Hmm... What's New?

I haven't blogged for a long time now. I've been quite preoccupied. Thank God for the free time I have this morning. :) Here are the updates on Polo so far:

Polo turned 2 last Feb 21, 2009. We celebrated it at McDonald's in Frontera Verde on Feb 22 with friends and family.

I stopped breastfeeding Polo one week after he turned 2. This is an answered prayer. I prayed that the weaning will not be traumatic and stressful for the 2 of us. It wasn't automatic but it wasn't difficult either. Marvin was the one who pacified Polo and put him to bed during the weaning week. It helped that we prayed for it to be easy and that we've been talking to about the weaning Polo since he was 1.6yrs old. Yesterday, someone asked him if he wanted to drink milk from Mommy. Polo mumbled, "... (I am) 2 years old," explaining in his own words that he is old enough to drink from a cup. Awww... He's slowly growing out of his "baby" years. *Sniff*Sniff*

He didn't cry during his last haircut and Pedia Check-up! Wohoo! We can expect less stress for Marvin and I on our next visit to the barbershop and doctor. Wihee! Oh, and yesterday, all of us got our Flu Vaccine Shots at home c/o of my sister, Doctor Joanne. It was painless for most of us, btw. I am so proud of you, Ate! Marvin and I prepped Polo. One week in advance, we were telling him about the injection and that his Ninang Joanne would be giving it to all of us. Yesterday, before Doctor-Ninang Joanne arrived, we reminded him about the injection, saying, "Later, Ninang Joanne will give Polo an injection. Everybody will get an injection." Without much fuss or thought, Polo said his usually sweet and cool, "Ok." True enough when it was his turn to get his shot, he was cool -- his usual crying and whining was absent. He even watched his Lolo Dante, Ninang Kaye and Kuya Aia get their own shot before he did. He squirmed a bit when he felt the bite of the vaccine but there were no tears. After the shot, he limped a bit but headed back to our room to play with his toys. Brave boy, I must say! In my heart, I am jumping and cart-wheeling. Yipee! Mana siya kay Mommy. Hindi siya takot sa injection! ;)

He can finally drink from a straw. We tried to introduce a straw to him a number of times. Those attempts ended with him blowing through the straw than sipping from it. Hehehe... During the Holy Week, I was surprised to see him drink from it with ease. Now with the straw, drinking milk from the cup is more fun. It helps us get him to drink his milk.

He can sing! His all-time favorite songs are "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "Happy Birthday", "ABC" (which has the same tune as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star... hehehe), and "Are You Sleeping, Brother John?" It's sooo cute to see him sing on his own when he plays. He just breaks into song or hums and sways to the tune of the song he is singing.

He is now old enough to join kiddie games in Children's parties. Last week, Polo and Marvin attended a children's party. Polo would usually run around, dance or cling to us but this time, he listened to the instructions, watched the other children, joined the games, and even won! Wohoo! Winner! :)

His cartoon movie favorites have expanded. Cars and Bee Movie is still the all-time favorite but now, he requests for "Robinsons" (for Meet the Robinsons, one of the cartoon movies that made me cry), "Lion King", and "Kung Fu Panda." He still complains when you change the channel while he is watching boxing, UFC, and circuit racing (F1, motorbikes, cars, etc). He knows his TV preference. In each cartoon show or movie that he watches, someone has to be "Papa" (or Marvin), "Mommy" (or me), and Polo.... So in "Ratatouille", I am the lady chef and Marvin is Linguini. In "Meet the Robinsons," Polo is Lewis, I am Lewis' Mom, and Marvin is Lewis' Dad. In "Cars", Polo is Lightning Mc Queen, and I am Sally... and so on and so forth. Hehehe...

He already had his 1st kiss! He probably kissed many girls before but this is the 1st one we captured on cam. Look, it looks like he will become a good kisser when he grows up. Hehehe...

Dance Time!

My husband and I have been going to a fitness gym for about 1 month now. Yep, We're working out. We have to in order to retain my youthfulness (or whatever's left of it...) and to stay fit -- one of our goals for this year. :)

By monday next week, I'll have my 3rd orientation, where one of the trainers will design my own personal fitness program but so far, I've been attending gym classes. I've attended Streetdancing, Body Sculpt, Hatha Yoga, Belly Dancing, Precision Cycling and Capoeira. Of all of these, Streetdancinng, Hatha Yoga and Precision Cycling are my personal favorite.

I don't know if I'm excited about my personal training program but I definitely enjoy the streetdancing class (even if it's jam-packed with people everytime). It's fun and I love dancing!

Dancing is a joy me and my family share. In fact, even my son has catched the interest and the talent (but my son thinks that his Dad is the dance guru because he always sees his Dad dance in our bedroom... well, he has yet to discover the what real-dancing moves mean... hehehe). After the classes, I teach my younger sister the steps I learn and we dance it together.

My son would usually see me teaching my sister the dance moves. I would demo the steps in 8 counts ... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and my sister would follow. Soon, my son would try to dance himself or count with us, saying, "5, 6, 7, 8..." Charming, isn't it.

It seems that my solo was getting accustomed to the thought that his Mommy also dances! Now, whenever we ask him to dance, he will usually point us to the sala, where my sister and I usually have our mini dance classes. If we won't go to the sala with him, he would pull us by the hand and bring us to the sala and say, "Dance!" and "Watch!," which translates to: "Mommy and Daddy dance while I will watch."

In the sala, he would sit on his rounded rattan floor pillow, put his arms on the center table and wait for us to showcase our groove in sets of 8 counts. Hahaha! Yes, we have to admit that he's starting to become a charming little manipulative boy in a disarming way.

Haircut Incident

Yesterday, my husband and I decided to give our son another haircut -- his fourth. He cried his eyes and lungs out during his third time even if he had it at a haircut salon catering to babies and children. This time around, we went to the barber's shop in our neighborhood that my husband suggested because it said "kids haircut salon," too on its signage.

We thought that maybe if our son had a haircut at the same place and time his Dad is having one, then the stress and trauma will be less. We guessed wrong. :(

Polo didn't care if his Dad and Mom were both wearing the usual robe. He didn't want to wear one. Period. The friendly barber and I just wrapped a mini towel around Polo's neck.

Polo didn't care if we seated him in a child-friendly-barber's-chair-car that's situated right in front of a tv playing Barney. The car nor Barney, his friend, didn't do the trick.

Polo didn't care if I was seated on the barber's chair and carrying him all through out the haircut. Mommy's charms didn't work but from time to time, the Pizza Hut commercial and thoughts of spaghetti, pizza and chicken was able to temporarily distract him. Some times, singing fill-in-the-blanks Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Row, Row Your Boat did the trick but only momentarily...

Polo didn't even care if his father was seated in the barber's chair beside him, having his dreaded good-boy barber's cut (I say, "dreaded" because the usual barber's cut is not his dad's style. Polo's dad prefers the layered crop style of more modern haircutters). Polo just kept on crying and shouting (good thing, he wasn't physically violent).

The good old barber (who seemed like a scary stranger with a comb, a pair scissors and a razor to Polo), was skilled and patient enough to cut our little boy's thin hair. Once in a while, he tried to charm Polo but to no avail. In Polo's mind, the barber was the enemy. In Polo's one-year and seven-month's mind, all he wanted to do was get out of the shop and ride his Papa's car.

After an hour or so of torture for Polo, we all decided that his hair has been trimmed enough. Between sobs and deep breaths, Polo was comforted by his dad. We paid for the father & son haircut, said "bye" to the barbers and headed to the nearest happy place Polo knew -- Jollibee.

Polo was rewarded with a Jolly Sundae, Jolly Fries and a Jolly Meal Toy. In the happy place, it seems that the shadows of the barber shop incident have slowly melted away. Thanks to Jollibee, our little cub was sane again.

We're still on a quest to find a suitable happy-place hair salon for Polliepoe.

Pah-Cuhn!

Pah-Cuhn - That's how Polo pronounces popcorn, our little family's favorite midnight snack. Be it in plain, kettle corn, butter or cheese flavor, this snack turns him up & about!

One midnight, Marvin cooked microwavable popcorn. He was shaking the container to wake me up and join him (it's not fun to eat popcorn by yourself, he thought). I woke up and munched on the popcorn as well. I think that the happy sound of our midnight munching was loud for bedtime that it woke Polo up.

Without flinching or thinking twice, he sat up and smiled at the sight and smell (!) of the popcorn. It almost seemed instinctive. He dug into the plastic container and joined in the midnight snack fun.

The other evening, we had popcorn for dessert. When the plastic container was close to being empty, Marvin told Polo that we finished the whole pack already. Polo moved towards us and was extremely delighted when Marvin brought out the microwavable popcorn pack and poured more popcorn into the plastic container. Polo said, "Waaaaaaaaaaaaw," (Polo's version of "Wow!") while marching in place and swaying left to right.

Aside from Pah-Cuhn, here are the common things that he says:

Word (Polo's pronunciation -- his own version)
Bath (Bah-t)
Feet (Fith)
Teeth (Tith)
Door (Douh)
Light (Layht)
Lola (Luh-Lah)
Lolo (Ugh-Ugh) - hehehe!
Lolo Dante (Ugh-Ugh 'Te or O'Te) - Hehehe! We often tease my dad about this.
Tita (Tah-Tah)
Tita Jaz (Tah-Jaz)
Tita Chi-Chi (Ta-Chi or 'Chi-Chi) - Chi prefers the 2nd option, of course
Comb - (Cuhm)
Brush - (Bah-sh)
Angry - ('Gree)
Yaya - (Yah-Yah)
Yaya Erlyn - (Yah-Yah Eh-Leehn or Yah Leehn)
Angel - (Nh-Gehl)
Diaper - (Purr)
Star - (Stah)
High - (Hahy)
Guard - (Gahd)
Amen - (Ey-men or 'Men)

He can also fill in the blanks of these statements:
Brush your ____ (teeth)
Comb your ____ (hair)
Change your ____ (diaper)

He can also fill in the blanks of the ff nursery rhymes:
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Itsy-Bitsy Spider
Rain, Rain Go Away

Just last Saturday (Aug 30, 2008), I discovered that he learns how to count from 1 to 10! Yey!

He also knows how to march on command

Our Polliepoe is one year, six months and 11 days old and he's learning fast.

"Look, Ma, No Cavities!"

Polo's teeth received a Pedia Dentist's stamp of approval last Saturday, February 2. We can now teach him to say, "Look, Ma, No Cavities!," as the cute boy in Colgate's commercial would say.



It was Polo's first dental check up. His appointment was scheduled at 1pm (which didn't turn out to be a good schedule. It's not advisable to have a dentist check a baby's set of teeth after lunch because the baby is prone to throwing up his lunch if he cries too much). Instead of having lunch, we gave him a heavy breakfast and a light snack, as instructed by the Pedontist's assistant.



The clinic was child-friendly. It had books for children and stuffed animals hanging on the dentist's chair. Even the pedia dentist and her assistant looked fun as she was wearing a scrub suit with cute colorful animals.

Dra. Eala asked for our child's name. Upon saying, "Polo," she promptly said, "Oh, just like the candy." Dentista talaga! She then gave us a short orientation, saying that I will have to sit Polo on my lap, facing me and then let him lie down with his head landing on her knees. She also said that Polo will definitely cry because this will be a new experience for him but it won't be traumatic because it won't hurt.

That's exactly what we did. Using the dental mirror, she checked crying Polo's teeth (which only took less than 5 min) and then smeared fluouride on his 6 little teeth. That's it! It was definitely quick! What followed after was what took long -- consultation. She asked us about Polo's eating habits, diet and dental hygiene. She also gave us tips and allowed us to ask questions.

That's how it went and then she charged us a sizeable amount for the whole thing. :) But we didn't mind because it will be another year til we have Polo's teeth checked up again... because his 6 little milk teeth are cavity and problem-free!

Race On!

Since November 2007, I have been planning for Polo's 1st Birthday Party. I got in touch with close to twenty establishments, asking for quotations, party packages for a children's party and stuff. Finally, last January 25, I made up my mind. National Sports Grill was our final choice. Marvin and I signed the conforme and paid the 50% down payment for the venue of Polo's 1st Birthday.

It was the best choice after all, the theme of our party is racing cars. How can it not be about cars when Polo's line of interest is anything that has four wheels and goes vrrrroooom, vrooooom! When he sees cars or vehicles on tv, on the street or sees toy cars, he'll drop everything and inspect the underchasis, the wheels and say "vrrrooom, vroooom..." with gusto! Hehehe... Sometimes, he even pretends that our tv remote control is a car. If we give him a cookie during meal time, expect that he'll say "vroooom, vroooom..." and drag the cookie like it's a car before he bites it.

Let's park Polo's fascination about cars and vehicles and go back to my party planning checklist:

Venue - NSG, 3rd Level, Greenbelt 3, Check!

Party Decor - c/o Tanunings, Check!

Party Host and Magician - c/o Tanunings, Check!

Game Prizes - bought them myself at Divisoria, Check!

Loot Bags - bought them myself at Divisoria, Check!

Invites - artsy-craftsy work in progress, THIS MUST BE RELEASED NEXT WEEK!

Signature Book - sourced out 2 supplier options, still need to compile the pictures.

Gift for Polo - Check! Marvin bought it last Sunday. He couldn't resist the urge to buy something for Polo whenever they are out together in a mall. Hope Marvin isn't tempted to open our gift for Polo before his birthday.

Audio Visual Presentation - I deligated this to Marvin. Hope he starts working on it this week.

Birthday Cake - c/o Just For Kids, the kids version of Kink Cakes. We placed our order last Sunday and paid for 50% of the cost as well. Check!

A couple of things left and the race is on to Polo's 1st Birthday Party! Well, that's until we release the invites.

Wonderful Babblings

It started with "Aba aba aba aba..." that later on became "Ba ba ba ba" that morphed into "Pa pa pa pa" when he was jolly and playful and "Ma ma ma ma" whenever he was hungry, needy or crying. Now, it seems that he knows who his Papa and Mama are because he looks at us when he calls for us, depending on his needs.

That's our Polliepoe at 8 months! Whenever he calls out to Marvin during playtime, Marvin's heart cannot but dance with glee. I, on the other hand, cannot refuse the gentle but pitiful tug I feel in my heart whenever he cries out for me when he needs comfort or is just plain hungry.

We initially wanted our little boy to call us Daddy and Mommy. But Papa and Mama seems to be Polo's preference. Good choice, Polo! To me, "Papa" and "Mama" brings life and music to my heart. It even surpasses Mozart's classical masterpieces!

There you go, folks, "Papa" and "Mama" are Polo's 1st words. I'm sooo damn happy that it didn't turn out to be just any other word. :)

More than a Little Game

I was feeling quite low when I came home from work yesterday. I think I am in a middle of personal crisis. To use, "I think," only means that I am in a bit of a denial stage here (har! har! har!) I've been feeling like this for more than a week now and I am getting tired of my torturing thoughts. Lagot yang mga thoughts na yan sa 'kin! I'll get rid of them soon! Hah!

Anyway, while I was harboring all these mixed feelings in my heart and mind, Polo, who was in in the middle of our bed, beside me and my husband, decided to play a game. He played with his Daddy Marvin, rolled-over, crawled all over, glanced at the tv and then stopped to get my attention in between his cute little baby activities. He kept stopping to look at me, catch my attention, stare me in the eye and then finally smiled when I would smile at him. I tell you, he did this like every 20-30 seconds for 20 minutes.

Hehehe... It felt like he knew that I was having a low day. It seemed as if he was checking up on me, making sure that I wouldn't get all caught up in my world of noisy thoughts. Ganun talaga! He wouldn't move or smile until I looked at him and smiled.

He is such a charmer, a heaven-sent angel at that!

Thank God for Polo Bebe who never fails to surprise me with simple joys that mean more than what One Million Dollars can buy.

Before and After

The wonders of technology has allowed us to get a glimpse of babies before they are born. He is Polo's 4D Ultrasound when he was 7-8 months in my womb and his 1 day old picture.

Of course they look alike. They are one and the same person. :)

This is Polliepoe today.

Picture was taken at around 5am this morning.

Yep, he was up and about that early!

Yummy!!!

Aug 21 was a National Holiday but the Philippine government decided to move the holiday one day earlier. Polo turned 6 months on Aug 21 but since Marvin and I didn't have work on Aug 20, we decided that giving Polo's his first spoonful of solid food a day early wouldn't hurt.

And Polo's 1st solid food is... (drum roll, pls.)

Mashed Carrots!!!

I took care of the food preparation

Mashed carrots didn't do that to his hair. It's really like that.

But it made his eyes look bigger and open wider!!!

I hope it doesn't make his ears grow long and his two front teeth come out big. LOL!!!

3 weeks after... Mashed potatoes and mashed squash has been added to his menu list. Wonder what we'll let him taste next week...

Thanks to Polo, I am now a Mother

After blogging about Marvin's 1st Father's Day, I decided that I should capture the highlights of my 1st Mother's Day, as well. So here it goes.

Just like our Father's Day Celebration for Marvin, my 1st Mother's day was celebrated in 2 days.

Day1

Marvin promised his officemate, Palom that we'll attend her church wedding that day. We didn't confirm our attendance at their reception because we thought that it would be too late for Polo... So there we were, getting all dressed up with formal attire that saturday morning. Marvin took out his formal barong while I readied my cocktail dress (the only formal wear that still fit me at that time). Polo, on the other hand, didn't have any formal wear so he wore the most dashing onesies he had at that time (thanks to Tita Pia for that!). We almost missed to the church wedding. We arrived during communion. We made it a point to greet Palom and her husband before we left (as proof that we really were there... hehehe).

Since we were all dressed up and had no where to go, we decided to head to my favorite resto in Makati for an intimate family celebration of Mother's Day. Italianni's!!! Love it! Marvin left the task of ordering our food to me. Fickle me finally decided on getting Ziti and their newest Pizza flavor for us. I was delighted because they all turned out to taste sooooo delicioso!

Italianni's!!! I so love this place.

Smoke Salmon Dill ... (something) Pizza. It was a new menu item that time. It's a must try.

Determined to enjoy our mini celebration, we made it a point to take our time and not fret about Polo. True enough, we kept our cool in feeding him. Polo seemed interested to join in our meal so Marvin and I took turns in feeding him milk by the bottle. Since it was a Mother's Day celebration, Marvin took the 1st shift in nursing Polo while I had my fill of our Italian treat.

Marvin on feeding duty, 1st shift

I took the 2nd shift (and then had ate my 2nd serving of pizza and ziti).

Day 2

I woke up early in the morning to express milk for Polo and get ready for a busy day. Even as early as 6am, there were people texting me to send greetings. I used to receive such greetings from friends before. However, the greetings would be addressed to my Mother. This time around, it was different. The text messages were for me and hey, they went straight to my heart. It's like everyone understood the sacrifices, hardships and joys a new mom experiences.

Early in the morning, we headed to Christ the King to attend the Christening of Polo's kumpare, Luis Alleandre. Luis' parents Claire and Vlad decided to make me his Godmother. We weren't able to join Luis' reception but heard mass instead.

Polo with Luis

After that, we met up with my Mommy, Daddy, Jaz at my sister Joanne's house in Cubao. We celebrated Mother's Day with the Tan Clan. We exchanged gifts. I gave Ate and Mommy Mother's Day cards with personalized messages that made me cry even as I wrote them. Hehehe... Marvin and I also promised Mommy a free massage treat at the Spa, which she scheduled the next day. Ate Jo gave me a giraffe stuff toy for Polo and a kikay headband. While, Jaz gave me a cool set of turquiose earrings with a note that kinda said "thank you for being my 2nd mom."

In the afternoon, we all decided to go to Eastwood.

All the Mara ladies... malling in Eastwood

To end the day, we had a dinner feast at Somethin' Fishy. I got a special kiss from my Honey as well.

How sweet!!! One of the best gifts I received for Mother's Day. O yeah, btw, Marvin and Polo gave me a Happy Birthday Card for Mother's Day. Late did Marvin realize that the tune played by the "singing" card was "happy birthday to you..." Just the same, I was touched by their message. :0 Kakaiyak!!!

My Babies are Sick

Polo is sick. He has been coughing since last Monday. Marvin is sick, he's been down with cough since last week. I am the only one in our small nuclear family that is still well and healthy.

This is the second time Polo got sick. The first time was with viral as Doctors would call it. He had colds. He was melancholic and lethargic then but after a few days, he got better and was moving and smiling actively. Now, with his cough, he only has gotten worse after 4 days.

This morning, I decided to leave the house late in order to nurse Polo before going to the office. I left him with my Mom while I took a bath and got ready to go to work. While I was dressing up, my Mom came to me worried about Polo's continuous coughing. It was quite non-stop. So we went to my Mom's room to settle him down. We laid him with his back on a pillow and made him to lie down sidewards. He continued coughing until white mucous came out of his mouth. Shocked, I didn't get to respond immediately. Instead of finally coughing it out, Polo ended swallowing it all up again. Yikes...

He is more active now than when he had colds but whenever Marvin and I hear him cough, we are saddened with helplessness and concern.

I ended going to the office late this morning. Late for my 10am mtg and distracted from work. Yeah, things are different now that I am a Mom, especially now that I am nursing a sick son (and husband...). I now have to juggle work and family. I now have to learn to shift my focus from family to work and back again.

There's a bit of a struggle for me considering that I am a focused worker. Focused worker, meaning, I zero in on my task at hand when working. I can handle multi-tasking but my current job already entails a lot of multitasking that to add other stuff like family matters is quite a stretch for me.

Well, if I envision being an excellent working mom, then I better learn the ropes and start my balancing act, right? Ok, then. Well, back to work, Jopay.

What do you call it?

Male bonding. That's what I call it. :)

I'm sure a few years more and Polo would no longer agree to this. Hehehe...

Daddy Marvin

Commemorating Marvin's 1st Father's Day... We had a 2 day celebration to honor Marvin.

Marvin & Polo at Bonifacio High Street

Day1: June 16, Saturday

Our small family nucleus (Marvin, Polo and I plus Rissa - our new household helper) headed to Dr. Joey's clinic in Manila Doctor's for Polo's pre-4th month check up. He'd be vaccinated once again. This time around it will be the 5-in-1 type.

Polo lying on Doc Joey's weighing scale

We arrived at the hospital at 11am, an hour earlier than Doc Joey's clinic schedule. Polo was Doc Joey's #3 patient in line. We laid Polo on the clinic's weighing scale. Ala! He is now 4+ lbs heavier and 10cm longer! His built is that of a 6-month old baby. Way to go, Polo! Your Dad's hopes of having a 6-footer son is within reach. Hehehe!

Full view of Polo rocking Doc Joey's weighing scale

When Doc Joey saw Polo, he pinched his cheeks and made funny faces to connect and play with Polo. He lectured us about dental stuff, warned us against using a walker because it prohibits the correct development of "walking" muscles and adviced us against exposing Polo to too much tv. Goodbye GKNB, Wowowee, and evening teleseryes for Polo! Hahaha!

The Agustins and the Ortiz-Luis at Congo Grille, SM MOA



The Daddies exchanging bottle-feeding notes

After 2 hrs or so, we were now headed to SM Mall of Asia to have a pre-Father's Day lunch with our couple friends Phipo-Roda+Ethan and Arland-Tina. Phipo, Roda and Ethan reserved a table and ordered lunch at Congo Grille. Arland and Tina couldn't make it that early so we met them for merienda instead. The highlight of our lunch was Papa Piolo Pascual, our surprise guest!

Papa Piolo!!! with the starstuck Daddies with their clueless sons

Piolo came in the restaurant in the middle of our late lunch meal. Apparently, Watson's was having a presscon there to launch a new scent that Piolo was endorsing. It was a good day for Piolo to dropby. His presence made Marvin and Phipo's pre-Father's Day get-together a bit more exciting. Kaya ayun, the Dads and their sons didn't pass up the photo opportunity with Papa Piolo! Marvin with Polo and Phipo with Ethan had easy access to Piolo. They didn't need to fall in line and go through the tight security guarding Piolo outside the resto.

Look at the security guarding Piolo outside Congo Grille!

Phipo, Roda and Ethan had to leave right after our meal while we waited a few more hours to meet up with Arland and Tina for merienda at Sugarhouse. Marvin and I shared a slice of apple pie. I'm sure Polo tasted it in his milk later that evening. :)

We went home at around 6pm but not without stopping by SM Dept store, which is Polo's favorite Mall, to buy diapers and socks for Polo. Polo's diaper size has been upgraded to Medium as well as his socks for his growing feet.

Day2: Mass at Sanctuario de San Antonio with Tita Jaz, Lolo and Lola then Dinner at Bonifacio High Street with the Tans

We heard mass at 4:30pm. I was brave enough not to bring supply of milk for Polo. Good thing he showed signs of hunger only towards the end of the mass. I fed him in the car on the way to Bonifacio High Street.

Capturing the sunset at Serendra

At Bonifacio High Street, we walked around and took pictures to commemorate Marvin's 1st Father's Day. We also checked out Serendra since it was our first time to go there. While walking, we bumped into a number of familiar faces: Cathy Bodestyne - now married with 2 sons was with her family and parents; The Parrenos were there celebrating Father's Day while entertaining a balikbayan guest; Tito Edwin, an art director family friend dropby to give Lolo Dante a painting he made; A biking buddy kababata (I forgot his name... hehehe) was having dinner with a friend; 2 officemates with their respective families; and 2 former Scholastican schoolmates were checking out the stores there.

Father & Son moment

Dinner was at Brother's Burger, the more affordable resto in the area that served food good for Isaiah and Praise, my pamangkins. Couldn't get enough of their onion rings and french fries! I munched down a lot of those right after feeding Polo in the car (for lack of a better breastfeeding station in the area). After Dinner, the Tans headed to Timezone for rounds of videoke fun, which was Tyrone's Father's Day wish come true. Lolo and Lola and Tita Jaz joined in the fun while we, the Agustins strolled Polo around the area.

The whole clan waiting for our dinner at Bros Burger

We bought Hillsongs' newest CD for Daddy Marvin and another Kids Song Praise CD for Baby Polo. It was almost 10pm when we decided to have dessert at Krispy Kreme. We ordered 2 dozen of donuts. I had the french crueler (not sure if the spelling is correct), lemon filled donut and a regular honey glazed one. Yup, I decided to have my fill of the famous Krispy Kreme before heading home to finally put tired Polo to bed.

The 1st born Agustin and 1st born Tan posing with Lolo and Lola at Krispy Kreme

That was our Father's Day treat for Daddy Marvin. At the end of the day, we were happy to spend all our energies making that day memorable.

End-of-day Agustin Family Pic

A Breastfeeding Mom's New Gadget

I feel like I gained earned extra powers. My new breastpump is electric and it's a Medela!

I've been dreaming about owning a breastpump like this even before giving birth to Polo. When I gave birth to Polo, I wasn't really sure if I would be able to breastfeed so I made do with the Pigeon manual breastpump I borrowed from my sister. After using my sister's pump for a few days, my hand started to ache so bad. After a few more weeks, I began breaking some of it's delicate parts. It just wasn't sturdy (or my hand was just to heavy for delicate things).

Then came, the Ameda Egnell one-hand manual breastpump sent from the States by my in-laws. It was ergonomic and easy to use. I searched the net and discovered that the Ameda pump was even hospital grade just like Medela and Avent breastpumps. However, my hand would eventually stiffen after using it for 10-15min which would make me pump more heavier. It just wasn't the ideal breastpump for my busy working mom lifestyle.

Last thursday, I ended up stressed out and exhausted from trying to beat the clock all through the night while expressing milk for Polo. Only to find out that I was 1 bottle or 4oz short for my supply for the day, I was fretting during the day. All that worry caused me chills, a terrible headache, body pain and frequent and unpleasant trips to the comfort room. I ended up weak and nauseated the whole weekend!

I had to properly handle the pressure and stress of making sure Polo has sufficient milk supply for a day but I knew that I needed help. Only a more efficient and reliable breastpump could do the trick.

Thanks to my ever understanding and caring husband, I'm now a happy owner of a Medela mini-electric single breastpump! It's one gadget breastfeeding working moms should have :)

Months & Milestones

It used to be weeks that I counted when it came to Polo's development that was because he was still in my womb. Now, I measure his growth in terms of the months and milestones...

He has learned how to feed on his fists and fingers. No wonder he's a good boy! He uses his fists to satisfy his hunger. Hehehe...

He stays awake for at least 30-45 minutes now. We have more time to play! We're playing "Pong Pong Kasile" here.



Goodbye fetal position. He's now more comfortable sleeping on his back. He still likes to cuddle especially when he wants to fall asleep. Cuddling him is my favorite past-time.


The frequency of his poop and pee has decreased a bit. Yey! That means we'll have savings from our diaper budget. Hehehe...

We can now hear his laugh. It now comes with a sound! He kept laughing last thursday when I repeated the words of Heidi Klum in the final episode of Project Runway, "Who, will be the winner of project runway..." I got him laughing even by just saying "Who, who, who" over and over again. :)

Prayer of Faith

"Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God.Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’and does not doubt in his heartbut believes that what he says will happen,it shall be done for him.Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer,believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours."

Amen. I say to myself and to everyone that I will breastfeed Polo until he is at least 1 year old. I will not doubt in my heart but believe that what I say shall happen and be done by God for me.

Lord, I ask that you continue to provide sufficient breastmilk for Polo. I believe and know that it shall happen as I request. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Indeed, nursing has become a walk of faith for me. A week or so ago, I had back up stock of expressed milk in the freezer that was good enough for an extra day. But now, Polo has increased his consumption. Whatever I pump and save today will be the amount of milk he'll consume the next day. No more back up stock.

Breastfeeding has now become daily bread, literally.

I know that I'll have enough supply if I diligently express milk during the day. Often times, what hinders me from doing this are the numerous meetings I have to attend to during the day. But, I've decided not to worry. God will make a way. He has provided me 24 hrs a day. I just need to find time and make time and so I will.

How Nice...

Guys, look at this. It's something Marvin made to cheer me up today. Ah... bonding moments with Polo...

Special Treatment

That's me with Polo comfortably breastfeeding in the breastfeeding station of SM Bicutan. I'm so grateful that Henry Sy and his people decided to create breastfeeding stations in SM Malls. So far, SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia and SM Bicutan are their branches that have one.

The room had a blue love seat, a diaper changer table, a trash can, a sink and a flower vase with artificial flowers for effect. Simple but cozy and quiet. Exactly what a breastfeeding station should be. Oh and yeah, it also had a clinic located beside it. Talk about customer service.

Polo and I had our breastfeeding moment in peace.

Wish all malls and work places had designated breastfeeding stations.

Success!

That's how I'd recall my first time to be away from Polo. Marvin and I attend our friends' wedding. We left Polo in the care of his dutiful grandmother for 8-10 hours.

Thank God, we all managed! My Mom and Jaz were able to take care of Polo and was able to do so with flying colors. According to them, Polo was like an angel. They didn't have any difficulty feeding him, changing his diapers or putting him to sleep. Whew! What a relief! This, for me, is an indication of how it will be when I go back to work on tuesday.

As for me, I managed not to shed a tear. Honestly, I was actually excited about the fact that I'll have alone time with my husband Marvin. Haven't had much of that since Polo's birth. And that I'll reunite with our friend from the BLD Community. In short, day off ko. Hehehe...

Good thing, I didn't turn into an anxious wreck! I think I was even cool about the whole thing. Probably, it was what my Mom said before I left the house that put me at ease. She actually asked us not to bother calling or checking on Polo. It was more like the typical "Don't call me, I'll call you" phrase. To me, that signified that they knew what to do and they did, indeed.

During the wedding, Marvin and I would think of Polo when we'd see parents carrying their children or running after them at the wedding. "Soon, we'll be like them, " is what I kept saying to myself.

We didn't get to stay till the end of the reception. We had to head back home to switch places with my Mom as it was her turn to leave the house and go to a wake.

When we got home, Marvin and I were delighted to see Polo. I was relieved, as well, that my first day away from Polo was finally over. I survived it! My Mom survived it! And so did Polo!

Wohoo! Thank you, Lord!