These shoes are made for walking

Friday means Mommy Moments day. Technically, it's already a Saturday in my side of the world but it's still Friday in the other side so let's just pretend that we are sharing the same timezone. This week's theme for Mommy Moments is all about shoes.

With Una growing fast, I realized early on that spending money on baby shoes is a total waste. So whenever it's time for Una to have her shoes change, we made sure that we buy her stuff on a discounted price We decided that it's best to have her wear a generic kind of shoes that will match most of her clothes. Even if sometimes I obsess over the shoes of celebrity babies like Shiloh and Suri, I know that it's just not practical. On her first 6 months, she wore white crib shoes then when she started walking she wore a pair of black Nike shoes that we bought on sale. Said shoes is still in it's perfect condition but there is no longer enough for Una's growing feet and soon to be passed on to her cousin Flee. On Christmas last year, my sister-in-law from Singapore gifted Una a pair of pink Crocs and it's been her favorite pair since then,  not to mention that her favorite character Dora also appears on that shoe.

Mommy and Me

Mommies and soon to be moms are invited to attend the free seminar on baby care by Philips Avent entitled Mommy and Me. This event is on April 17, 2010 at the level 2 Atrium, Robinsons Department Store - Galleria. If you failed to attend Joyful Parenting last March, here is your chance to meet moms and learn more about pregnancy, breastfeeding and taking care of our babies.

Admission is free but pre-registration is a must. You'll also get the chance to receive a gift pack similar to what I received from their previous seminar. Oh, and don't get me started on their raffle prizes.

To register, kindly email your name and number to avent@ljs.com.ph. or call 7139435 to 38 loc.130/134/143 and look for Jenny or Rina for more details.

Flawless skin no more

I never thought that the unfortunate day I would mark my calendar for Una's first injury came way sooner than I expected. 

I saw her scratch when we were getting ready on our way to the Joyful Parenting event in the mall near us. Obviously, this didn't happen while she's with me so I asked my MIL if Una fell while I was having my shower. She said no so I assume that it would be one of DK's cousin and turned out I was right. I know it is to be expected for toddlers, especially around Una's age to be still clumsy and have the tendency to fall. But what annoyed me was that she never mentioned it when I took Una from her. Accidents do happen but I'd like to treat my daughter properly with first aid when it does. So I bought this expensive antibacterial ointment to put on her scratch and I'm really hoping and praying to God  that I won't have to use it again on my daughter. Call it overreaction on my part but that's how it goes.

Joyful Parenting: A Symposium on Breastfeeding

Kita-kits tayo mga Mommies.

MM | Cars + Kids

Una loves going on a road trip. I guess she got that trait from me. She's actually familiar with the sound of our car alarms. She also made a bond with DK's Uncle. They would take her everyday on a school day to fetch her Tita Nessie from school. And whenever she's in our car, she would fuss over the radio buttons and adjust the AC or even go to DK's side to hold the wheel.

Left: September 2009. Right: January 2010

We still have to buy a car seat for Una but with all of her vaccine expenses, it's just so darn expensive to purchase a decent car seat for her. But we are pushing to get one for her as soon as we're done with the car loan by he end of May. It's all about her safety after all.

While we don't have that car seat yet, I have to think of ways of amusing her once she's stuck behind the seat belts.

What do you recommend Mommies?

Daddy Mischief

The caption to this figurine cracks me up!

via The Naked Redhead

You'd probably heard some adults making a joke about doctor and a patient who eats corn. If you don't, I'm not sure if I can pull it off like how my father and uncle delivers it. They're a bit crazy and crass with their jokes and I admit that they could be a bit disgusting.

Back to the photo above. We've been munching on corn on the cob recently. Actually we have it weekly as an afternoon snack last month. Una is in the time of her age where she gets curious about anything, especially food. It's their nature to put most of the things in their mouth just to recognize it and learn about the things they are curious about. So when we were eating corn, she's begging to try it, with it's lovely yellow color and the aroma of butter waking up all her senses. And with her being young, I'm afraid that her stomach won't handle it (I actually have that crappy joke as a reference) so I forbid Una to eat corn. 

DK, being the good daddy that he is and couldn't bear his daughter begging for food, gave Una some of it. Of course, he's smart enough that he didn't tell me sooner about what he did. I learned about their mischief the next day when Una poop and some yellow stuff welcomed me when I looked into her soiled diaper. 

Mommy Moments - Song From a Mom's Heart

This is my first time joining Mommy Moments and this week's theme is Song From a Mom's Heart. This was the song Daddy K and I chose for Una while she's still in my tummy, it's called Ultrasound by the local band Sandwich. This pretty much said what state we are in during the pregnancy.

Sandwich - Ultrasound  by  user5204400

you’re the stranger make me glow under my skin floating lavender pain melanin spin i can feel you stir within wherever i go yes i know , time to grow, yes i know hit me like a rainbow daze echoes go around sunburned afternoon parade summer silhouette i know i love you, though we haven’t met sometimes you won’t let me sleep at all yes i know, time to grow, yes i know kiss me like a rainbow daze echoes go around vamp: i will have to let you go just to feel you, so i can hold you, so i can love you, just to be with you just to be with you

Una's Big One!

For my daughter's big one, we celebrated it like a holiday. Being a weekday, it's nice to know that people really care enough for us to be able to take a leave from work and join us in celebrating our daughter's first birthday. Most of them are close and extended family members and some close friends. We can't thank them enough for being there and taking part in the party activities.

But that's not all. Like any other Filipino holiday, we love to extend our festivities. MIL cooked pancit bihon and made buko salad while Daddy K's Aunts made puto and biko to include in our home celebration.Our weekends are booked to. As a way of late celebration, we will be meeting some of her godparents on Saturday and then her godmother on Sunday next week for a picnic.

It's been a long day and looking forward to long weekends in the future. But will catch up on some sleep later so I can work on making a better looking personal essay. Lord knows, I need to improve my writing skills.

Attachment Parenting through Babywearing

What is attachment parenting?

Attachment parenting, a phrase coined by pediatrician William Sears, is a parenting philosophy based on the principles of the attachment theory in developmental psychology. According to attachment theory, the child forms a strong emotional bond with caregivers during childhood with lifelong consequences. Sensitive and emotionally available parenting helps the child to form a secure attachment style which fosters a child's socio-emotional development and well being. Less sensitive and emotionally available parenting or neglect of the child's needs may result in insecure forms of attachment style, which is a risk factor for many mental health problems. In extreme and rare conditions the child may not form an attachment at all and may suffer from reactive attachment disorder as defined in DSM-IV and ICD-10. Principles of attachment parenting aim to increase development of child's secure attachment and decrease insecure attachment.

I know this may start a lot of discussions from parents who view parenting differently depending on their culture or what they believe in. But please allow me to explain my stand on this.

Attachment parenting have Eight Principles of Parenting but I will not discuss all of those here for I am not really an expert on it and is still in the process of learning it all. If you have been reading my blog for quite some time now, you will also know that I am also a breastfeeding advocate. But for now, let's focus on the other principles.

Use Nurturing Touch

Old time parents would always tell me not tell carry my child too much. "She'll get attached and be clingy." But I would still carry my baby. You see, a mother's touch is one way of telling your child that you love them. It's a way of comforting them and telling them that they are safe. And personally I cannot bear seeing my child cry and not do something about it.

Skin-to-skin contact is a great form of providing a nurturing touch. The mother's warm body provides comfort and security. It is also advised for dad's to not wear a shirt while carrying the baby to also provide that warmth. That is also the reason babywearing is an effective form of attachment parenting.

Providing nurturing touch is not the only thing that we can achieve by baby wearing. With a sling like mine, I can breastfeed Una and still have enough coverage. I don't have to go look for a breastfeeding station to breastfeed her. I can do it in the middle of everywhere and no one would know what's happening under the sling. You also have both of your hands free making you do other tasks at the same time like going to the grocery, writing, typing on your computer or window shopping. Aside from the practicality of wearing your baby, it also helps with child's developmental growth.

I have been wearing Una on a sling since February and have been receiving stares for quite some time now. Some even made some disapproving and snide comments. Of course, those didn't stop me in baby wearing. What confuses me though is that baby wearing has been practiced for years, not only in other countries but also our natives here in the Philippines. I especially adored a Muslim family I once saw in Cubao. The father is carrying their baby on a beautiful batik sling.

Though I have noticed that quite recently there are some moms who would approach me and ask about the sling and I willingly tell them all about it's benefits and point them to where they could buy it. You might think that I am sales talking them in buying the sling with the way I encourage them to have their own asap.

If you are interested in learning more about baby wearing, visit The Baby Wearer.

For local moms who is interested in buying their first sling, visit the nearest SM Department Store in your area, I bought mine in SM City North Edsa. The slings are stocked with the other baby carriers in the infants section of the department store and comes with a tutorial video on how to properly wear your baby. If you prefer to order online, visit Indigo Manila. Cost is Php 1000 and Php 1500 depending on design and the type of fabric. Mine is made of cotton and bought it for Php 1000.

The Joy of Breastfeeding

The original post has been revised and re-published as The Joys of Breastfeeding in my family blog Corbitoness.

Image credit: Google Images

Freya Luna

Meet our baby girl...

Freya Luna Pascual Corbito
6 lbs. 14 oz.
48 cm.
January 14, 2009 7:59 am MNL Time
Marikina City, Philippines