Luigi's in Kindermusik!

My dear son has finally started to go to Kindermusik. We've been meaning to enroll him for the longest time and only found the perfect time this month. He's attending the Our Time Class every Sunday at Teacher Jeannie and Company.

Here are some picture of their year-end activity:

Treasury Picture Book Classics

 Last week, I found the time to go through my book shelf. I re-discovered this book which was a gift from the past birthdays of my kids. It's a great book -- perfect for our bedtime story-telling ritual!

"Twelve marvelous picture books, including such classics as Caps for Sale, Goodnight Moon, and Harold and the Purple Crayon, plus modern classics such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and From Head to Toe."

Some snippets from the book:

 Brings back college memories when I was enrolled in Children's Literature in College of Educ (elective). :-)

Zoe's 1st "Foto Me" Pic

Our dear daughter is already ready to go to a regular preschool starting June this year. Thus, we are in the process of school-hunting now.

Today, she is scheduled for an assessment in a nearby school, just about 10 minutes away from our home. Here is the picture she had taken last night to be used for her school application.

Ha-ha-ha! Look at her "puro ngipin" smile here. She looks so strained but still a cutie anyway!

Anyway, I wish her assessment goes well today. Too bad, I won't be there to see it.

She Loves to Dance

Zoe at 3 years and 3 months simply loves to dance!

She loves to dance either infront of a crowd (her dad and mom, hehe) or alongside other kids.

See her expression with her eyes closed? (I don't know where she gets this, really, but it's cute).

At any rate, she is always a joy to watch. It never fails to bring a smile to our faces.

A commute of a lifetime

The other day, we took Zoe with us as we do some important errands for Daddy. We only took the taxi to go to Megamall since our car still cannot be relied on for long trips. Anyway, while in Megamall, we learned that the document that we had to pick up can only be gotten somewhere in Manila. So with some bit of hesitation, we decided to head for Manila with Zoe in tow.

We first took the MRT plying along EDSA. The train was crowded that for a minute, I started to regret that we tagged Zoe along. However, good thing that there was kind-hearted man who let us sit down. The ride was smooth-sailing from then on. We went down at the last station which is Taft Ave.

From there, we took the route going to the old LRT station. Honestly, I'm not so familiar with the old LRT and it's actually been ages since I rode this train. Anyway, I was suprised that the LRT ride was even more pleasant than riding the MRT. Although there were different kinds of people on it, the train is cooler and more spacious in my opinion. We went down at Carriedo station and hailed a pedicab as we got out. The pedicab ride was CRAZY. The man drove against a one way car route so you can just imagine how scared I was for myself and for Zoe. Buti na lang the ride was short. Otherwise, I may have collapsed out of fear. Hahaha. And oh, the streets were just jam-packed. There were vendors everywhere that I think Zoe has never seen that so many vendors ever in her life. But Zoe was so cool about. Nagugulat ako. She neither complained or cried. She was even pointing a the pictures in the pirated DVDs that some tinderos were selling.

Anyway, upon getting what we needed, we started to walk towards the Recto station of the new LRT (2). That walk was definitely an eye-opener for me. I realized that Manila isn't the same lovely Manila that many envisualize it to be. The beauty may still be there but the pollution now is worse than ever plus it now filled with vendors selling different kinds of bad stuff (sex videos, sex toys, pirated DVDs, fake items, etc. etc.). I was so disappointed that the used-to-be center of commercial activity is now filled with X-rated stuff making it a place not suited to bring your kids.

We made it to the LRT 2 station in time before it started to rain. This time, the train was filled with people who came from Divisoria and with young people studying in the different colleges in Manila. By that time, Zoe was utterly tired and slept the whole trip until we got to the Santolan station where we hailed a FX to get home.

It was a "commute of a lifetime" I would say. We rode a taxi, 3 trains, a pedicab plus an FX service shuttle in just one day. Not many 3-year olds have experienced it as Zoe has experienced it.

Now, would I do this again? Hmm...memorable as it seems, I don't think we'll do it again in the near future.

Ready, Get Set, Hello!

Pending the results of my next ultrasound this Wednesday, the likelihood of a repeat CS for me is almost sure.

We discussed with the OB our birthing date possibilities last Saturday and we ended up agreeing on September 01 (Tuesday) at 7:30 in the morning. Our initial date was actually August 22 but she told us that she will be out of town that day and will only be back in the evening. As for August 23, she told us that the hospital will have to charge us extra since it's a Sunday, so we didn't want that either. anyway, with my husband's approval, I told the doctor that I opt for September 01 instead. So she checked her schedule and after seeing that there was no conflict, she immediately instructed her secretary to call Cardinal Santos Hospital to reserve the delivery room on that date. Luckily, the schedule is still open and the DL still available. After issuing us the admitting form, it finally dawned on us that we will be seeing and hugging our baby boy very, very soon!!!

In just 5 weeks, it's gonna be READY, GET SET, HELLO BABY BOY!!!

Preggy Thoughts and Preggy Lists

I'm turning 31 weeks tomorrow. Only 9 weeks to go and it will be "it" for me...which means I've got to double-time on my efforts to fulfill my pre-giving birth to-do list which I've been sadly failing on.

1) All of our old white baby clothes are still in the "depths" of our closet. Gotta excavate all of it and have it washed and ironed soon.
2) I only have 3 new baby boy outfits and I don't think any of it will fit the baby upon birth. Gotta schedule a time to shop for baby boy clothes.
3) The baby cribs and beddings have not been washed yet. Tell the yaya to do that this week or next.
4) The room has yet not been disinfected and wiped clean.
5) I don't have a birthing plan yet.
6) I haven't prepared my hospital bag yet. Gotta buy: a new robe, lactacyd for baby, ethyl alcohol, some baby wraps, newborn diapers and many more!
7) I haven't been "reviewing" the birthing process so I'll be more relaxed and better prepared just in case I get a VBAC.
8) I/We still haven't made a hospital tour (maybe we can do that tomorrow).
9) I still haven't carefully studied our budget regarding expense with my giving birth and all (my hospital coverage might not be enough).
10) I still have a ton of pending work (and an upcoming new assignment) in the office that I might end up working up to the day I give birth!!! Hay.

At any rate, all of the above does not mean that I am not excited to see our new baby. He has been so active these days that I just get teary-eyed with the feeling of "LIFE" inside my womb (I sometimes wish I could see him na talaga). It's the greatest feeling in the world that no MAN could ever experience and I feel so blessed.

Anyway, mental note to myself: DON'T PANIC!!! There's still time.

On the positive side of things, I still believe that this baby will be born at the right time and the right place because God wills it so! Even if he will be born in an imperfect world, he will remain to be a being with unquantifiable value because he will be born in God's image and likeness with a dignity that is only unique to man. That alone gives him a value that no amount of money could ever buy. He is such a blessing to us that we will be forever indebted and grateful to God for.

Now, I feel so much better.

Welcome Edward Christian!

My cousin Net-net gave birth recently in Illinois to a bouncing baby boy - Edward Christian A. Gagni. Oh, what a cute li'l darling he is!

Congratulations Net and Edward and to the whole Avila & Gagni clan. Kisses to the baby!!!

HHWW

I think I'm not ready for this~~

I'M JUST NOT READY!!!

AND I'M NOT SURE IF I'LL EVER BE READY.

But I must admit, they look so cute! ;-)

*picture taken May 16, 2009 (Zoe and Efjay) during the village Flores de Mayo procession

Post msg: For those who are not familiar what HHWW means, it stands for Holding Hands While Walking. LOL!

Broom, Broom!!!!

As we were getting out of the house to leave for work today, our little one was already outside, with a broom (a "walis tingting") in her hand, helping her nanny sweep the fallen leaves in the street infront of our home.

She did a good job, actually. Dad and I are really happy that she's growing up to be helpful, active, industrious and happy.

My Favorite Party Pic of Zoe

We're so glad that our guests really enjoyed Zoe's 2nd birthday party. But best of all, there's nothing like seeing your kid burst into laughter like THIS!

Priceless!

Gimme, Gimme

Zoe's really beginning to act like a 2-year old (if you know what I mean!).

Protect Your Children

Sometimes, parents get too lax in looking after their own children that sometimes bad things happen to them. It has always the responsibility of the parents to look after them and make sure that they are safe. Aside from not letting your young kid out of your sight, an added benefit especially in this age of the internet is that parents can now Locate Florida Sex Offenders for their protection.

A Great Family Video Guide

As parents to a young kid, we believe in tv and movie censorship for our daughter. We always try to assess which videos and tv shows she may be exposed to and try to only make her watch only those shows which are educational and worthwhile watching. This is quite easy now when she's still a toddler. However, as she grows older, we should definitely be more equipped in judging the tv shows and videos which she would be later be watching. Hence, this book which I found in a Book Sale has really come in handy.

Product Description c/o Amazon.com

Watching videos has become one of the most popular ways for parents and kids to spend time together. Selecting videos, however, can be overwhelming, and often you may find that you've chosen a film that's too young, too violent, or too sophisticated for your child-or too tedious for you. With this witty, authoritative guide, video rentals will be a breeze. For each movie, the authors provide a quick thumbnail sketch of the plot, entertainment value rankings, and age recommendations-for toddlers through teens. "Ten Best Lists" organize films by both age-range, genre, and special categories, such as: * Ten tasteless movies you can safely say yes to* Ten sibling sagas* Ten movies almost as good as the books* Ten black-and-white classics kids will sit through. It also features developmental information on what children understand at different ages and how to select videos depending on your child's age and taste.The Parents Guide to the Best Family Videos draws on the expertise of authors who review movies, as well as suggestions taken from the readers of Parents magazine. Including forgotten favorites and little-known gems, this guide offers you invaluable kid-tested reviews of fabulous films for your family.

From the Publisher

"Finally, the antidote to video store overload! This thorough and thororoughly entertaining guide offers helpful age-by-age recommendations and straight talk about violence, sex and profanity. McCormick and Cohen are the kind of parents you wish lived next door so you could solicit their opionions any time. Now you can!"

-- Annie Murphy, parenting correspondent Good Morning America, editor at large, Parents Magazine

Books are Fun!

Do you know Barney's song about books "Books are Fun"?

Books are fun, books are great
Let's sit down with a book today.

Books are fun, books are great.

Is it book time yet?

Oh I just can't wait to read a book.

Well, books are really fun and great to read. Books are treasures that tickle our imagination.

When I was young, my Dad made sure that he bought me a book every month. It all started when he got me one book ("Heidi") and I told him that I finished reading it in a month and that I enjoyed it a lot. From then on, he got me books on a regular basis. Thus, my love for reading started. I enjoyed William Shakespeare, Robert Louis Stevenson, C.S. Lewis, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, and many others. I've also been a addict to book fairs and book sales for the past few years that I think I already have hundreds of books at home.

Most of the time, we say that value our books so much but problem is, we tend to forget that we also need to know to how to properly take care of them for them to last.

I have this friend who really impressed me on the way she took care of her books. All of her books were listed in an excel file. They were all with plastic cover and she is careful so that the scotch tape doesn't ruin the backcover of the book. They are also carefully stored in good sturdy shelves.

Now if only I can learn how to do it the same way. I could be so lazy you know. But I'm hoping that I'll be able to preserve all my books for Zoe (and our future kids) to enjoy and cherish. That idea alone pushes me to take a good look at my book collection and see how I'll be able to preserve and organize it.