We're Home!

I finally have the energy to blog about being home after an 11-day vacation trip to Cebu/Bora.

I can't believe how draining a vacation is supposed to be...but with a 20-month old toddler in tow, I need all the energy left in me to drag my tired body to bed, after all the unpacking is done. Imagine a 10-pcs. luggage with another 10 pcs. yet to arrive when my sister in law comes back on the 24th. With the cost of the excess baggage in mind, we decided to leave most of our stuffs in Cebu. Good thing my SIL is coming back to accompany Nana for a check-up and she will be going home via a boat so lesser ang fee.

But we had a great time bonding with family (esp. my dear sister and her kids) and close friends. My Benedict loved his Gymboree experience. And we had a relaxing but "bitin" time in Bora. But the Queen City of the South still remains my fave!

It's a fun summer vacation.

Will be posting pics soonest. As soon as the rest of our luggage arrives..hehe

Summer Vacation

As I was typing my title of this post, I remember my summer vacations of long ago, when I was yet a kid and we would be spending all of our summer days in Mapang. Back then I relish the airplane ride...and all the happy and fun times associated with summer! Of course starting with the fact that summer break means no-school...hurray!!!!

And thus it brings me back to memory lane...but now, I am getting the same excitement, if not more...because this time I am seeing/feeling it through my son's eyes/senses. Thi will be his first major trip away from our homebase in CDO as his earlier trips had been when he was yet too young to understand. And I am getting giddy with excitement over his first plane ride later this afternoon.

Haay, I just don't know if this is a normal feeling for mommies like myself...or if I am just being OA..haha. But we (Marlon & I) are sooo looking forward to this break. We are so excited to be a spectator when Benedict tries so many new things in this particular trip. Among his firsts would be:

• first plane rides
• first time to try Gymboree
• first time in Bora (and this includes me as his Daddy had been there na before)
• first get-together with his cousins (Gianne & Vince) in Cebu

As a mom, I can't be more excited for my little boy. I have packed our stuffs for like 3 days...hahaha. Of course there's my travel checklist to aid me. Can't seem to go off lists nowadays, am just so 'fraid I might miss some things...must be the anesthesia (haha, won't admit lang jud na age is catching up w/ me).

I couldn't wait to be in my fave Queen City of the South later. We are sooo looking forward too of the kids' (Gianne, Vince & Benedict) get-together.

Gotta go now...need to finish packing the rest of our stuffs. See you, Cebu!!!!

Fascinated with Colors!

My little one can't seem to stop himself from amazing all of us, esp. his Daddy...ayyy, he is definitely Daddy's little charmer!

Anyway, his latest accomplishment is knowing the colors. I am such a worry-wart. Imagine at about the same time when I have known that he can identify the letters of the alphabet na, I have began to worry that there might be something wrong with his eyesight as he can't seem to recognize the different shades around him. So much so that I even told his very-kind pedia about it, who told me that Benedict is perfectly fine and that she will learn the colors and all else in his own sweet time ...she had quickly dispelled my worries =D

And when his "own sweet time" did come, we have proudly reported to Doctora said development, and she gave us a smile with a matching twinkle in her eye ^_^. What I definitely love about Benedict's pedia is that she is old enough to be both mine & Marlon's pedia too...but she is well abreast with the latest in the technology esp. when it concerns her dear patients.

Anyway, the tiny tikes fascination with colors was triggered with his Little Leaps Creative Baby DVD...along with paintbrush and Crayola washable fingerpaints, he has created his first ever work of art. And I am scouting for a good frame na to showcase the little boy's masterpiece...haha. Big deal for someone like me who is a self-confessed artistically challenged. He paints with gusto and loves swirling the paintbrush on the palette to make a "mess" out of the different shades he has. Haay, and he flashes us a very happy smile when he happens to catch a glimpse of me taking shots of his messy little face. Here's his masterpiece =D

His fave color now changed from "bwo" (blue) to "purr-puh" (purple)...and he can easily identify "back" (black), "ayt" (white), "geen" (green), red although sometimes confusing it with "wo-ween" (orange). He used to have difficulty identifying "we-woo" (yellow) also but he did learn eventually.

He loves fingerpainting that we will definitely resume doing crafts when we get back...meantime, we will enjoy our Cebu vacation at the moment...but that's a different post altogether. ^_^

Ants bite???

I dunno if any of you has ever experienced this...

My Benedict have red, swollen areas in his body, particularly in his arms, ear and forehead. It's so huge, I got scared and thought a cockroach must have bitten him. I dont think it's a mosquito bite coz it's different from before.

Given that my little boy is allergic (to so many things, including dust), I was so concerned bec. he might react to the insect bite. I am so worried that I had been keeping an eye over him. Hmmm, he seems normal though...except for the scratching part...he seems to be waking up a bit more than usual to scratch the itchy areas.

We are going to his pedia tom...for our peace of mind. I dont think it's mosquito...and we moved our mattresses and cheked on all the pillows and blankets to rule out the possibility that a cockroach may have done the biting. Marlon thinks the culprit may be a teeny-weeny ant... haaay, blame me for allowing the little boy to eat biscuits in bed.

We did find a tiny little ant when hubby inspected the area, but it was dead na. Hay, i just hope it's only ant bite lang. But as always, erring on the side of caution, we will be seeing his pedia in the morning.

I feel a it sad coz we had to start Benedict on Singulair again for the whole month of May. Last Sunday he started coughing (occassionally lang nuon). I think it might be due to over-exhaustion. He was with us malling and was left in a daycare with yaya for a while. It's really difficult to leave the kid with only the nanny, no matter how well-meaning and capable she may be. And just today, he had been sneezing and showing signs of having acquired the colds. I just hope he gets better in time for our trip to Cebu.

your Summer Play School experience

Hello there, my little munchkin! You are not alien to a play center...as we often bring you to Wonderland for a brief play time where you get to be with kids your age, while we (Daddy and I) get to do some chores like groceries or window shopping or in my case, my fave activity is book-hunting.

But since your Daddy and I saw a play group offering a summer class in Kidy Park (still within the SM Mall), we got interested. And upon learning that the morning class (10AM to 12NN schedule) has an age range of 1-2 y/o, we have gotten more and more interested. The whole package would have cost less for the entire summer class which would last til May 16, but since we will be going to Cebu and Bora early May for a vacation, we opted to have the per-session option na lang. And taking into consideration also the fact that you, my little boy might not like it there at all...

On our first day though, I got myself a very eager little "student" in you, my Benedict. You lugged around your baby cow backpack (a pasalubong from Nana from a Cebu trip not so long ago) and refused to part with it thus we had a difficult time fitting you both in your car seat

You enjoyed your first day in school, esp. since your cousin, Ate Chloe joined you too. Both of you had fun during the free play and even participated enthusiastically in the "activities" like coloring using crayons (which you, my little tyke are familiar na...and so is Ate Chloe) and singing nursery rhymes. You also enjoyed sharing a snack with your new friends.

Except for a rowdy 3 y/o, the rest of your small class of 5 kids are quite manageable. I feel for your teacher, Jo (who also happens to be a friend of mine...we are in the same BLD class way, way back), but she is a very capable and trained teacher. She also displayed utmost patience. But I am still undecided about the fact that the 3 y/o is quite a handful and is clearly lacking in some areas of discipline. He started acting up and knocked some of the tiny Monobloc chairs. I fear that he might hurt you, my little boy.

But all in all, it was a fairly nice experience for you, as well as for your cousin, Ate Chloe. She was more participative considering that she is older and the activities are more aptly suited for her age. Both you guys were happy and grinning from ear to ear when Teacher Jo stamped your hands with a heart at the end of the session bec. you both were cooperative and well-behaved. Congrats, guys!

Oh, you, my little munchkin quickly run to where I am and proudly showed Mommy your stamp as you were told your their teacher to show it to Mommy & Daddy...and you were quick to search my hand as well...hmmm, you must have thought that I went to school too...as I was there with you the whole time...hahaha

After class, you've had more free play downstairs...still within the area, and after a while we brought you over to Ketkai na promising you both more fun rides and to meet your Ate Chloe's parents there. We left after we have had a few picture taking sessions with your Teacher Jo.

On Wednesday, we attended another session again, not with your Ate Chloe na this time as their family went home to Pagadian na on Tuesday. Same as the first day, you still had free play, followed by "coloring" activities...they taught the color "violet" and "orange" and you, my Benedict quipped "puh-ple" when he was asked by Teacher Jo what's the color of Barney...haha...I had to explain to her that at home we call it purple instead of violet And again, you got two stars...on your hands.

After the class we brought you over to your pedia for our family's routine flu vaccine which would now include you, your Daddy, me and Yaya as well. I was a bit concerned as your temp. raised a bit, maybe bec. you had a runny nose na to begin with in the morning. Hmmm, but your pedia checked you man before giving the vaccine and she found you to be fit for such. I then remember that there were some kids who were sneezing in your play group a while ago, and we think the carpeted area is not also as clean as we thought 'em to be coz in the two times we have been there...oh men! our socks are oh so gross-looking! Maybe they have not vacuumed their carpeted areas as frequently. I had to check with your pedia on what to do and when I explained that you are now sneezing frequently, in addition to the clear, runny nose...she prescribed Virlix drops coz your allergic rhinitis might get worse. Thus the decision of not making you, our little boy go back to play school was made.

In as much as we loved exposing you to play groups and other kids your age, we don't also want to compromise your health. So we're back to Wonderland na lang for now. But we are looking forward to Gymboree in Cebu in a few weeks...Maybe you will have more fun there. And we are looking forward to spend more play times with your cousins, Achi Gianne and Siote Vince. And Ninang Che's daughter Samantha also. We look forward to more swimming activities as well...

Mommy's as excited, even more so that you, I guess Benedict. I hope you will enjoy our summer vacation this year. Love you so much, tiny tike!!!

your Ate Chloe's Visit (Day 2)

It's the first day of the Summer Play School at Kidy Park in SM. And we have invited your Ate Chloe to join us in attending a trial class there...at 9am, your Daddy Marlon fetched your Ate Chloe & her Yaya from their Kauswagan home, and we all headed to SM for your 10:00 AM-12:00 NN class.

We were the first ones to arrive! Wow, what a great start...and immediately, the two of you warmed up to the place...what with all the toys they have . You have tried out the slides, the see-saw...the ball pit...shooting hoops and running here & there, while waiting for the rest of your "classmates" and your activity for the day. According to your Teacher Jo (who happens to be a friend of mine too), you will have free play from 10:00-10:30AM, then at 10:30, that's when you will all go upstairs for your activities (which was learning the color "red" & "yellow" for that day), then snack break at 11:00AM followed by more activities (usually singing a song or nursery rhymes w/ the kids)...and it all ends at around 11:45AM. After which, you are still free to use the facilities and toys downstairs for more free play. Sounds good to me.

Both you and your Ate Chloe enjoyed your first "trial" day at school...since you have participated in the coloring activity...with you, my little one dipping your fingers on the food color mixture they have used to show you guys how a clear water turns colored when a few drops of liquid food color is added...oh! you guys were all thrilled to see it! Ah, kids.. you are all so innocent! I wish we grown-ups can be more like you . Then you had crayon activities...wherein you were given pages with drawings that can be colored w/ red and yellow, respectively...

You were then asked to go get your respective snacks and gather around the table for prayers. Teacher Jo patiently showed you all how to make the sign of the cross...and prayed the grace before meals. Afterwhich, you little fellas are happily munchin' on your "baon". Ate Chloe loved her Yakult & graham crackers, while you, my little Benedict wolfed down a jarful of Gerber in carrot variant. That's your lunch na, actually! After eating though, your Ate Chloe (assertive girl that she is) approached Teacher Jo and told her to pls. show her how to make the sign of the cross, which Teacher Jo happily obliged. Ate Chloe was polite enough to say thank you right after the teacher showed her how-to. She is such a darling little girl and so smart too... I hope you grow up to be as confident as she is...And she speaks in English (grammatically correct too, at least most of the time)!!! And to think she isn't even schooled yet. She learned it from her educational videos lang! So I guess, tv is not all-harmful after all... the two of you are living proof.

Now, after everyone has finished his/her snack and settled down, Teacher Jo started to sing "I'm a Little Teapot" to you. And most of you had gathered around her to listen, including you, my little munchkin and your Ate Chloe too. Teacher Jo is lucky, except for 1 super-duper hyper kid, the rest of her class is manageable. Most of you, little tykes are well-behaved. After a while, it's time for you to go na...so Teacher Jo again taught you guys your "good-bye" song.

And since both you & Ate Chloe participated in the activities, at the end of the session, you both got a heart shaped stamp on both hands. Hurray!!! All of you kiddos are ecstatic with the marks you got. And you, my little boy quickly went over to me to proudly show me his "heart" and to check mine...if I have it too...

You are still allowed to play some more downstairs but since it's lunch time na for Ate Chloe and your Ninong & Ninang are waiting for her na at Ketkai (they came from a doctor's clinic), we told you both that we are going for rides at Ketkai. So, before chow time, we have to fulfill that promise. And to World's of Fun arcade we all went, where you both had the time of your life trying out all the rides available there. And we happily let you be...after all, you are only kids once. And it's not everyday that you guys get to spend time together.

You especially loved the experience, my little boy. Your Ate Chloe influenced you to try a few new rides that you never dared try before. Perhaps being bold enough to follow your cousin's lead.. It's really good to have you, my little boy exposed to kids your age.

We then had lunch at Pancake House at about 1pm na, by then you have fallen asleep in your stroller as it is your naptime. And we all headed home then, agreeing to meet again later for swimming date at Apple Tree Resort.

Around 4pm twas pouring down but we still decided to indulge you kids and have a quick swim (and snack too)...but Ate Chloe is afraid of the pool though you enjoyed "swimming" with Mommy...you, my Benedict is a true-blue water baby! But when it started pouring really hard, we have to take both of you off the pool... and so we headed home and spend the rest of the day inside our room. By then, it's night time na.

Both of you, enjoyed the slides and sharing toys...I am amazed at how the two of you got along really fine. So much so, that the morning after...you, my little one quipped "A-chi...Tetet" perhaps looking for your Ate Chloe and confusing your Ninang Tetet's name for your cousin Chloe's...you, poor little boy!

It's really fun for us, adults, watching you & Ate Chloe enjoying yourseves, anak. We hope there will be a next time soon enough...We love having your Ate Chloe and her family over...and even your cousin Gwen too. If only we live nearby your cousins anak noh?

Don't worry, soon you will be spending time playing with your cousins in Cebu na sad. Mommy is excited for you to bond with Achi Gianne & Siote Vince...and also Ninang Che's daughter, Samanta. More fun times!!!

your Ate Chloe's visit

Hi there my little one! You've had a rare bonding time with your toddler cousin Ate Chloe and her family last week-end. They arrived on Saturday and we had dinner with them at Dynasty hotel. Instantly, you guys bonded (Chloe's 33 m/o while you, my Benedict are 19 m/o). Ayyy, you had fun chasing each other around sa Dynasty lobby pa lang. And watchin' the "sleeping fishes" as your Ate Chloe said of the goldfish and guppy swimming about the miniature indoor pond.

On Sunday, right after we attended the 10:30 AM mass at Ketkai, we met up with your Ninang Tetet, Ninong Mark & Ate Chloe again at SM for lunch and malling. While waiting for us, your Ate Chloe enjoyed riding the train and all the other rides at SM.

Right after a late lunch at KFC, we brought you guys over at Wonderland, where "Dora's bridge is.." according to dear Ate Chloe. You were there for about an hour before we had you join a storytelling session organized by the Jaycees that week-end. As it was conveniently just beside Toy Kingdom, we had you both try out the activity before shopping for toys. Ah! the pictures will show how the two of you enjoyed the book-reading session.

You got tired, my Benedict, of the hustle and bustle of activities that you immediately napped while in my baby pouch....and we, the adults are a bit kinda tired too with all the walking around, esp. since Ninang Tetet is pregnant also, that we opted to snack at Pizza Hut as it has a play house which we are sure your Ate Chloe can explore while you are snuggly napping in your Mac Quest pa. While you, my little one are still asleep, your Ate Chloe amused herself by checking out the pink playhouse and gamely posed for my camera... And after a full 2-hour nap, you, my tiny tike are up and about, ready for more fun activities, and so is your Ate Chloe... You have pretended that you own the playhouse (sosyal ha! Little Tikes pa) and that you have a pink car (the one we rent in the malls). Needless to say, Ate Chloe had a blast and so did you! But we, the adults are tired na...It's no joke running after 2 toddlers being let lose in a mall... We finally had to head home after a brief stop at the grocery as the following day is the first day of your play school...and both you as well as Ate Chloe are trying it out..

Love you, kiddos!