hi there! i'm still here.. did you notice that i i've pretzeled this blog up. what can you say about the new look?
anyway, it's been a while since i last updated everyone on this blog... but i'm sure you've been getting some stories 'bout me from my mom through either her blog or circle of mom, or most likely from her short blabs on plurk, twitter or facebook (that's been easier for her so her updates, mostly about me, can be read from any of these sites). perhaps, you've also seen some new pics of me from flickr (where we store and back-up all our pics and vids) or multiply (where she cross posts her flickr pics to) or twitpic (yep, now she does share some pics to twitpic.. again, easier since they're just a few liners). we're everywhere in the www! but i'm sorry we just have to keep most of these sites private and viewable by family and friends only.
the alphabet
anyway, i'm here to announce to everyone that there's one great milestone that i've recently met! ... that of learning the alphabet. i may have been confusing a letter or two with another, or mispronouncing a lot of them (F is "eps", L is "el" or "eln", P is "pie, P!", R is "ah" or "ayr", W is "dabow"). but i do know all 26 of 'em!
one thing you've got to know though is that i've learned all the weird letters first. i started with B such that all my letters are B. and among the letters of the alphabet, it wasn't A nor C that i've learned first, but Q, R, Y, H, K, P, S, M, O, X. does that make me weird then? hmmm. mom finds it cute though.
here's me and my letters/phonics ref magnets (mom just couldn't get a good video of me capturing all the letters since you know how i am with videos... but whenever we're skyping i'm a show-off with these alphabet magnets)
my numbers
some of you probably know that for some time my numbers consist of 2 and 2 alone. but now i know my numbers, at leat from 0 to 10 (thanks to mom's cellphone). i count with 2s, 3s and 9s only (as i do when i climb up or go down the stairs). but show me numbers 0, 2, 3, 8 and 9 and i'll tell you they're "che-yu", "tu", "ti", "eyt" and "nayn", respectively. i could not say the other numbers yet, but tell me where the numbers 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 are and i'll point at them for you.
i'm on a roll whenever i see letters and numbers everywhere, and i mean everywhere! i would "spell" the letters or spew out numbers that i see from a book, from a shirt, from a sign post, from a box of cereal, from a stop sign, from a shoe box, from a store sign, from an ad, everywhere! it's just delightful to see them scattered in every direction i look at.
words, phrases and sentences
since all of you know that i'm one helluva-talkative baby, i'm sure you're not surprised that i have countless of words now, a few phrases, and some sentences that are still hard to decipher (and still sounding chinese since i just wanna say a lot of words at one time and strike a conversation with my parents, specially when they're discussing and i want IN). some examples (and i will only enumerate a few phrases since this post is already long as it is): "no mon" (no more), "mo pees" (more please), "hi blank", "bye blank" (and i say hi and bye accompanied by a sweet smile and wave to everyone and everything like book, bed, etc), "te-chu" (thank you), and "no, no, no daddy!" (while pointing at daddy).
shapes
i've learned star ("tars") and heart ("haht") first before i learned crescent ("moon"), circle ("si-ke"), square ("ke") and triangle ("ta-ke"). and no, i cannot say rectangle! it's such a long word for one cute tot like me :)
colors?
nah, not colors with an s. i only know one color and that's "bu" (blue). as of this moment, everything's blue for me, teehee.
all of my first molars came out almost at the same time. then just recently, my parents noticed that my canines were also growing out almost simultaneously too. left with only the set of 2nd molars to erupt, i now have 16 teeth!
yes, i'm back! i actually have a lot of drafts that are unpublished (yehes, including my 1st bday kwento). my parents had been mostly busy about me actually since i am just becoming a handful, a ball of energy if you will, now that i'm running, climbing, jumping, laughing, shrieking, wailing, eating a lot (and by myself if i'm allowed to make a mess), praying, complaining, disagreeing, watching, listening, dancing, humming, playing (and wishing it's playtime 24/7), learning as fast, talking...
uh-huh, i'm quite a talker. i make up long sentences that often sound chinese, at least to my parents. but since i don't speak as clearly as my cousin, yana, you'll be needing this guide or dictionary to understand what i'm saying:
i started with the animal sounds...
"kak-kak" = duck's quack-quack "takutaku" = rooster's cock-a-doodle-doo "mmm" = cow's moo "arrrr" = lion's or dinosaur's roar (also the same as what the pirate says) "wooh-wooh" = dog's woof-woof (sometimes "aw-aw" "zzzz" = bee's zzzz "ihihi" = horse's neigh "onk-onk" = pig's oink-oink "ba" = sheep's baaa "ku-ka" = frog's kokak
and then with vehicle sounds...
"toot-toot" = choo-choo train "bib-bib" = car's beep beep "prrrrrt" = while rsapberrying when asked what the car or tricycle says
body parts that i can utter...(i can point to my head,eyes,ears,nose,mouth,shoulders,tummy,belly-button,hands,pipi,pupu,toes,feet)
"eyes" = eyes (as i dutdut my finger inside my eye) "ees" = ears "nush" = nose
numbers, letters, things, toys, animals.. those you see in children's books...
"bep" = ball "beps" = "grapes" "boots" = balloon (don't ask my mom why, she doesn't know), books or boots "bibi" = my little bear "wawa" = flower "shus" = shoes "wis" = fish "dug" = dog "beets" = beans "juice" = juice "bodts" = birds "cheees" = cheese "layt" = light "kas" = cars "boo" = blue "tars" = stars "bib" = bib
i don't recognize all the letters nor numbers yet, but i can utter some of them. they're easy!) "ey" = A "bi" = B (everything is B for me still) "tu" = two (i count with just 2 and 3 for now) "ti" = three etc...
persons and favorite characters...
"daddy" = my daddy (sometimes i call mommy that way too) "nanny" = mommy "tatay" = my lolo tatay "nanay" = my lola nanay "nono" = my lolo dadi (and unfortunately i'm having a hard time saying "mamita" for my lola mami) "bibi" = baby "moots" = moose (of nickjr) "digo" = diego (cousin of dora) "mi-mi" = mingming the wonderpet duckling "ba-ba" = spongebob or pablo "wawaw" = wow, wow, wubbzy "boots" = dora's friend boots
greetings, actions,songs, and expressions...
"hi"/"hiyee" = hi while waving hi "bye"/"bayee" = bye while waving goodbye "uh-oh" = uh-oh (my fave expression as of current) "hah-hah" = hot! hot! "hash" = hush... "the quiet old lady was whispering hush" "up" = going up "wee" = can either mean i'm happy or i'm loathsome (for "eeeew".. i sometimes say "eewee") "wow" = wow! "pees" = please "blis" = bilis! "namnam" = yumyum when i like the food or when i see food in pictures or tv "catts" = catch! "kak-kak" = hug, hug (with my arms open wide) "hee-ya!" = whenever i do the horsey-horsey-ride on my mom, dad or anything "ro-row" = for row, row, row your boat (y'all know that right?) "ba,ba" = for baa,baa,black sheep "shhh" = when i want everyone to be quiet (while i put my index finger on my lips) "nonono" = no, no, no.. i know, too much NO. that's how my mom does it though. "why" = why? "top" = stop
and these are just to name a few words that i can utter and use correctly now... this list quickly grows ya know. what with how i can quickly pick and mimick a word or two from anybody speaking to me nowadays, pretty soon my mom will have a real book of dictionary that will have my words and the meanings of each, ready and handy for anyone who needs it ;)
this could be my last monthly birthday celebration. in a month i will be celebrating my first birthday! where did all 11 of 'em months go?! time sure swiftly passes by. i am indeed growing up!
today we had one of my faves, dadi's spaghetti-ala-jollibee, paired with dad's homemade "asado" siopao (i know, weird combo, haha). and the monthly cake for today was a carrot cake that mom brought home from albertson's after work.
let's look at some of my milestones, shall we? starting with that of babycenter's checklist...
on the mastered skills (most kids can do), i got 4 out of 4. and i have discussed each of them on my previous monlthly updates. they are: saying "mama" and "dada" to the correct parent; playing patty-cake and peek-a-boo; standing alone; and cruising.
off to the emerging skills (half of kids can do). i am a 1(and a half, haha) out of 2. first on the list is that of understanding "no" and simple instructions. and i tell yah, my parents have mastered different ways of saying "NO". i know what "NO" means. however, curiosity more often beats the wit out of me and i would carry on, until the "NO" becomes a hard one, and loud at that, and until my parents forcefully pull me away from what it is that i am on to. and like what i've told you before, when they say no, expect wet raspberries from me after.
i can also comprehend a lot of simple instructions and try to follow as much. that's how i learned most of my tricks and skills. you'd often hear my parents telling me to "get that ball" or "get that something", "say" this and that, "stand-up", "walk", "stay still", "dance", "clap", "kiss elmo", "hug mingming", and so on and so forth. being a good dotta, i would obediently comply.
putting objects into a container gave me the half point. yes i would sometimes put stuff in, but expect that to come out right away :) i am the great mess-maker remember?
lastly, the advanced skills (a few kids can do). i scored 2 out of 2.
i can definitely say some words besides "mama" and "dada". i say "dede" a lot and often, it means milk. heehee. in addition, from one of mom's plurk and facebook's status, she mentioned about how i can mimick some animal sounds such as that of a cow and a rooster. when you utter anything that has "cow" on it, i'd say "mmmmm... mmmmm". and if you ask me what a rooster says, i'd blurt "kakl-doo-doo" out! this one's harder though so i don't say it often. here's the only video that shows me saying "mmm..mmm". and that's it. i am not as pa-bida as mom =). i also call noggin's moose a. moose "mmmmm", and when moose would say "it's puzzle time!", i would simultaneously say "aaaah". i am such a talker. i say a lot of words and stories that only i can understand though, heehee. like this one.
second on the list is that of stooping from standing position. i definitely do that! what i would often do though is stand on all fours (feet, not knees, and hands glued on the ground) and admire the view upside down. haha. i get fascinated at how everything looks that way.
other significant milestones not listed above and highlights for this month follow...
1. i didn't gain weight this month. so i a still sitting at 20.6lbs. i actually lost a little bit of weight when i got the sickies but gained that little back. i am about 29 inches long.
2. since i learned how to walk, there's no stopping me from walking here, there and everywhere. i can walk across my play pen now (and you know how big that area is from some pictures shared before right?). once out from it, i woud immediately stand up and start walking in our living room, our kitchen and dining, and upstairs too. sure, i look like a drunken master when i walk, and i might have fallen gazillions of times already (specially when i get too giddy and try to walk much faster), but i can do it more gracefully now (both balancing while walking, and diving down). my mom lost count of my steps by the way and stopped counting as soon as she realized that i can now really walk. i still crawl when i am "nagiinarte" or when i really want something in a jiffy! madaya! hehehe
i got tons of "walking" videos as well. sharing a few below. others can be found here, here, here and here. and i'm pretty sure you've read mom's mommy moments' entry regarding my first steps.
3. i climb the stairs on my feet now. i still need my hands to support me of course, but i guess my strides are longer now that i can use my feet to do one stair step at a time. no more knees! i can also do this fast! so please install the gates now dad and mom. you know that in just a matter of seconds i can climb up to the 4th step don't you?here's a moving proof.
4. no additional tooth has sprouted. but i am becoming annoyed of the serious brushing that my parents are doing. brushing has become like nappy changing for mom and dad -- an almost impossible challenge!
5. i am getting into serious dancing now. i have been accumulating a lot of steps. i sway, body or head or both, i "kembot", i stomp my feet, i go up and down with my knees, i clap and wave my hands, i arm/hand-roll, i move my head forward and back ala-aiza seguerra. i don't do all these at the same time. but any music - sound from a musical toy, a commercial jingle, or a simple song from dad - will put me on the groove even if i am seated. wanna see one or two of these steps? view this and this.
6. i've been loving all the tv commercials lately. i started with car commercials. now, any will do. if you want me to stay quiet and glued on tv, just play any tv ads. i easily get hypnotized by them!
7. i switched to an older babies' formula since the start of the month. i am now drinking enfamil next step. and whaddayaknow?! it's mmm-mmm good! i can take in about 30oz of that in a day!
8. i officially hate sleeping. i like it better when i am awake and can play with my parents and my toys. i fight off sleep by blabbering and talking to myself. it's a helluva challenge for my parents to put me to bed at night time and even during naps. tsk tsk.
9. i still love food. i take spoonfuls of food even if i haven't swallowed most of the 1st batch yet. and if that happens, everything will come out. yep, i now know how to spit them all out (often, these are chicken or pork pieces devoured of their yummy juices, heehee).
10. i've learned that i love the water. from the pool, that is. i did my first parent-baby swimming lessons from ymca this month. you've read about this on my previous posts anyway so i don't need to elaborate.
11. i had been a great travel companion. be it from just biking, to my first "long" drive ever! that is if you call an almost 3hr road trip a long drive. mom just equipped herself with toys - variety of toys, snacks, songs, stories and what-have-yous to keep me entertained. we'll see how i'd do on a really longer one. mom will share her stories as soon as she gets all our ponderosa trip pics uploaded. there are just tons of 'em!
there ya go! my next monthly update will be from the 1st bday party. wowza! my parents are currently preparing for it already and they finally have a theme in mind. for sure, my mom will tell you all about the preps on her blog. and before i go, let me share some snaps taken from our backyard this afternoon of my 11th month bday.
and then some pics taken indoors...
** there are more pics here. and you can view my month 10 to 11 pics here. also some month 10 to 11 videos that are still incomplete. uh-huh, i have accumulated that much this month
not two, not three... but seven little steps!!!... all by myself!
my mom was busy counting these steps while she was watching me very bravely attempting to walk by myself. hence, she failed to capture it on vid. teehee. but here's a video of me showcasing this milestone, finally caught on cam earlier today! mom will also be sharing this on her mommy moments entry for july 24. so you can watch out for that too (will update this blog with a link to her entry too :D).
i am now 10 months old! yep, just two months shy from my 1st birthday! i don't feel the party planning pressure from my parents yet. boise isn't a busy city ya know. plus the party isn't going be something really grande. well, maybe next month (they're both known to be good procrastinators anyway, teehee).
this afternoon, we went to our subdivision park so that i could try the slide and then do a little bit of a photo shoot in the park. here are few of 'em shots:
dad prepared one of my favorites -- pancit bihon!-- just for today and of course it wouldn't be complete without my monthly cake (with my favorite fruit for it's icing design) topped with 10 little candles.
before the day ended, we took a few more snaps on our lone red swivel chair (sofa in the living room is gone. my folks were able to sell it during our garage sale. it's due to be upgraded soon anyway).
i definitely have mastered all 3 from the all-kids-can-do list: waving goodbye; picking things up with pincer grasp; and crawling well, with belly off the ground. and i'll take bets on any race since i crawl really fast now! see?!
on the emerging skills i do say "mama" and "dada" to the correct parent. not very often though since i don't normally call them that. i use some gestures to indicate my wants and needs and also to tell mom or dad or anyone that i disapprove of some things. most often though, i would just cry or shout.
i've done one out of two on the advanced skills. that of standing alone for seconds. i can get myself up without any support and balance by myself. and i can actually do this a lot longer now. a video here to see what i mean.. putting object into a container is a skill i have yet to be taught though. i always make a mess by getting everything out of hampers, bags, boxes, cabinets and shelves, but i couldn't tidy up by putting them back in, heehee. wanna see how?
other 10 month updates:
-- i now weigh 20.4lbs (if only i were a year old, i would've been allowed to use a front-facing carseat) and 28.5inches long
-- i have 4 teeth now! 2 on top and 2 below. brushing seriously!
-- itried walking by myself! i did 2 steps and dived on the 3rd =). i keep on attempting to perfect this skill by myself so you'd often see me diving down my mat. mom had no luck capturing this on cam yet. teehee. my parents had been making my play area free from sharp and hard obstructions to make walking safer for me.
-- i use almost anything to help me cruise and walk. be it a pair of hands, the furniture, the sofa, my fence, the kitchen cabinets, and yep, even the rolling fruit basket. that's why my mom calls me a "pusher". i push everything from hampers, to my toys, to anything! here i am walking careof dad, walking using the fence, and pushing the hamper and my toy.
-- i am becoming more and more of a helluva talkative baby! of course, none of the words can be understood by anyone but i am composing "sentences" now, "paragraphs" or "stories" if you would. specially when i'm fighting off sleep, i would talk and "sing" to myself as loudly as i could. again, yet to be captured on cam.
-- i've tried "swimming" for the first timethis month. i am preparing for the swimming class on the big pool come july ya know.
-- i still eat a lot. my favorites so far include fruits like watermelon, melon and banana. and lately i am loving it when there's chicken on my food =). arrowroot biscuits are getting to be my fave on-the-go snack, specially now that it's summer when we're always out, basking under the sun. here i am taking big bites from this banana. unfortunately for my parents, my board books are included in my favorites. teehee.
-- and i am doing quite a number of cool tricks and collecting lots of funny antics and "gaya,gaya,puto,maya" moments now:
5. i know how to drive away "strangers". if someone else wants to carry me besides my mom or dad, i can twist my body and shield one arm from them which directly tells them that i don't know you. heehee
6. when my parents would say "asus, asus", i would fake "coughing". there's also a forceful grunt that i would do that would really make my face all red. heehee. and i'm proud to say that i just learned to do this by myself. =). if you can't picture it, just watch this video.
i have lotsa tricks rolled up my sleeves and they sure are making my folks laugh their heads off. if they could only capture all of my antics, my mom would be really happy. heehee. i'll update you with more of these next month, meanwhile enjoy my month 9 to 10 pictures!
'the first "two" steps' is more apt i think. and yes indeed, just two.
this afternoon, i just started to get bored cruising and crawling and thought that it would get me faster to that toy, that was about two feet away from me, if i'd walk by myself. and walk, i did! i took two heedless and unmeasured but brave steps, little ones but really fast, that made me dive on my third step.
did it hurt?! nah! i even tried to do it again. and i still fell, face down, on the third step. this won't stop me though from doing it again and again until i perfect the skill. i get a lot of encouragement from my parents too so i know i can do it, someday. my parents will surely be happy once i start walking on my own!
my dad taught me how to do the "high five" (or the "apir" for some of you) yesterday and i was able to learn it in a jiffy!
i still confuse it with "bless" though that i would sometimes move my head forward to touch my dad or mom's hands. haha. ah well, it's yet to be perfected. soon my friends, soon.
my parents had been teaching me to wave to my mom when she goes to work and to wave "hello" to anyone, for probably more than a month now. i try to do it but they don't know that that was a wave, haha.
they finally found out that i can actually do it last june 4. when we were saying our goodbyes to some of our filipino friends during one dinner gathering, i did wave! it was only recently though that i was able to perfect the skill. i wouldn't fail to wave whenever my parents would say, "hi" or "bye" while waving, or say "wave" or whenever they would ask me "paano mag-wave?", or when they would wave and tell me "o ikaw naman". then, they would always reward me with a "good job" cheer and then i would clap my hands to commend myself.
very often though, i wouldn't do it in front of anyone aside from my parents. shy type eh? but if you catch me doing it, you'd also see the bonus claps and the sweetest smiles!
pagmamano, is a Filipino tradition that my parents would definitely not fail to teach me. last night, mom was just trying to see what i would do if she places her hand near my forehead and says "bless". at an instant, i moved my head forward until my it touches the back of my mom's hand! it's as if i really know how to do the "mano po". that's what i do everytime she or dad does that. pwedeng pwede na raw ako mamasko! :).
i have yet to learn how to get one's hand while i "bless" though. but i'm pretty sure that in time for our planned vacation in pinas come Christmas time, i have already mastered this Filipino tradition to show respect for the elderly :)
i turned 9 months old last saturday. and of course it wouldn't pass without our family celebration and food. that saturday, dad prepared a special paella with lobster and they bought me a boston cream cake topped with 9 lil candles, which i was able to partake with them, finally!
but before we feasted on our sumptuous dinner, we did some photo shoot like always. since it's almost summer, we had it in our backyard. here are some of the shots.
then just before we called it a night, i helped my dad build a new toy - a push walker-slash-bike. as it claims, it would help me in developing my walking skills. but boy was it too fast i fell down quite a number of times. hence, my dad had to support the walker whilst i push it.
today is another story. this afternoon, we were scheduled for my 9th month well baby check up, so all three of us headed to st. alphonsus to see dr. womack. i enjoyed looking at the fishies from the aquarium at the waiting area until my name was called.
as usual, i wailed as soon as they laid me down on the weighing scale. i really hate that scale! from my vitals, i am at the 55th percentile for my weight (at 18.8lbs) and 50th for my height (at 28 inches). my head circumference is still at the 25th. not bad eh? moreover, based on the 8th month skills questionnaire that my parents filled up (when i was 8th months old of course) and dr. womack assessed, i scored way above normal, almost perfect actually. talk about an overachiever! haha. the only thing that made me happy on this check up though is that there were no shots at all! this is the only well baby check up without needles as per dr. womack. how neat was that?!
so how am i now that i am 9 months old? ... let's start with baby center's 9 month old milestones.
i scored 3 out of 3 for the mastered skills (and i have discussed those from past monthly updates so i won't bore you anymore with those details).
for the emerging skills: i do try to cruise while holding onto furniture or in my case, my fence (and yeah, the sofa). but most often, i'd crawl since i am a tad bit of a scaredy cat. coz you already know that i can crawl forward on all my fours now right? and since i do it faster now, i'd rather crawl :D. here's one video of how i crawl taken during the start of the month of may. compare it with this and this when i was playing "habulan" with my dad.
i do drink from a sippy cup. but often i'd just play with it. i prefer my strawed cup instead. yeah i play with that too, but at least i can drink water or juices from that better than the sippy cup. i also eat with my finger now. i still am a primadonna so i still want mom or dad to feed me, but i get cheered on everytime i do the pincer grasp and successfully put the food in my mouth. so expect me clapping everytime i get that food in my mouth, as in everytime! hahaha. and lastly i do bang objects together. normally when i am holding objects with both hands.
under the advanced skills we have playing patty-cake and peek-a-boo. and play, i do! i have preference over peek-a -boo though. and i'd do it with everything, my bib, my shirts, my toys. whatever's in front of me or i am holding i'd put it on top of my face, then off, while my mom or dad says peek-a-boo! and mom had no luck catching this on video since i'd stop playing whenever i'd see the camera on. hahaha. lastly, i say "ma-mei" and "dada" to the correct parent. i don't always call them that though.
more skills and developments? read further as i have listed down a few more ...
1. i now stand by myself and balance while standing without support. and i try to stay in that position for a long time. i don't mind falling actually, i have too much butt padding. thanks to my diaper!
2. i now have 3 teeth! finally, my upper tooth came out! my mom brushes my teeth, all 3 of them, seriously now.
3. i love walking while both my hands are being held by mom or dad.
4. i have tried to climb our stairs using all fours and was able to reach the end.
5. i have finally learned how to do the "close-open", but i still don't do it if i don't feel like it. talk about attitude!
6. i have started to develop some fears and have fallen into stranger anxiety a dozen times. i am one scaredy cat, a "duwakang"!
8. i have become more and more expressive of my feelings. i am more "malambing" now, and much more bubbly and giggly. and at the completely opposite end, i have also become more "maldita" specially when i want something and couldn't get it. and if my parents say "NO", i would often shake my head in disapproval and rasperry after (a video of my raspberries). yeah, the makings of a bratinella! hehehe.
9. i eat more table food now, not only at home but also whenever we dine out (thank God, finally!). and oh my, they taste soooo gooood! i still eat mom's homemade baby food and the boxed and jarred stage 3 ones. i eat anything placed in my mouth anyway, heehee. i love anything chunky. i like to chew a lot. and i specially love being able to bite through big pieces of fresh fruits. and i also love snacking, now that i can feed myself finger foods (another video here).
still with me? if you are, then you're free to look through my pics over the course of one month! here are my month 8 to 9 pictures!
wow, i can't believe that i am only just 3 months away from becoming a toddler! weepee!
to our first-born on your 6th birthday
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*Dear Joel,*
It does help that school starts almost at the same time as your birthday
and hence it’s easier to track your milestones. Well, at least, the...
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Dear Baby, I’ve been bad. I haven’t been updating your blog for a while. I
guess I was having too much fun watching over you that I neglected the
internet ...
