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Some fun with Una in KFC Libis.

The not-so Holy Week

Our Holy Week was rather uneventful. We didn't do anything religious but we made up for lots of family time. DK and I decided to visit the park/playground near Marikina Riverbanks for Una. Talk about so much fun for her. She got dirty because of the sandy soil but she definitely had a lot of fun running around the park and even said hello to some mommies there. One thing I noticed about Una is that she loved following the kids who are running around the park. But with her small body and not yet balanced walk, she has the tendency to fall down a lot but we are so quick to catch her before she even made scratches on herself.

For some reason, Una didn't like touching the wall. She held on tightly unto DK's hands and used her feet and legs to incline the wall on the left photo. Obviously, she had no qualms with the slide. She thoroughly enjoyed it if I may say so, with the seesaw, not so much. 

Unplanned Visit

Wednesday morning was hard for us. Una was having a hard time sleeping and she's been crying all night and we couldn't make her stop. She would insist on going out and knock on her Grandparents room. After having a short walk outside, we attempted to put her back to sleep but she would just start crying again once she noticed that we're heading inside. So I figured a drive would help her sleep, then I decided to have a change of scenery for once and made an impromptu visit to Papa's house in Manila. Good thing he was still home and was able to handle his dog Popeye.

Una holding my old Japanese phrasebook while watching TV

Mommy Moments - Summer Days

Summer started early this year. With the El Nino, extreme heat from the sun and daily temperature averaging to 32°C, it's just normal for families to start planning the summer outings as early as February.

With a 14 months old daughter who is a bit overwhelmed with the amount of water in her inflatable pool, we have no choice but extend her bath time to help sooth her in this heated weather. 

We also coax her to drink lots of water and fruit juices to help her cool down her body temperature. No plans for summer outings yet but hopefully we will have one of those spontaneous swim in one of the pools in the Camp near us.

Una with her Papa Boy, taken last year

(He is actually DK's Uncle but Una calls him Papa)

Beautiful girl?

We have a new girl in the house and I've never been more insecure in my whole life, especially now that I have short hair.

Can you guess who this person is? Read more to unveil the shocking truth.

PhotoHunt: Daily

This little girl here keeps me sane daily. Just seeing that smile on her face makes all my worries disappear but her presence doesn't help one bit in overcoming Mommy's procrastination blues. Playing with her is my excuse for not doing house chores. I don't care as long as I can bond and spend as much as possible time with my baby girl.

What keeps you sane these days?

Happy Birthday Mama Merlyn

It was my mother-in-law birthday last Tuesday, this should have been posted as soon as we got back from Fernando Air Base. We were dead tired and I fell asleep as soon as hit the bed. And when I woke up, there was a slight mishap with the electricity and we lost power for almost an hour but I'm posting this now anyway because the birthday girl deserves a separate blog post. Happy birthday Mama Merlyn!

That's my MIL with Una doing her impersonation of Popeye the Sailor Man. I don't know where she learned that expression, not from Popeye for sure because we don't watch TV. We actually want to limit her TV time as much as possible. We were TV addicts when we were kids and I don't Una to be like that. She gets to watch  television sometimes whenever she's in the living room with my in-laws but they don't watch cartoons. We allowed her one episode of Dora the Explorer each day but that's just it. We still have to collect other educational shows like Sesame Street and Disney Playhouse shows. I never liked Dora, but the thought of Una knowing some Spanish words excites me. My siblings and I learned English by watching Sesame Street. I wonder if I could find kid friendly animes.

Family time in Fernando Air Base

Yesterday was a very tiring yet memorable day for the family. It was my MIL's birthday and we celebrated it together with her niece who graduated her schooling in Philippine Air Force. Yup, another military in the family and a first in DK's generation. A girl this time and I'm so proud of her. Congratulations Angelica Atienza!

The day started early, armed with lots of food, pillows and lack of sleep, we were on the road trying to catch up sleep. Unfortunately, Una has other ideas that kept most of us in the van awake watching out for her next move.

It was hot and sunny in Fernando Air Base, Una enjoyed walking and running in the field, despite having fallen down a couple of times. 

The program started late and we are not allowed to go near the field. Thankfully I was still able to capture Angel's company.

That's the best I could get with the zoom of my camera. She's in the back, I think the last person in the second line.

Next stop is picnic with the rest of Angel's relative to her father side on the other side of the camp. 

 Angel still wearing her uniform and Mac Gyver, DK's brother.

The girls in Angel's company.

It was a fun day despite the heat and Una definitely enjoyed being out and running on the fields. It would have been great if DK and their other cousins are with us. But I am hoping that we could go back to Batangas this summer, I miss their beach.

House hunting

We went on a house hunting road trip yesterday. The place is nice but it's so far from the city and from our relatives living in the Metro Manila area. This is the cheapest place in the subdivision and within our budget but we find the house structure so small and the ventilation is not good.

Though we found another house that would work for us because it's bigger and probably still within the budget, the location of the subdivision is still far for us. I feel a bit bad for Una, it looks like she likes the place and the clubhouse is really something.

DK & Una

I wish we could find a place that could would for us and near our parents. We're thinking of looking into southern subdivisions this time.

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.

The Yellow Smiley Face

This is a lovely short movie by Romanian director Constantine Popescu about an old couple's adventure in using the computer for the first time to communicate with their son in America.

This is just so heartwarming.

Christmas Spirit in SM Mall of Asia

Christmas in the Philippines is very different. For one, this is the holiday season that we look forward to for a long time in a year.

Our Christmas this year is very simple. We went to mass on Christmas Eve then went home to sleep. Our Noche Buena of sort was eaten at dinner time. I noticed though that there are no puto bumbong sellers in our area. How about in your place? Are we loosing one of our Christmas traditions? I really hope not.

Despite missing one Christmas tradition, on Sunday, we went out to make a new tradition for our family. Together with DK, Una, my sister, her kids and Papa, we went to SM Mall of Asia to see what's the buzz was all about. It didn't disappoint. They have a lot of paid place for kids to play and enjoy. Apart from the huge Christmas Tree and Merry Go Round in the bay area, there are other activities like face painting, bungee jumping, shooting hoops and renting a telescope to view the moon and the stars. Inside the mall, bowling and ice skating are definitely in demand.

One thing I loved in this particular mall is the roving musical band playing Christmas songs.

How about you, how did you spend your Christmas?

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Contrary to Bing Crosby's song, I never once experienced a White Christmas. Sure my sister and her family are experiencing it now in Canada but for those who live in the tropics like me, we could only dream of having a snow-filled Christmas. Or in our case who live in the eastern part of the metro, we can enjoy a white Christmas by dropping by SM Marikina.

SM Marikina entertains their mall guests by showcasing The White Christmas Adventure. We were lucky the first time we went there was in the morning and there were only few people visiting the place.

Una is scared of the polar bear because of it's moving head so we didn't get a decent shot with her. But I think she's just fine with the other animals as long as she's not getting near them.

If you're near the area, visit the mall in these following dates to enjoy and feel the Christmas spirit.

• December 23 - Christmas Caroling Cheers: Highest Praise Chorale Concert
• December 26, 7pm - Guarrana Bossa Nova (Al Fresco area)
• December 30 - New Year's Eve Grand Ball (Mall Area, Grand costume party for kids, culminating in the singing of “Aude Lang Syne”  and the popping of confetti to welcome the new year)
  
• December 30, 4pm - A Holiday Fashion Show
  

Family Time at Enchanted Kingdom

Having siblings living in other countries makes it really difficult to enjoy family get together. My Ate G and her family now lives in Canada and it will take time for them to have a vacation here. While my Kuya J's family lives in Singapore, they spent their Christmas vacation last year in Malaysia so we didn't get to see them. This year, Kuya J's family came home to Manila and we grabbed the chance to meet them the next day they landed. The kids are awesome! It's amazing how they still remember us despite two years of not seeing each other. We decided to go out of town and visit Enchanted Kingdom.

Enchanted Kingdom is indeed a magical place. I think the kids were exhausted after all the rides that we tried. Most of it were based on what they want so we weren't able to try the extreme ones. But as long as the kids enjoyed themselves, we parents wouldn't mind. We went there on a weekday but the area were still crowded, mostly students on a field trip.

If you are planning on going there, I have some suggestions on how to make your fun day more enjoyable:

• Schedule. Check their calendar if they are welcome to the public and their park hours.
• Rates. Double check their ticket rates. We were lucky that our rate for a Regular Day Pass last week was cheaper compared to the rate starting this week. But then again, Space Shuttle was still under maintenance (according to their website, they launched Space Shuttle Max on December 19) and park hours were shorter.
• Weather. Try and determine if it's a sunny or rainy day. The park is still operational even if it's raining, based on the number of umbrellas and rain coats in their souvenir shop. The first time I went there, it was also raining and we took advantage of  it. Of course, you can bring your own stuff.
• Extra clothing. If you plan to get on the rides involving water, it would be wise to bring extra clothing and wash cloth.
• Plan your rides. Enchanted Kingdom is a huge park. Thankfully though, they provide maps upon entrance. Get a copy and decide which rides you want to try and where to start. You can even consider it as a souvenir. And remember the restroom areas for a quick visit in between rides.
  
• Drink up. With the all the screaming and adrenaline rush, I'm sure you'll be parched after each ride. There are a lot of kiosk scattered around the area so you'll never miss those. 
• Memories. Create a lot of unforgettable memories, take lots of photos and have fun! You'll never know when you'll get to enjoy such a day again.

DIRECTIONS:

By car: Take Sta. Rosa Exit via SLEX, turn left after the toll gate, then turn right on Waltermart. The park is on your right side.

Commute: Enchanted Kingdom is offering a round trip shuttle service from Makati to Enchanted Kingdom.

DISCOUNTS:

Enchanted Kingdom offers discounts to certain guests. Since my brother's family are balikbayans, we received 15% off the regular rate and Papa is a senior citizen so he got a discount for his Day Pass. Visit their Promos page for their ongoing discount promos and if you are eligible.

* I am not affiliated with Enchanted Kingdom. This is not a sponsored post.

We're still here

Nothing much on handmade stuff, just more (all) time getting to know our little monster.
Say hello to Baby Una (in a sling) and Daddy K.

Dreaming of Sleep

Twelve days since Una's arrival and we're still hanging.
It's a love + hate situation around here but we're clinging more to love for the whole household definitely fell in love with the new addition in the family despite her being stubborn most of the time, especially in the middle of the night. I don't blame her thought, might have gotten that from me. And it excites me to discover what other things she got from my genes. Being nocturnal is one of them, noticing her sleeping pattern back in the days of her stay in Mommy's womb. While I, a nocturnal myself, being sleep deprived for the past weeks, have been wanting for sleep to visit me but no such luck. I cannot even remember the last time I slept for eight hours. I know it's unhealthy and I'm having a major migraine but I'm typing these words right now for a distraction. We still have to buy some of Una's stuff later and early this morning was a visit to my OB. The healing process is great and I can't believe I'll be able to lose those pounds I have gained during pregnancy, not that I gained that much anyway. But I still can't believe I lost 20 lbs. in a span of 12 days! Yep, from 120 lbs. to 100 lbs. I'm glad I was able to go back to my almost original weight (I was 104 lbs before pregnancy) and the task of buying new set of clothing is now off the list. All I have to do is just dig those boxes of pre-pregnancy clothes and I can happily wear them again and save extra money in the process.

If only I could keep up with Una's sleeping pattern and lose this freaking migraine, we're definitely loosing the hate word in this transition. But what's to hate when you have this adorable little version of her father sleeping on my chest now. Definitely worth all the sleep deprivation in the world!

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

Baby Ichi is a she!

Yup, yup, yup! We'll be having a baby girl!

Week 28: Tummy Shots

I was in the mood for pictures because it rained a while ago. But it stopped suddenly and the afternoon heat is back spoiling my mood.

Anyway, here's my tummy/Baby Ichi's recent photo at 28 weeks. Still need to gain more weight, I'm only 113 lbs based on my first bi-monthly checkup last week.

And here's my view. This shot made me adjust a little so I could capture some of my toes. I can't see anything else down there. My nephew once told me that he can only see my eyes from down there, haha!

little nudger

24 weeks.

baby ichi (as i call him/her now) is quite a nudger. must be enjoying his/her little space, swimming around mommy's tummy. i love looking at the sudden movement of my tummy. lucky daddy was home when baby ichi started moving again. daddy placed his cheeks on the tummy when the bulge almost hit him.

5 more days before my monthly check-up. 4 more weeks before the 3d/4d ultrasound. 3 more months before christmas. a hundred and some more days before little one's arrival.

just can't help but start counting down the days. oh yes, we are that excited!