Belated Post: Jared's baptism

The two recent baptisms we attended reminded me of Jared’s own. He was a teeny, tiny thing back then weighing just 7 lbs at almost 2 months.

He was so fragile that out of his 20 godparents, only 2 attempted to carry him.

I don’t think I’ve blogged about it before so here are the pictures that day.

The church and reception venue, as well as most of the suppliers, were booked even before I gave birth. What a cute cake, right? =) That's my very own diaper cake creation. Mini diaper cakes with bear toppings adorned the guest tables. We later gave the bears away to the sponsors, and blue and yellow teddy bear piggy banks to our other guests.

Ehem, and mommy also designed the invites and the banner. Our theme was teddy bears and the motiff blue, yellow and brown. Bought my blue dress also before I gave birth and pulled something brown out of daddy's closet the day before the baptism. He thought themes were over after the wedding. By golly, you're all wrong 'ney. =)

Scenes from the church and the reception





And here are the two baptisms we attended.

As I'm a godmother, I helped my friend Cat with the preps such as the give ways for both sponsors (pink foil covered chocolate balls in glass jars) and guests (choc balls in a brown holder), the birdie designs and the banner and invites.

Cathy and Marwin's adorable Bianca

Ariel and Laurice's Cyrus. Laurice is a cousin and I helped decorate the function room at Kowloon West Avenue.

My Own Parrot

Last night when we arrived home, we called Jared from the gate. His answer was “andyan na po”. Got us all laughing. He heard this from the new show on TV. He is now so talkative, mimicking everything we say so we have to be extra careful on the “bad words”.

Looking forward to the Manila holiday tomorrow. I wonder where we can take the little boy.

My Little Picasso

This was his very first artwork. This was done less than 2 months ago. Now, all the colors in his set have disappeared! I think some are under the sofa, some on the side of the bed. Have to look for them or buy new ones soon so my little artist can get his art fix again.

A Second Kid?

With our son now 2 years old, we get asked--a lot, on when we plan to have another child.

We always say that we're not ready. And that's an honest (and not just a cliche) answer.

1. We still have a lot of things to pay!- Now we know that bringing child into this world, and the expenses that goes with it, does not stop after giving birth. There are vaccines, diapers, meds and the list goes on and on. It's good we were able to save on milk, because he was purely breastfed from birth to almost a year old. We have to think about our house mortgage, car payments etc, etc. We'll see where se stand financially next year.

2. We're enjoying this stage in our son's life- we want to focus on him at this time when he's growing a lot, in all aspects, right before our eyes. There's always the guilt factor that we get home late a lot of days, and not really being the first to see his developmental milestones. So, for now, our son remains the star.

3. Physically, I'm just starting my exercise regimen. I'm getting older and my first pregnancy was not at all easy so I have to prepare my body for carrying another child.

4. I'm enjoying some "me" and "couple" time. The first few months as parents, we were a wreck. Sleepless nights, trying to get home early, panicking over a splinter (with matching rush to the ER and xrays of the hand to boot), and mostly I was stressed over pumping milk. After more than a year, we can now go out sometimes with friends without calling the house to check on our son every 5 minutes, I can go to the gym, and can do the grocery without feeling like it's a marathon. Selfish as it may sound, I'm not ready to give that up... yet.

To be really, really honest? We're perfectly happy with our son and if we'll be gifted with only one child, then that's a-OK with us. I know people say being an only child is lonely but from the start, we already thought about this and well, for now, that's our stand as a couple. That's probably why we got 10 pairs of godparents for our son when he was baptized-- we wanted our friends to be part of our child/children's lives and so we crammed them all as sponsors for our first born-- because what if we only have one?

Give us a few more months, or maybe a couple of years, and we might just change our minds.

But for now, we will remain a family of three.

Batchmates

Met my friend Marisse in college and we went through study groups, out of town trips, first boyfriends, the subsequent heartaches and many more shared experiences in between during those four years.

Almost 7 years after graduation, we started planning for our own weddings which were 3 months apart. Then came another shared experience, we got pregnant one after the other.

Our babies were born 1 day apart. Meredith (Marisse’s daughter) on April 1 and Jared on April 3, of 2008.

We would have wanted the kids to be close friends, too but they live in Canada while we’re in Manila. So, when they come to visit, we make the most of our time together.

when they were 9 months old

they came home to have M baptized. here i am holding her while Marisse held Jared

Looking forward to their next visit. Miss you guys!

Dear Dad (Mommy Moments entry)

*My son at 2 years old babbles a lot and can already say up to 3 word sentences. He says Babbu to his Daddy for I love you and showers him with kisses but I know that if he can just speak, these are what he will tell his dad.

Dear Dad,

I love how you kept me warm and close when I was a baby.

I love our play time

I love that you go with mommy to take me for my vaccinations

I love our weekends by the bay!

I love that you change my diapers sometimes
I love our out of town trips

I love how you can put me on your shoulders for one awesome ride.

I love that you look at me with love

When I was hospitalized, I love how you made it fun and not scary for me

I love my birthday parties. Thank you for allowing mommy to prepare parties for me.

I love it when mommy thinks we look like a pair of mighty handsome gentlemen

When I don't want to swim, I love how you don't force me to, and our stay at the pool side was just as fun.

I love that you let me "drive" the car

I love you dad, now and even when you’re old and gray.Mommy and I wish you’ll have a great day with us on Father’s Day.

With much love,
Jared

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.