8M

wowa baked you a custard cake!

at your last weigh-in (20 oct), you already weighed 9.2kg (when kuya weighed that much he was already 1y/o!)! your appetite is as big as ever. and we reckon, soon, you'll be bigger than your older brother! you can now drink from the bottle, juice and water mainly. you still dont want to drink milk from it though but soon, you'll have to as mommy's going back to work. you surprised us by drinking from the straw too!

you are very playful. you can now sway/march/dance to tunes that you like (theme fr masterchef australia is your favorite! lol). most of the time, kuya plays rough and takes toys from you. but we're trying our best to teach him (and you as well) how to share. you love following kuya around despite that and i really love it when i see the two of you play and laugh together. i hope you'll grow up really close and be each other's best friend. you are a babbler and we feel that you'll be more talkative than kuya. you dont cry as much as you used to with strangers but daddy still calls you a mommy's boy because you always look for me. i dont mind though! you and kuya are both my life! and daddy too =D

we love you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
visit:

Passports - ✔

finally, we have received kian's passport.

kian's still super taba when the pic was taken =D. he got the new passport type

it took tantan months (2months!) before he was able to process/adjust kian's picture to the required size. he was that busy. i didnt mind because there's really no rush. we wont be travelling till feb next year anyway.

the passport processing took longer as well. we got cayden's passport 2 weeks after we applied. with kian's, it took 5 weeks. it took that long because they sent a letter to my countersignatory's office (sa hospital) to check that she really works there. but the letter got lost in transit. it took the passport office 2 letters before it finally reached the recipient. i had to ask my friend to check pa if they received any. she said no. after a few days, she texted me and said they finally got it. funny thing is, nagchecheck ung passport office kung dun nga sya work. sya pa din ang sumagot sa letter e sya na nga ung vineverify! hahaha. she sent the reply last wednesday, i got kian's passport the other day (tuesday).

so now finally, the little one can travel. me passport na kami lahat =D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
visit:

Chismoso

tantan's car is still in the garage. oh wait, i have been away from here long, i have to backtrack a little bit....

last saturday, we were supposed to go to chessington, then spend the night at our friends' house. unfortunately, tantan's car broke down on the motorway and had to be brought to the garage (we used his car bec we have a lot of stuff with us and we're supposed to pick up a friend on the way). there's a problem with the fuel pump, it has to be replaced. it will take up to 3 days (and ₤270!) before it gets fixed bec the part has to be ordered pa.

Sayang ang glorious sunshine!

despite our plans being cancelled, cayden was still happy bec he got to see a real life tow mater (disney cars) in action. he also got to ride in it =D

tantan worked from home yesterday. i needed my car for my appointment at the salon for a facial (yes, facial is more important than him going to work lol). tuesday is zumba day so borrowing my car is a no-no. but he needed to be at the office today so i drove him to work. well, he drove going there, i drove the car home.

anyways, heading to tantan's office, it was traffic. at one point, the cars weren't moving (on our side of the road while the other side is so open). i told tantan frustratingly that i wouldnt make it in time for the zumba class - i still have to go home, pick up my mom and the kids. tantan then said, there's probably an accident on the opposite side of the road. i got confused. i said, no if there's an accident, it's probably on our side bec we're barely moving. he didnt argue. he we patiently drove on.

look at our speedo: 0. not moving at all on our side

lo and behold, the accident was indeed on the other side (the one going back home). drivers on our side were just making USI, slowing down to see what's going on, building the traffic up! kainez d b?! chismoso much? there's really no reason for our side to be traffic.

big accident involving 6 cars. fire trucks, ambulance and police all responded

d ba super luwag on our side after we passed the accident site. really no reason to be traffic AT ALL! but look at the parking lot on the other side! that's where i have to pass going home

tantan still managed to be at work on time. but i had to wait it out as i didnt want to be stuck in a gridlock! i'd rather be in a real parking lot! unfortunately, tantan works in an industrial estate. nowhere nice to hang out in. i waited an hour before they cleared the motorway.

on a lighter note, while waiting for the traffic to ease out, tantan's boss came and parked beside my car. at that time i didnt know he's tantan's boss. i even said to myself, ang kaskasero naman nito because he was parking pero ang lakas maka-accelerate! he saw me and probably deduced that im tantan's wife bec he's seen tantan drive my car before. this is part of our chat:

neil is the boss. tama naman sya e! haha

sabi ko, partida, hindi pa ko naliligo! LOL

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
visit:

How To Watch The TV

let's count the ways: (long but cute post. ok, im biased! =D)

deadma while squishing kuya (na mukhang nabibigatan)

looking constipated

in between kuya's legs

with a headband, looking like a girl, munching on a bear

upside down

devouring a toy

looking like a certified bum

on a bumbo

with friends while thumb sucking

on the tummy

while playing with the shape sorter

while munching a banana

sideways in the playnest

while eating a biscuit looking very much like "fred" flinstone's kid =D

gnawing a spoon

in the playnest looking like a bum (again!), snacking on a teether

leaning on the playnest, almost kneeling down and munching on something

standing, leaning on the sofa, half turned, munching on a wooden hammer

in the crib while cruising

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

visit:

Fully Booked

bookings for studio/pool classes

busy week ahead. well, this is pretty much what my typical week looks like ever since we joined the gym. in between, i bring cayden to an arts and craft class on a tuesday (hope they do it again on a thurs so i can still bring him when i go back to work), and both kids to a kindermusik class on a thurs and swim class on a fri.

if my mom and i are not doing a class, you'll find us in the gym working out. some days, i go twice. in the morning to work out and in the evening to attend a class (with either my mom or tantan). come november (3rd week), gym time will be reduced but that's not to say my sched will ease up as i will be going back to work from mondays to wednesdays (but definitely doing classes in the evenings!)!

though my calendar looks hectic, i love it! i really enjoy going to the gym. i feel really at home. which is good news because that helps with the motivation to get fit. now if only i can eat less, it will be perfect! i wont need belo's sexy solutions as back up lol

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
visit:

iChomped

pic from the internet

“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Think Different

wednesday was a sad sad day for the techie world. the great innovator, that is Steve Jobs, has passed away. i dont know him personally but i am somehow affected by his passing. who wouldnt be, as im sure everyone lusted on the products he first imagined and made into reality, if not own at least one of them.

i, for one, own(ed) these life changing innovations:

1st gen ipod. i still have this because we had it engraved (FRECHIE: POWER OF TWO). it still works!

1st gen iphone (yes, i once owned an iphone and i think i was one of the few who had it in UK just because i was in NY a few months after it was released =D). now thinking of getting the iphone 4s as a tribute to jobs but i dont think tantan will approve LOL

power mac g4

macbook pro

6th gen ipod nano

ipad2

see, steve jobs has been, and still is, an integral part of most people's everyday lives. even if you dont own an apple product, your gadget has been made to try and compete with (or topple) steve's inventions. so even after his death, he will live on as we will continue to savour in his legacy. he changed our lives. he made it better. RIP, steve. yeah, first name. we're close. closer than what we actually are. not only did i take a bite on your apple. i chomped. and boy, it tasted real good!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
visit:

Oatmeal Cookies

i've alread said too many times that i cringe at the very thought of cooking. it's just not for me. technically, i can cook. but i cant cook TASTY FOOD. and for that reason alone, i try not too. i hate disappointments. not for me but for the one eating my food LOL. so to even think of baking, well, let's not even go there!

my hubby tried guilt-tripping (how he envies us whenever we eat cakes/cookies/sweet little treats and he cant because he's diabetic and there's not a lot of diabetic treats available here in uk) - that didnt work much LOL! he even used the kids to get me to bake. that didnt work either =D. his last resort, to bribe me with a back massage. i agreed because 1) im a sucker for massages and it's too expensive to pay for professional service and 2) he's diabetic so he's used to bland food so it doesnt matter if the snack i'll bake is tasty or not =D

i originally baked him mocha chocolate chip cookies. he liked it. admittedly, it tasted good. that boosted my confidence. and for the longest time, i'd bake him these everytime he requests for treats. well, he tried pushing his luck by requesting me to bake something else. maybe he got sawa na but he had to choose his words carefully, lest i get discouraged to "bake/cook" lol. he bribed me with a foot massage in addition to the back massage. ok, fine. im not that pakipot =D

i used the recipe i found here. the original recipe only included walnuts and raisins but as an added treat, i put in dark diabetic chocolates. they tasted good although i prefer them without walnuts. and i didnt chill the dough (supposedly to make them extra chewy) because we're a little impatient like that! lol

slowly, im feeling more "capable" lol. but i dont think i'm that good enough to let others taste my baked goodies just yet. in time, perhaps =D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
visit:

Cayden's Puzzles

good job, baby!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

visit:

Thursday Fun

the kids' kindermusik class commenced today. we saw some familiar faces - cayden's former classmates from first term. we changed days/venue in the second term and now back to the original sched and place. it was nice catching up with them, and of course, allison, who handles the classes. it was a bit surreal because during cayden's first term, kian was still in my tummy and now he's participating in the activities. how time flies!

the kit

kian was nonchalant and was just happy chewing on the toys given them. cayden on the otherhand, has really improved on his social skills. in his very first kindermusik class, he used to be just an observer. he didnt participate much and would just sit on my lap. but now, he joins in every activity with much gusto. so so proud of him!

~~~~~~~~~~
after kindermusik (class ends at 12:15pm), we rushed home, had a quick lunch then cayden and i headed out again to go to romsey rapids for cayden's first little creators class (starts at 1:30pm). it's a once a week (1 hour) arts and craft class. initially, i thought it's free for members. it's not. members get a small discount though (₤4.50per session for non members and ₤3.90 for members). but tantan and i decided to give it a try. if we like it, we'll gladly pay for cayden's fees. if not, at least we got to find out.

when we got there, i was so surprised to learn that cayden was the only pupil booked for the session. i was more shocked to find out that last week, there were no participants (the service is fairly new). i didnt bring cayden because i had kian weighed and the two coincided on the same time slot. it was early days and they are still testing the water. they're hoping to get more kids in and they are devising ways on how to advertise the activity. not all parents are keen on the time and day (but no date/time will ever be the right one for everyone!). plus, the fee kinda makes the parents think twice. imagine the price of membership, then this on top of that!

anyways, despite being the only kid booked, the whole place was set up with the whole shebang! there were lots of activities prepared, cayden didnt know where to begin! there was the water play area, foam table, painting area, plasticine area, crafts table where you can make badges and little penguins. the service is worth every penny! cayden didnt want to go home! i had to entice him with "going to see the swimming pools" but that didnt go well because when we got there, he wanted to swim and didnt want to leave either! tsk tsk!

foam table where they pretended there's snow

cayden choosing the colours he wanted to paint with

my little picasso

baking with his plasticine

little penguin

washing thomas after "ploughing" through some snow

anyways, we're booking cayden in this arts and craft class for as long as it's available. we do hope they get enough participants so it wont be scrapped. imagine messy play + creativity + imagination without the clearing up. win-win!

if you want to book: contact the romsey rapids: 01794 830333

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
visit: