Jaiden's First Dishwashing

Jaiden ate Kitkat. He liked it so much, just like any other chocolates, that he got a small plate and put the remaining 1 stick on it. After eating it all, he got a chair and push it to the sink area and then did what he is doing here in the video.

He actually didn't stop doing this until I have to stop the video-taking and have to stop him from continuing. 

Surprise Presents

Got all these from a friend. I was surprised to receive this on the night after my birthday when I got home from work. They said she called up the house that she's going to drop something in the guard house.

 How sweet of her to have personally made a birthday greeting card for me. She also gave my favorite chiccos (nananghid ka sa imong lolo ana Chell? or your brother ra nag-kuha? heheeh), a tumbler and most of all a very cute decorative miniature mug (so like it!!!)

Thank you Chell!

Making This Day, My Day!

As I have promised myself, I tried making my birthday today different. I did my grocery alone and was just happy my hubby gave me as his birthday presents, four thousand pesos, to buy the ingredients I wanted to cook and then the rest of the money is mine (wide grin). I'm now thinking what to buy for myself.... hhmmm...a new branded t-shirt perhaps? Whatever it is.. it is some reason to be happy on my birthday other than being happy for having another year to celebrate.

So there it goes!! the foods that I cooked or rather co-cooked with my mama. Well, I would admit I couldn't do it alone you know. You just need to have some assistance in preparing the ingredients. I did the Pata Tim and Humba. As much as possible as I would like to think and believe that we religiously followed the measurements and the manner of cooking the food, as my mother said it, in order to taste a different taste of Humba, Pancit Bihon and to taste Pata Tim.
All the food are just liked by the eaters except that my Pata Tim is a disappointment. I don't know what happened to my sauce when I did follow the measurement. Bottom line, the sauce didn't turned out as it should be. Well, at least my Humba is tasty and tasted just the way I like it (I will cook it again). As to the Pancit Bihon, though it was my mother who cooked it but I sure did watch how she did it. The result?I so liked our Pancit Bihon.

To stay on track of my plans, I had our helper went with Jaiden and I to the Lipata Chapel to hopefully attend a mass or light some candles even though it was drizzling. However, we arrived there at almost the end of the mass. So we went to the candle lighting area only to see a box of matchsticks without any candle at all. With this, we went inside the chapel and prayed. After which, I already had a feeling that Jaiden wouldn't be contented to end the activity by just it and I was correct. He said and pointed to the road saying "want to go there?" - he wanted to go beyond the Lipata Chapel, somewhere down the road. But, it was raining, so I find an alibi telling him that we go home to blow the candles of the cake. Without hesitation, he oblige - such a very good, sweet child.

Everybody was in celebratory mood. Hubby wasn't just around to eat together with us but with Jaiden with me, he surely made my birthday extra special when he sang me the birthday song and blew the candles with me.

Thank you Lord, for this another year, for all the blessings and being with me always when trials came and for hearing my prayers and letting me see and realized things. 

Happy Birthday to Meeehhhh!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

)

Froggy

Jaiden just so loves his Froggy ever since this came to him as a gift on his first birthday from a friend who happens to be his godmother also.

One night I bought myself a new watch and it has a miniature pillow as its holder. So I joked at Jaiden that it be the pillow of Froggy. He was so delighted at the idea that he immediately let Froggy lie down on it.

After which, he got my camera in the cabinet and gave it to me saying "mama take picture of me and Froggy?". After hearing this, mother and I really got a good hearty laugh. We were just so surprised of his actions that I couldn't believe just how much he adored his Froggy.

Jaiden considers Froggy as his best friend and his all-time comforter specially when he goes to sleep. We just don't know what we're going to do if one day, God forbid, Froggy would be gone.

Making it Different

If before I would just wake up, go to work, reading messages from regular birthday greeters, now I will have to try to make it different. Yes, for the first time, since my working career, I will not be at work on my birthday. Thank you to my new corporate employer who values work, life balance - I will be on leave on my coming birthday.

Lately, I am into cooking by just simply looking at the recipes posted on the net. In fact, I have already tried chicken macaroni soup to which only me and my hubby believed to have been delicious. My other housemates's taste buds are so into traditional tasting that they didn't like the taste nor the smell of the celery. I learned later that celery, aside from carrots, are one of the main ingredients when you want your soup to be so smelly-tasteful.

The recipes I cooked or shall cook doesn't have to be a 5-star sophisticated food but just a simple one that our usual Filipino palates can handle and today I missed my mama's bola-bola (meat balls) that I tried cooking one. Other than the ground pork, the vegetable ingredients were just the finely chopped: carrots, chayote, potatoes, small amount of red bell pepper and onions. However, I just added few seasonings and didn't taste it (to which my hubby commented to be my biggest failure) that I later learned when the fried meat balls were cooked, that these tasted bland. I was so disappointed of myself (that feeling of excitement to taste my missed-bolabola wasn't coming to life). Good thing my husband suggested to make a tasty sauce to save it. Fortunately, I was able to made an okay sauce (thanks to Oyster sauce as the significant ingredient) that out of ten meat balls, only three are left uneaten.

Going back to my coming birthday, I now decide to make it different by cooking the foods that we would be eating. I will then be cooking Pata Tim, Humba, Camaron Rebosado, Adobong Kangkong and Pancit Bihon. I know that what I enumerated are just our everyday food (I think except for the Pata Tim?) that we encounter but mind you I want to follow the measurements and the recipe that are on this site http://www.myfilipinorecipes.com/. I think that it's different when you cook it yourself.  Hopefully, I will be able to deliver it to the best of our palates. So wish me luck on my birthday!




p/s I will be posting pics of my cooked foods then :)

A Visit to Developmental Assessment Pedia

This afternoon we went to a developmental assessment pedia after due to what his other pedia advised us last week. She said that she noticed something of our son's behavior like "parrotting" and "not much eye contact" when being talked to. Though personally, I can say that Jaiden is okay to me. My husband says the same also. However, we decided to go for the assessment because this pedia stressed out that she would highly suggest that we have him assessed because there might be needed intervention before it might be too late. I think it is her strong statement that struck us and for our peace of mind, we decided to have an appointment.

The developmental-assessment-pedia talked to us, parents, firsts. I didn't realize that there would be much effort of getting our opinion or say on the situation. He said that my very first statements when I talked to him are so defensive that it seems that I was convincing him that there is nothing wrong with our son. So he told us that if we were convinced that there is nothing wrong then what's the reason of seeing him? Why would we mind other people's opinion? He said that we have to recognize first and identify what we see as wrong of our child otherwise he would not be seeing any problem. He further said, that it is not him who will identify the problem but us and that it is not like we bring our child to him and have him see for himself what is wrong. Gosh! in my mind I was saying to myself "unsa mani oi, ka-effort ba ani!" My husband and I were caught in a situation wherein we have to think of a proper convincing answer for him to go on with the assessment!

At least he guided us as by telling what does a normal three-year old child acts like - being not that oozy when being into a new place and other things an ideal three year old does which I am not so familiar because I actually don't know what are the ideal behavior. In my mind I was telling myself that every child is unique and that maybe he is just that. Anyway, we manage to finish our first part of the conversation then Jaiden and my mother was allowed to join the room.

Jaiden was then talked by the doctor. The doctor had all his paraphernalia inside his square suitcase.He got out all those things, one by one for Jaiden to follow and do and some for him to answer his questions. He got first his blocks and he created the blocks into an imaginary subway with the ten small blocks put side by side as the imaginary train. He showed Jaiden how to do it then later asked Jaiden to follow. Jaiden attempted all his might be he can't get the imaginary subway where the train will pass. He struggled. Then the doctor said that it is okay because the test is really for a six-year old child and that at least he got the intention of trying to follow it. The others where shape puzzles where in he was asked to put those in its proper places. He was able to do it all correctly except for those four different sizes of squares tests wherein he was stuck in two-square sizes. He really did his best and at times would say "don't know" and some garbled words where only  his"help" word is clear. He was actually trying to ask some help to the extent of getting my right hand and putting it on the toy. He was also asked to identify pictures, identify toys like cup, fork, knife, plate and identify animal toys like dogs, horse, et al. All these identification things activity, he managed very well with only one or two mistakes. He struggled only  when he was asked as to what does a plate for and what does a watch for. But he was able to say that a cup is for "drink" and that a spoon is for "eat" - these we were laughing because it lacks the "ing" for his "drinking" and "eating" words. He was also asked to write which I thought he would refuse. Good thing he did hold the pencil and trace the shapes but not really did the correct tracing of the figure since he was holding the pencil not the proper way. Overall. it was fun witnessing Jaiden perform in front of his first-meet-doctor. I really thought he would be shy.

The doctor said that Jaiden meets higher than what he expected. He generally said that he didn't see anything wrong to raise the red flag to which it is not much of a surprise to me. His "parrotting" is not actually what it is because the alarming thing is when he keeps on repeating words or phrases in just a few minutes after without understanding what he is saying but Jaiden only repeats the phrase in a long interval (1 or 2 days after) when he is in a similar situation or saw something he associates the word with. His no "eye-contact" is also okay, he only does it when the person is new to him but after a few minutes of being familiar he does eye-contact and it is even so emotional - it speaks or convey something. Sidenote: I wasn't worried that we would be engage in sessions of developmental activity which I believe is too costly because visiting him was just for his assessment and that deep inside I know that Jaiden is just really okay. Well, what a mother-instinct would have to be? Anyway, If I remember it correctly, I think he sort of said that we were right that he was just okay.  On the other hand, he said that he would do the math scoring and assess further with the data he gathered from us and will email us the formal result of assessment supposedly  tonight but right now I didn't receive it yet. Well, I will give him time until tomorrow afternoon and will email him if I still wouldn't receive any.

p/s the consultation was worth P2T, anything for our Jaiden then at least we have now a peace of mind, thank you Lord! =)

Jaiden's Buwan ng Wika

Nights before this morning, we were so excited to see our little boy's first-on-stage performance. He showed us his few steps of dance in front of us. He was so amusing to look at. Though in the past few days as they got serious in their practice, he would complained by saying "don't like to go to school?", meaning he was no longer excited to go to school which was a deviation from his normal mood every time he woke up. In fact yesterday after our daily tour of him (riding in our car) around the subdivision before we go to work, he had a few seconds of hide and seek when his yaya fetched him to have his bath because again he didn't want to take and bath because he didn't want to go to school.  We managed to ignore his pleas. Somehow he went through his school dry run practice yesterday without a problem.

However, this morning, when his papa and I arrived in his school he started whining and chanting "don't like?", just the same complain and he got this worried look in his face. At this moment, deep inside, I had a bad feeling of Jaiden's mood.

 We found his teacher Ivy and he took hold of him to let him join his classmates who were already forming their line, waiting for their turn to present. For about ten minutes Jaiden was out of my sight (by this time, the crowd is getting thicker). I searched his face in several line of boys' heads but I failed. Until I saw his teacher holding a boy's hand who seemed to also searched for somebody and then our eyes met. He was actually holding Jaiden's hand and I realized that she was actually looking for me. I then saw Jaiden's whining face. So I went to them. His teacher asked me to have Jaiden for a while to ease up his feelings and just get back when Jaiden would be okay.

In a few minutes, the program started with a doxology with student performers. The mic and the background sound were so loud. Then my dreaded anticipation happened. Jaiden started to cry slowly and then there it went, so loud. He literally cried so loud with his eyes closed. He was so helpless that my also helpless consolation gestures didn't work. I texted hubby to come over to us hoping he might help alleviate the situation. However, Jaiden got worse crying over his shoulder. During this time, still the loud sound of the program engulfed us. We felt the need to stay away from the place to calm him. 

We found the farthest classroom. We comforted him there and his cry gradually subsided in just a few minutes and stopped. It was right there and then that we realized that Jaiden would surely not perform. So I went to his teacher to inform which initially didn't accept the fact. She said to let him calm but I told her how hysterical Jaiden was. So I didn't give her any false hope.

Going back to our comfort zone, I just took what was left of us to do. It was too early for us to went home anyway. 

We have to have at least souvenir pics of Jaiden's attire which his papa bought from Kultura in SM.

In below pics, his papa played with him and from time to time lured him in going out of the classroom just in case he would feel comfortable of himself and would join his classmates that were still waiting to perform. But Jaiden was wised enough. He never went out of the classroom instead enjoyed himself running around inside.

However, when their folk dance tune was played, he at least showed us this..........

Realizing that he was dancing to their dance tune, we immediately recorded his performance. At least even if he wasn't on the stage, we still saw him dance somehow.

I think it was the unexpected or not used to thick crowd, the loudness of the mic of the emcees and the loudness of the performers' tune that cowed Jaiden to perform. I hope next time, he would do better. For the meantime, I gave him the excuse of still being a three-year-old child.

I love you my son! Your mama and papa will forever by your side to support you in all your endeavors. 'Till your next performance, my son!!!

Moving On

Once my friend told me, that according to her favorite actress, that "you have to be alarmed if you're already too comfortable in your zone because it means that you're no longer learning".  As I understood it, it's one of her reason why she decided to work here in Cebu in spite of her father's protest. The saying stayed in my mind.

It seems surreal that I'm almost two months of my new adventure. It has been such a goal and determination to be in it which I would admit that once I was in there, it was really hard, especially at the start. I was on the verge of entertaining the thought of giving up but then I realized that it was probably too early yet to surrender. Maybe because it had been such a long time that I forgot how was it being pressured. But then, I consoled myself by asking, "isn't this what I wanted?"Am I not living what I had been praying?

I believe it's a normal thing to want more in life. Although money is always the determining factor but in my case, it's not. I felt the need to be challenged, to be of self-worthy, to be needed, to achieve something daily, to spend more time with my family on weekends and  much more is to be there for my son when there's a call for it.

To achieve our want and being in there is to strive hard to cope up with the new challenges that comes with it. It's like jumping on another bridge and trying to calm down the movement you have created wherein possibilities of rejection is inevitable. You're balancing things and get to be acquainted with the new environment.

I don't think that everything in this world comes easy. You always have to work hard to get your want until again you reached the point of your comfort zone and then it goes on and on because LIFE is just simply ROUND.

Time To Let Go

When I met you,
          I immediately fell in love with you,
But I was having second thoughts,
         because you were too high, my usual.
So I put  you down, slept over, deliberated,
        until I decided.

You were very supportive in my everyday struggles.
Whenever I was in tough roads or in slippery paths,
        you uphold me with much comfort.
In fact, I believe you made me feel at ease
        when at times I was confused whether to believe them.
Indeed, the saying was true when my doctor said so when I was expecting.
So I never regretted having you.

Last night, I had made some of my biggest decision in life.
It has been four years of you supporting me, comforting me,
         while at the same time, elevating me and made me look descent.
But you're no longer the brand new that I fell in love with.

Lately, more than two instances that I almost slide walking.
I felt a little pain wearing you.
Your facade showed some discoloration,
          even your heels posed a threat of wreckage.
Things in this world aren't really meant to last.

Time to let you go now my beloved,
          Rusty Lopez shoes!
You cost me two grands
          but it was worth it.

Now I would say,
I love you, goodbye!

     
         

Excel 101: Down Mood

I'm kind of feeling down right now...don't know how to ease it. I want to cry, I want to be comforted...  do you sometimes feel like you want to do something or there's something you like to do but can't actually figure out what is it? In short, your just totally confused, probably lost. Though I know "lost" is such a heavy word to put it.

I think it has got to do with my goal today. I'm setting myself to finish this but for some reasons because there are just people who aren't that adept with the use of Excel, the work is slowed. You give this instruction or goal but you're just torn because you still have to train the person how to filter, how to format the cells to date setting, et al. Haaiisstt..... even how to print preview or to set up the settings before you print the file, the person can't deliver it! gosh!!! "maboang ko!" I still have to do "Excel 101" lessons huh!his is my term when I still have to teach the basic of Excel. Well, in fairness to them, it's not really their fault. Then who's fault could it be? The school?

I'm just probably so pressured to deliver our group task, that I haven't fully grasp the instruction of my boss. So, I think it's one of the reason why I feel low though not "so low". Going home at 7 to your waiting hubby and sweet little boy somehow lightens up my mood a bit.

Well, "going home at 7" is I believe one of those factor. I just wanted to go home early when I just couldn't because there are just some people that I can't understand why aren't they conscious of the time. Is it probably because they're use to "offer time" (their term when they work beyond office time without overtime pay) that they do their work late when it could have been done earlier? Don't they mind those people who are affected that still have something to do after office time? To put it short basically, there's something I like to happen that didn't happen because she said "she doesn't know what to reason" - this is the downiest thing to end your work for the day when you're just too tired to extend.

To recall:
*Not able to meet my goal for the day because Excel 101, slows down the pacing.
*Somebody is just too inefficient in their job that resulted to my "unwelcomed-unexpected-offertime". I already did "offertime" the other night but just this night I should have gone home early because I felt I was already unproductive because my mind was just so stressed and disappointed.  

On the other hand, this is what I realized when it keeps on coming on my head the statement "di jd ta kapasar ani sa ISO bah!" - I can only say, "hire competent people to pass the standard".

Everything Happens for A Reason

Dedicated to Camille Prats Linsangan

Everthing happens for a reason. This was what my boss told me when I once talked to her about my difficulty of impregnation. I have already considered this as one of my quotes in life and ever since I have always believe in it.

I'm inspired to write the following article even though I know it's already very late because I think I can't let this pass because I feel it's one of those that fits "Everything Happens for a Reason".

Having read the latest story about the demise of Camille Prat's husband, it immediately came to my mind why Camille got pregnant too early of her life and eventually got married. I can still remember that her mother really cried (nanghihinayang) upon learning that she was pregnant. There was still a plan for Camille to study abroad but unexpectedly circumstances lead her to a detour.

Certainly only God knows why there are unexpected and mostly unlikely things happened in our lives. It has been said that God must have other plans.

Just like Camille's, God must have wanted her husband to experience one of the great things in life and that is to have a lovely family. They just found out about her husband's illness three months after their wedding. So even for just the remaining period of her husband's life, he had her and their son by his side in all his struggles. But indeed, only God knows everything and the reason it happened.

RIP Anthony Linsangan

What Jaiden Said

One of the little joy and surprises in life is when you hear your baby utter words or syllables. The feeling of joy is different. A simple word pronouncement or anything you least expect to hear from him is like a big deal of a story ringing in your ears and if not that too much, you want the whole world to know.

Just last week, my father commented that he was amazed by his apo's (grandson) brilliancy when he heard him spoke the word "rain". Indeed it rained that very moment when he heard him uttered the word. Mama and I were elated upon learning about it because without me knowing just like what I usually do, mama sings to our baby Jaiden the song Rain Rain Go Away every time it rains. In fact when we sang it that night even though there was no rain he automatically wanted to go near the window to look for the rain outside. Now, that's awesome! Isn't it nice to know that your baby learned the word "rain"? 

Yesterday, when his papa wore on his t-shirt (getting ready for work) with an embroidered letters "adidas" in front of it, me carrying him facing his papa, he playfully pointed to the letter "a" before the letter "s" of the brand name "adidas" and uttered "ey". At that moment, we were really caught by surprise and immediately cheered on him. Wooaahhh!!! our baby spoke of letter "a" of the alphabet! Now obviously that was one of those good things in our lives that started our days.

p/s Our baby is 1yr. and 2 mos. old.

What Jaiden Did (2)

This is my second time around writing about Jaiden's actions/mind developments. My title has an enclosed no.2 because my first writing was the Shoe Incident. I was supposed to write this last night. Because it happened supposed to be yesterday (if I was able to write this down last night) but now it's already the other day, September 6, 2011. Jaiden had his two good sets of sleep yesterday, a more than an hour in the morning and a more than two hours in the afternoon. So last night he had lots of energy to drain. The antihistamine of having him his 1ml of Allerta med for his runny nose-allergy didn't seem to put him to bed early. He was so energetic, bouncing in our bed here and there, running to and fro and sometimes founding himself watching intently (our regular night time) the youtube-learning-videos very close to my laptop's monitor to the extent of tinkering the keyboards because he couldn't control his excitement. I think one also of the reason was that his cousin Kuya Josh was around with him, playing and watching with him the videos. So, he finally went to sleep around an hour before midnight. Haaayyy! how could you have the extra energy to write this down? By my intro itself it's already long! hahahahha!!! This is what I told you, spontaneous writing! So much for my intro, let me start writing my very reason of inserting this in my good sleep.

This will be in no particular order because all these were just told by my mother. Again, it happened the other day, September 6, 2011. Let me remind you that Jaiden is now one year and two months old. :)

1) He slept very long in the morning, from 10 to past 12. Within that sleep it's impossible that he made it into a straight sleep. He must had have awaken himself from time to time because it was just obviously a nap. Mama told me that he did and she was surprised of him getting up, picking up his bottled water, lying back in bed and putting it  in his mouth, drinking. Then he went back to sleep. Good thing mama wasn't able to cover tightly his bottled water. So, he managed to got up and drink on his own. Other than drinking his milk, Jaiden regularly drinks water. Now, tending to his body needs - wasn't that amazing?

2) Papa, his grandpa, was doing something very important but stopped himself when his cellphone rang. It appeared on the screen of his phone that my mama was calling him. So, he answered his phone immediately thinking it was an emergency call. To his surprise (when he finally answered) nobody answered on the phone but a mere blank or hanging. He could hear my mama's voice on the background, but not talking to him . Later on, a baby talk made an answer. Haahahhahah!!!! It was our baby Jaiden calling him! Jaiden must had accidentally pressed my papa's cellphone number resulting to that call. Wasn't that funny? Mama's load was all used up!

3) Jaiden has this behavior of hiding or inserting anything on his hand he found interesting in a tight places - tiny horizontal opening he thinks a good place to insert something. His favorite was the small space in between our fridge's basement stand and the floor (this is what I mean horizontal opening or space in between). All my hubby's collectible magnetic maps of US (during his travel there) where I bet in there. Even Josh's Pogs are also there. One time my mama was looking for the Jollibee magnetic calendar. I told her that it was very sure its underneath the fridge. And indeed, it was there. So the other day, Jaiden managed to get mostly all the silver-metallic screw covering of the glass below-side-part of our cabinet-divider in our sala. He put it all again underneath our fridge. Mama, old already to bend on the floor to see underneath (the fridge) and get it, just tolerated it to be there. However, I told her that night right then and there when she told me of the incident that it must be get because other than the uncovered screws are pointed, there would be possibilities that the the glass walls will fall when the screws are loose. It would be very hazardous and we wouldn't want that for sure to happen. So, mama did get the screw-covering underneath. hehehhheeh...

So, just until here for now. I hope to have the time in the near future to put into black and white all Jaiden's surprising baby actions. Now, I don't know if I can still go back to sleep.  

Shoe Incident

I think I shouldn't let what Jaiden did the other day, September 2, 2011, pass without putting it on record. I don't know if it's already normal of his age.

As of that day and now, he is 1year and 2months old. What happened was, he stood in our front yard just very near our door (he didn't even reach the gate's door) with his one shoe on. Probably, he unintentionally let go of the other one. Our neighbor noticed it and commented on him saying "hala, usa ra mna imng shoes" (oh, you only have 1 shoes). My mother inside our house heard what she said. Then just after that, she saw Jaiden went inside picking up the loose shoe on the floor and hurriedly get back to our neighbor with the shoe in his hand. He must had wanted our neighbor to see the other shoe she was expecting him to wear but poor baby of mine, our neighbor was already gone (hehehehhe!). Mama just told him that "hala, wala nmn diha baby" (oh! she's no longer outside baby"). Jaiden just said nothing nor had minded at all. He continued doing what he usually does every day, playing.

It was a very big deal for me for his brain development because I found it unusual for such a young age to understand conversations like that.

You

It was you who made my first ever hospital confinement,
                                 my first ever experience of unfathomable pain.
Though we lost you but you'll always have a place in our hearts.
We love you our little angel!
We know you'll always be watching your twin.

Both of you made me had my first ever unfathomable happiness of success and of my ultimate experience of God's answered prayer.

Then, we have finally you.
It is you who made us child again.
It is you
     and a never ending reasons of how inspired and happy we are to go on with our everyday lives.

Your innocent smiles coupled with your smiling-almost-gone eyes and hearty laughter, change our lives.
You are our bundle of joy but we know you're more than just it.
You're a survivor!
      and you bring us double happiness!

Finally, In The Office

So far since we'd transferred, I finally felt I'm working. Though we're just two but somehow I no longer felt isolated. I found myself belonged though in reality not. Every time I went down usually to answer a call of nature, I saw them there. I felt again the normal aura of an office where people are silently working. Maybe then and I think for sure this is our last stop. And maybe then, our Christmas would be different.

Jaiden's First Birthday Bash!

Whew! that was how I felt when the party ended. It was exhausting but fun and memorable. I hope the kids and the adult guests felt the same way minus the exhaustion. hehehehehehehe.....

Since there was no mass in the Basilica del Sto. Nino in the afternoon of yesterday, June 28, 2011 we were contented to have just visited the church and said our little prayer of thanks for having our first baby's birthday.

We were already almost inside the Sto. Nino's sacred place of adoration when suddenly Jaiden let out a small cry when he observed and looked around the place. His face looked like he didn't feel comfortable. I think it must had been the cave-like structure inside or whatever it was. So I immediately went out of the place before my birthday boy would be hysterical. At the outside of the church, we had a lady "sinug" (a dancing-ritual prayer to the Sto. Nino thanking Him for his natal day and for everything) in dedication to his birthday. Then, a few pictorials.

We arrived an hour and a half earlier to the party venue. Jaiden was already sleepy because it was already his usual napping time. I was just hoping that he would take a short nap on my shoulder which he did, wake up just in time for his party and be in good mood (despite his small nap) when his party would start.

I was surprised when I saw the balloon decorations were beautiful than I expected. I suddenly realized that the some of the decorations weren't what I believed to have paid for in the package. There were lots of flower-shaped balloons in the ceiling. There were also plant-shaped balloons on the tables. What I know was that I only ordered a pair  of pillar balloons with a character topper to be put in front of the stage. But the extra decorations? I know that these were the expensive balloon decoration package Sparkles Balloon has. So I was thinking that maybe those are already the balloons I paid for the Balloon Maker package? Though I know that the Balloon Maker as I understood wasn't for the decoration but for literally making different shapes of balloons to be given away to children guests. So I asked the Sparkles' employee about it and voila! He said that it was a "pakapin!" (extra decorations for free) because GMA's Isyu Karon would feature Sparkles Balloons. Wow! weren't we that lucky?

Just when the party was about to start, I was told that a certain young lady asked permission from my mom that they would get a little video of the party. My mom thinking that they were a video-for-hire business didn't entertain her and informed her to seek the permission from my hubby who was just within the vicinity. Unfortunately my hubby also thought the same, hence their request was immediately declined. However, further explanation from them led to positive approval. Just a sidenote: by this time Jaiden already dozed off on my shoulder.


Unluckily Jaiden was still asleep when the party started. I had no choice but to go in front with a sleeping-beauty baby when the host called up to have the celebrant be introduced and at the same time be sang in (children's) chorus his first (typical melody) birthday song. The singing and the loud microphone sound and music in the background awoke him by surprise. At least he didn't whine. He watched his surroundings and saw a crowd of boys and girls. He was at least remained composed. Then the first game of the party started with the Boat is Sinking. When the host would raised his voice when at times the game was at its climax, Jaiden suddenly jolted which I thought due to the harsh loud sound of the host's voice in the microphone. He jolted for several times until he couldn't take it anymore. He started to cry. I immediately got out of the scene and find some place to calm him. Good because his crying stopped immediately when we comforted him. So that was how his party started. :)


The rest of the party was greeting the long-not-in-touched relatives. It was some sort of a little reunion in both my hubby's family and mine. Thus, it was meeting strangers for Jaiden. I felt some kind of  exhaustion - of smiling and chit-chatting a little. Thus, no wonder it was for our baby also. Almost the whole period of the party, Jaiden was in my comforting ( a shield for him) arms and shoulders. He wasn't his usual energetic self, I think partly because he was a bit sleepy and the crowd and strangers were just too much for him to take with an exception though to children strangers. He blended well with his guests - boys and girls and  the children like him.


By the way we also got a Puppet Show which has helped lightened the mood of our birthday celebrant. He's already used to seeing puppets in Youtube's Skidamarink by SuperSimple Learning. So seeing the puppets of Winne the Pooh and his friends entertained him and so are the kids. They didn't mind that the puppets were thin than should be.


Then came the eating time. Well, I don't like to talk about it here but I think it wasn't that pleasant experience for some? I don't know. It wasn't for me either. However, we managed to keep back on track.


From hearsay, invited children had fun and adults were in awe of the preparation. As to the details of their awedeness? - this I still have to know. :)


Generally, it was indeed a Happy, Happy, Birthday Celebration!!!!!


Happy Birthday baby Jaiden! Mama and Papa loves you so much!!!!!!


Jaiden a derivation of the name Jaidon meaning heard by God. Indeed, God has heard our prayer. Thank you so much Lord!





P/S Please don't forget to watch Isyu Karon of GMA 7 this coming Saturday, July 2, 2011, Saturday at 7:30 A.M. I think my baby and I will be seen there.  :) We might as well be discovered as a new talent (of what?) hehehhehhe

Blogging

I guess, I would  say that my blogging days are almost over. Why? because I hardly have the time to do it after office because my baby demands more of me. I can no longer do it at the office which is okay because as unbelievable as it is, I think it was one of the reason why I am now so deep in the pit of my backlog works. I don't know now how will I be able to do or finish all my backlogs. For the first time in my entire work under my current employer, I am literally backlog of my work! I don't know where to start or what to do first. And again, partly because of my blogging. I was so obsessed with my blogging that any idea or thing that sprung to my mind, I wrote it. You can see that in the past months I was able to make lots of blogs. However, this month it's getting few.

My relationship with this blog site now is I think getting vague as my baby grows and as long as I'm not able to cope up with my job backlog.. wwhhheeewww!!!!!! I don't know. I love to blog and write stuff and all those things that comes to my mind but it's just that I have no control of everything. Well....

Exhausted and Damaging Sunday

We attended our Sunday mass in the Sto. Nino since we planned to go to SM to buy our baby new clothes for his birthday which we planned for him to wear in his pictorial that'll be used in his birthday invitation..

My hubby was right that it's not an always good idea to go to SM if you don't have much money to spare because it has always been proven that we ended up going home buying something unplanned which usually are expensive.

We were able to buy our baby his clothings in a total of P3T+. Quite high huh? Yes, because we bought him two sets of church attire and three sets of house clothings. The unplanned something that we bought is the Vtec's First step walker which Jaiden really enjoyed much testing the toy around the store. He was really showing much enjoyment of the toy, as in! So we bought it at a price of almost 3T. Gosh! I don't know what's next for our baby!

I'm very much exhausted because the stroller is of no use to us in the mall except as his sleeping comfort when he doze off for about thirty minutes. Jaiden wants me to carry him around which I eagerly did. No matter how I know that my body would surely feel all the aches after malling, I couldn't trade the physical bonding I have with my baby. So I carried him around from the near the Flawless clinic area of North Wing to the Otto boutique area and then to Junrex (to see somebody) area then back to near the Flawless area to meet my hubby. It seems just so easy to picture out based in my writing here but believe me I'm physically tired. However, I still took the time to write this blog because this Sunday is an another financially-damaging Sunday but again for our baby - anything is possible as long as we can take it.