iya reply — “tnx dong. hehe =P”
anyway, cheers to Athelstan Emil @ 25!
=) is there a problem with the commenting?? looks like, i tried three times since this morning..wala pa jud ko ka post ako comment =(
waaaaa dingz nasulod sa spam ang imong earlier comments, dunno why, maybe you were posting from a cafe? anyhoo, thanks for the greetings, was chatting with d brdey boy last night, pero mingaw man, kabalo na ka … 
Panaderos, Diyosa, Poppycock and ZJ, thanks very much for the greetings, I’m sure the birthday boy appreciates it.
he: can I haz cheezburger?
me: of course you can, it’s your birthday!
Hi swordie, thanks for the greetings and the visit! I visited your blog too, you take very good pictures.
Hey there sis Mari, yep, I was 18 when I had Pakluy. Now I’m wishing I still had him, pero what can I do, children grow up…
ate,
kala ko kung sinong starlet yung kasama ni pakx sa unang pic. ahahaha! malapepsi paloma pala ang dating mo nun! winner!
watson
Bambit
Sam
pogi
Panaderos
christine
Congratulations and Happy Birthday to your dear son, Athelstan Emil or “Pakluy”. Many Happy Returns! Take care.