Letter to Asher 070309.

Hi Asher,

See, so far I'm keeping up with my promise. That I'll be writing you letters everyday in this blog. I could have written this earlier and not now that I'm rushing because your Daddy will be home any minute. Our internet connection conked out around lunch time so Mommy's online tasks halted, too. Today's Friday and you know what that means. All our bags are packed, except for Daddy, we're ready to drive to Frisco and spend the weekend with your Lolo and Lola.

What I want to write about you today is that I'm so proud that you're appetite is grooving back. You had a week long of "all vegetable" daily menu as we try to make bawi for your lost appetite when you got sick last week. For today, you had lugaw with malunggay plus the mashed squash from our dinengdeng dish. Then tonight, you were so eager to use your spoon and feed all by yourself. However, I have to assist you because your food kept on spilling from the spoon as you open your mouth. Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. Just continue to practice and I'll just be here to guide you.

9:24 PM...Daddy's here, my dear. But we decided that we'll stay here for the night and drive to Frisco tomorrow morning instead.

By the way, I'm forgiving your uber likot hands for now and your stubborn mouth. Buti na lang, Yayay was quick enough to hold your hand, otherwise you might have finished the whole chocolate mallows including the wrapper. Tsk tsk tsk.

Xoxo,
Mommy
070309

Mommy Moments: Encounter with Pets or Animals

Asher is a certified animal lover. When he was just a few months old, he finds extreme delight seeing his animal plushes and even the hanging butterfly ornaments in the living room. He loves my in laws' pets and he likes looking at animals figures and even pointing to them in his books. That's the reason why we had a Jungle Safari theme for his first birthday last March.

Whenever we are at my in laws' place, he loves playing with their pets Jumong, a dog and Margie, a cat. Unfortunately, I don't have pics of him with them yet..thanks to Mommy Moments for reminding me to take one. At any rate, here are a few pictures of Asher's close encounters with animals. These were taken at Avilon Zoo in Rodriguez, Rizal last year. Asher was just 8 months old here.

The close encounter with Lobo. Remember ABS-CBN's fantaserye "Lobo" last year? Yes, Asher got to pose with Angel Locsin's Lobo form. Look how Asher was closely scrutinizing Lobo on the first picture. I was holding tight his hands because he might just grab the furry dog and get it unruly. That would be scary.

And this is a photo with the zoo's friendly monkey, Trixie. Again, I had his hands guarded.. I'm so paranoid I know but I was just being cautious even though these animals are trained.

And here's a picture taken during his first birthday where Flooch, the host and magician, had him touch a rabbit. It's good that Flooch was able to pull back the poor rabbit right away because Asher pinched its ears. He was so enamored by the rabbit.

Breastfeeding In Public.

Are you comfortable seeing moms breastfeed in public?
Yes or No, and why?

For Smart Parenting Magazine readers, that's the "Point of View" prompt for the month of September.

My take on this:

I don't find breastfeeding in public offensive or scandalous because it's just NATURAL for a mom to feed her baby. All the more that she should be commended and supported because she's giving the BEST for her baby.

As you know, Asher is still breastfed up to now and over the year, I have learned the art of discreet breastfeeding in public. Of course, I have my nursing cover and sling to aid me not to expose anything but more than that, I have the confidence and I've set my mind that feeding my son is never a degrading or embarrassing act. It's much disgraceful when you let your child wail in hunger only because you're too conscious and ashamed to breastfeed in public. I commend my husband for being one with us on this. And I pity those wives who don't get support from their husbands who apparently are sometimes even the first ones who react and get offended with this act.

For a chance to see your POV on this issue, send your answers, name, names and ages of your kids, and the city or province you're located to rachel.perez@summitmedia.com.ph with the subject September POV. I'm just not sure about the deadline but better if you submit your POVs asap.

Asher at 16 Months.

Asher turns 16 months today. Here are some notes and his progress report for the month of June.

1. He received his Typhoid vaccine two weeks ago.
2. Weight wise, a not so good update because Asher didn't gain even just a few pounds. He got sickly last month: colds and cough on mid-month then caught the Roseola virus last week. He's within the lower percentile for weight of babies of his age but isn't in the underweight category. No reason to be alarmed, I try not to. But to aid in boosting his weight, he's now given Vit B Complex and Iron supplements.
3. His doctor doesn't take note of his length every visit but he's surely grown taller. My basis, he's outgrown his pajamas now and are so bitin.
4. No new tooth erupted. Still has a set of 8 teeth.
5. He wants pulling things off the shelves and drawers and carry the objects as he walks..."kargador" as what we jokingly call him.
6. He can never be seated or set still in one place. He walks, runs, trots, and can even climb the stairs now on two feet while holding on to the railings (yes, not just crawling style).
7. Can follow simple commands like "give to mommy (or whoever is around)" or "how do you do it" when we ask him to imitate someone.
8. He can call almost everyone in the house by their names: di, yayie, titit, ayie, je and even "mumu"...guess who's missing in the list? Yes, he still refuses to say "mommy". He can say "mama" though when asked and he can recognize me when referred to as mommy but still, he doesn't say it yet. :(
9. He pretends to eat when he sees any type of food on TV or on the table. He also pretends to sleep (he lies down) when he sees a pillow.
10. He loves pointing to objects on books and names it or if animals, imitate the sounds.
11. He knows how to pretend and act "scared" when he sees big and fierce animals on his book like tigers, lions, snakes and bears.
12. Our week stay at my in-laws place (they have a pre-school) last week taught him what to do during flag ceremony. He puts his right hand on his chest when asked what to do when the national anthem is sung or raise his hand (most of the time, both hands) when asked how to do the "Panatang Makabayan".
13. Learned his Jai Ho Dance. Check out the video here.
14. He puts together his hands and do the praying position when asked how does Santino (May Bukas Pa) prays.
15. He knows how to tickle anyone! With matching giggles pa.

Fully Booked Baby Signs Parent Workshop

BABY SIGNS PARENT WORKSHOP
July 4 and 8, 2009
Children's Section, 2/F Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street
3:00pm to 4:00pm

Ideal for parents of hearing children ages birth to 2+ years, this one-time introductory workshop teaches everything they need to know to get started with the Baby Signs Program.

Parents can learn:
* how to begin signing with their baby
* effective ways to begin teaching signs at home
* easy ways to use signs in daily routines
* what to expect as babies transition from signs to speech

Workshop fee costs Php 3,200 and is inclusive of the Baby Signs Parent Kit.

Fully Booked Discount Card Holders get P200 off the workshop fee!

Click here for more info about this event.

Letter to Asher 070209.

Happy 16th month birthday, my son!

It's the second day of the month again and even though we don't celebrate with a cake your monthly birthdays anymore since you turned one, I equally get excited as I look forward to list down your milestones and notes about you for the past month. And as I list them, I can't help but be amazed of your remarkable development. You may not have gained enough weight because you got sick, you've definitely grown taller and oh boy, you now know a lot! You keep on impressing Mommy, Daddy, your Lolos, Lolas and everybody else. You've also become more malikot and makulit...but it's okay. You aren't "asher" if you are otherwise. I love you just the way you are, my son!

Xoxo,
Mommy
070209

Letter To Asher 070109.

Dearest Asher,

I'd like to apologize first if I haven't done this for a long time now. I know I promised when I set up this blog that this will be all about you...more of my thoughts about you, and the things that I want you to know but since you're still too young to grasp all these, I'm journalling them so that someday when you can already read and comprehend, you'll read Mommy's thoughts as I strive to be the best Mom for you.

The first half of the year is through. I'll start the second half much better. Starting this month, I'll try to make it a point to write down my thoughts for you everyday, as much as possible. But if I fail, I know you are a forgiving son. And I know, more than my journal, you hear from my heart the things that I really want you to know.

Have you already guessed how much I love you?

Xoxo,
Mommy
07.01.09

PS: Let's hope and pray Daddy will be going home early today. I know how much you miss playing and goofing around with him before going to bed.

All About Roseola Infantum.

If you've passed by my main nook, you might have already read about Asher's bout with Roseola last week. As any other Mom would feel, I was so worried on the first three days that Asher was having high fever. You wouldn't know that it's Roseola until the rashes appear on the fourth day so just imagine how frantic I was and scared thinking of what could be wrong. His temperature went up to as high as 39.8 degrees and at that point, I was really worried and couldn't help but think that it could be dengue. Thanks to the internet, I was pacified and calmed down as I read about the Roseola Virus.

Here are a few facts I've gathered about this virus so that first time Moms, like me, will be guided too. As I've further researched, I learned that most babies of my online friends went through the same sickness when they were Asher's age so I concluded that the chance of contracting this among babies and toddlers at a particular age is pretty high.

*Roseola Virus, Roseola Infantum or "Tigdas Hangin" in our vernacular (Tagalog) is a common viral infection of early childhood, mostly infecting children between the ages of 6 and 24 months.

- High fever for about 3-4 days
- Pink or rashes appear when fever breaks on the fourth day all over the body. In Asher's case, the rashes started on his forehead, down to his cheeks, trunk, tummy and lastly, on the legs.
- The rashes last normally last for 3 days.
- His Pediatrician says it's just benign. No medications are usually given except Paracetamol to reduce the fever.
- It is also called the "sixth disease" and it is caused by the HHV-6 virus (human herpesvirus 6)
- Irritability and decreased appetite are the common symptoms.
- It is commonly spread through saliva and respiratory droplets in the air from the coughs, sneezes and yawns of an infected person.
- A baby contracting this develops lasting immunity from this virus
- It is entirely different from German Measles, which is a more deadly one.

Today's the 7th day since Asher got the virus. He's been fever free since Friday and his rashes on his face and body have disappeared too. There are only a few traces left mostly on his thighs. However, due to poor appetite last week, it's noticeable how Asher lost some weight. Hope he gets his voracious eating back so he can recover the weight he lost in no time.

Que Sera Sera.

..what will be, will be.

Hubby and I had a very interesting discussion last night while we await for the sleep fairy. We talked about so many things but mostly it was all about Asher..of how he's growing smarter each day..of which student type will he be like when goes to school..and of how will his behavior be like when he gets a little bit older. It was one enriching conversation because we realized a lot of things about our son. We commonly agreed that time flies by so fast and his baby years are swiftly passing by. We can't help but think about his future and we together prayed that God grant us longer years of life so that we'd always be right just behind him, to nurture with him so much love and to take care of him for as long as we can. Our late night conversation ended with a funny quote from the husband. I asked him what does he want for Asher to become someday. Will he be a civil engineer like his maternal Grandpa, a businessman like his paternal Grandpa, a teacher like his Lola, a programmer like his dad? Will he be an outgoing person as her aunt, will he be an internet junkie just like me, or will he be a good gamer just like his uncles who are expert PS3 players. The husband said, he wanted him to become a doctor. "I don't want him to be a lawyer, because I don't want him to become pilosopo", he added. As for me, it's up to Asher. Whatever his heart desires, I'll always just be supportive of him.

Mommy Bloggers.

Today, I promise that I will blog hop and read more Mommy Blogs from now on. You may have noticed that I've been joining the weekly prompt of Mommy Cris' Mommy Moments but my participation most of the time is just limited to submitting my entry link. So this morning, even though my entry is not 100% apt to the theme and it's 3 days late, I still joined. And I felt more than a participant now because I found time to visit the other mommy bloggers' entries and dropped by comments, too. I'm glad I did because I got to witness more precious mommy moments and met new moms who equally rocks and enjoys the rollercoaster world of Motherhood the way that I do.

You Know You're a Mom When...

I am inspired by my previous post about this statement so I'm listing down all the signs or funny symptoms officially confirming that you're a Mom.

1. You carry a diaper bag on a date with husband instead of your purse.
2. You'd rather buy clothings or toys for your kids instead of those alluring and elegant loose diamonds or watches in the jewelry store.
3. You can recite Goodnight Moon or Guess How Much I Love You books by heart.
4. You find Marie, Gerber or any teething biscuit crumbs inside the car.
5. You have shared a 10 to 15-minute conversation about your baby with a stranger at the grocery store or clinic corridor.
6. You own the entire Baby Einstein DVD collection.
7. You hum Brahms' Lullaby at random times of the day even if you're not lulling your baby to sleep.
8. You get deeply affected and cry over Mommy-and-Baby commercials.
9. "NO!" is your most mentioned word all throughout the day.
10. Your digital camera and camcorder is always on standby to capture all those "firsts".
11. Your camera phone and computer memory is filled with tons of your kids' pictures.
12. Your kid's photo is always set as your computer's wallpaper.
13. You justify every excessive crying spell with teething.
14. Your blog contains entries mostly about your baby.
15. You consider Jollibee and Mcdonalds' as your bestfriend, too.
16. You see your Mom in an entirely different perspective and you appreciate her even more now.
17. Your ears are extra sensitive to comments especially if it concerns your kid.
18. You're extra panicky and worry rat when illness strikes your household.
19. Your mailbox contains Baby and Parenting Magazines instead of Fashion mags.
20. You consider parenting as the most fulfilling job of all.

Mommy Moments: School Days

A not so perfect Mommy Moments School Days entry for this week. As you see, my 16 month old son isn't schooling yet. But I do look forward to the time when he puts on his uniform, carry his backpack and lunchbox and kiss me goodbye as he goes to school. Even though he isn't of pre-school age yet, it's never too early to prepare him for schooling. I'm glad that we've exposed him early to love books. In fact, whenever we go malling, we'd rather troop to the bookstore than to Toy Kingdom to buy him board books. Every day, I sat down with him and we enjoy pointing out the animals and things in his Brainy Baby Books, doing the "eat bulaga" with his lift-the-flap books and feeling different textures in his touch and feel books. So far, he's now able to point his favorite animals and imitate their sounds; he can recognize some foods that we eat and he does the munching mouth move. Also, he can now label the figures with their correct names albeit he can just pronounce the first or last syllable..let's say banana, he says "ba-ba" or for fish, he says "ish". Next year, we're thinking of joining him to a playgroup or a toddler class so that when he's 3, he can officially enter Pre-School.