All set... and then some...

We're already packed and ready to go!

I'll miss my Mom again... she stayed with us this past week so she and Colin had a lot of bonding time. I know she'll miss Colin. Tito Louie also spent last night with us. He said he wanted to see little boy too before we leave... and he was so kind to let us bring the PS with us. No, we're still coming back here. It's just that my Mom already misses my other brother and his family who just recently moved to Australia... and now us... the thought of us moving makes her sad all over again... she's still ok now since we haven't really moved yet... but I know how she'll feel when that time comes. That's why as much as possible I try to spend as much time with her as we can now. But she understands. She understands that we all have our own lives to live now, own families to look after. And she's all supportive to me and my brothers and our families. And I love her for that. I just realized that you really start to worry like a parent when you're already a parent yourself. You worry about anything even the simplest of things.

My Halloween treat

My first Halloween treat from Jane. Thanks Jane.

"Don't just choose your friends making this cliquish and 'just groupies'...Make NEW friends by choosing random visitors!!!."

So I'm passing this to Jean, Jesse, Tere, Mich and Nor.

Have a Happy Halloween!

Packing time once again

Just got back from doing the grocery. Benji has several 'pabilins'. I was chatting with him earlier and he gave me a short (thank goodness!) list of things to bring there. Good thing I was really planning on doing the grocery today. Hopefully I was able to buy everything he needs as well as the things that I'll need there for our stay. To think that's not yet everything we really need at home.

Now it's the 'dreaded' time again... packing! With all the stuff I bought I do hope I get to nicely pack everything in in one big luggage. Ha! Good luck to me... ha ha ha ... we'll see ;p

A mommy survey - all about my pregnancy

Got this from Jane.

1. Was your first pregnancy planned? Yes.

2. Were you married at the time? Yup, Colin was a honeymoon baby.

3. What were your reactions? Very, very happy! I did the pregnancy test twice just to be sure before I broke the news to Hubby.

4. Was abortion an option for you? Definitely not.

5. How old were you? 29

6. How did you find out you were pregnant? I was already delayed for about a month but didn't do the preg test yet... really don't know why... though I was really so eager to have a baby... am I weird? :)

7. Who did you tell first? Hubby of course.

8. Did you want to find out the sex? Yes and no... partly we wanted it to be a surprise but we also wanted to be ready as to the color of the baby stuff we will buy. Some thought I'd have a girl since they don't see the tell-tale signs of carrying a boy but the US said it was definitely a boy.

9. Due date? September 21, 2004 if I remember right. Colin was born September 19, 2004... close enough.

10. Did you have morning sickness? Not really.

11. What did you crave? hmmm... i loved having french fries, ice cream and chocolates!

12. Who/what irritated you the most? for some reason it was the only time I didn't want the sight or taste of crabs... and before getting preggy crabs are my favorites.

13. What was your first child’s sex? boy

14. Did you wish you had the opposite sex of what you were getting? No as long as my pregnancy and delivery went well and the baby is healthy, it really didn't matter.

15. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? I was a slim pregnant woman... hehehe... I think I only gained 5-10 pounds.

16. Did you have a baby shower? Nope.

17. Was it a surprise or did you know? NA

18. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? None.

19. Where did you give birth? Perpetual Help Medical Center

20. How many hours were you in labor? 5 hrs

21. Who drove you to the hospital? Hun

22. Who watched you give birth? Too bad Hubby wasn't allowed inside.

23. Was it natural or C-section? Normal delivery.

24. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? I really don't know because I didn't ask for it but am guessing it was just one shot.

25. How much did your child weigh? 5.12lbs

26. When was your child actually born? September 19, 2004

27. What did you name him/her? Nicholas Martin

28. How old is your first born today? 3 years and 21 days today


This was fun! =)

Overrated Things

Tagged by Joy.

Here's my list and this is in no order. But I have to warn you, these are just my opinions so some may agree, some might not... he he he...

* Playstation, Xbox, then now the Wii - we really don't own one but it's only now we (errr, Colin) gets to play with one (PS1) courtesy of his Tito
* expensive photo studios
* autumn in New York City
* Religion - please, need I say more...
* anything Organic
* Starbucks
* Ipods - just too much
* Havaianas - sorry to all the Havies lovers... he he he
* Crocs - same goes for this...
* Blogging :p

Now I'm tagging Melisse, Mich, Tet.

nappy-free... at night

Colin is officially nappy free during nighttime. Yey! It's one milestone for him (us) again. Last night was the first time we tried going nappy-less for bedtime. Yes, it was extra effort for Mommy but it was all well worth it! I had to wake up twice last night just to have him pee (even while he was asleep mind you). He didn't become cranky at all when I had to drag him from bed to put him on his potty. Before going to bed I had him pee first then I kept on reminding him to wake up Mommy when he feels like going. But lil ol me just opted to wake up in the middle of the night to make him go. He he... So hopefully this will be the start. We just have to keep at the routine until he gets used to it.

By the way, we tried going nappy-free too while out. It was ok... though we had to make frequent trips to the loo and he only wants to go with Mommy and you know how long the lines can get for women's bathroom. Good if the bathroom for disabled is free... but if it's not, it'll be a long wait. So next time we went out he requested if he can wear nappy. I didn't push on going nappy-free... at least not just yet. Will try to give him more time. At least we tried and that's a start.

PS1

This is Colin's new plaything. This was actually just borrowed from my youngest brother, his Tito Louie. One day when we dropped off Mita at their house, Colin saw his Tito Louie and Tita Cheng playing Lilo & Stitch in PS1. They let him try it and from then on he never let go of the keypad. Good 'ol Tito Lou let us borrow it for the meantime. It keeps Colin pre-occupied . I even asked my brother if we could bring it to Macau as I think I'll need it more when we're there since it'll be just the two of us left at home while Daddy's at work. And it would help me have my classes in peace while he's playing. Though I don't want him to get addicted to it; that's why I put a time limit for each play. At least one hour tops, twice a day.

This is one of his favorite games to play...

Lilo & Stitch

The artist

When we're at the mall we sometimes let Colin play at playhouses. Just so he doesn't get bored. When I do errands or the grocery I sometimes let him have a little fun. Lately, he doesn't only play with whatever toys they have there, he also paints. There's this one playhouse that we've become "regulars" already. And since we visit there often one perk is that they have Colin chose a mold to paint... normally painting is for a fee but since we've become "regulars" this comes out free. Would like to share some of his art work... he he...

Nemo... he he he

Hello Kitty

Of course these were all done with a little help from yaya =)

Fever be gone!

Thank goodness Colin's fever is gone... hayyy... when he woke up this morning he was still cranky but at least no more fever... yey! it's just his normal "S"... ha ha ha... but I told him he still can't eat sweets... at least not just yet :p

Still sick

Little boy is still sick and now it's not a slight fever anymore... 38.2 deg :( Since he isn't feeling well, he was cranky when he woke up; on top of that, he is super clingy again. I do hope he gets better soon. It's so hard for us moms when our little ones aren't feeling well.

Under the weather

Colin has a slight fever since this morning. Good thing though, he's still in high spirits even with fever. Am guessing it has something to do with his tonsils. He's been into lollipops lately... yeah, I know bad Mommy. I try to limit it though. At least he's off the marshmallow phase and the Nerds phase... :p I do hope it's just a little irritation of his tonsils.

And they're off again...

It was a very tiring day... we went all the way to Pampanga to send off Benji and MIL. They took Tiger Airways this time since it's a bit cheaper compared to Air Macau. Their flight was at 1:15pm so they had to be at the airport by 10am; we were already on the road by 7:30am. Had our breakfast via drive thru. Colin was unceremoniously woken up this morning that's why for most part of the trip to Pampanga he was asleep. We were at the airport at exactly 10:15am. Had a little photo op for souvenir

Colin still in his pj's

They only had one luggage and my! was I able to fill it up with stuff for the house. Well, at least almost. I still need to buy a few more things that I have to bring myself. I've also asked Benji to bring some of Colin's stuff so that I just have to bring one big luggage when we go there. It's so hard to travel (without hubby!) with lots of baggage and a toddler in tow! So I'm just keeping it to (hopefully) a minimum of one check-in plus hand carry. As soon as we said our goodbyes we headed back to Manila with a stop over at Trinoma Mall for lunch. First time for me to go there but didn't feel like going around. We literally just had our lunch there... no more window shopping. Had to make a few errands and we were home by 2:30pm and at around 3:30pm I was already talking to Benji over Skype. Yep, they just got home and was busy unpacking all the stuff I've put in his luggage... he he...

And again before retiring to bed we had the usual video chat on Skype... thank goodness for internet ;)

Sad little me

I'm a little bit sad again because Benji will be flying back to Macau again tomorrow. I say "a little" only because in a little over a week me and Colin will be the ones flying out there to be with him. Since he's going away again it would feel weird all over again not having him around for sometime. Although I must say I'm not that really sad because there's something to look forward to and also we get to chat everyday and talk/do video every night via Skype. It was terribly hard the first week he was gone because he didn't have a computer yet at home and we didn't opt to have a telephone line installed at home (in Macau). Good thing he brought his Globe phone with him so we still got to talk and say our good nights every evening. Actually it wasn't really that good because now we have that huge bill to pay off... he he... oh well, these are some things that you just have to let go off for the sake of family and sanity =)

Busy bees

Today was another busy day. We went to Cebu Pacific ticketing office to book our (me and Colin) flights for Macau on the 13th of this month as well as for December. We were trying to do the booking online last night but the darn online booking won't accept our cards. So no choice but to goto their office. Our original schedule was to leave on the 11th but flights for that day were already full, so next available flight was Oct. 13. It's our turn now to go visit Benji. At least that's how it'll be while his visa is under process and ours (me and Colin) will be in a couple months time. Benji and I have decided also to spend this year's Christmas in Macau just in case he'll have a hard time fixing his schedule in December. But this is just a what if; hopefully we can still have Christmas here in the Philippines.

We also went to Globe to inquire why his line has been cut off. Turns out his bill was already over 9k. We only have a small credit limit as we're not really heavy users but since he's now based overseas there were so many calls that came in and out. Roaming is to be blamed for that horrendous bill. After I've settled the outstanding balance I'll have the line cut off already.

Bought a few more things for the house that he needs to bring back. There are still some things that aren't available in Macau and also some would still come out cheaper if bought here. I really can't buy much yet but as soon as I get there I'll know for myself what things to buy. You really can't trust men to tell you what else you need for the house.

family day again

First I just need to say it felt good having to sleep with hubby beside me again. Last night was the first again after a month of being apart. I felt all snuggly and warm =)

Today, we went to Makati area. Had lunch at Bollywood since Colin was craving for some puppodums. We had Chicken Tikka, mixed veggies in curry and four cheese pizza naans. Yum! Yum! Yum! Too bad I forgot to take pictures of the food again but everything was oh so yummy. Am not really a fan of Indian food but I do love roti dipped in curry so an occasional trip to an Indian resto is ok. Am amazed at how well Colin takes in the puppodums. The puppodums in Bollywood are a bit spicy so if you've eaten a lot your tongue feels weird (well that's coming from someone who's not much into spicy food...he he) . Colin's able to finish 2-3 puppodums. He just gulps on something cold to remove the funny feeling on his tongue.

Daddy and Colin clowning around

We also made a trip to Powerbooks. Books in HK are expensive; and there's no bookstore in Macau... well at least none that we know of. Benji and I love books, that's why when there's a sale at Powerbooks we go ga-ga on what books to buy. We could spend hours in a bookstore just checking out the new books. Too bad the book that he's been waiting for isn't available yet. We also did a little shopping again for his personal fx. He bought himself comfy sandals and also told me to get one for myself so I can use it in Macau. You need very comfy shoes when you're there because you get to do a lot of walking just like in HK. I think I need to have some shut eye now... 'twas a really tiring day. Tomorrow's another family day.

Back in each others arms

Yey! Benji's back... only it's just for a short time... can you imagine, only for four days!... well actually, five days but the fifth day we'll be sending them off again to the airport... in Clark! Originally they were to stay here for around two weeks(until the 11th) but since they (his office) have a deadline on the 8th, he has to fly back as soon as possible. We were just lucky since Oct. 1 & 2 were holidays in Macau. You see, his working visa is still under process that's why he still has to go in and out of Macau just to have an extension. And since he has a round trip ticket, he saw this opportunity to make use of the return ticket to see and be with me and Colin of course. That's why he was still able to come home even for a short while. As I've said in my previous post, it's better than nothing. Goodness! It has been hard for the three of us. Well actually it was just hard on Benji and me... Colin still doesn't understand the concept of Daddy working overseas and that we only get to see him once in awhile (at least for the meantime). This will be a pretty busy stay. We've got so many things to prepare and buy so he can bring it back. One thing's for sure we're all glad to be together again.

Can't Wait

Tomorrow we'll be seeing Benji and MIL again... after a month of being away from one another, I'm all excited to see hubby again. His working visa is still under process that's why he has to go in and out. He was supposed to stay for two weeks but since he has a deadline (at work) on the 8th, he needed to go back as soon as he can (and that is on the 3rd). I have to be thankful for that anyway. It's better than nothing. I'm pretty sure we'll all be busy as bees when they get here.

Say Aaahhh...

Today I took Colin for another visit to the dentist. This time it was for tooth sealing(?). Colin had 8 teeth that needed to be sealed all in all. And for us that was a lot since I can't keep him still in one place. His dentist first did a rough cleaning again. He likes this part as he gets a bit ticklish of the brush. After that came the main procedure. At first he was ok sitting on his own on the dentist's chair but just after 2 teeth he already wants to sit on Mommy's lap. So I had no choice but to oblige. He just keeps on playing with his tongue the whole time while the dentist was doing the procedure. Poor little boy, he got so tired from opening his mouth that by the time the last two teeth were being worked on he could merely give out a big aaahhh. But at least we got through that and as a prize Dra. gave him stickers... yipee! Ha ha ha... yep that alone is good enough for the little boy. After that it was Mommy's turn to say aaahhh. :)

A trip to the Pedia

Colin had his yearly (well baby) visit to his pedia today. And as always it was yet another time for his (yearly) shots. It was DTP and Polio shots for this year. His pedia was warning me that this shot might hurt and that we have to do all the necessary discussion before we go on administering it as Colin might bawl over. So we did the talk first while little boy was playing. After awhile pedia called him for the routine check-up. Oh by this time he was already holding a lollipop from the clinic's lollipop jar so there was no fuss with the check-up. Then comes the moment... Amazingly, he didn't even flinch! Wow! No fuss. No tears. I was really proud of him for that not to mention really happy! He got another lollipop for this one... he he. After the pedia visit we went to the mall for some playtime at the play house. Now next assignment was to de-worm him within the week.

Davao... our trip down south

Our Davao flight has been booked way back March and just like our last year's trip to Cebu, I chose September because 1) it was Colin and Mita's birth month so double celebration and 2) it's a lean month to go to Davao. It was only a week before the trip that I was able to firm up our IT for. Thanks to a fellow n@wie, Cathee I was able to list down places to go to, things to do and where to eat. Originally there were six of us (Benji, me, Colin, Mita, MIL and SIL) booked to go there but because of Benji's new work in Macau it was trimmed down to just three - me, Colin & Mita. MIL being the tempo companion of Benji for the meantime while starting out in Macau and SIL had a sudden business trip around the same time that's why they weren't able to come along. We missed them as it was more fun if you are traveling and checking out sights if you're a group. But we tried nonetheless to enjoy the four day trip. A lot of the locals we've talked to said this was a good year to visit as this was a bountiful year of harvest. They say bountiful harvest skips a year and that this year was a good one.

Going to Davao - September 21, 2007

Our flight was at 9:20am so we had to be at the airport by 7:30am at least. Little boy slept a bit late the night before but surprisingly he also woke up just about the same time I did. I was planning to let him sleep a bit more and just dress him up while still snoozing. But no, the moment I got up which was around 6:00am, he was up too. Had him drink milk and eat some cereals before dressing him up. Mita and I just had something hot to drink and after that we were already on our way to the airport by 7:30am. Good thing Mita slept over our house so it saved us time since we didn't have to pick her up from their place (although they were just 5-10mins. away from the airport). We were already checked in between 7:45-8:00am so we still had time to grab a bite. By 8:30 we were already seated at the lounge and Colin being ever so impatient wanted to move around. So we both went around the lounge are when we stumbled upon the Kiddie Play area. Didn't know there was one at the Domestic airport. It's a good way to kill time. Colin was kept busy playing. Had a small chit-chat with another mom that was in there too. She was with her chatty little daughter who was I think a year and a half younger than Colin. She's married to someone from the Carribean and I learned that they too were bound for Davao which they consider home. Also met another parent-child while in the playhouse but this time it was a father-son duo. The guy is American married to a Filipina and to them Surigao is home. They named their son Tarzan; isn't that cute!... well actually it's just their pet name for him. His son's real name is Anthony. Went back to check on Mita as she might be bored already. We didn't wait long and we heard our call for boarding. Soon we were airborne.

Arrived Davao at a little past 11am; boarded a taxi and headed to our hotel, Crown Regency. Our hotel was a villa type of hotel. Going there would actually make you feel weird since it's also situated in an area with two motels. Our villa was actually ok. Good enough for us to be able to rest and sleep. There was just a big group that checked in same time we did so the pool was almost always never empty. We just rested for awhile then headed out for lunch. We ate at Dencia's Restaurant. It's know for its goto but since it was lunch time we weren't able to sample it. We ordered Sinigang na Lapu-lapu and omelet instead. After filling our tummies we headed off to Aldevinco Shopping Center for pasalubong shopping. I figured we won't have enough time already on the succeeding days so we did the shopping already. We flagged down a taxi and the driver will later turn out to be our hired transpo for sightseeing cum tour guide. I made 'chika' to Manong Ponsing about the nice places to visit and he recommended Eden Nature Park and Crocodile Farm. I asked him how much is the usual going rate for hired transpo if one wants to go to these two places and quoted us P1,500 for a whole day trip. Not bad. At the shopping center we bought shirts for all of us as well as sarong and comfy house dresses for Mita and MIL. After shopping which was around 3:30pm, we went back to the hotel to rest a bit since I wanted to have dinner at Jack's Ridge that night. By 5pm we were ready to go out again but before heading to Jack's Ridge we stopped by Gaisano Mall to buy bottled water. We toured the mall a little and by 5:45 we were already on the road to Jack's. It was already dark when we got there; it looked like it was going to rain. And rain it did! Good thing we were already seated and waiting for our order when it poured down. When we got there, there weren't too many guests yet so we were able to choose a nice spot with a good view of the city down below. The only disappointment I had was service was slow. Our meal took around 30 minutes to get served. Although we were there fairly early, we were really hungry by the time food was served. Only consolation was the nice view. By the time we left the place the rain already stopped. We didn't get to stay long to look around as I was afraid we'd have a hard time getting a taxi going back. But since people had just started to come in the place, there were still taxis waiting outside. We were back at the hotel by 9pm. Lights out by 11pm. Pics can viewed here.

Day 2 - September 22, 2007

I contracted Manong Ponsing to take us to Eden and Croco Farm and asked him to pick us up at around 8:30am. He was already at the hotel by 8am. We were still having breakfast so we had to ask Manong to wait a little while longer. The trip going to Eden Nature Park took around an hour and a half but it wasn't boring. It was so nice to view Mt. Apo from afar. Barangay Eden was a bit hard to reach. There were roads that were still under construction so for the majority of the trip when you enter the barangay it was rough roads. We reached Eden Nature Park at a little past 10am. By the way I wasn't able to make reservations in Manila for a day tour. I was thinking it's just ok if we just walk-in. But I was advised by the hotel staff that since we were going on a weekend there might be a lot of visitors and usually if that's the case, those who came by walk-in are sometimes turned down. And the travel there isn't a big joke... imagine traveling for an hour and a half only to be turned down because the place is full and you have no booking. No way! So the night before I asked the hotel staff to make reservations for a day tour for us three. I did the payments upon getting there and first thing we did was go on a guided tour. The tour takes about 45 minutes and the place is... WOW! For those who are nature lovers, this is heaven. It was so relaxing. By the time the tour ended it was lunch time already. And yes we had a buffet lunch. Although food wasn't really spectacular (he he) but it was good enough and boy was there a lot! After lunch we strolled around the playground since I promised Colin that we would play a little. While little boy was busy with one ride, Mommy was also busy trying out the Indiana Jones thingy.


After a little more playtime at the slides we looked for Manong already so we can now go to Crocodile Farm which was our last sightseeing stop for the day. We left Eden Nature Park at 1:30pm and on the way to Croc Farm Colin fell asleep. We were at Croc Farm at around 2:45pm and little boy was still fast asleep. Had our picture taken with a baby croc held by Mita... yep! a live one that is... didn't even dared touch it... he he he... You won't only see crocs inside, Croc Farm is like a mini zoo too and I took as much pictures as I can of almost all the animals you can see inside. Before heading back to the hotel we had a little snack at the kiosk inside the farm andmade one last trip to the tiger's cage to have Colin's picture taken with them as background. We were at the hotel by 5pm just enough time to rest awhile before heading out to have dinner with a couple of Mita's friends. We were taken to Iron Horse for dinner which serves buffet of mostly Davao dishes plus grilled food. After dinner, we strolled around the capitol area then headed back to the hotel to finally get some rest from a very tiring day. Still had topack for our check-out and trip to Pearl Farm next day. Yipee! Pictures taken for this day's travel can be viewed here.

Day 3 - September 23, 2007

Colin woke up pretty late as he was soooo tired from all the walking we did yesterday. As soon as he woke up we had breakfast and went back to the hotel room for last minute packing and I also took pictures of the villa we stayed in. We checked out at around 11:30am then had a quick lunch for we needed to be at the marina by 1pm. Left the hotel a little before 1pm since was just like 10 minutes away. Bad thing is the driver of the cab we took didn't know where the Pearl Farm marina was even if I showed him a map on how to get there. Oh boy! To make along story short, we barely made it to the marina on time. We were like the second to the last to board the boat that was going to take us to PF; everybody was already there waiting. Colin fell asleep on the almost 1 1/2 hour boat ride. The breeze would really make you fall asleep. But the moment I saw PF from a distance it got me all excited. There was welcome drinks for everybody and as soon as we got our keys to the room we asked for a shuttle to take us there. The room I got was on a hilltop which wasn't bad at all. Going down to the main area (restos, swimming pool, etc.) was ok but going up can be a bit tiring so you really need a shuttle to take you there. The room was cozy.

We just changed into swimming clothes since Colin has been asking me if we can already go swimming. Good thing there weren't too many guests so the pool area and the beach were practically (almost) empty. Little boy did enjoy the pool. We had a little play of sand on the beach too. We had a good two hours of swimming time before begging (he he) Colin if we can go change for dinner already. Food was great although we didn't go for buffet. Their chicken pork adobo was really tasty. After dinner we roamed around the pool area and also checked out Parola Bar which is actually where the dock was. We just sat there at the bar enjoying the breeze. It was around 9:30 when we went back to the hotel to get some shut eye. Pictures for this day can be seen here.


Departure for Manila - September 24, 2007

Woke up quite early considering I had a hard time sleeping last night. We had buffet breakfast but oddly enough I wasn't really feeling that hungry. At least Colin had a full breakfast, feasting on pancit, bread and lugaw with watermelon and pineapple juice. We had the whole morning to tour the island. We first went to Malipano Island which is still part of Pearl Farm only it's a separate island on its own just across the main island. We took a motor boat going there. This island houses 6 big villas which are actually the most expensive accommodations in PF. Nobody's checked in that time but there were a few who were swimming in that island's beach area. We toured the island on our own. Checked out the villas. Three villas were by the shore and the other three were on top of mini hills. The owner's own villa is also in this island. Nothing much to see though so the tour was a quick one. Went back to the main island and did our tour of the whole PFR. Before going back to the room we stopped by the "butik" (boutique) for pasalubong buying. We weren't really hungry yet for lunch so after packing and checking out we just lazed at Parola bar until the boat that will take us back to Davao City arrives. By 1pm we were already on our way back to the city. This time I've asked Manong Ponsing again to pick us up from the marina and to bring us to the market for last minute fruits shopping. We were at the airport by 3pm which was a bit early as our flight was still at 5:50pm. We had a very late lunch after which it was time to check-in already. Was back in Manila by 7:20pm but took us long to gather our baggages. It was raining again in Manila by the time our plane landed. Last year it was also the same thing; when our plane from Cebu landed it was also raining. We got home by 9pm and we were all dead tired and starving already. Pics from our last day here.

All in all it was a fun and different experience. Fun since we got to visit yet again another wonderful place here in the Philippines; different because we weren't complete as a family. Hopefully even though we'll be moving for good by next year, we can still get to do this again.