Mommy Moments: Let's Pretend (Costumes or Make Believe)

The prompt for this week is very timely for the Halloween costume that Asher wore when he went Trick or Treating last week. He came as a T-Rex and he looks adorably cute in it. Don't you agree?

Asher's 20th Month Updates.

To my dearest Asherito,

As you turned 20 months old last November 2, I could say that I'm little by little convinced that you're no longer a baby. Just 4 months to go and you'll soon turn 2. But as early as now, it seems that we do not only get a preview but I believe you're already nearing the peak of your Terrible 2 Stage.

As always, here's the list of what I noted about you on your 20th month:

1. More often, you only just nap once a day now. You usually skip your morning nap but your eyes get heavy come lunch time so I see to it that you've eaten your lunch by 11:30 PM. However, napping early in the afternoon makes you hit the hay as early as 7 PM! It's actually tough adjusting but I think I've mastered your system and body clock pretty well.

2. You love to run! You can perfectly balance yourself as you can also jump by yourself with two feet off the ground without holding onto nothing. You can also tip your toes for a few seconds.

3. You gained a kilo as of your last well check up last month. You looked a little taller too with the dining table as my gauge. According to your doctor, you're almost through with your immunizations and what's just left are the booster shots for your toddler years. You also graduated now from a monthly routine well baby checkup as your next checkup won't be until first week of December..so perhaps, you'll have it just every other month now.

4. You can already eat by yourself using your Barney spoon and fork. However, you tend to experiment and play with your food that's why your high chair tray ends up a one big mess afterwards. You can also tell Mommy that you're already hungry or thirsty and that you want something to take in. You love pasta..specifically Jollibee spaghetti and Mommy's carbonara. You also love to drink your yakult and pineapple juice using a straw. Mommy fears of typhoid, amoebiasis and tummy flu so just to be sure I still give you distilled water to drink. Hopefully I can give you the purified one that we drink or those treated with water softeners by the time you turn 2.

5. You love driving your mini-car around powered by your feet...hehe!

6. You ask me to play the Barney DVD whenever you hear me sing even just a line from any of Barney's song.

7. Your favorite nursery rhymes that you can perfectly dance or do the hand actions with are My Toes My Knees, Hello Helle (Kumusta ka), the Butterfly song.

8. You can correctly point 15 body parts: head, hair, eyes, ears, nose, lips, tongue, teeth, armpit, tummy, toes, hands, butt, knees and "birdie".

9. You can express whether you want bottled milk or Mommy's milk.

10. Favorite word now is "mama"..to my delight, of course! Your vocabulary is still a bit limited but you can understand a lot more words than you can say. Further, you can express yourself through signing or body and hand gestures.

11. You feel extra possessive of Mommy. Your separation anxiety, I think, even worsen.

12. You've become more demanding too of Mommy's milk so I don't think that weaning will be an easy process for us to go through by the time you turn 2.

13. Mommy's challenge now is how to curtail or manage your hitting and biting habits. I know that it's just normal and it's something that toddlers undergo through since you can't fully express for now your thoughts and emotions through words.

14. Mommy's amused of your patriotism. You can recognize the Philippine flag and say "Ba-ba"..which is your term for "Bayang Magiliw.." while you tap your chest with your hands.

See how you've grown now, my son. You really never cease to amaze us with how you're growing smarter as day pass. Mommy and Daddy will never get tired being amused with your antics so just keep 'em coming, my baby.

Xoxo,
Mommy

No Educational Plan.

The bankruptcy and closure of pre-need plans companies these past few years prompted us not to get an educational plan for our little one. In the past, this was proven to be a good investment but with the world recession and plummeting economy that we have, this isn't so anymore. That is why we opted to just open him a trust fund and soon, a time deposit account and that's where we'll pool his educational fund. We're also thinking to try investing in other forms like gold or other hard assets. My research led me to realize that gold never devaluates and can withstand whatever the economic challenge is. Gold may be in the form of coins or ingots which are pure bullion cast in a convenient size and shape. There's so much more that I need to learn about this type of investment but with companies like Monex Deposit Company (MDC), the precious metals investment leader for 30 years, I know I will be armed with the right information and proper guidance from their dedicated hard asset professionals.

Christmas Fashion

Last month, I bought little A his first ever pair of sunglasses from Old Navy. Whenever we go out, he gladly wears it as he imitates his Daddy. I wonder if I can scour for Holiday Fun Eyeglasses type for him in time of the holiday season for his Christmas getup.

Speaking of themed eyeglasses, have you seen lately the New Arrivals at Zenni Optical? Their $8 Prescription Zenni Glasses have now become more fashionable with their Holiday themed eyeglasses. These are perfect for the fashionistas out there.

Single Holidays.

I really can't believe that it's November already and soon it'll be December, the favorite month of most of us. It's also the busiest yet the merriest month because of the Christmas Holidays which means - endless partying, gift-giving and certainly, it's the favorite time for travels and vacations likewise. No wonder December is tagged as one of the peak months for traveling. This also explains why airfare and hotel rates are steep and uncontrollably sky-rocketing during this time. Whether it be Single Holidays or Group/Family Holidays, the festive month of December has so much to offer for the traveller wherever he may go around the globe.

For our family, it's been customary that we spend a few days of the holiday break in the City of Pines up north. We have tentatively booked our favorite inn that we stay at and we're yet to pay the reservation by mid-month. We have likewise started to plan our itineraries - no Group or Single Cruise..just the usual park and famous landmark hopping in the city. Although we've frequent most of these popular tourist spots, the experience and joy of traveling with the family gives the ultimate holiday fun.

While traveling with a group and the family is preferred by most, doing it the solo way or the so called Holidays for Singles are resorted to by many travelers who want to take the trip in solace by themselves. It may appear boring to those who are used to traveling with a group but actually, such solo trips are worthwhile still especially that they get to enjoy the reasonable rates. It may be a notion that single travel is pricier but with Justyou.co.uk, the travel specialist for Single Holidays, it's not. They have various special promotions, reasonable single rates and fun discovery weekends adventure wherein one gets to meet fellow solo travelers and make friends with them. Now who says that single holidays are boring and not fun at all?

Mommy Moments - A Day at the Mall

This week's theme for Mommy Moments is A Day at the Mall. Weekends are usually our Mall days. We frequent SM North (and The Block) since it's the nearest to our place. We also replenish our groceries every two weeks and often, we do it on weekends.

This was Asher's first time to go malling. He was barely 2 months old here. Posing with his Lola, we celebrated my first Mother's Day experience at Cabalen in this picture.

This was taken at the Powerplant Mall after buying an unlocked phone for the husband and before his first photoshoot at The Picture Company. He was 7 months old here.

He had his first haircut at Cuts 4 Tots in SM The Block.

We also visited and tried out the then newly-opened Active Fun at SM Annex.

Joining Mommy and my Twitter Bebot Aunts at Mall of Asia.

And of course, a picture with his favorite kiddie push cart at the supermarket.

Kiddie Push Cart.

A picture of Asher gamely posing for Mommy while grocery shopping two weeks ago. Isn't he cute in his long-sleeved graphic tees? That was Tita Litzie's Christmas gift last year by the way. At last, 2T shirts can fit him now.

This kiddie push cart has been our partner in our grocery shopping lately at Waltermart. The little one behaves so well inside and he loves "driving" and turning the steering wheel. It's just bulky though (but not as huge as RVs - by the way, if you are planning to sell motorhome, check out rvt.com for the most competitive prices), making it hard to maneuver the cart. I do the pushing while husband positions in front for the direction. Asher will be having an intimate bonding once again with this cart as we're scheduled to shop groceries this coming weekend.

Boston (via Tanza) Loots and Imaginative Play.

Yesterday, the LBC box which contained a few US loots I shopped months ago through my Boston-based friend, Glo, arrived. These were sent actually to Kathy in Tanza along with all the other stuffs that my fellow Twitter Bebot friends shopped then Kathy sorted and sent it to us. Thank you gels!

As expected, it was Asher who curiously and excitedly opened the box even helping me "peel" the packaging tape off. He closely inspected each of the item as if examining if it's for him or not. He recognized the SafeSippy as his so after figuring out that my Bath and Body Works stuffs do not appeal to him, he got the sippy cup, grabbed the empty box and squeezed himself into it. While I'm so proud how he can imaginatively play, I can't help myself finding the appropriate home insurance now for our future little mansion because I can already foresee how he can be so nosy and destruct things and parts of the house for his creative play.

My Little Biting Rascal

I think I have mentioned already that I have a little biting rascal on the loose. Asher now has a set of 12 teeth, the latest of which are his molars, all 4 erupting at the same time. His canine teeth may also erupt anytime characterized by swollen gums AND his fierce biting attitude lately. We underwent crazy biting episodes when his central incisors (the first teeth) sprouted but it's more crazier and stronger this time that he won't let a day pass without biting any one of us or his toys and anything he can get hold of like the outdoor pillows. Just yesterday, he bit my left leg and left arm (at different times) then today, he bit me again on my right arm. His yayay, on the other hand, suffers bites mostly on the shoulders. His 16 month old cousin is often a victim, too, of his fast and ferocious biting. No matter how I admonish him to stop doing it and divert his attention, all the more he fondly and delightedly does it. I do pray that his biting craze will stop soon before a battered mom will contact the counterpart of Bantay Bata for parents.

Speech Improvement.

Is Your Toddler’s Speech Delayed? - from whattoexpect.com

By 18 months, your toddler should be speaking at least a few words. If he isn’t, ask your doctor if he should be evaluated by a certified speech/language pathologist and/or have his hearing tested. (An exception might be a child living in a bilingual home; these kids tend to talk a bit later, but once they start, they quickly catch up and become fluent in both languages.) Check for signs that his receptive language skills (his ability to understand what’s spoken) are on track. Can he understand a request (e.g., will he nod and hold out his bowl if you ask him if he wants more noodles?) and follow simple commands (“please bring me your shoes”)? If so, expressive language — words he forms himself — is likely right around the corner.

Asher's speech improvement, I believe, is just right on track. He knows about 20 words already coupled with a lot of gibberish talks. However, I'm getting lost with most of the milestone calendars that say, he should be using a number of two word sentences by now. The only two word sentence he can convey by now is just "Mama...baby" whenever he wants to breastfeed or asks for formula milk, or if he's asking for assistance let's say when he wants to get a toy from his toy chest. I'm not really concerned as I know babies develop on their own phase. Besides, he can follow a lot of simple commands and is able to answer through gestures whenever we ask questions. So his receptive language skills is developing fine. I can't wait until he develops further his expressive language. I can already picture how chatty and boisterous he could be. We may even have a telephone operator in no time that can pass as an agent rendering call center services. So to our friends and relatives, don't be surprised by then if a toddler will take your call and might interview you.

The Little Boy, the Mess and the Bonnet.

It's been a while since I last shared Asher's recent pictures. Well, a lazy bug bit me that's why I lack the energy and drive to bring out Nikky and take some random shots of him these days. Thankful that I have a camera phone which is easier to take pictures with. Anyway, just sharing how the little one looks like. This was taken last week as he discovered his bonnet hidden in his drawer. That's actually one of his vices lately, tinkering drawers and all other stuffs in the room then mess them up.

You would see his matchbox and some toy truck accessories in the background. I know that it isn't much but not captured was the pile of mess in the other side of the room.

The bonnet he's wearing was the one we bought from Baguio last year. This coming December, we'll be having a vacation up there again so it's just great that this still fits him.

Asher at 19 months Week 1

According to BabyCenter, this is what to expect on Asher at 19 months and week 1:

"When you're out and about, your toddler's favorite pastime may be running away from you as fast as she can, squealing in delight as you rush to catch up. She's oblivious to danger, so you'll need to be extra watchful of cars, bicycles, and dogs if you take her for a walk outdoors. Keeping her strapped into a stroller is safest, of course, but that's not always where she wants to be. You'll probably have to compromise about how much time she spends on her own power, and build in extra time when running errands."

I couldn't agree more with this. Asher often gets his stumbling and falling doses almost everyday because he so loves running on the grounds especially if he knows someone's running after and trying to stop him. He is so robust and agile that it's no wonder he looks so skinny (just like his Mommy) and appears as if he's taking weight loss pills. By the way, just a follow up on the 19th month update I made last week where I shared that he didn't gain weight for the month of September. Well, he had his monthly well baby checkup last Friday and I'm very much pleased and happy that he gained a kilo in a span of one month. I think that's how his weight trend lately is. He gains a whopping value every other month. Also, according to the weight chart, he has dramatically improved in terms of average percentile. From 25th, he's now within the 50th weight percentile of toddlers of his age. Great job!