Because of the rains, hubby and I were not able to take our son Justin to the mall last weekend. Justin actually looks forward to this weekly treat. This was the conversation we had a few days ago when we’re about to go down the building to see his Daddy off to work.

Justin: C’mon, let’s go!

Mommy: Where are we going, baby?

Justin: Mall.

Last Saturday, hubby and I finally got the chance to savor some gastronomic delights at Pho Bac, Robinsons Galleria. It was our first time to relish Vietnamese food, and we both enjoyed it. We had spring rolls for appetizers. Too bad we weren’t able to take a photograph of these. Ed had Cambodian Pho Bo soup noodles afterwards, and I had Chicken with Lemongrass. We capped off our dinner with those dainty pandan puddings. We’ll definitely go back to this place.


Cambodian Pho Bo Soup Noodles


Chicken with Lemongrass


Pandan Pudding

Looking for something new for my son Justin to watch, I chanced upon a Thomas & Friends DVD that one of his godparents gave him on his first birthday. I remember he didn’t really pay attention to Thomas the first time he watched it. I played the DVD again last night to see if he would react to it differently now that he’s almost 2 years and 3 months old.

Initially, he was afraid of Thomas and all the other train and vehicle characters featured in the show. Perhaps, he found it odd that trains or any other vehicle, for that matter, would have exactly the same faces as humans have and with rolling eyes at that. He wouldn’t leave my side while watching. He just clung to me like crazy. But he watched the entire DVD five times before drifting off to sleep.

He watched Thomas & Friends again repeatedly this morning. He isn’t afraid anymore. He even knows some of the characters now. At one point, I overheard him addressing Thomas while watching: “Thomas, dede Justin, gutom Justin” (“Thomas, Justin wants milk. Justin is hungry”) while Manang, Justin’s nanny, was preparing his milk.

What does Justin love about Thomas & Friends? He likes the music. When he hears the soundtrack, he says, “Mommy, dance.” And he is particularly fond of trains and cars, too. In fact, he often builds blocks to form a train here and a car and a bus there. He even invites me or Manang to play with him as he creates things from scratch.

Tonight, I expect Justin to request for Thomas & Friends again. That’s exactly how my son is. If he finds something that interests him, he’ll have that thing played over and over again until a more exciting one comes along, of course.

My son Justin loves taking a bath. He actually looks forward to dipping himself in the tub every chance he gets. Recently, though, it gets a little harder coaxing him to take his bath at the appointed time (that is, before I start working or after dinner time) because of so many distractions. Sometimes, he’s so engrossed watching Barney or Sponge Bob that you can’t make him go to the bathroom, let alone dislodge him from the sofa bed where he usually sits while watching TV. This is when frustration sets in. Justin taking his bath later than usual affects my work schedule. So, I need to quickly come up with solutions to this problem. Below are some of the ways that work for both me and my baby.

Have a toy ready. The idea of having something to play with while bathing is definitely appealing to the little ones. In Justin’s case, he would bring just about anything he fancies at the moment. His choices range from his pail and shovel to his miniature cars to his blocks, and to, just recently, his rubber duckie.

Do some sweet-talking. Raising my voice is usually my initial response when Justin does not budge from his seat when I call him for his bath time. This strategy fails most of the time. The more I raise my voice and show my frustration, the more he insists on having his way, most typical of a two-year old. I usually sweet-talk him into taking his bath by making little promises, which I keep, by the way, like telling him we’ll buy goodies from the convenience store downstairs or that he’ll watch his favorite DVD after he’s had his bath.

Keep distractions at bay. Switch off your TV set 10 to 15 minutes before bath time if you think your baby’s favorite kiddie shows are what’s preventing him from heeding your instruction. You can also keep his favorite VCDs/DVDs out of sight if you plan to give him a bath anytime soon. You’ll find it much easier to make him go to the bathroom. He might even be the one urging you to give him his bath pronto for lack of anything interesting to do.

Following these simple tricks helps put my schedule back on track and it allows both me and my baby to truly enjoy this activity, Justin’s bath time, as one of our best bonding moments.