Rafa Anecdotes

One afternoon in the car, Rafa looked out the window, stared at the sky and was obviously totally awed by what she was looking at.

"Mommy, look! The sky is moving!"

She couldn't believe it she stared at the sky open-mouthed for the next couple of minutes.

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I asked Rafa to get something for me and I immediately followed my request with "Thank you."

She said, "No, don't say thank you muna."

When she handed it to me, she said, "Yan, you can say thank you now."

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I told Rafa, "Pang, have I told you already...?"

"Told me what?"

"That you're so cute."

"I know."

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I thought Rafa was biting Mack in the ear, so I told her to stop. But she said, "I'm not biting him. I'm just kissing my baby brother. And it's a trueeeee lovessss kiss!"

At least she"s not one of those who believe that true love's kiss only comes from princes or boys.

Gabbie's Field Trip as Grade One

It was her first time to go on a school field trip without mommy or daddy. There was just a slight apprehension on my part because we're still not comfortable with her going and doing her thing in the cr alone. Other than that, we were OK. We had faith in how the school and the teacher will handle and take care of them, and there were also parent chaperones assigned to look after them. But most of all, we had faith in our daughter that she can be independent and that she is smart enough to remember all our reminders and bilins. In fact, the parent chaperone assigned to her sent me this message after the field trip.

At the end of the day, Gabbie has shown and proven to us that she can already handle herself even without mommy or daddy. While it makes me a little emotional, I'm happy and proud that she is growing responsible and independent.

Mack's 6th month

I feel so emotional about this post, as this is about Mack's first 6 months of life outside my tummy. I can now say "whew" as we say goodbye to exclusive breastfeeding and say hello to feeding him with solids already.

So many things have happened in the past six months. There was the bacterial infection, weight loss, request for breastmilk donation and daddy's several tris around the metro to pick up breastmilk donations from generous mothers whom we will be forever grateful for. Then there was the series of tests on Mack's intestines and urinary tract, and of course the circumcision and hospital confinement.

On our first week of solids feeding, I was so disheartened. Mack wouldn't take anything. I thought we were a failure. I bought him rice cereal from Healthy options because he wouldn't eat the brown rice which was cooked like a lugaw. He ate bananas from the Nuby nibbler but that was it. He didn't gain much.

I had no choice but to just keep on direct feeding him and still give donated breastmilk with Heraclene. I still tried to give him the rice cereal which he would eat only when I have him something to munch on like a piece of breadstick or that harder loaf of pan de unan. And then I got saba and boiled it for him. He liked it! Little by little I added rice cereal to the mashed boiled saba alternating with fresh banana. Last time we weighed him, he was already 12.5lbs.

Now at six months, Mack can already crawl fast on the floor.  He grabs anything with his two hands already and can roll over and over without banging his head on the surface.

He might still be underweight for his age but we're not that worried because he is hitting is milestones and he is gaining, albeit slowly.