Ang Paboritong Bedtime Story ni Maia

Eto ang buod ng paboritong kwento ni Maia. Minsan hindi ito matapos tapos ikwento ni Mommy nya kasi ang dami-daming nasisingit na detalye. Nakakatulog na sila bago pa man umabot sa ending. May panahon din na hindi nya ito naging paborito. Ewan ko kung bakit, nalulungkot daw sya pag naririnig ang kwento. Siguro yun ang panahon na binubuo pa lang ni Maia ang bokabularyo nya at hindi nya gaano naintindihan ang ibang parte ng kwento. Pero ngayon, kayang-kaya na nya ito ikwento ng mag-isa. Kabisadong-kabisado na nya ang mga detalye. Sana hanggang sa kanyang paglaki, maalala nya ang masayang araw na ito. 

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Isang araw, doon sa malayong bayan ng DC may isang batang nagngangalang Maia Isobel. Pinanganak sya noong Oktubre 18. Ang pangalan ng Mommy nya ay F at ang pangalan ng Daddy nya ay T.

Madaling araw noon ng bigla na lang naisip ni Maia na kumatok sa tyan ng Mommy niya. "Knock, knock, knock Mommy ko. Palabasin mo na po ako dito. Gusto ko na po makita ang mundo!" Malakas ang katok niya pero hindi agad ito pinansin ng Mommy niya. Bakit kamo? Sabi kasi ni doktora dalawang linggo pa ang aantayin nila. 

Pero sadyang makulit itong si Maia. "Mommy ko, Mommy ko! Naririnig mo ba ako? Ready na akong masilayan ang mundo! Palabasin mo na po ako dito!" Nilakasan nya ang katok at ayun napansin din sya ni Mommy nya. Inumpisahan bilangin ni Mommy nya ang katok nya. Aba! At mukhang handa na ngang lumabas para makita ang mundo ni Maia.

Alas kwarto nang umaga nag umpisang kumatok si Maia. Pero alas-8 na nung umalis sila Mommy at Daddy nya para kitain sa ospital si Doktora. Pagdating ng alas-11 nakahiga na si Mommy ni Maia at handa nang ilabas sya. Pero nakatulog ata si Maia at inabot ng alas-9 ng gabi bago sila magkita ng personal ng Mommy nya. Natagalan man, sulit na sulit ang bawat segundong inantay. Inuluwal na malusog at malakas ang batang si Maia.

Nakakatuwa, sino mag aakala. Pagkatapos ng siyam na buwan ayan na si Maia. Nagkamustahan na rin sila ni Daddy at Mommy nya. Hindi mapantayan ang galak sa mga taong matagal nang sabik makita sya. 

To Be Young And Carefree

I couldn't stop staring at this photo of the little miss from our recent Fun Farm trip. I remember it was quite difficult for Dom from Studio 2716 to take this photo because the little girl refused pause even for just a brief moment to have her photo taken. She kept telling me to push harder instead because parang kinikiliti kasi ako, Mommy! Gusto ko dito sa kiliti swing! (insert seemingly endless unadulterated kiddie laughter)

Among the great pictures that the photographers took of us that day, this is one of my favorites. For me, this summed up the mood for that day. Fun. Child-like. No holds barred. Free. Happy.

you can almost hear her laugh just by looking at this photo, don't you agree?

Thank you, thank you to our very patient photographers! Sa uulitin for sure!

Saving For A Desired Toy

Little girl likes flipping through my magazines. She likes to look at pictures of toys, of little girls with their mommies or daddies, of pretty dresses (no attraction to shoes or bags just yet. thank God!). She loves it even more when she sees a photo of a toy that she already owns. She'd run to me or her dad and excitedly announce: "Mommy/Daddy o, look! Toy ko 'to!" 

We trained her not to be attached to things, especially to toys. But we of course have also come to accept the reality that at some point in a little girl's life she becomes best friends with her toys (for the lack of company at home, I reckon). Still I consider us lucky because each time we go to a toy store she would be contented with playing with the toys in the store but not coming home with them. On really good days, she would even put the toys back on their shelves without us telling her to do so.

We rarely buy toys for Maia and that's probably the reason why she doesn't demand we do And we frequent bookstores more than toy stores so that's probably another reason. However, we have been noticing that lately when she sees toys on my magazines she would say "MOMMY/DADDY, Bili ako neto ha?" And when we'd ask her if she has money for it, she'd say - "IKAW MAY PERA. IKAW ANG BIBILI".

So today, when she was again pressing me to buy her a specific toy I finally told her she needs to save for it if she really wants it. She immediately went looking for her alkansya (coin bank) and ask me for a coin. She goes: "O okay na today Mommy ha? Meron na ako nahulog ha? Bukas ulit huwag mo kalimutan ako bigyan".

Pambihira 'nak. Parang ako na lang nag-ipon nun ah.

The Looks Of Summer

I'm not a fashionable mom. But being a stage mommy to a little girl pressured me to keep myself abreast with what's in and what's not in kiddie fashion. However, given my lack of enthusiasm for the fashion world I've always been left behind. These days I'm glad the little girl can finally pick her own clothes. I wouldn't have to go through so much trouble just to come up with what would be nice to wear (truth be told, the hubby usually ends up choosing the little girl's lakwatsa get-up).

So anyways, I was going through some photos and have come to realize how much photos I've accumulated in the past few weeks. And they all look very summery so let me just post them here, for posterity's sake.

Getting ready for the long trip to Angeles. Waiting for her ride -- the jeepney ride that is.

Leaving for ESS to enroll and finally graduate from being a toddler to a preschooler  

Shirt design c/o Tita Mao (my sister who is currently into tie-dye shirt making) 

Embracing Graffiti Art While Enjoying the Mid-day Sun  

As you will probably realize upon reaching this part of this post, I was actually just looking for an excuse to post photos of this pretty little miss that I surely miss while I'm here at work.

It's going to be mid-week soon and we'll be off to vacation in 5 days! Yahoo!

Afternoon Playdate At Tribeca

We love joining playdates. When Maia hears that word, it's like magic to her ears. I guess because her playdate experiences were always very pleasant and it's where she gets the excuse to run, hop, skip, shout and be just her kiddie self all she wants (well not that we prohibit her from being such at home but I just have the feeling that being around adults almost all of the time somehow gives her the impression that she needs to grow up fast just to be able to catch up).

Each time I get an invitation to join a playdate, I immediately block that date (if it isn't blocked by a prior commitment yet that is). Maia and I are now 'almost' pros at commuting that distance has somehow become very mundane for us to consider. Well, QC is really far but Makati would still be okay for us. It's usually just the two of us who comes to these playdates but I'm really lucky having a kid who now gamely walks with me and rarely asks to be carried except when of course, we have to cross via a footbridge where she gets awfully scared so I would be left with no other choice but to carry her. 

Yesterday, Tricia (who is also a n@w) invited us for a playdate with other n@w kids at Tribeca (those blue and white buildings you see near Sucat in SLEX). Friday pa lang, the kid was so excited already she can hardly get some sleep! (mental note not to remind her of a next day lakad because it renders me super tired the next day) She helped me pack her playdate 'essentials' and some toys to bring since we were told there's a sandbox installed in the playground (another yey for the little miss since she loves to play in the sand). 

Maia's playdate essentials - human <3 nature's pocket handsoap, extra change of clothes, snacks, towel, paper handtowels to keep her back dry, water bottle, by nature spf 55 sunblock, wet wipes + first aid kit - alcohol, band-aids, by nature's baby salve (plus mine too)

So mid-afternoon our twosome left the Daddy at home and headed to Tribeca carrying with us the prospect of a really, really fun afternoon. It drizzled already when we boarded the jeepney going to Alabang but I was still hoping that the crazy weather would cut us some slack (it is summer afterall!) and spare that area where Tribeca is situated.

Weather was such a bummer, wasn't it?

We were the first guests to arrive and got there just about the same time as Tricia. It was starting to get gloomy then but the kids didn't seem to mind. Maia immediately raided the dollhouses and claimed the pink (yet unfinished) one as her own. Kids spent about 30 mins frolicking in the playground and the sandbox when the warning drizzle started and we ran for cover towards the tents on the other center of Tribeca's football field (awesome, right? they have a football field inside the condo compound). And that was how our day ended. It was all heavy downpour from that moment on and we weren't given any more opportunity to enjoy the awesome playdate venue. There was still so much to do had the rain skipped that part of the south. The playdate was supposed to be timed perfectly since there was an event at Tribeca that day and there were picnic mats, balls, and i forgot what other activities (but definitely plenty) for the kids to enjoy. But because of the rain, we had to content ourselves with munching on the free snacks instead. 

Maia and Aki raid the sandbox together with Raine, Zoe and Raj

She tried so hard to fight her fear of heights but she got stuck on this part of the ladder and was crying for help. I had to push her up and encourage her to move on till she was able to slide down on the other side.

This one's mine! MINE!

Ano naman to, Mommy? May mga tools sya eh!

food stubs c/o Tribeca, yay free snacks!

It was still a fun afternoon. And with the rain cutting the playdate short, we have now perfect excuse to schedule a repeat again (and maybe several more repeats after that hehe). Thank you Tricia for inviting us over!

Mediating A Father-Daughter 'Conflict' - a first

Tonight while Tibs was trying to brush Maia's teeth, he was kicked in the face by a little girl who was refusing and demanding for me to do it instead. Apart from the hurt ego, well, Tibs is just the type who easily loses his cool when he's hurt (I'd slap him lovingly and he's still be mad at me so I had since ceased making carino brutal) - be it as light as a pinch or as heavy as a punch. I was still thankful because he was still able to restrain himself from hitting Maia as initial reflex. I got in just in time to mediate the already rising 'conflict' between father and daughter. 

Sorry I had to document this in Tagalog. I really wanted to transcribe it from memory and I think I'll just ruin it if I translate.

Tibs: Maia! Ano ba? Bakit mo ko kailangang sipain?!#$ (usok na ilong at tenga sa galit, tumataas na din boses)

Maia: Ayaw kita mag-toothbrush sa akin! Gusto ko si Mommy!

Tibs: Hindi! Ako naman pagbigyan mo. Gusto ko rin naman mag-bonding tayo. Buong araw na kayo magkasama ni Mommy!

Maia: Hindi! (sipa. medyo lakas na sipa) 

Tibs: Maia! Tumigil ka na. Nasan na ba ang pamalo, Mommy? (tayo kunwari naghanap)

Maia: Toothbrush na ako! Matutulog na ako! (takbo sa akin, pakandong)

Me: O bakit? Sige na, tapusin nyo na ni Daddy yung pagtu-toothbrush.

Maia: Gusto ko ikaw, Mommy. Sige na ikaw na.

Me: Pagbigyan mo na si Daddy. Gusto rin nya kahit sa pagto-toothbrush makapag bonding kayo. Love mo sya di ba?

Maia: (walang imik)

Me: Bakit walang sagot? Di mo love si Daddy?

Maia: (mega-tango. paulit ulit)

Me: Hala. Bakit?

Maia: Basta ayaw ko sa kanya. Ayaw ko sya mag toothbrush!

Tibs: (galit na. higa at nagtakip ng unan) E di sige huwag. Di mo na ako Daddy! (shaks parang bata no? lolz)

Me: 'Nak, di naman yata tama yan. Ang mga daddy hindi pwede hindi nila-love kasi ikaw love na love ka ni Daddy eh. Mag-sorry na. 

Maia: Sorry daddy. I love you, we rock, sweetdreams, goodnight! 

Me: Parang di na ata yun totoo eh. Sorry ka na talaga? Love mo na talaga si Daddy? Hug mo na nga sya tsaka kiss mo na.

Maia: Daddy sorry na. (attempts to hug but the daddy refuses)
Tibs: Sino ka ba?
Maia: MAIA!

Tibs: Ano ba kita?

Maia: Anak.

Tibs and Me: (stifles laughter)

We went to finish brushing her teeth and I finally got her ready for bed. I explained to her why Daddy is mad and reminded her of our two major rules - LISTEN AND OBEY. She nodded to acknowledge that she understood (I can only hope she really did understand) and I asked her to say a short prayer of thanks and she said goodnight to everyone.

Me: O sige na matulog ka na. Bukas bumawi ka kay Daddy ha? Sabayan mo sya mag-breakfast. Tapos patikim mo sa kanya ginawa mong ice candy.

Maia: O sige Mommy. Kay Daddy ang buco, akin yung Milo no?

Tibs: Ayaw ko.

Maia: E ano gusto mo Daddy? Ha? Sa yo na ang buco. 

Tibs: Ayaw ko nga.

Maia: Mommy, tanungin mo si Daddy ano gusto nya.

Me: Okay sige. Basta matulog ka na. Bukas bati na kayo nyan ni Daddy.

Maia: Sige. Mommy...(pabulong) tanungin mo si Daddy kung love pa nya ako. Ganyanin mo balikat nya o (kalabitin ko daw)

Me: Daddy, sagutin mo daw tanong ni Maia.

Tibs: (walang kibo for 10mins tapos biglang tayo). Sige na. Bati na. Halika nga hug mo ako, bilis!

Maia: (takbo sa daddy sabay hug mahigpit then hagikhik ng tawa)

Tibs: Love na love ko to syempre. Nag iisa lang to eh. 

And that ends my transcription of tonight's events. They continued to bond for another 10 mins or so over tickles and giggles. I can only imagine what other conflicts these two will encounter in the next few years. But I do pray that each and every time that happens, they always will end up resolving it this way (and I hope I don't always have to mediate lolz). 

Haaay Maia if you only knew how much Daddy loves you. You really do not need to ask.

Instilling The Love For Books + Reading + Storytelling

My siblings and I were raised to love books and reading. We grew up surrounded by 3 sets of encyclopedias and National Geographic coffee table books and history books. We had this encyclopedia-dictionary (tabby, was it collier's? i couldn't remember now) that the 3 of us older kids then would fight over because we all wanted to read it at the same time. We started reading Constantino when we were in grade school. Back then it was something really fun to learn history and all the trivia I learned from reading that book just came in handy when I was already in College.

Reading, on the other hand, was not something that was forced unto us.  At some point I guess, it did gave us the impression that we could be cool if we know stuff so that would probably had us started. Eventually, during idyllic summer days you’d see us curled in our own little corner of the house, faces buried in a book. We never usually go out of the house unless we were ask to buy something from the nearby talipapa or the nearest sari-sari store. My siblings and I were homebodies and never grew a fondness to being out of the house (happy si daddy and mommy!) so books were our primary source of adventure.

My dad had this grand dream of building his own library. He marked our books with "Pachoco Family Library" and I guess, that dream somehow rubbed off on us because we eventually shared his dream. Among the 5 of us though, I'd say I have the most boring reading list. They consist mostly of chiclit stuff, a lot of Stephen Kings and Robin Cooks, and of late obviously parenting books. I'd always be amazed with all the books that one of my sisters read. She maintains a very interesting (sorry tabby couldn't find the right word to describe it) book collection. I onced picked up one of her books but never got to finish it. They were the 1000-paged kind which about just a quarter through I'd end up falling asleep because the literature would jumble up my brain and my imagination just wouldn't function anymore. Besides the limited vocabulary that I have, I guess I'm still a baby when it comes to literary appreciation really. One day, I'd still want to get my hands and eyes on them though and be able to say that I finished a Dostoyevsky, a Pychon or a Joyce.

When I finally got around to envisioning myself as a mother, one of the things I really wished my kids would become passionate about is reading and storytelling. My sister who had already a son a year ahead of me told me to just make sure we always read to the little one when she was still a baby. So we read to her one specific story book each time till we learned the story by heart we would tell it even without reading through the book. Up until now, we didn't realized that the story was imprinted on Maia. When she finally learned to talk, she once asked for her Puppy Dog book -- "Mommy, nasan na si Puppy Dog ko? Yung puppy dog is dirty! (and Tibs wound interject - Dan and Emma wants to wash him?) Yes, yung book na yun!".  We were once again blown away. We didn't expect her to remember THAT book. But she did.

happy to find a souvenir photo with the puppy dog book

We already lost that book a long time ago. It was worn out from all the chewing and throwing that endure from Maia’s infancy. The little girl also practiced her tearing skills on that book and we eventually decided to retire and throw it away. Maia's literary CV has now expanded to include Adarna published books, some Dr. Seuss’s and Eric Carle's. There are other books she'd take to bed and kiss goodnight on some days (titles of which I just can't seem to recall right now). I'm starting to see my wish coming true. I'm in no way pressuring her to make it happen, but I'm hoping that with how she's treating books these days, it eventually will.


She also developed a unusual skill of reading books upside down. Lolz.



Daddy, malaking very hungry caterpillar o!



typical bookstore scene each time we make a stopover

Baking With Aki

Advance warning: This post is going to be photo heavy. If you're not up for it, please skip this post. 

Maia's Fave: Stir-fried broccoli and carrots with diced chicken

I usually post my recipes in my other blog (our family blog) but I thought it would be a nice idea as well for me to share with you some of Maia's favorites. I'll start with sharing her favorite foods since I'm still overwhelming with pride seeing her empty her plates during mealtime this past weekend.

We had this for lunch yesterday and this was a special dish I especially cooked for Maia. She's been a broccoli monster since she got introduced to this vegetable when she was just less than a year old (I think, I couldn't really remember now). Maia could still be picky at times but what we usually do to curve that is we refrain from giving her snacks especially if she's had a full meal during breakfast and lunch to save her appetite for dinner. This works most of the time, but I really couldn't say right now if it's THE long term solution for us.

Anyways, I've tried making this with left over litson manok, fish fillet and shrimps (just substitute the chicken with whatever meat or seafood you have). It's a really flexible dish and you can add in your kid's other fave vegetables (as long as it won't alter the taste so much - i.e. sayote, cabbage, cauliflower)

Prep time: 15 mins (mostly chopping duties)
Cooking time: 15-25 mins 


What I used for this recipe:

• 2 pcs of breast fillet, diced/cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup of broccoli florets 
• 1 medium carrot, cut into 1/4 inch strips
• 1 pc small white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp oil (you can use whatever you have but of course olive oil would be the healthiest), I used coconut oil for this one because I wanted to stir-fry the chicken so I needed something that has a higher smoking point 
• 1 tsp cornstarch, diluted into 1/2 cup of water (this is optional. you can use plain water  if you don't have cornstarch)
• 1/4 teaspoon, light soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• a few drops of sesame oil (for the chinese taste hehe)
• chopped leeks (this is optional because we had to pick them out of Maia's plate anyways), for garnish

How I did it:

1. Blanched the broccoli florets and carrot strips in boiling water for about a minute, drained and set aside

2. Sauteed garlic and onion. I usually let the onion sweat (because I find my dish a lot more tasteful when I do)

3. Add in the diced chicken. Stir-fry till chicken turns whitish (I like it when the chicken gets a little brown of the side, it gives me assurance that it's really cooked). Season at this point with light soy sauce, salt and pepper (I usually season my meat and not the veggies)

4. Add in the veggies, stir-fry for 2 mins. 

5. Add in the cornstarch slurry. Then stir till sauce thickens. Simmer for 2 mins.

6. Serve with hot, steamed rice. Enjoy!!!!

This recipe was able to feed 4 hungry stomachs at lunchtime. We were able to set aside a small bowl for the little miss's dinner and we were rewarded with 2 clean plates on both meals. Yay. We were happy parents!

BEFORE AND AFTER (well actually on the left was her lunch plate but I wasn't able to take a photo of the plate after. Right plate was from dinner and it was just a repeat of the lunch plate so I figured this would do *lol. That was more than a cup of red rice, mind you!

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Cat Scratch and Rabies

There came a point when I thought I would become immune to medical emergencies and that nothing would scare me anymore. But each time my daughter is subjected to one, I'd still be overwhelmed with tension and anxiety.

Hoping this will be the last time this card will ever be updated

Monday was an extra day off for us because of the Chinese New Year celebrations. Tibs and I already had a wonderful plan in mind on how we would be spending that day - Breakfast Al-fresco, Couch Potato Time, Afternoon Gardening + Arts and Crafts with Maia. I'm beginning to think planning is not really something that works for our family because just a minute after we're done with breakfast, I heard Maia wail in pain. I ran to see what's wrong and saw the cat scratches on her right foot. My first thought was, MAN THEY ARE BLEEDING. Then Nov 2010 came flashing back to me. On Nov 2010, Maia was bitten on the hand by a stray little kitty that she picked up and went all giddy with. Kitty was of course not happy with the gesture so she went for Maia's hand. It was just a puncture wound but I was told cat bites are even more dangerous than dog bites.

I panicked and felt almost like a headless chicken. I didn't know what to do. Rabies is such a scary thought normally associated with death. I texted our Pedia and I was told to go to the nearest Animal Bite Center. I had no idea where that was so I went and searched in the internet. We have one at the City hall but since it was a holiday (and already past 6pm) that wasn't a good option. RITM was also just 30 mins away but they too only accept patients during office hours. After about an hour of swimming in worry, I sat down, organized my thoughts and forced myself to calm down. I decided to read/research more on first aid tips for animal bites and wait for the following morning. Although I felt it was something urgent, at that point I also thought there was really nothing else I can do. We have limited resources not having our own car to mobilize us in searching for bite centers.

LIGHT-BULB MOMENT FOR ME: Make a list of emergency numbers - hospitals, clinics, doctors, ANIMAL BITE CENTERS, Police Station, Fire Station. What else am I missing?

My first instinct was to secure the cat so we immediately bought a cage to place the cat in. We wanted to keep it healthy for observation in the next few days. Meanwhile, we tended to the puncture wound. Made sure it was clean. The following day we headed to the municipal bite center over at the Dasma City Hall. When we got there, we were told that Maia's bite was a Cat III. She was to be administered the full course of the post-exposure treatment. If I recall it correctly, the first day (day 0) Maia received 7 shots on the puncture site itself and one anti-tetanus shot on the shoulders. It was really heartbreaking. But it needed to be done. The succeeding visits (day 3, day 7 and day 28) were a lot better. On the last day actually, it seemed like the little girl was already immuned to the needles so there was no need to restrain her. I remember asking the municipal health officer then how long is the effectivity of the vaccine and if my memory serves me right, it was good for 5 years. I felt relieved but thought I really didn't need to know because I will never let that happen again.

Well, I thought wrong again. Last week, I was torn -- do I take blindly the information that I was told or do I bring the little girl back to a bite center. I scoured the web again for something that can help me decide and I chanced upon this very informative write up from WHO. Here's a summary of the recommended treatment and the bite categories:

Table: Recommended post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies infection
Category of exposure to suspect rabid animal	Post-exposure measures
Category I – touching or feeding animals, licks on intact skin (i.e. no exposure)	None
Category II – nibbling of uncovered skin, minor scratches or abrasions without bleeding	Immediate vaccination and local treatment of the wound
Category III – single or multiple transdermal bites or scratches, licks on broken skin; contamination of mucous membrane with saliva from licks, exposures to bats.	Immediate vaccination and administration of rabies immunoglobulin; local treatment of the wound

After that first brush with animal bite, I immediately made a shortlist of the nearest hospitals that housed bite centers. After reading this, we dressed and brought the little girl to the nearest bite center in St. Dominic Medical Center in Bacoor. When we got there, they examined the wound and confirmed to us that she indeed needs to be administered the booster shots. They were to be administered in Day 0 and Day 3. The nurse commended me for keeping Maia's vaccine records. He said that had I lost it, we would probably have been advised to undergo the entire full course of vaccinations again. I heaved a sigh of relief and whispered a prayer of thanks.

Maia already finished the 2 shots. She tells me each time she was given the vaccine that she's mad at me and at the kitty. But all that was immediately erased by a trip to the nearby McDonald's store for her chicken fix. Yes, she's mababaw like that.

What are the lessons I learned from all this? Well, a lot. I'm glad I've already gotten rid of the guilt but I do wish I have more guts to let go of the cats. We have two kitties who were strays but we've had them for almost 3 years now. How do I get rid of them? I really do not have any idea. If only we have money to give them anti-rabies shots, that would solve my problem but for now we don't, so the only prevention we know is for the little girl to stay away from them. I am darn hoping she has also learned her lesson/s.

I don't wish for anybody to be in this situation but just in case you'd fall in the same situation here's a long list of helpful, informative reads. Please click here. The first aid tips we got from the nurses were:

- make sure the wound is washed and cleaned well. apply disinfectant and dress with a gauge bandage if the wound is big.

- if you can safely keep the animal for observation, please do. 

- go to the nearest bite center as soon as you can. (from Maia's vaccination card: Proper treatment of possible exposure to rabies includes the earliest administration of potent cell culture vaccine and immunoglobulin)

If you live near our area (Molino-Dasmarinas Cavite) and is at a loss on where you can go, here's a list of the bite centers that I know:

Asia Medic Family Hospital and Medical Center
Phone: (046) 416-1110
Old Pala-pala Road, Sampaloc I

Dasmarinas, Cavite 4114

St Dominic Medical Center 

Phone: (046) 417-2525/(046) 417-2539/(046) 417-2520

Aguinaldo Hi-Way, Talaba,

Bacoor, Cavite

City Government of Dasmarinas Animal Bite Center

Phone: (046) 416 0095 loc 194

Dasma City Hall

Dasmarinas City, Cavite 4114

Here's a full list of ANIMAL BITE CENTERS in the Philippines.

Maia's Take on More Fun In The Philippines

Maia has been a commuter since she was a little baby. We do not own a car so we made damn sure the little girl enjoys her time while commuting with us. Always.

She's probably ridden almost all types of transportation available in the country (although she has yet to take the RORO). Having parents coming from the opposite parts of the country (Tibs being a Kapampangan and Me a Visayan), she pretty much used to travelling and commuting on long trips. Of all the available transport in the country, Maia's favorite is the jeepney. She hates any ride that is air-conditioned though. So I should probably me more specific with this...she loves riding open-windowed jeepneys! And does she enjoy it? Extremely would always be the answer. When we go home to Pampanga, she would demand we ride a jeepney instead of the bus. I wish we could, she'd probably go nuts with the scenery (since she's always asleep half of the way so she's always missing most of the greens along NLEX).

So, despite being quite late - has it been more than a week? - already (the hype has definitely gone down) here's our contribution to the latest DOT tourism campaign. See http://www.itsmorefuninthephilippines.com/ for more details.

Cruising along McArthur Hi-way inside her favorite ride (couldn't find the Harabara font in Photoscape so I grabbed the closest font I could get)

How Many Friends Do I Have, Mommy?

During playground time yesterday afternoon, the little miss threw me that question. So before she took the slides, we counted how many friends she has here in our village. She enumerated all the friends she's known since she was a baby and when we got to #8, she smiled and happily announced - 'I HAVE MANY FRIENDS, MOM'

Oh poor baby.

I know, I know my reaction was a bit off. Hearing my daughter affirming the friendships she built should have been something nice to hear if not for the drama we had that morning.

You see, our household has been busy the entire month of December till New Year's Day. So Maia's never had a dull moment at home since the beginning of the holiday month. She's always had company at home. And we were thankful because since last June (2011) when school started, Maia's village friends have mostly graduated to being preschoolers and she'd rarely have friends over during the day anymore. There was a time when our house was almost like a daycare center with 3 or 4 kids coming over to play with Maia but afternoon company has really gone scarce this year so we really look forward to relatives coming over and play dates. 

I am digressing (bad habit really). So back to the drama yesterday morning, Maia's cousins from the Paras side are preparing to leave since the holiday vacation is already over and they will be back to school come Monday. Maia has been telling us she wanted to come with them (yes she was telling us she's okay if she leaves without us) but we didn't take it seriously. So we were a bit surprised to see her wailing her heart out when her lola and her cousin actually left the house. She was so mad at us because we didn't let her go with them. I tried to distract her but she wouldn't stop crying so I finally gave up and let us cry till she got tired. We decided we'll just talk with her when the drama is over.

When she settled and finally took my invitation to paint, I heaved a sigh of relief. Tantrums are always draining and not knowing how to pacify your kid could really turn you into a smoking momma (and you know I don't mean sexy). What's even worse is the heartbreaking fact that my kid actually told me (and her dad) she's okay leaving us behind and going away on her own with her cousins. Am I really hearing this? This soon?

Then at playtime that afternoon, that's when it hit me. My little girl is finally seeking to get her social needs satisfied. And having her cousins around to play with till nighttime was definitely the big break she needed. I reckon that the thought of being stuck with the company of adults day in and day out probably saddened her and thus leading to the question of how many kid friends she's actually got and feeling good after getting the affirmation she needed.

Oh this parenting thing is really tough. And if I don't open my mind and put myself in my kid's shoes at times, I know it's gonna be a lot tougher. So I'm happy she gave me time to suck it all in and understand her as well. I'm also happy that in the end, she realized I can also be a friend and a playmate. I hope it stays that way. Because as a parent, my goal is not only to gain my daughter's respect for my authority but also to gain my daughter's trust. Just enough for her to be able to come and talk to me freely when she's having problems - trivial or big they may be (they shouldn't matter). 

I'm glad we ended the day well yesterday and with a great, big smile from this wonderful, adorable kid I treasure so much!

I can do this, Mommy!

Tibs and I always try to be hands-on during weekends. We bathe her, feed her, play with her, read, talk, share stories. We feel we owe her that much undivided time so we try our best to free up our weekends for her. On days that we can't and had to leave the house, we bring her with us as much as possible. 

I am happy we still get to be hands on parents even for just 2 days. It is during those times that we get to witness milestones first hand. They may be exhausting most times but the rewards well, they're just really priceless.

Like this weekend for instance, I was helping her into her pajamas when she stopped me and told me to let her do it because she already can. I thought to myself, oh wow, our little girl has indeed graduated to little miss independent.

Moments like this are bittersweet but I'm sure most parents can relate when I say they're also joyfully overwhelming. Milestones like this make you realize how your kids have grown and makes you realize for the nth time how fast time flies. 

Ballerina Princess

I never imagined you'd be fascinated with princesses and ballet since I never was as a child but you are indeed your own person. Bear in mind that whatever your heart desires we will always be there to support you all the way, baby girl.

Showing me her ballerina moves one morning. She was struggling to keep her balance
but it was really fun watching her make the effort entertain me.