7M

happy 7th month, baby! your sweet sweet smile always brightens up our day. you babble a lot and you are very good at imitating the sounds that we make. you have the stranger anxiety but we hope that you'll get over it quickly. you are very clingy to mommy, always crawling to where i am. you even know where to find me when im not in the lounge with you! i hope you'll always feel secure in knowing that mommy will never ever be far from you. i always have "the mommy's eye" on you and kuya, despite being busy with other things.

you now know how to throw tantrums when you dont get your way! remember, those tears wont get you anywhere! lol. still, you're very easy to appease and distract. your first tooth just erupted and we were surprised, though really thankful, that besides the love of gnawing things, you didnt show any other signs. sorry we had to blow your candles a few days late but rest assured that we didnt forget your day. we greeted you and showered you with lots of cuddles and kisses. but we do it everyday so you might not have noticed =D. we've just been very busy as of late. we love you so so much! cant wait to celebrate your 1st birthday, and it's coming up really quick!!

edit: at 7M6D, you weighed exactly 9kg! kuya was 1Y1M old when he weighed that much lol

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visit:

August Bank Holiday Weekend

it was lovely spending some quality time with my little family and friends. we havent gone out in a long while (travelled). we usually just meet up in each other's houses, during special occasions, but never really went away like we used to. having kids really changes everything. no regrets though. we just have to make some minor adjustments =D

1st stop was cheddar gorge. we wanted to go somewhere we havent been to. my friend, celine, was in charge of researching/scouting for places where we can go because i'm busy with mommyhood =D. she suggested cheddar gorge and when i told tantan, he said he's familiar with the place because his former boss, who lives in the same county, suggested the place years ago, when they were still working together, but we never got around to going.

i think their website is too hyped up. i dont know, but i was a little disappointed when we got there. there were caves but i've seen better (sagada). it's also not that baby friendly because obviously, the buggies cant go everywhere (although their website promotes it as a "great family day out"). probably if the kids are a little bit older, we might have enjoyed the activities more.

the place itself is lovely, with quaint little shops that i love. but other than that, the over 2hrs travel time isnt that worth it.

inside gough's cave: ORIGINAL cheddar cheese =D

day 2: longleat safari and adventure park. tantan and i have been there twice before. good thing because we werent able to go around this time. to be able to really enjoy the place, you'll need at least 2 days to get around. we only had 1 day because when we booked our tickets, there was no option for a 2day ticket. we booked our tickets as a joint offer with cheddar gorge.

anyways, we spent most of our time in the safari park. it was raining on/off so we didnt get to appreciate the animals more. the traffic? horrendous! people were spending forever taking pictures of each animals, like they havent seen them before! seriously, you dont need to spend 30minutes just to take a picture of a monkey! what should have been an hour cruise of the whole safari park, took almost 3 hours!

we then met up with our other friends. after lunch, we just went for 2 more activities (boat and train ride) and we went back to southampton for a late dinner. it was mine and celine's joint belated birthday celebration.

last stop was stourhead. it was actually a last minute decision. we were choosing between that and mottisfont garden, which is nearer. but because it was sunny and we wanted to take advantage, we trooped back to warminster (near longleat), over an hour's drive, to go to the most breathtaking garden you'll ever see. we've been there countless of times (me and tantan) and we still couldnt get over its beauty and serenity. we really recommend it to everyone.

the boys played football (soccer) and cayden perfected rolling down the hill. i played with him until i got dizzy!

it was really a fun 3 day break. i wonder when we'll be able to do that again.....

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visit:

House - ✔!

of course, i want kian to have the same big 1st birthday his kuya had. para fair d b? but tantan dont want to go to the philippines, expensive daw. he convinced me to celebrate it in florida instead (as if that'll be any cheaper!). who would say no to that?! honestly, it would still be nice to celebrate it with family and friends. but the kid in me is excited already with just the thought! florida = disney!!!

been to orlando in 2008 (end of june) for 10 days and it was so bitin. plus the weather wasnt that good. personally, i think, that was the worst time to go (we didnt know, ok! =D)! a friend who frequents orlando also agreed on this. it was so humid and very hot - much hotter than manila. plus it rained every afternoon. june is in fact the start of the hurricane season. weather aside, we had fun though. we were like kids in a candy store! so when tantan suggested this, i immediately said yes! again, who would say no?!!

kian's birthday is in feb. i did my research and found out that it's one of the best times to go - weather wise and crowd-wise. coming from england in the middle of winter, a milder weather is a very welcoming reprieve. and since it's school term time, the crowd in theme parks is less.

first assignment was to find the right accomodation for us - affordable yet comfy. we stayed in a hotel previously but having young kids in tow, it's ideal and more practical to stay in a "home-type" environment. so it's either a villa or a townhouse. we're eyeing this particular property already but the dates that we're looking at weren't open yet. to my dismay, when i checked a few days after, it was booked already! i panicked, it's always never too early! fortunately, i found another property in the same block, a bit more expensive but at least it's in the same area! we didnt want to lose it anymore so when i saw that the dates we wanted are still open, i contacted the owner right away and paid the deposit. balance is due in november.

so what made us like the property?:

Luxuries:	Jacuzzi / Hot tub, Internet access
General:	Central heating, Air conditioning, TV, Telephone, Satellite TV, Wi-fi available (this is a must have!!)
Standard:	Kettle, Toaster, Iron, Hair dryer
Utilities:	Clothes dryer, Dishwasher, Cooker, Microwave, Fridge, Freezer, Washing machine
Rooms:	2 Bedrooms, 2 bathrooms of which 2 en suites
Furniture:	Sofabeds (1), Single beds (2), Double beds (1), Dining seating for 6, Lounge seating for 6, Sleeps maximum of 6
Other:	Linen and towels provided.
Outdoors:	Shared outdoor pool (heated)
Access:	Parking space

Further details indoors:
Both bedrooms include en-suite bathrooms and large walk in wardrobes.

Clean bed linen and towels are provided.

Brand new large flat screen HD Television with over 250 channels plus high speed fibre optic wireless internet. Televisions are also in both bedrooms.

Further details outdoors:
Property also includes an external porch area at the rear of the house, with outside seating which is perfect for relaxing after a long day exploring Florida.

The property is located within easy access of Florida's main attractions, including Disney, Sea World including Discovery Cove & Aquatica (Orlando's newest water park), Busch Gardens, and Universal Studios. Universal Studios also includes Island's of Adventures and City Walk, which has numerous bars and restaurants to choose from.

In addition to the many theme parks, there is also easy access to several shopping outlets, which include brand names such as Calvin Klein, Reebok, Gap, and Levi, with excellent discounts.

There are many restaurants and bars within an easy drive of the house. There is also a large supermarket situated less than a mile away, whist Walmart is less than a five minute drive.

need i say more?! it's perfect! it's got really good reviews too =D. here's one comment that cracked me up:

Your townhouse was excellent! My wife's first reaction summed it up when she said "Love this place, I'm not going back home!" Nice, clean & cosy, with all the appliances one could need! The agents were ever so friendly and there is nothing to complain about!

i may not want to leave too if i get too comfortable!

i know the kids are still young to even remember this trip. but not me lol! we can always go back when they're older. hey, it's my treat too! i had to give up my birthday trip for this year so as not to add to tantan's expenses (see, im being considerate here) =D

next assignment: flights!

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read about our previous orlando trip here, here, here, here, here, here and here if you're still up for it! =D. looking back, i miss photography!

Kian's Christening

** click on pics for bigger view. and oh, long post!

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we decided to have kian baptised for when my siblings are here, which made it even more special! and since cayden's birthday was coming up, we opted to celebrate the 2 occasions in one go. i had a hard time booking kian's christening with our parish priest. he wasnt the one who baptised cayden (he was more approachable!!!). we didnt get the original date that we wanted because someone else has beaten us to it. at first i didnt understand why the priest couldnt accomodate both kids because cayden had his with another filipino baby. but truth be told, kian's christening was more special and intimate, with the way the priest celebrated it. so i guess he had his reasons after all!

all invites were sent digitally!

despite having no worries about the reception, we ended up in a bit of panic to the rundown to kian's baptism. we thought we'd be late going to the church. actually, we got there a bit late! i was so scared because i was intimidated with the priest. when we got there, our other guests, who decided to go straight there, were all outside. the church doors were closed. good thing i know where father priest lives, which is just beside the church, so i went there and knocked. the priest opened the door and asked who i was! i was taken aback bec i thought he forgot about the ceremony! i told him who i was and then he said, ok, i'll be with you in a moment - duh! he opened the doors of the church so we all went in and imagine, the priest only prepared then! seriously!!!

he ushered us all out again, to our surprise. but he immediately explained that the baby is still not a catholic so he cant go in (it's part of the ceremony, dont worry - nothing discriminating!). he did the prayer of exorcism and anointing before baptism outside the church.

then we went in and stayed at the back of the church where he did the anointing of oil, baptism of the holy water, clothing of the white garment and candle ceremony

anointing of oil

baptism of holy water

clothing of white garment

candle ceremony

after that, the priest brought us to the main altar where we did the renunciation of sin and profession of faith

the paparazzi =D

for the blessing of the parents and godparents and final words, we went to the side altar

after the baptism, i love him already! he wasnt that horrible pala =D. he just had a very special program planned to welcome kian to the house of God =D. and i finally understood then why he didnt want to have 2 babies baptised at the same time!

ok, pichur time!

the guests

with the godparents

photographers

family picture

we didnt have a proper family picture because cayden didnt cooperate! he'd rather run around and play with the other kids. eto na ang pinaka matino!:

kian - pictorial:

we opted to hold the reception in a restaurant. we considered having the event catered at home but i wasnt too keen on the idea as it would have been the most expensive option. with cayden's, my mom did most of the cooking and some friends were assigned specific dishes. when i did the math, the costs of holding the reception at home and having it in a restaurant are not that far off. there wont be the chaos in prep and clearing up, plus the fact we'd be doing a double celebration - these justified the costs.

but finding the right restaurant proved to be difficult. of course, we wanted somewhere affordable, with delicious food and good ambiance. not to mention the dilemma we had when the priest scheduled the christening at 2pm! so it's kinda late for lunch but too early for dinner. what i did was inform our guests not to eat heavy lunch because we'd be having a buffet meal at the reception. and if they were to go to our house early (before the christening) and meeting up there, i will be serving them light snacks (i served: a variety sandwich platter, antipasti platter, grilled chicken, crudites and dips platter, my mom cooked palitaw and made macaroni salad and my sister made gulaman - these also served as after-party food =D). i ended up booking the restaurant at the last minute - less than 2 weeks before the event - because we couldnt decide!

we had the reception at pilgrim house chinese restaurant. as i've said, it was a buffet reception. but it was served differently - you have to order the food from their menu, they will prepare it and serve it when ready, unlike the usual buffet where the food is all out and you just have to stand up and pick from what's served. so it's kinda like a mix between a buffet and a sit-down meal. price is reasonable and food is delicious (although tantan said everything was a tad sweet for him). we stayed at the restaurant for almost 3 hours. there was quite a gap between the main meal and dessert! everyone seemed happy with the food. i definitely was!

the aftermath!

kian's outfit:

the gray vest was tita aiza's gift =D

these are kian's souvenirs, which my sister lovingly wrapped (she also decorated the candles, which we forgot to take pictures of. tsk tsk! - will try to find the used one and post it here later). i ordered them online:

bath salt, bath confetti, pram keyring

and here are kian's gifts (his titos and titas are oh so generous!!!):

thank you, po!

after the reception, most of our guests went back to our house for a little bonding. they did videoke as the priest suspected! yes, he knows that filipinos love to sing to videokes =D

my nephew, adam

ninang twinkie

my cousin, ate anne

it was a really special day for the family, made even more special by all those who joined and celebrated with us in welcoming kian into the christian community. thank you, everyone, again!!