A Homecoming Part 1

Dearest Mavi,

Early this year, you and Mama went back to Philippines(homeland) to visit your grandparents and so spend quality time with family and relatives.  I just have to say that everyone there was anticipating that moment for you to come home so they could meet you and express their love for you.  Remember, Mama and Daddy are not the only ones who loves you dearly, there’s also you grandparents on you Dad’s side and grandparents on my side too! Plus... you aunts and uncles, and you dearest cousin Yanyan.

First stop, we went to Pampanga.  This is your Dad’s place, where he was born, was raised by your Lolo and Lola, had his primary school.  Your Dad and I used to go here twice or thrice a year when you weren’t born yet.  And the last time that you visited Pampanga was when you were 10 months old, right before we left for Belgrade.

You rocked their world Mavi.  Your grandparents and aunts were so happy that you were there! Their house became so noisy because everyday you sing songs to them, made them laugh, danced to them, make “kulit” with your Lolo.  Every afternoon, you would tell your Lolo that you would like to ride his “car”.  Riding Lolo’s car was one of your favorite past time while in Pampanga.  You always wanted to sit on the front-seat so you can see how your Lolo drives.

Everyday, your Lola Son would cook foods for you.  She would give you a bath at night before you go to bed.  Then your Auntie Joy would read you books... books that your Dad used to read when he was a little boy too.  You love all those books Mavi!  I even wanted to bring them here but it would be very very pricey to ship them all the way here.  So I just told your Lola to preserve those books well so you can read it everytime we go back in Pampanga.

Auntie Zen, Lei and Ivy, and your Tito Raul would play with you in the afternoon.  You love to play ball with Tito Raul, and you always kulit your Aunties of their iPod.

Too bad we only stayed there for 2 weeks.  It wasn’t enough since they really wanted to spend more time with you.  Plus, we still haven’t met some of your Dad’s relatives who also loves to see you.  But we still have to visit Bacolod, where another set of loved ones were waiting for you... to greet you.

So see Mavi?  There are so many people who loves you.  In case you feel so alone someday and feels that the world in upon your shoulder, always remember that you always have us on your side. Always sweetheart, always.

 

Love,

Mama

We're back in Lagoon

This time I brought Mavi and Yanyan with me and we fed the Tilapias!  They had a blast!

A Holiday in Switzerland! (Part Deux)

On our last day in Zurich, we simply walked around Glattfelden.  The place was just purely magic! I was so happy that we made this walk because it's one of those relaxing activity that hubby and I haven't done for quite some time.   And since Mavi was with us, it was also the best time to show him everything that there is to see in Zurich: the clear streams, the farm animals, the ducks floating and swimming around, the forest and wonderful green frozen fields.

A Holiday in Switzerland! (Part Wan)

Please be warned that this post is flooded with photos!

We got invited to celebrate Christmas in Zurich by my husband's relatives.  Oh we were so happy to be there, to be able to spend Noche Buena with Filipino family and friends! At least we didn't miss home that much!  The best part of it was that we went to Milan first, then drive around 5 to 6 hours going to Switzerland.  There were so many sights to see if even if the roads were covered with snow   Mavi was in his best behavior during our trip. 

Once we crossed the border from Italy, we stopped by on this gasoline station in Switzerland and didn't miss to take a picture with the snowy alps on the background.

15 Months Old Mavi in Milan

Last 2009 we were invited to celebrate Christmas in Zurich  by my husband's cousin Kuya Toto.  I was ecstatic to hear the news because aside from the the fact that Switzerland is a dream destination for me, we will also be spending the holidays with our Filipino family and friends!

But we didn't fly from Belgrade to Zurich.  We first meet up with Kuya Toto's older brother in Milan.  We've been to Italy before, but I still got so excited over Milan since it will be a new experience and adventure for us. And I was also looking forward to meet my husband's relatives in Milan.

Anyhoo, since this blog is all about my little baby boy, I just want to share some fanta-fabulous moments that we had with him during our holiday trip in Milan and Zurich, and on his first winter experience.

Fear?

Mavi’s been so clingy and fearful these days.  I have no idea why, or what triggered him to be so paranoid! He doesn’t want to sleep in the room even during his afternoon naps.  He’s scared of the paintings inside the house, the paintings has been there since he was 10 months old!  Then, he’s so sensitive with sounds, like the sound of my cooking, the horns outdoor etc. And the worst part, he’s soooo scared of our lamp! 

What to do?

Is this just a phase??

As far as I can remember, he started these behavior when he was hearing some noise and sounds during the time when our nextdoor neighbor was having a renovation. 

I can truly understand if he becomes so fearful when there’s a change of environment... but wala naman!  We still live on the same place, the same house, the same street.  So it really bothers me why he becomes so clingy.  Sometimes I wonder if he has a ghost in the house!

Haay.

Tot School

I started tot school or homeschooling a toddler because I wanted to make use of my time since I am a stay at home Mom.  It would be really to get him into a childcare center or let him watch TV or do free play all day.  Since Mavi doesn’t go to daycare centers he isn’t exposed to socializing with other kids, crafts, songs and play.  Why pay for a playschool when I can do these stuff by myself, right?  Therefore, I made it my responsibility to homeschool him and do all these things from an early age.

Unknown to some, I don’t make my son sit at home and do school and studying all day everyday.  In fact, we probably spend about an hour or two a day doing scheduled and planned activities.  Mavi’s attention span is very short at the moment and sometimes, he’s not in the mood for tot school and there are times that he just keeps on asking for more play (meaning, tot school).

I’ve been giving him a lot of things to do for the past weeks and I was thinking that’s becoming too much for him. Actually, at first, I based my schedule on the Letter of the Week… and later on tried to modify it. 

So here’s a much simpler and lax tot school schedule for me and Mavi.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Crafts Day	Colors/Shapes	Letter of the Week/ Bible Story	Numbers	Household Chores/Montessori Friday

Monday is Crafts Day.  This will be based on the theme for the week.  The theme may range from colors, animals, relationships, objects, nature, creating something for pretend play, etc.

Tuesday is Colors and Shapes.  I wanted to revert back to the original idea of Letter of the Week, that is to do colors every other week, that is, to alternate between colors and shapes.

Wednesday is Letter of Week.  Aside from doing a letter craft, I wanted to add the familiarization of at most 2 words or things that starts with the letter of the week.  Again, the theme will also be based on the letter of the week.

Thursday is Numbers.  Will just go between 1 to 20 at the moment, this includes familiarization of the number symbol, the idea of counting and eventually learning to read or familiarized with the number word.

Friday is household chores/Montessori activities.  Actually we are doing Montessori activities almost everyday, whenever Mavi doesn’t feel to do something for tot school or whenever he asks for more activities.  I would like to add he household chores here though.  I think it’s a pretty good idea to start exposing kids to chores as early as possible.  Anyway, he’s been showing his interest in washing the dishes and doing laundry, so I’d better get him involved.

Well, there you go!  I didn’t include the outdoor activities or include our park day visits because we usually do it in random.  There’s no specific day because we depend too much on the weather.  But anyway, I will try to take pictures of our outdoor activities.  I don’t take pictures of him anymore whenever we are out because it’s so difficult to take a photo of him :-)

So that’s all for now. I’m currently creating my schedules for the whole month of September and once done, I will try to share it with you.

The best way to welcome summer...

...is by having a chicken pox.

No, that would not be me.  It's my son, acquiring the virus a few days after our trip.  We didn't bother tracing where he could have gotten it.  Instead, we welcome the pox with open arms and figured out some things that we have to do to make Mavi less miserable.

Being a fulltime Mom, I immediately knew that there was something wrong with him when I started to feel his temperature and saw a small pimple-like rash on his back.  We were also pretty lucky that I discovered that the rash finally came out on a weekend, so we were able to rush him immediately to a private clinic.  And yes, it was confirmed that it's chicken pox.  The pedia just gave us a paracetamol for fever and pain,  and a liquid powder for the chicken pox.

I chose the pox instead of having him vaccinated (when he was younger).  I want my son to develop his natural immunity, more anti-bodies... more healthier Mavi!

So! For a 2 days, we didn't get enough sleep because he kept on crying in the middle of the night because of the itch.  But that was just it... 2 straight days.  Mavi's a strong boy, he didn't show any sign of pain in him.  His 38C something fever didn't even weakened him.  I read, that as long as your child is active and playing, in a good mood and doesn't seem to mind the illness, it's safe to think that he's gonna alright.  Aside from that, he didn't lose his appetite.  He continuously drank his milk and I imposed a soft diet. 

The isolation is about 15 to 20 days, so that would mean we still have to stay inside the house for the whole week.  But Mavi's okay now.  All the rash has dried up and I am hoping that the scars will heal in time.  Another good thing about his pox, there were not that much on the face, it appeared more on his torso and the amount of rash were manageable. 

I needed to congratulate myself for having survived it too.  It's not easy dealing with a little boy having that sickness, with no family members or help in a foreign country.  In the end, I realize that I could do more than just being a mother... I can be a doctor or a nurse too hehe!  I am also happy that I can be there for him the whole time.  I don't think he can recover that fast with a nanny. 

A mother's tender love and care can really do wonders!

Days with my Little Prince

For the past weeks, I have been introducing more activities for Mavi, mainly to keep him entertained while he is learning and acquiring more skills.

First, Mavi has been showing signs that he is strong enough to support his upper body. So I have been helping him learn to sit upright, starting from an assisted position and then releasing him once he has gained his balance. We do this on the rubber matt since it's firm yet protective everytime he falls. My mother would always complain if I do this, she's just too scared for her grandson. But I think teaching Mavi with me nearby is safe. I always ensure that he within my reach to support him in case he loses his balance. One trick to to catch his attention is to use toys while he is seated. But he can only sit unassisted for a few second because curious Maverick ends up reaching for the toys most of the time!

Look at me Mom

Then last friday, Mavi did an unexpected thing. He stood up on his own, holding on to some to some pillows that I piled for support. I would usually put Mavi on the bed foam whenever he wants to sleep, and would just roll around. This way, his head is supported due to the softness of the foam if he wants to practice kneeling down, or at times sitting up. But look here!! My boy is standing up at 5months! Here's the videos (1 and 2) of Mavi standing on his own.

It can sometimes be tiring just watching him do this, and guiding him. I would just allow him to stand up for a few minutes, and allow him to rest. Pero matigas ang ulo ni Mavi, standing is his favorite favorite activity as of the moment. He would rather stand than crawl or sit.

Wee! Standing already!

Maverick is also showing that anytime soon, he will crawl. In fact we are now sleeping on the floor because my little can crawl over me. Gustong gusto nya na pumupunta sakin, mag crawl sakin, tapos magkneel, while pushing his self so he can stand. Muntik na syang malaglag one time, I saw him he was already at the foot of our bed.

Mom, this is how a dog looks like! Hahaha

Then there were time that we just lie on the rubber matt, read his phoenics boos, play and just laugh together. Both of us would sometimes look so silly, especially me, trying to entertain him as much as I can. I would sing him songs, make funny faces, make sounds of animals and encourage him to respond. Since he's been saying more "mamama", "dadada", "ooohhss" and "aaaahhhs", I am encouraging him to express himself verbally and not by crying or showing tantrums, by talking to him often and responding to the sounds he made. I guess it also helps that marami kami sa bahay, I have my Mom, Dad, our helper para kumausap sa kanya lagi. It helps talaga kasi si Mavi mabilis nakakapagsalita, and ang daldal nya most of the time, that's because lagi syang kinausap ng mga tao dito sa bahay. I told my parents and our helper not to baby talk Mavi, instead, treat him like an adult when they communicate with him.

I just love Mommy. Isn't she the best??

Around 4PM, we would usually go out for some of our outdoor activities. We have neighbors na namamasyal with their pets in front of our house, and Mavi loves the sight of dogs playing. He doesn't like cats, he would growl whenever he sees one. Then while on a sling, I would show to him the plants, the color of the gates on our street, the birds that we would see outside. This is one advantage of putting him on a sling, while kayakap si Mommy, my little boy is learning and sees everything that I do.

Mavi behaves on the sling... this is his cave as what Lola would describe it

Lastly, since Mavi has learned how to play with his hands, alam nya narin ang "close open" thing. He loves to show me what he can do with hands.

Mommy look I can play with my hands

Haaay, this is the best club in the world - Motherhood. Everyday, spend good quality time with your baby and as a family (Binoy, I need you! Soon Honey, we will be together). Each day, I gave my little prince plenty of hugs and kisses, and of course, when he gets into the talking stage, I will listen very carefully to him. Talk to you kids, but not at them. I enjoy every moment while we're at play. I tried to record all his moments, using video, pictures and even scrapbooking.

The Little Prince

Haaaay, there is nothing better than watching my Maverick sleep. Even though I should be sleeping too!

I just know how to do anything - I am a Mom!