Thursday, February 26, 2009

mommy moments

This week’s theme is “Bonding Time.”

Even before we had Justin, my husband and I have both been mall lovers. When Justin was born, our weekly trips to the mall have become even more fun and exciting. Our family loves eating out, playing games or just strolling around.


Justin and Mommy riding the carousel at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall



Justin and Daddy beside Doraemon at Tom's World, Robinsons Galleria



Justin and Mommy at Burgoo, Robinsons Galleria



Justin and Daddy at Glorietta Mall



Justin and Mommy at Greenbelt Park



Justin and Daddy playing the Animal Train at Tom's World, Robinsons Galleria


If you want to join Mommy Moments, visit Chris’ The Mommy Journey.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Well, it’s not really a toy, but my son Justin considers my cell phone something that he can play with. Every day after my work, he would ask for my cell phone doing all sorts of stuff with it.

These are the things he’s done with my cell phone so far:

1. He takes pictures of just about anyone or anything in the house. He actually took a good shot of mommy last year (See my post “Justin Takes Mommy’s Picture.”)
2. He creates subfolders. More than once, I was surprised to discover new subfolders under my Dictionary folder.
3. He adds new contacts to my phone book. I saw three new entries in my phone book today: E.d, Jd and Tjmd and they all have the same telephone number, 123666.
4. He deleted most of my ringing tones. I’m left with only five ringing tones right now. He also deleted one game, which, unfortunately, is one of his favorites.
5. He plays soccer and Sudoku on my cell phone. He likes to play the soccer game by himself, but the Sudoku game he plays with mommy. I’m the one who tells him what number to key in and where to place it.
6. He has altered my time setting. My cell phone’s clock is now one hour late and I have no idea how to reset it.
7. He calls the numbers in my phone book and when he does, he makes sure he’s standing or sitting as far away from mommy as he can so he can talk to the person on the other line.
8. He texts. Yes, he can. He knows how to put letters and numbers in the message box and he even knows how to send his text message. Sometimes, people listed in my phone book or those I’ve just texted would text me saying they received a garbled message from me. A friend actually thought I sent him a cell phone virus because he couldn’t make out the message. LOL)

Justin is now 2 years, 7 months and 17 days old. I wonder what other gadgets will tickle his fancy when he turns three.

Monday, February 23, 2009

When my son Justin went to the playground with her new yaya (nanny) yesterday morning, I took advantage of that time to go to the beauty salon downstairs. I badly needed some pampering and some alone time for myself.

I actually went there for manicure and pedicure only, but I also ended up having my hair colored a different hue, which came with a bonus hair spa and hair trimming. Because I was their very first customer for the day, I was able to sweet-talk the beauty attendant into giving me a reasonable price for everything he’s done to my hair. The attendant suggested I had my eyebrow trimmed, too, so I had threading done as well.

All in all, I spent two hours and a little less than Php1,000.00 for the whole package. Many times in the past, I felt guilty doing things for myself. But not this day. I’ve been working hard lately, and I think I deserve to be pampered once in a while.

What about you? What things do you do to pamper yourself?

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Whenever Justin eats cookies or chips, we usually ask him to get his Winnie the Pooh feeding bowl where we put these finger foods. That has become a habit for quite some time now.

We went to the playground the other day and Justin got envious of a playmate who was having her midmorning snack while playing. I asked his yaya (nanny) to get him something to eat. His yaya then proceeded to unwrap Justin’s food and when he was asked to get some, he said, “Saan ang tasa?” (Where’s the bowl?) [Note: For some reasons, we taught him to call his bowl “tasa,” instead of “mangkok” (the Filipino term for “bowl”).]

Justin is so used to eating from his bowl that he asked for it even if he was outside our house. He thinks that's the normal thing to do.

Friday, February 20, 2009

mommy moments

This week’s theme is “Feeding Time.”

This picture was taken when Justin was 1 year and almost 2 months old. If I’m not mistaken, this was also the day he had his first haircut. Justin’s daddy decided to have his head shaved because he had such thin hair back then. I’m not really used to seeing him bald. I think he looks better with hair.



Justin loves dips and sauces (See my post “Justin's Food Quirks”). We dined at Pizza Hut sometime last year and Justin simply enjoyed dunking the edges of his pizza into his cheese dip. His face was all messy, but we thought he looked cute, so we took this shot. He was even given a party hat by one of the staff who remembered we held Justin’s baptism celebration at their store.


Justin also likes iced tea and juices. He can actually finish a tall glass all by himself.


If you want to join Mommy Moments, visit Chris’ The Mommy Journey.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

I am privileged to receive the Best Mom Award from three great mommies: Mommy Enchie of Sweet Nothings, Mommy Chris of The Mommy Journey and Mommy Phoebe of The Baby in Between.


Rules:
1. Show the award logo in your post.
2. Pick a picture you have with your kiddo/s.
3. Post should include your best experience as a Mom.
4. Nominate other blogger moms out there that you consider the best mom, like yourself.


My best experience as a mom: When my son hugs me out of the blue and says, “I love you, Mommy.” It warms my heart to know that my son loves me unconditionally despite my shortcomings.

I’m giving this award to all the mommy bloggers who visit my site.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Yesterday afternoon, hubby, I and Justin trooped to Dentista, Inc. at Shangri-La Plaza Mall for our dental appointments. It was Justin’s first dental visit. I recently discovered two of his milk teeth are beginning to show signs of dental caries.

Justin was fidgeting while waiting for his turn to be checked. He was actually on the verge of tears and was asking us to leave the clinic at once, saying “Ayaw na dentist” (I don’t like the dentist). He only stopped when he saw other children enter the clinic. We told him he shouldn’t be crying because the other kids were not.


Justin with Daddy at the Dentista, Inc.'s waiting area


When Justin’s name was called, he was warmly greeted by the pediatric dentist to make him feel at ease. But he began crying and couldn’t be stopped. So the dentist asked me to be the one to sit on the dental chair and to place Justin on my lap instead.

Dr. D. counted Justin’s milk teeth and noted those that needed to be fixed. She said two needed dental filling and one tooth is starting to show signs of demineralization. She started cleaning Justin’s teeth with cotton afterwards and then painted his teeth with fluoride varnish. Too bad, Justin’s dad wasn’t able to take pictures of Justin when all of these were being done.

Dr. D. said those were the only things she would do. The fixing of the two teeth will have to be performed some other time because the goal yesterday was to familiarize Justin with the dental setup, make him accustomed to having a dentist examine his teeth and make his first dental visit a pleasant experience.

The whole procedure took less than 30 minutes. As a reward, Justin received an orange balloon from Dr. D. I asked Dr. D. if we could have a photo opp with her and told her I would blog about yesterday’s event and she gladly conceded. We’ll be back in her clinic after two weeks.


Dr. D. with Mommy and Justin



Justin's reward: an orange balloon

Sunday, February 15, 2009

I’ve been tagged by imom and given the Interesting Blog Award by Enchie of Sweet Nothings.

PENMANSHIP TAG


The rules are simple.
1. Write down who tagged you.
2. Answer these:
-your name / username / pseudo
-right-handed or left-handed?
-your favorite letters to write?
-your least favorite letters to write?
- Write “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”
3. Tag five persons.

I’ve written exactly this way since college because I find it neat to write down my notes in print.

Juliana, Kaye, Hailey, Melanie, Jacky- care to show the world your handwriting?

INTERESTING BLOG AWARD


I have discovered interesting sites to visit in the recent months, and I’m giving this award to: Dorothy and Niko.

Friday, February 13, 2009

mommy moments

I actually misinterpreted this week’s theme. I thought “love letters” refer to love letters made by either hubby for me or love letters from me for hubby. I had a hard time finding one and woke up early today to post my entry only to discover that I posted a wrong entry. I only learned of my blooper when I went to see Chris’ entry for the week. Hay!!!

This week’s meme is actually love letters from your kids, "love" moments from your kids or love letters for your kids.

Since my son Justin is only 2 years and 7 months old, he doesn’t know how to write yet. Although he doodles on paper using pencils, pens and crayons, he’s not capable of writing mommy a love letter yet. So, what I’m posting here is my love letter for him. I did this in haste but I hope my message for my son comes across. Here goes…

Dear Justin,

After 9 years of being married and mommy not getting pregnant, your Daddy and I never really expected we’ll ever have kids. We were resigned to the fact that we’d grow old together, just the two of us. Funny, but we never really thought of adopting.

We learned very late that the reason mommy hadn’t been able to conceive was because I had a medical condition known as pituitary macroadenoma (tumor of the pituitary gland, which was already big when it was found out), which actually suppressed my fertility.

It took an open-head surgery, 18 days in the hospital, months of anguish over what I went through and several months more of healing before finally, finally, God planted you in my womb.

I wasn’t really delighted at first not because I didn’t want you, but because I was concerned about both our conditions. You see, the tumor wasn’t completely removed and I had to be on medication for it. Getting pregnant meant discontinuing the medication, risking the chance of the tumor getting bigger again and fingers crossed, another surgery, which I didn’t think I could handle as well as I did the last time.

God knows what could happen with another surgery. I could end up an invalid or worse, you could grow up without a mother. And that’s the last thing that I would want for my son. So Daddy and I prayed really hard that none of the things we feared would happen.

And God listened. He gave us a healthy and normal adorable, bouncing baby boy on July 7, 2006. You truly are a miracle baby! Our lives have never been the same since then. Our home has become noisier, happier, crazier and lovelier.

We’re trying really hard to be the best parents for you. We know we fail most of the time and being first-time parents is not an excuse. But we’re learning and getting better at parenting (and getting used to having a kid in the house as well) every day. We love you son. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to us.

Love always,

Mommy

If you want to join Mommy Moments, please visit Chris' The Mommy Journey.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

This is the second week that my Tatay (Filipino term for father) has been taking good care of my son Justin while my husband and I work. That’s because we still haven’t found someone responsible to do so. Well, we thought we had one last week. But on her third day of watching over our son, Justin ended up having a bloody cut on his nose.

She said Justin was running towards her and she was holding our house keys that accidentally scraped Justin’s nose. Good thing my son has tetanus shot! Fearful perhaps of what happened, she asked me to allow her to go home to Cavite after that bloody incident. She said she had to do important errands at home but she would return to us very early the next day.

That’s when my husband and I decided we should not let her come back. We did not decide in haste, however, as we weighed the pros and cons of our action. But the deciding factor was the fact that this new yaya (nanny) wasn’t very fond of children, judging from the way she interacted with our son.

She even told this to somebody who works in the same building where we live who happens to know us. And worst, she was actually scouting up a new employer while Justin was under her care. She thought she found one, but the deal between them did not materialize for whatever reason.

I have not regretted that decision of letting the new yaya go. I would never entrust my son to someone who doesn’t really care for his well-being. My criteria now for choosing a yaya are as follows: she has protective maternal instincts, she loves being around kids and she tolerates kids’ mischief.

Do you look for the same qualities in a yaya as I do?

Monday, February 9, 2009

While I was playing with my son last night, I noticed that two of his milk teeth (his incisors) are showing signs of tooth decay. I brush his teeth twice a day, thinking this is enough to prevent cavities or tooth erosion. I remember asking his pediatrician when I should take him to the dentist and she said anytime. But I didn’t actually think it was necessary anytime soon because up until last night, I didn’t see anything in my son’s teeth that needed prompt attention. I also believe he’s not yet ready to sit on the dental chair and have a doctor examine his baby teeth. Boy, was I wrong!

So when’s the right time for a toddler to go to the dentist? According to Dr. Ed Schooley, vice president and dental director of Delta Dental of Iowa, it is advisable for the child to make his or her first dental checkup after the first tooth shows up, but no later than the child’s first birthday. "Scheduling the first appointment at a young age is a great way to catch oral health problems early, and it also helps the child get acquainted with the dentist and dental office."

An important reason why children should go for early dental visits is to prevent baby bottle tooth decay. This usually happens because of the child’s long-term exposure to sugary liquids. Now, I have finally pinpointed the culprit. You see, even after I’m done brushing Justin’s teeth before he goes to bed, he still asks for milk before he sleeps. Now, we really must see a dentist this weekend.

What about you? Have you taken your kids to the dentist yet?
I’ve been given a tag and an award by Sheila of Simple Happy Life. Thanks a lot! You’ve definitely brightened my Monday morning!



A TO Z TAG


This is an alphabetical listing of things about me. So without further ado, here’s my list.

A - Attached or Single? – Married and Proud of It!

B - Best Friend? - Remie

C - Cake or pie? - Pie

D - Day of choice? - Saturday

E - Essential item? - Computer, cell phone, money, credit card, watch, pen and paper

F - Favorite Color? – Yellow, orange, lavender

G - Gummy Bears or Worms? - Gummy Bears

H - Hometown? – I don’t think I really have one. I was born and raised in Manila.

I - Indulgence? - Malling, Eating out

J - June or July? – July because it’s my son’s birthday.

K - Kids?- 1

L - Life is not complete w/o – God, family and friends

M - Marriage date? – August 1, 1996

N - Number of magazine subscriptions – None at the moment.

O - Orange or apple? - Orange

P - Phobias? - Snakes

Q - Quotes? – Honesty is the best policy.

R - Reason to smile? – My son, When I receive nice comments on my posts

S - Season of choice? – Christmas

T - Tag People- Chris, Enchie, Pehpot, Jess

U - Unknown fact about me – That I’m not fond of flowers

V - Vegetable? – Broccoli, carrot

W - Worst habit? – Washing my hands every so often

X - Xray or ultrasound? – X-ray

Y - Your favorite foods? – Kare-kare, pork sisig, lechon macau (These are foods we don’t really cook at home, so we usually order this when we eat out.)

Z - Zodiac sign - Aquarius

PASSIONATE BLOGGER AWARD




There are no rules for this award. I’m passing this on to the following great bloggers: Ibyang, Niko and Renz.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Hi, my name is Tetcha and I’m a shopaholic.

My shopaholic experience happened two years ago, exactly four days before my 35th birthday. The timing couldn’t be perfect because first, I could demand for a birthday gift from my husband, and second, he had recently converted his unused leaves to cash, so he had money to buy me the perfect present for my special day.

Hubby had been asking me what birthday gift I wanted, but I still couldn’t decide yet. The truth was I had long been dreaming of owning an engagement ring. You guess it right. I wasn’t wearing an engagement ring when we got married in 1996.

So off we went to a jewelry store in Glorietta Mall, Makati. There were so many pieces to choose from, but their prices made me cringe. I was actually embarrassed to buy something expensive for myself. So I settled for a lower-priced ring, which turned out to be defective. We had no choice but to look for another ring.

This time around, my husband found one that is simple yet elegant but more pricey than the previous one. And it fit my finger to a T! I was so happy! I was also eyeing a pair of pearl earrings, but I didn’t intend to buy it on the same day. My husband told me I could get those earrings, too. I couldn’t believe my luck! I guess it’s true, diamonds (and pearls) are a girl’s best friend. I left the store beaming with joy and loving my husband even more.

Catch “Confessions of a Shopaholic” in Cinemas on February 18, 2009!




mommy moments

Did you ever feel ugly while you were pregnant? I did. I actually despised my reflection in the mirror because my nose was big, my neck got dark, and I had zits. Truth be told, my pregnancy pictures were one of my ugliest photos, so I deliberately deleted them from my files.

There were some pictures I was able to save, however, during the early stages of my pregnancy. This one was taken when I was 1 ½ months pregnant. There were no obvious signs yet, except for the nose. See it’s started to get bigger already!


For more of my pregnancy story, please read my post "The Story of My Pregnancy."

If you want to join Mommy Moments, please visit Chris' The Mommy Journey.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Better late than never! I’d like to thank my top Entrecard droppers for the month of January.

Serian Man =- 29 drops

My Crazy Life with a Toddler - 29 drops

The Toy Report – 28 drops

It’s a Woman’s World – 27 drops

The Frugal Housewife – 27 drops

A Little Boy’s Blog – 27 drops

Mumsy – 26 drops

Your Dark Passenger – 26 drops

Grandmother’s Patternbook – 26 drops

Writing with Wings – 25 drops


I appreciate your regular drops on my site. Thank you so much!
I’m counting the days now until my son Justin shuns his feeding bottles for good. For several days now, he’s been drinking milk from his cup, not the entire day, though, but a few times each day. As a matter of fact, he ended up using only two bottles last Friday.

Woohoo! This calls for a celebration!

I’m also keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll get rid of his diapers next. To date, he has made several successful attempts at peeing in his potty, and he seems to be enjoying it. But he never really pooped on it, not just yet. He used the toilet once last November, but he’s never done it again.

I'm hoping it won't take him long to unlearn peeing and pooping in his nappy.

What about you? Is your child weaned from the bottle/potty-trained yet?

Monday, February 2, 2009

Gin of E-Pamilya gave me these wonderful Triple Awards! Thanks so much!



The rules for this award are:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude
(If you don't have 10, it doesn't really matter.)
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know they have received this award by commenting
on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

To keep the ball rolling, I’m passing on this award to Wenchie, Sheila, Juliana, Evan’s Mom, Melanie, and Jacky.
Related Posts Widget for Blogs by LinkWithin