The Tale of the Single Polliwalk

I’ve lost sleep over it, checked it out a thousand times on the net, packed lunch for a few days so I can save up and finally bought the super cute pair of Polliwalks
the night before our group outing.

Then, the following day, we had breakfast at a very busy Jollibee along SLEX. After going back to the expressway, the other slipper is gone. With its twinkling light and price tag, it was a loss I’ll regret for the rest of the summer.

Lifetime of the slippers: less than 24 hours. Sad.

Polliwalks, me thinks, is a cuter version of Crocs.

My Sister Will be on TV

My sister, who is the lady behind Princessweds, was interviewed by Lexi Schulze-Berenguer for ANC's ShopTalk. The taping happened on a Saturday at ABS-CBN's studio 6. Watch out for it on Tuesday (or Wednesday's) show. Shoptalk airs at 11 pm.

Still on Princessweds, pls visit booth #83 at the World Trade Center on June 5-6 for The Bridal Expo: Perfect Beginnings. 10% discount for on-the-spot bookings!

What my Son Learned at Playschool

It's playschool and it's only for 17 sessions at 3x/week but the 2 hour classes taught my son some valuable lessons:

1. Sing the National Anthem- he starts it with "Baya..." and we have to take it up from there. He inserts a few words here and there like "alab", and "puso" and the words at the end of the song "dahil sa yo". Instead of putting his hand on his chest, they are usually (both hands) near his neck, or down on his tummy. If we sing it sitting down, he will ask us to "stan" (stand).

2. Exercise- He will count 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 then 8,7,6 and so on while moving his neck up and down and his hips from side to side.

3. Color- He now loves to color! One time, his canvass extended to the floor. It's a good thing thwy were able to wash it off.

4. Eat by himself- As a first time mom, I tend to baby our son. At school, he learned how to eat by himself, even asking for 2nd servings of cereal and barquillos from the food cart.

5. Patience- At school, they were taught to wait for their turn to be served food, or to be given goodies at the end of the class. I'm so glad that our son can now sit in his chair and wait for his turn to be called.

6. Share- They were asked to bring toys to school one day and then share or let their classmates play with their toy. Jared initially refused to let go of his Mozart cube but Teacher encouraged them to share.

7. Be proud of his accomplishments- Teacher Myra calls the kids by name and praises them for a job well done. At the end of the class, she draws a star on each kid's hand. Jared is careful not to have this erased during bath time so he can show mommy and daddy his star when we get home.

My son graduated last Monday (May 24) with a certificate and the distinction of being the youngest in class. I know it's just playschool but this Mommy is just so proud.

More on graduation day in another post.

It's Hooooootttt

With temperatures reaching 38 degress celcius, it's no wonder everyone is feverish with the heat. It's sweltering and sometimes, not even the aircon can give you temporary relief. I wish, just like a child, that when the heat goes up, I can just sit in a basin and wash the heat away.

Before and After Vaccination Tips

Time was when bringing the baby to the pedia for shots was a breeze. That is not to say it is beyond pain to see your small baby being pricked, and his resulting cry but at two years old, I must say it is now twice as difficult to accomplish this task.

Tip #1: Make the trips to the doctor a pleasant experience. At his pedia, the interiors are very attractive. The lime green accents, the yellow room and the lilac room are very attractive to the eyes of the kids. The waiting room is small, but there is ample space for my toddler to run and walk outside, while waiting for his doctor. There are enough toys and books to keep him interested. He loves riding in the car so the long trip (from Las Pinas to Med City) is one exciting trip for him.

Tip #2: Do not make the word doctor or clinic or hospital something that you scare your child with. We don’t say threaten our child with visits to the doctor or injections is he misbehaves. It’s instilling fear in a very young mind.

Tip #3: Give lots of warm hugs and kisses to soothe him during and immediately after the shot. Yes, he’ll be bawling but mommy’s (pr dad’s) hugs and kisses will make it less painful.

Tip #4: After the vaccine, preoccupy his mind with something else. We don’t keep on asking if its painful or if it still hurts. We cheer him up and offer toys or food to keep him distracted. His is always effective in keeping his mind off the shot permanently.

Still, given the above, it took 4 people to control Jared’s kicking so the nurse can properly give his Flu vaccine.

Until the next shot!

I won my First Blog/Online Contest

I'm a sucker for freebies. If it's free, I will most likely line up, jostle my way, or buy whatever is needed to have my hands on that freebie. Most of the time, it doesn't matter if I really need, or even get to use the object (sometimes useless things that will just clutter the house). In my mind, I got something out of nothing.

I know it's not practical now and since I've found a site with freebies galore where I don't even have to spend a cent, I can just blog about it or like a photo in FB and I have a chance to win something.

Which brings me to the topic of this post. I won a bag of Myre E loot from Women's Central blog!

My post is all about how I stayed pretty and blooming while I was pregnant.

A big yey to the moderators. Now, I'm really hooked (on contests, that is).

A Trip to the Zoo

What better way to learn about animals than a visit to the zoo? With this in mind, we took out little boy to the zoo one hot sweltering day when we felt too cooped up inside the house.

Manila Zoo is cleaner than I expected. Well, cleaner than it was nine years ago and while it may not compare to the zoos of other countries, or even to Avilon zoo, for P40 adult entrance fee and P20 for kids, it's one family bonding that is easy on the pocket.

A Mother's Day post

This little boy makes all days of the year seem like Mommy’s Day.

Belated Happy Mother’s Day to all moms!

Sleeping Baby at the Pool

A very tired Jared took a nap... at the pool! He was eating chocolate covered mallows one minute, and asleep and snoring the next.

He has been swimming at the pool a few times already this summer and hopefully, we'll have the time to bring him to the beach.

Summer= Happiness.

Second Birthday: Less the Fanfare

Aside from our Holy week sojourn to Pampanga to celebrate both our birthdays, we still decided to throw our (not so) little one with a small party on Easter Sunday with family. It was an easy Sunday afternoon and preparations took just a few days. All I need was to order food from CCME and we’re all set.

I was initially planning on having an Easter egg hunt, games complete with bunny and egg give-aways but decided against it at the last minute since there will be just 5 kids at the gathering, 2 of those might not even be interested to join anymore.

So, what happened was just a simple blowing of the cake, eating of great food and plenty of time with loved-ones.

From top left, clockwise: having a taste of his chocolate cake; clapping with the other guests; with young cousins tracey and cj; taking a break from all the playing.

Our garage wall provided a bright, warm and happy background for some portrait shots (except for Daddy and the birthday boy’s photo at the middle which was taken somewhere inside the house)

Now, the 3rd birthday is an entirely different thing. I think it merits a big trip since the boy will surely be able to recognize Disney characters by then.

What do you think, Dad? =)

How Myra E Helped Me Bloom Inside and Out

My first pregnancy resulted in miscarriage and I was pretty depressed for a while. My skin took the beating. Add to the fact that I didn’t want to exert the effort nor had the energy to try to do something about it.

Three months after that sad episode, I was rewarded with great news! I was pregnant again. Suddenly, everything seemed bright and sunny and happy again.

My belly bulge was pronounced already by the second month. I bought nice maternity clothes and started wearing lipstick and blush. I wanted to look my best and I sure don’t want anyone a making comment that I am carrying a boy (meaning: you look ugly) so I made the extra effort to dress up, and look pretty. Pregnancy brings about a rage of hormones and I don’t want my skin to suffer any further. It was during this time that I discovered Myra E moisturizer that worked so well for my skin and the only cream that did not irritate my then-sensitive sense of smell.

Thanks to Myra, I got to stay pretty while pregnant. I felt my most beautiful during those nine months!

* * *
Check out Women's Central blog for their Myra E contest

My 2010 Goal: To be Fit

I’m not the most athletic person. In fact, I don’t have a pair of rubber shoes in my closet. The last pair I had that I wore more than twice was a pair in high school when it was mandatory to wear them for PE. I did buy a pair or two for team building activities at the office in the past decade, but promptly gave them away after.

I never had any reason to exercise as I would always reason out that I can still fit (although barely) in my clothes and just when would I find the time to do it?

Now that I’m 33, I’ve realized being thin isn’t exactly being fit. Not that I am still thin. But thank goodness I’ve finally found the right motivation to stay fit: my son.

1. An active toddler needs a mommy who can keep up with him. His joys lie in playing hide and seek, and being chased around the house. Even if the house is small, doing it again and again throughout the day will tire you out. And I only do this on weekends when we’re home. I want to have the stamina to run after him and hear him shout in glee.

2. I want to be with my son. Being sick before is just a matter of drinking a pill to make it go away, or staying at the hospital, which will be taken care of by the heath card company anyway. Now being sick means precious time away from my son and since I am still breastfeeding him at night, and for most of the day on weekends, he’ll pine for dear old mom.

3. I want to see him grow up. When I look at my toddler, I want to be there for him and be the best mommy for him. The emotional me even cries at night for fear of dying young. So, I owe it to him to be as healthy as I can so I can live to a ripe, old age.

So given the above, here are the baby steps I’ve been doing to achieve a healthier ME.

- Exercise. I bought cheap but nice exercise wear (Athleta) overruns and it makes me doubly motivated to work out. That said, I don’t want my outfits to go to waste so last weekend, I joined an exercise group at SM MOA by the Bay. It was tiring but fun.
- Walk more. It’s said you will live longer and gain two hours of life expectancy for every hour of speed walking, according to the American Heart Association. I walked around the village with my son yesterday. We’ve covered just a short distance, but at least I have started to actually lead a life that less sedentary. I’m usually just on my buns when I’m at home.
- I’ve started packing lunch for the husband and me. This I am proud of. I need to wake up 30 minutes to an hour earlier but at least I know what is in our food. I try to prepare healthy meals. Baked or steamed, and if it’s fried, I use olive oil. I also include veggies and fruits for one complete meal.

And here are my future fitness plans:
- Draw up a walking path. So I can walk regularly, I need to find a way on how to fit this walking regimen on a daily basis, without lessening my time with my son. I might need to wake up earlier so I can walk a few rounds in a village park where we pass by every morning or have the husband drop me off somewhere and walk the rest of the way to the office.
- Find an exercise buddy. And I do hope it will be my husband. We both really need to be healthier.
- Make it a fun and enjoyable habit. I don’t want it to be a chore. I want to enjoy walking so I will look forward to it.
- Join a 5k marathon. I’ve tried it before with friends, and without any preparation. I was able to run to the finish line, yes, but it felt as if my head and heart will burst out of my body. I was that tired and that is not healthy.

Wish me luck in this new journey!

Yes, We Are

With almost 2 weeks of summer school tucked under his belt, Jared has had new learnings. Yesterday, he surprised us when asked "Jared, are you happy?' and his reply was "Yes... we are!". Apparently, when the teacher asks the class something, they say this phrase in unison.

Holy Week 2010: A Venture North of Manila

Jared and I celebrate our birthdays a week apart and so months before our natal days, I drive myself into a frenzy doing research, checking rates and reading blogs on where we can go.

This time, we decided to go North on Good Friday and venture to the cuturally-rich province of Pampanga.

Here's what we did:

From Top left, clockwise: Our family stops for breakfast at NLEX to start our journey on the right foot; Jared amazed at a true-blue water pump; we just had to have our picture taken at the facade of Guagua church. It was huge!; dancing at the villa and Jared's look of delight as he prepares to devour his Jollibee pancake meal.

From top left, clockwise:Feeling at home on the villa couch; Mommy, Jared, Lola and Tati all smiles for the cam as we take advantage of the great light; Jared wants another serving of popcorn.

On Good Friday, we toured a few churches, the Macapagal's ancestral house and took part in a procession. From Top left, clockwise:a flagellant at the church door, Betis church ceiling, a statue of Christ during the procession and a popcorn vendor at work (popcorn was yummy)

On Good Saturday, Jared's actual birthday. All scenes from the King's Royal Resort pool area.

All in all, it was a good trip. A mixture of traditional immersion on our Holy week culture and good, plain fun.

Things to check before you enroll your child in school and my personal boo-boos

A little backgrounder. I am a first time mommy to a now active 24 month old toddler. His energy never seems to run out. Not when it's 5 in the morning,not when he hasn't had a nap the whole afternoon, not when everyone in the house is ready to call it a day.

He is a bouncing baby boy (literally). He loves jumping up and down the bed and loves the look of horror in our faces (mommy will have a heart attack form worrying!) and since his dad and I both work, he is left with owa (lola) and ate (yaya) everyday.

1. Gauge your kid’s readiness for school. My husband is not a big advocate of early child schooling. He wants to enroll Jared when he turns 5, for kindergarten. In my dreams, I want to home school my son in his early years. The reason why we enrolled him? We want him to have playmates! So, it's probably good to check if your reasons for sending your kid to school matches his readiness for it.

2. Check the proximity of the school to your place. While it’s true that quality education should be the foremost concern when choosing a school, in this summer heat, you have to take this into consideration. The heat at 9 am seems to burn you already and going to school in a tricycle isn't very comfortable. And this is playschool after all and riding a trike several minutes away with a very inquisitive toddler and with just his lola and yaya might be one challenging task. Now, multiply that 3x a week (his summer school days) and you get the picture.

3. Try to check if there are free trial classes. In his school, there is a free 3-day trial class but being the excited mommy that I am, I enrolled him right away, without knowing all the details, without asking all the right questions. Yes, I am impulsive.

4. Check the age range of the kids. Jared at 24 months is currently (unless somebody enrolls much later) the youngest in class. The kid closest to his age is 2 years and 7 months old. At that stage where development is very fast, 7 months seems to be years in terms of what the toddler can say/understand.

5. Check the curriculum. Yes, I know it’s obvious but I thought this summer class will just be play. Turns out, it’s all about getting the kids ready for the real school by June. So they sing the national anthem, write letters etc. My son just isn’t interested in these at this point so he basically just roams around and just sits down in time for his favorite part—recess!

6. Confirm the number of enrolees. The school said initially that they only accept an average of 10 students a class. During the first day of classes, a lot of parents brought their kids for the trial class. The result: not enough chairs and chaos! I think Jared was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people. Of kids shouting, running and parents running after the kids.

Now, 3 school days since the start of classes, Jared still is the only student in his class who stays outside of the classroom longer than inside, is the only one who always asks for an extra helping of whatever snack is served (told you his favorite is recess) and in those 3 sessions, he has been absent once and went home early twice.

Am I worried? No. He is just 24 months after all and just wants to play.

Mommy Moments: Red Day!

Red is one of mommy's favorite color and so the color stands out when you open Jared's cabinet.

Here he is wearing the featured color and on one picture- he is riding on something red.

Happy Mommy Moments!

More trips this summer

This summer, I’m dreaming of traveling to more places with family. But I am not a light packer and with mommy, daddy, tita, lola and yaya in tow, plus the ton of stuff I bring for baby, our sedan sure takes in the abuse. So, I am dreaming of a bigger car or maybe a ford escort will do.

Our sedan right now has two long scratches on one side that sure needs repair. On top of that, the timing belt needs to be checked as we have been replacing that recently as well. I want hassle-free vacations and the one thing I’d want to avoid is to have the car break down on our way to one of my summer 2010 destinations. Will check out Phoenix Auto Repair and see what they offer.

For now, I still need to plan our next sojourn. On top of my list is Laiya, Batangas but on a weekday. I want to avoid the weekend crowd. Then, Lawiswis Kawayan Resort in Bulacan, then if we can still spend a night at Sofitel. I heard summer this year will extend to June, so there’s no better time to take advantage of the weather. Just have to be careful about sunburn and heatstroke.

Birth Story, 2 years delayed

I’m being emotional, looking at my toddler. He’s 2 years old now. It seems only yesterday when I was crying from lack of sleep, and from the overwhelming duties of being a new mom.

Before I forget the details of that memorable day, let me give an account of April 3, 2008.
* * *

It was a Thursday and a regular check up for me. I was nearing my due date but this is the day our baby turns exactly 37 weeks so I figure I still have a week or 2 to go.

Before this, I have complained of being so hot at night, that even with the aircon on, my legs are still sweaty. After examination, Dra. Alfiler said my water had dropped to a dangerously low level and I need to deliver that very same day. In fact, she asked me to hurry over to The Medical City’s delivery room and she will meet me there.

So, now?

Good thing is we already had our bag and the baby bag in the car. My sister, who was with us that time, was also taken by surprise.

Not thinking of the gravity of the situation, we dilly dallied in the hospital lobby when my OB called me on the cellphone and asked “where are you?”. I replied “here at the lobby, doctora”. She asked us to please hurry up and proceed to the delivery room.

While there, I was given a gown to change into. Then the nurses and doctors were fussing over me. Skin test, blood test, asking me questions—all at the same time.

I didn’t even have time to be nervous! Everything happened so fast.

I was wheeled in an immaculately white operating room. Thankfully, there were no student nurses there. Just my OB, the anesthesiologist, and some nurses. I was suddenly nervous when they were about to insert the anesthesia. I braced myself not to cry and try to be brave but it went in and out without me feeling a thing.

Then, they began cleaning my tummy area. That’s what I thought. A few minutes into it and I heard a baby crying. Oh my, my baby is out already!

His was a loud wail and I became concerned that there might be something wrong with him. I wanted to ask, but they all seemed so busy. So I waited. Then a few minutes later, a baby was presented to me. All clean and cozily wrapped up in a blanket. He has red, red lips and frog-like eyes (though still closed) and he was peacefully sleeping this time.

My baby! And another realization hit me, I’m really now a mom.

Then our sweet little baby had to stay in NICU so we didn’t get to see him again until the day after.

But when I held him, my love for this little bundle of joy (literally) overwhelmed me and I couldn’t help but cry. I was at the breastfeeding room almost as soon as the nurse calls, never mind that I had difficulty walking at the start because of the operation.

It was worth it.

We took baby Jared home after four days at the hospital and our lives made chaotic, messy and sleep-deprived gained a whole new meaning.

So this is what love is all about.

A Big Playground

We’ve been going here since you were 6 months old and you enjoyed it every time. First there was the fresh air, then the boats, and most recently, you derive the most fun out of the playground.

Morning is the best time since we can take advantage of the morning sun and the kids are still in the manageable number.

I’ll never tire of bringing you here as long as you enjoy it.

The place: Bayside at the SM Mall of Asia

Turning 2

It was a whirlwind of activities leading to the little boy’s 2nd birthday. In fact, we had been singing the birthday song to him since mommy’s birthday a week before, up to Easter Sunday which was a day after his birthday.

Our little one isn’t so little anymore. Here’s his “report card” at 2.

1. Can sing his ABC’s with letters O, U and W as his favorite letters. See him form the letter O with his pointed mouth and he gets us all laughing.
2. He can say A,A,A Ape, A, A,A apple or M, M M,mommy.
3. Can count 1-10 without any assistance (but takes a lot of prompting) and can follow us count up to 20
4. Can identify most of the written letters and numbers
5. Still loves oatmeal and koko crunch cereal, rice with cheese and chiz whiz and hates even microscopic portions of meat
6. Loves cars. Whether riding one or driving his own small version. His daddy lets him sit on his lap when we get home, and they drive a few meters to turn the car around until they enter the garage. He knows when to press the hazard signal, and when to turn on the right hand signal.
7. Still walks barefoot in the house but at times, will wear nothing on but his high cut sneakers
8. Very fond of Little Einsteins cd
9. Still afraid of getting his hair wet
10. Loves TV commercials and dances to them using his half sway step or full way step. Mist have inherited his dad’s dancing skills (or lack of it)
11. He calls us what sounds like Mommei and Da-di.
12. He knows the name of the neighbor’s dog (Kody) and calls almost everyone else, he doesn’t know by name as Kody.
13. Favorite song is Mr. Sun by Barney
14. He is almost 3 ft tall, and weighs 14.2 kgs.
15. Gets excited when he sees playmates, but prefers older kids who run around (and whom he chases) rather than kids closer to his age

We really did not plan on having a party for him since we’re booked at a resort Friday-Saturday, to welcome his birthday. But what the heck, there will be a day when my boy will refuse to have a party so might as well prepare one for him now that he enjoys and basks in the attention.

Happy, Happy Birthday baby!


*Pictures taken an impromptu birthday shoot 3 days before his birthday