i'm a-clappin' and a-kissin'

there are two things, or tricks that i've learned from my parents this week:

1. i've learned to clap my hands! whenever mom or dad would say or sing, "clap your hands, clap your hands" or "a-clap-clap-clap, a-clap-clap-clap", i will join my hands together. if it's you're lucky day, you'd see me do it more than once, or if you're really really lucky, you'd see my right hand dustin off my left hand (and doing the kaskas motion).

2. i can now give my dad and mom a kiss! and boy they always want lots of kisses from me. when anyone of them says "kiss mommy" or "kiss daddy", they'll get one cheek near my lips, and with my mouth open, i'll give them the sweetest but silent kiss.

close-open? no, i have not learned that yet. my lolo dadi started to teach me that when he was here. but i just like to watch how funny my lolo dadi looks when he does that. well, i'll learn that eventually. my parents won't stop teaching me new tricks anyway.

ps. you might ask where my vids are knowing how my mom documents all my baby steps. well, i don't have them yet. you know how kj i am on-cam right? as soon as mom gets successful capturing them, i promise to post the links here :)

mah play area

my parents finally started with step one on babyproofing last saturday by taking the cofee table away from the family room. so this whole area is now mine, all mine. it is filled with all my baby stuff anyway, so yea, all mine!

cofeetable gone!
today, they bought this cool colorful puzzle mat with numbers and the alphabet on it. that way, i wouldn't have to crawl on the carpet (which really makes it all the more hard for me). ah, friction's just not that baby-friendly. excuses! =)

don't you just love how coloful it is?!
i love this place! wanna come and join me at play?

milestones in a day!

being with dad for the whole day during work weeks, he was the one who witnessed yet another milestone for me yesterday... i tried to crawl... backwards! yep, you read it right, i tried to drag myself the other, unusual way. haha!

he shared the great news to mom immediately when she came home so i had to show her. and of course, i did not disappoint. with her very own pair, she saw me crawling dragging myself backwards, away from my target. that's still a good start, ya know! i've heard that most babies did this before they completely became mobile through crawling. well, maybe i won't skip crawling after all. hmmm, we'll see. and just before you (like my parents) get that excited, i just want to clarify that i still hate tummy time. haha.

and here's another one... leaning on a sofa (or i guess, anything for that matter), or holding on to it, i can now balance myself whilst on my two feet!.. well, at least just for a few until i feel gravity pulling me in all directions and i start to extend my hands and seek for dad or mom's support. (and boy, they're fast! i wonder how they do that) i have yet to learn how to use the strength of my grasp to fully support me though. well, we'll get there, we'll definitely get there. no pressure please.

<*EDITED 03.20.09, adding a couple of pics and video link*>

you can also watch how i do my balancing act here

a half year old!

wow, it's been half of the year already since my birth! i have soooo many to share for this month so i'd have to divide this entry accordingly. so brace yourself for a really long and picture-laden entry. ready?! 1, 2 3!

** the 6th month birthday celebration **

since there's no 30th on feb, we chose to do the half year point celebration on the last day, the 28th. dad prepared some baked mac which he made special that day. my 6 candles were all on top of 6 large pieces of cheese danish (a fave of my folks) that they got from costco.

more 6th month bday pics here

** milestones and updates for the halfyear point **

from babycenter's milestones for 6 month olds, i can only do one on the Mastered Skills (most kids can do): that of turning toward sounds and voices. i'm a bonafide usisera remember? call my name and i'll surely look towards you.

i don't like imitating sounds however. but, i like it when mom or dad speaks my language. oh did you know that i already said "da-de"?! dad's just one proud father when i did that! i still have my own made up words and if you're lucky enough, you'd get laway-filled raspberries (that i looove looove doing because of the sounds it makes!) with that too! teehee!

rolling over still isn't my thing. yeah, i may have started to roll over early and that's just because i hated tummy time. i still do the tummy-to-back roll but i wouldn't do the other way since i still very much hate me on my tummy! but i do love standing up! i can stand up with less support from my parents, just enough to help me balance. i still can't do that by myself since i don't know how to use my hands yet to grasp for support. and be prepared to tone your arm muscles with me jumping up and down at your lap! specially when i get too excited! sometimes the act of bouncing just comes automatically for me. perhaps, a jumperoo would be a good companion!

i like walking too. but, don't get excited just yet since i only walk when mom or dad fully supports my whole body. this is the reason why my mom thinks that i might skip crawling altogether. but they still make me practice crawling by putting my toys or the tv remote (which i jut recently learned to work wonders) or mom's cellphone far from my arm's reach. i just couldn't resist squirming when i see them. and hey, don't say that i am not trying ok, coz i give myself a few minutes before i resort to whining! ahehehe.

as for the Emerging Skills (half of kids can do), i got a perfect score!

i definitely started with solid foods and i just love eating! this actually worried my mom since i'd prefer solids over milk. i've tried rice cereals, carrots, green beans and sweet potatoes. next time i'd try oatmeal and fruits and i'm probably ready for stage 2! and this is why my parents got me a booster seat already (it's like a high chair but most of the high chairs can only support up to a 3-year old kid as opposed to my booster seat) that can be attached to any dining chair. they put me here whenever they're feeding me or while mom and dad are eating just so i could join them on the dining table and be one happy family having dinner. but then of course, i normally eat ahead of them, haha.

let's eat!!!
sharing videos here and here on my booster
i am a no-support sitter for a long while now, and actually likes this position much much better when playing rather than lying down or at my tummy. you'll see a pic when mom starts sharing our makeshift studio pics on her blog.

i definitely mouth objects. everything that i grab (and i just grab everything, specially those things that my parents are holding) goes directly to my mouth (which my mom finds scary coz i might swallow something or worse, choke), even my hands, and yeah, my footsies!!! the video showing this is a work in progress over at mom's multiply site (she's having technical difficulties uploading vids lately).

want some?!
i also do pass objects from hand to hand. aren't we supposed to do that?! that's what i do with my toys just before i drop them, specially when i'm on my booster. as to why i am dropping my toys, like what my tita tokti said, it's a cause-and-effect thing that babies love. i drop the toy, mom or dad picks it. they'll give it back to me. then i'll drop it again. cycle repeats until they give up and tell me not to do that anymore. haha. you can also make me catch a ball and i'll throw it back at yah! catch-and-throw is one of the games that i play with my folks. but don't be fooled coz i can't catch yet. but i can use all my might to throw that cushy ball towards all directions, just a few inches away from me though. haha

let's now go to the Advanced Skills (a few kids can do). ..

i never showed any signs of starting to crawl. when i am on my tummy, i wiggle a lot though and try to move, but frustration beats me. crawling isn't my thing yet. dr. womack even said that i might skip it altogether. but i do a lot of twisting and turning to make nappy changing all the more challenging for mom and dad. but i do lunge forward. i do this all the time when i am dragging things towards me.

i do jabber and combine syllables a lot. i told you i have my own language that i don't think anyone in this household can comprehend. i'm one helluva talkative baby. and i can charm my way through this. yep, even at church. i break the silence and solemnity during the mass with my blabbering. i get shushed much more often now by my dad at mass. heehee.

as for other updates, i can now be left alone for a few minutes. just enough for my parents to do some chores. usually, my parents would put me on the exersaucer or my pack-and-play while i play by myself, or watch some noggin shows or baby einstein dvds. and i really do pay attention and find myself focused on the telly. they would only allow me to watch just for a few minutes though.

here's another video of me on the exersaucer
so far my favorites include dora the explorer (and i'd really squeal with delight whenever i hear dora's voice and when there's singing and dancing), backyardigans, the wonder pets (my mom's fave as well) and the noggin inserts between shows caref of moose and zee. i still get interactive while i watch basketball with dad by the way.

going out is also one of the things i enjoy with my parents nowadays. yeah, even when it's freezin' cold. i just like seeing things other than those within the confines of our home, and other people as well and that keeps me from being cranky even if i'm really hungry or tired. "batang gala", that's what i am


** the 6th month checkup **

this afternoon saw us at dr. womack's clinic for my 6th month well baby checkup. i was measured to be at the 60th percentile for my height (@26 and 1/4 inches) and at 50th percentile still for my weight (@16lbs). my head circumference is still at the 25th percentile.

like the usual, my parents, well, my mom, bombarded her with tons of questions. fortunately, my pediatrician is very patient. she now recommends water and juice for me, to help with the ahem, ya know and has explicitly told my parents to keep my milk intake at a minimum of 20 ounces per day. it might help if i'd take milk first before i eat solids, she said. coz no matter what, i'd still eat them anyway. that's how much i love food!

since it worries mom that i didn't like tummy time and wouldn't learn how to crawl, dr. womack tried to put me on my tummy to check. but of course, i was a showoff! i controlled myself from being pissed a few more minutes than the usual. haha. she tried to sit me up as well and got surprised at how i can balance myself without any support. and as always, she made me giggle. i just love this doctor! she never fails to get a smile out of me.

but then the smiles and giggles turned into wails when the nurses came. i had to take those drugs again! one, i took orally, and 4 were injectables. yes, 4! 1 of them is the infamous flu vaccine. and i have to take the other flu shot 30 days after. ugh! my mom saw how my eyes widened in panic when the 1st two were administered. wailing with tears came after that. but dad easily calmed me down.

i'm thankful though that i won't have to deal with these shots til my next well baby checkup on my 9th month.

so, are you still with me? yes, this is the end of the line. congratulations if you made it this far! =). as a bonus, i'll share my month 5 to 6 pictures with you!

tatah! til next month!

missin' lolo dadi

mom just brought him this morning to the airport to board his plane (or planes) to go back to lola mami in thailand. we sure are missing him. i am fortunate enough to have experienced being with him physically even for a short while.

lolo dadi paid us a visit before and after his cincinnati conference. he does this yearly so i'm happy that i'll get to see him every year. i just hope lola mami could go with him everytime.

when he was here, we were almost always out. lolo dadi, together with dad and mom, pigged out and tried restaurants that they haven't set foot on before like famous daves and the new brazilian resto called tucanos. they went on a shopping spree too. while i had been nothing but a happy baby. i didn't pose any problems with all our lakwatsa since i like going out and seeing a bunch of crowd.

but what i loved the most was every bit of time that i was able to spend with him, moments of playtime and chats with him. he almost always never failed to make me smile and giggle. we really thank God for technology! at least i can still see my lolo dadi and lola mami every week through skype.

sharing some of my pics with lolo dadi...

playtime with lolo dadi .. and here's a video too

pigging out with lolo dadimore lolo dadi pictures here.

carrots made me gag!

...well at least during the first time that may parents introduced pureed carrots to me last saturday. it really tastes weird! very much different from my milk and cereals!

it smells yucky mom! and gah! it doesn't taste like chicken
eeeeeeewwwww! i just want to chew the spoon
see?! mukhasim right? i did puke, but nothing came out. it just made my eyes misty. i finished the bowl though. fine, call me PG! the red orange mess i made though is hideous. mom really thanks God for Oxyclean to get rid of the stains!

don't fail to watch this video of my first ever encounter with veggies. you're not human if you don't find it funny. haha. you'll see how i reacted at each spoonful and the gagging that unfortunately wasn't caught on still. but even if this video is worthy of AFV, please don't make fun of me ok?

ps. i like carrots now... how about peas? hmmm... we'll find out next week.

may talukap ako!

... and this is a very big of a deal for mom coz she doesn't have these pretty little creases. when i was in her tummy, she actually prayed for me to inherit dad's eyes, one of dad's best assets according to her. when i was born however, i only had a pair of slits. so they knew right there and then that i'd have her eyes. she's happy though, since everything else on my face seem to be from dad, so these eyes are her only stronghold for that "pinagbiyak na bunga" effect. good enough to make everyone comment that i'm a carbon copy of my mom. so far, she's been getting affirmations from almost everyone who see me now.

a day before my 5th month birthday though, she noticed these folds. she initially thought that they were just temporarily here as an aftermath of sleep. but these folds remained until the present day so i guess they're gonna be here for good.


mom's just so happy that aside from the thicker and longer lashes that she also lacks, i also have what they call talukap. i am pretty, really pretty. well, that's how dad and mom see me. yep, pretty much loving their own,haha.