Happy 6th birthday Ate Yanis!

Yesterday was my niece's 6th birthday.  The family gathered together and prepared a mini celebration for her.   My dear cousins Tonts and Kalay and my brother Deks took over to prepare the food because I have appointments since the morning.  My hubby and I arrived 5:30pm and saw ate Yanis still not dressed, she didn't want to because the dress she was wearing was the dress that she was wearing when her mom left again for Australia last January 3.   Her classmate Mica and her family arrived shortly so I persuaded Yanis to change her dress immediately.

While I was dressing her up, we had a very heartfelt conversation:

Yanis:  Tita Lods, Kuya Carl and Ate Sam (Yanis cousins) have fever... They will not be here for my birthday.

Me: it's okay, they'll just visit when they are better.

Yanis: Tita Lods, this is my 1st birthday

Me: No ate yanis, this is your 6th birthday, kaya nga 6 years old ka na diba po?

Yanis: this is my first birthday without mommy, daddy, kuya Carl and Ate Sam...

Me: (speechless for a while)... Mommy will call you later and daddy will be here soon after his work is done.  They love you so much that's why they are working hard for you and Migs.

Yanis: (silent)

Mamitz, Papa Lolo, tita Lich and tita Mitch arrived at 6PM and brought Amber's spaghetti and gelatin. We can really sense her sadness so we tried to cheer her up.  We sang the birthday song and she blew her candle.  Of course, we had a repeat of the birthday song for little Miggy para mag blow din sya ng candle kahit sa March pa birthday nya, then opened their gifts.  

This is Mica, Yanis's bestfriend in school.  She somehow made Yanis felt happy, they danced and play together with the gifts.

I know Yanis is beginning to notice the absence of her mom, i saw her crying non-stop when my sister left compared to last year.  And she was still crying even after we reached their home.  She hugged me too tight that night.  I tried to convince her that her mom will be here soon again and I stayed with her until she fell asleep.

I still don't know how to tell my sister about this, I know it is also so hard for her to leave and she misses her family so much... Hope that she can already settle the papers very soon so they can be together again everyday.