Playdates

There used to be a time when playdates were unheard of in the Philippines. The idea seemed absurd at first to me. I was "why do you need to set a date for your kids just to play?".

That is coming from me and probably my generation who stepped out of the house and voila, playmates everywhere.I remember summers when I'd spend an entire day hopping from one house to the other in the neighborhood, share a bottle of coke with my friends, eat chippy, play, fight, pull each other's hair sometimes, then play again. Ahh, those were the days.

Times have changed. As a working mom, I don't even know the neighbors that well. We just moved house but I am still very far from letting my son go to the neighbors to play. So, the idea of a playdate is rather nice. It would give my son a chance to be with other kids and give mommy a time for socials. You know, mommy to mommy talk. No holds barred on dentist appointments, pediatrician talk, feeding problems, school plans etc etc.

the venue: Mcdo ATC

my son

his playmates were

aki

buwi

maia

red

*ali, rocky, lucas and basti were there too. hay hirap to take photos with very active kids. =)

Now, for the mommy and baby pics

maqui and baby aki

faye and baby maia

lui and buwi

me and jared

shyne and red (left), with maqui and aki--hungry babies

And the whole South group

*sunshine and basti left earlier
*chie and lucas- lucas entered the slides na yata agad
*denise, rocky and ali-- so sorry guys my sister wasn't able to get photos of you

Poop Made Me Happy Today!

Yes, poop.

When your child is constipated, and his effort at pushing it out elicits a cry for help, the success of each passing is a cause for joy.

So, yes, his poop made me happy today.

A Child's Kiss is Pure Love

We exchange a thousand kisses a day.

That may be an exaggeration but my son is really extra sweet.
He will request for a “tiss” (kiss) at random times, places and positions. He will force your head to turn in his direction—which is not so good especially now that I have a bad case of cough.

And he wants his tiss to land smack in your lips.

Can’t recall exactly when this kissing started but I do remember that at 9 months, we asked him to kiss mommy for a 9th month photo and he proceeded to lick my cheek!

He will kiss me…

… as soon as he wakes up
… in between bites of breakfast
… while playing
… before, during and after his bath
… when we sing songs
… when we leave for work
… as soon as we arrive from work
… after saying thank you mommy
… when I say great job
… when we watch this favorite Thomas tapes
… when we read a book
… when we change into his pyjamas
… when I say no. He’ll usually grab me, put his fingers on my lips as if saying “stop talking, mommy” and proceed to kiss me and sometimes nibble on my upper lips

Next time, I’ll really keep tab of the number of kisses we exchange in a day. It may not be a thousand, maybe the more correct number is a hundred kisses a day. But thank you baby, I will treasure your kisses forever.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

p.s.
He’s not just generous with his kisses to me. His lola, tati and teddy are recipients of this wetness as well!


Vday 2011 when his daddy took us out for lunch

At MOA, 22 months

Memorial park kiss

McDo kiss. He's always happy when he eats breakfast here

kissing a toy at the kiddie salon

kissing his own teddy bear, 27 months

Clean Up

My new office laptop is finally here-yey! I need to back up all my files and in the process, I've unearthed some nice but forgotten photos, like this one.

This is Jared at 19 months old. He seems so intent on listening to his dad here.

Should I send him to School at 3?

If I had my way, I'd homeschool my son. But I have a full time, demanding job and I know I would never hear the end of it from family and friends so I'll concede for now and will enroll him in a traditional (or progressive) school.

Jared will be turning 3 on April and I haven't scouted for a school yet.

Of course, this still has no blessing from his dad, who if he had his way, will enroll Jared when he turns 5 already.

I need a school that:

is close to our home - he doesn't need the stress of long travel for preschool

does not look like a house - okay this is a personal thing and I know many good preschools started small and all but I personally would like the school to look like, well a school

teaches fairly well- with neighborhood schools, I know I will not get the best there is out there, but I'm okay with that given this is just preschool and they will just mostly play anyway

offers trial class- i'd like to see is he'll be comfortable in that setting

Jared had a few days of school last summer (and I only posted one picture--bad mommy!). He just turned two then and was the youngest in class. He barely sat on his chair (his feet couldn't reach the floor yet) and his fave part was recess. He was too cute for words. Lining up to get second servings of everything! But it was a good initiation for him and for me, too.

I'll visit some schools in the coming weeks but before anything else, let me show pictures of my school boy Jared:

before the class started

and he stands when everyone else was sitting down

i'd rather stay outside mommy

thanking his teacher with a peck on the cheek

eating time! yum!

playtime

I hope I find a suitable school for him.

8 lbs and Counting

Now I can't fit an exercise regimen into my schedule just yet so my only hope of losing a few pounds before our March vacation at the beach is to eat less.

So, goodbye meat, rice and sweets--for now. I hope to see you again.

Shrimp and Steak teppanyaki set

Furniture Shopping in Paco

A brief stop at Paco, Manila last week was enough to reignite the flame I have inside. That of buying stuff for the house.

I was in search of wardrobe cabinets since I do not want the hassle of looking for able carpenter/s, waiting to see if they will show up, cleaning wood dust, and stressing about the final outcome so I thought buying ready made ones are the way to go.

These furniture shops are along Pedro Gil St, before crossing Osmena Highway. Cheaper by almost 40% I think as compared to mall prices but the material is mostly laminated wood. The 2 door cabinets start at 3,800 and the bigger ones at 7,500. You can get side tables for a mere 1,500. Real wood side tables at 2,500 but the designs are limited.

They also have bed frames, buffet tables (the one I wanted at a mall cost 6,500 and here they are offering it to me at 4,500--sorry forgot to take a pic).

But I found this small nice couch which will be perfect for the TV area--only at 1,500 and that is without haggling yet.

Paco might be worth a look for those looking for affordable furniture.

My Thoughts on Weaning

After a month of not feeding from me, I can finally say my 33 month old is finally weaned.

That should have had an exclamation point at the end if I typed this several months ago. But writing about it now just makes me sad.

I feel a big part of our mommy-baby bonding was centered on him going to mommy for the comfort and the sustenance that my milk provides. And that is something only I can give.

I am selfish but it came with the guilt of being a working mom. I leave my son to the able able care of an aunt and my mom during the day but at night, my son only craves for me because of my milk.

A few months before weaning,I so wanted my life and routine to be back to normal: normal reads going out with friends, staying out late sometimes and so I tried to wean him early last year. My say was he’s been breastfeeding for a long time and he’s had the nutrients one can get from bfeeding. And so the verdict was set: wean from mommy’s milk. And my method was sour--I put calamansi juice on my breasts.

He did reject my milk that time and I was triumphant. But that quickly turned to guilt. I erased all traces of the calamansi and made a peace offering. He rejected me again and opted for the bottle. The only time he took me back was that night, when he unconsciously put up my shirt and latched on as if nothing happened.

I remember how I used to chide my son for being the biggest baby to use the breastfeeding room at the malls—how I get the surprised looks when I mention I still breastfeed my son. But how I crave for those same moments now. My son says yuck every time I offer him mommy’s milk.

My only consolation is to know that my baby is thriving—and gaining independence and as a parent, my role is to encourage that new found independence and nurture him, although in a different way this time.

*My baby breastfed from me exclusively until the 11th month. He was mixed fed until he was 32 months old.