milk + rice cereals = one PG happy joel!

that's rice cereals! you read it right. yes, my first ever attempt to take in something solid. my first time to try solid food. and it all began this very same day.

dad's the one who's really excited to give me solids already. he thought that since i love watching them eat, solid food and i will have nothing but a love-love relationship. so they wouldn't have any problems feeding me. they of course followed my pedia's recommendations.

i really didn't know what that spoon is for. yeah, i always see mom and dad use it, and whenever they eat, i really watch them with envy and pananakam. but when that spoon first touched my lips, i really didn't know what to expect. initially, my worried mom thought that i wouldn't eat it. (video of my very first encounter with a spoon)


when i was able to taste it, oh heaven! i couln't stop! i wanted to gobble everything and wipe that bowl clean! i wanted to grab the spoon and put everything in my mouth. though i'm still learning the art of swallowing and how my tongue should help in the process, i still enjoyed every spoonful of that rice cereal and milk concoction!

i may have been one dirty baby afterwards, but this was nothing (even with my oc dad who's always wiping me with a damp cloth) compared to the PG happy baby that this first experience made. uh-huh, another one of those memorable and well-documented milestone.

can't hardly wait for tomorrow's meal! weehee!

** here are the videos of my "katakawan" and "PG-ness" >>> part2, part3, part4

look ma, just my hands!

yep, no more pillows on my sides, no more dad and mom's helping hands, just the support from my hands and arms, and i can already sit up! yey!


but of course i still can't do this by myself. mom still has to put me on this position and i will stay this way for as long as i want. well, it's still new to me and i'm a tad overwhelmed that i couldn't smile,haha. plus i only can do this on the floor. on the bed, i couldn't seem to control my balance yet coz the bed's a bit wobbly. falling down from sitting position on the bed mesmerizes me though. i just couldn't hold my giggles when that happens. and as usual, this has become a cute laughing matter for my parents and me. haha

4th month well-baby checkup

this afternoon saw the three of us at the st. alphonsus' pediatrics for my 4 month well-baby checkup. as expected, lisa and dr. womack commented on how i've grown.

based on my measurements (@ almost 4.5 months), i was at 55 percentile for my weight (at 14lbs 10oz), and my 25in of a height placed me at the 50th percentile. my head measurement was also at par. so everything's been great from that end.

dr. womack suggested on giving me solid foods already. and oh boy, my dad's really excited. by weekend i'd be starting with rice cereals. and my folks will make sure... that i still take the same amount of milk... that i only take 1-2tbsps of these food, 1-2x a day... that i only take 1 type of food for the whole week before i move on to the next to root out allergies... that i start with cereals, then veggies before introducing fruits. well, that's how my pedia laid it out on them.

as for the dreaded shots, i already knew what the mean lady nurse would do when she had me laid down the exam bed. so i stormed the little room with my wails that i'm pretty sure everyone outside heard. so dad just carried me while i was being poked. as soon as he held me up, i was transformed to that happy baby that i am once more.

yeah i have an on and off switch. at one moment i'm crying, at the next instant, i'm giggling again. i couldn't actually control the happy me that emerged as when dr. womack was talking to us. i just love her pitch. and i also like it when she talks animatedly. i was showing my gummy toothless grin to her the whole time, specially when they talked about food! i even felt restless that i had to let go of some lil shrieks and kicks!

i also didn't budge when she carried me as she examined me further. she just checked on how i was sittin' and standin' up. as usual, my mom had to just tell her that i can now sit up, with the very least amount of support, and that my legs hold still when they're making me stand up. such a stage mom, my mom is! haha

everything went well from my checkup. so dasims were all smiles when we got out of the clinic. see you in 2 months dr. womack!

welcoming 2009!

although i only lived (outside the womb, that is) for four months in 2008, the blessings from God that I have received are just over and beyond. I won't need to elaborate on these since almost everything that i am thankful for is inked on this journal anyway. All I want to say is, thank You much, my Creator. Kudos to You who made all these happen.

more new year celeb pics here
did you know that I welcomed 2009 with a bang?! not with fireworks though. well, i don't have to tell you that this is my first new year celebration. so i'm pretty sure you all know what this post is all about... yep, how i spent the last day of 2008 and the 1st day of 2009.

exhausting-but-fun is how i would describe the last day of 2008 for me. i was too thrilled i didn't take a decent nap in the afternoon. and since we had two media noche parties to attend to (at the yus and then at the tolosas), i was already cranky and sleepy by the end of the day. i was actually sleeping cradled by my mom when the clock struck 12mn. but since everyone was shouting at each other, wishing everyone a great and happy new year, i was startled, woke up then cried. but being the happy baby that i am, i came back to my senses and tried to not dampen the happy-but-exhausted mood of everyone around me. but God knows how tired i was and my parents really felt sorry for me.

this day, the 1st day of 2009, went by peacefully for me. we welcomed 2009 with God in mass during the feast of the solemnity of Mary as mother of God. at home, the three of us continued the feast with media noche leftovers (for mom and dad). after some more holiday family pictures taken, i expired.


nonetheless, i am very happy to know that my parents are too thrilled and excited for this year as i grow and meet more milestones along the way. fun times!

now, i am looking forward to more of these major fun times with my family this year. perhaps it will include travelling somewhere more than a 30min-drive away. i would love to experience summer as well when i can already play outdoors. well, everything's being laid out by my folks anyway, and yes, they are as excited as i am. hopefully, the plan to meet my extended familes in pinas will materialize this year too. oooh, i can't wait!

Happy 2009 everyone!

4 months and counting...

this day marks my 4th month outside mommy's tummy. i know it may not be enough to say that i am enjoying it,but i do, i certainly do. this month had also been the busiest for me because of the holidays and with my parents making sure that i'd have the best Christmas and yeah, this year being my first (refer to my post below about my 1st Christmas).

as always, this day wouldn't pass without a celebration. so eventhough my parents had been stuffing themselves with too much food these holidays, we they still feasted on palabok (home made with love by dad) and some carrot cake cupcakes.

more 4th month bday celeb pics here

now that i am 4 months old, i've grown to become a little heavier than a 14pounder and a 2ft high (or short?) baby. i am definitely making my parents (and the viewers of my videos) go gaga over my new "baby tricks" and cuteness. haha.

for one, i just learned to make fun at that lil girl on the mirror reflecting every move i make. she never fails to make me squeal with delight! she seem to be conversing with me as well so i talk (and shriek) back at her almost non-stop. here's a video (this video doesn't showcase what i usually do though since for some reason i get distracted when there's a cam nearby).

also, it looks as if my "hilda"-like cries don't work anymore. so whenever i want to be held or talked to or played with, i try to get my way through my arte shrieks and cries now (here's one video of my arte shrieks). on the contrary though, they find it cute. weird huh? well, there's always my wailing if all else fails. hence i've been branded "ksp". haha

in addition, i am becoming more observant of my surroundings. more than before. now, i get curious. as what mom and dad calls it, i am always "umuusi" or "chumichismis".

and because of my pagka-usisera, heaps of people fascinate me. at church, i like watching a lot of kids move and chat. this makes my parents (and others in the cry room) get to be more serene (coz i wasn't crying) at least for some moment at mass. i like it best when it's communion time. aside from getting blessings from the minister, i also get to watch a lot of people trying to prepare themselves to receive God. some smile and wave at me. and i do smile back most of the time.

this has also made me love parties. parteeeh! uh-huh, i am not a party pooper. what with a lot of holiday parties that lined up, it definitely made one set of happy parents, mine. yep, i can stay up late. most of the time though, i sleep without any whining nor complaints in anyone's arms until the party's done.

i also am now a better travel companion. i can stay buckled in my carseat for longer period now without any crying spills. and yes, i do sleep in my carseat. so travelling isn't a nightmare anymore for my folks. however, if i get bored i still make a scene, with real tears and the saddest cries with coughing and throwing up, that you'll panic. like what dad described, "humihikbi pa". hence,they still aren't taking any risk driving longer than 30mins. my dad is scared to have me in tow anyway, what with this terrible snow.

there's also this habit that i developed for the past month. i tend to put everything that i can grasp into my mouth. i dunno, everything seem to be appealling. that's why my parents make sure that my toys are clean and safe enough to "taste".

dad thinks that i am probably going to be teething early since i always play with and sorta chew my tongue. i also tend to drool lately that they wanted me to wear bib all the time so as not to soak my shirts with laway. well, they don't know for sure. this is just a "well-wait-and-find-out" sort of development on my part.

they were also thinking that i'm probably trying to crawl. coz whenever they put me on tummy time, i always put my bottoms up, and kick my legs (i probably look like a caterpillar trying to move forward). this isn't on video yet coz the lolos and lolas would negatively react again. uh-huh, i just love them taking my side all the time. heehee.

i just can't wait to be mobile! i really can't. so nappy changing's been hard for my parents lately. what with all the kicks and side turns that i do, they really had to get me still to put that diaper properly fastened.

recently, i am also having some fondness in food. yeah, table food. i just get fascinated while i watch my mom or dad eat. i really look with "pananakam", as how my mom calls it, at their food. but when they would try to present a spoon to me, i never opened my mouth. but there's this one time when they placed a piece of grape near my mouth just to check. and oh boy i eagerly opened my mouth. i want some please! but nah, dad didn't put it in. my dad is pretty excited on giving me solids already. well, now that i can already hold my bottle (putting it in my mouth properly is a different story.. i like playing with it though), solid food is probably the next baby step. we'll see what dr. womack would say about me munching on solids during our checkup on january.

and oh yeah, i do tell stories now. mom thinks i'm baby-talking with sentences already since i'm really one talkative baby. my mom finds it cute when i talk myself to sleep sometimes. one minute i was talking to my mom (sort of telling her bedtime stories), then the next my eyes are already closed.

lastly, we might be needing that bouncer a little earlier. i could now kind of bounce up and down since i tend to straighten my legs as if i am always wanting to stand up. well, i really want to be more mobile. crawl or walk or whatever way! when i'm sitted up i tend to lean forward coz i really want to stand-up. my parents already know the cues that i give them as to when we he or she should start walking since i still have the short attention span typical of babies. yeah, i wanna make "usi" here, there and everywhere!

that's all folks! i'll now leave you with some family snaps taken this day... and oh by the way, here's a link to some random pics during my month 3-4.