My Preschooler

The little things that happen each day all come to remind me that my little boy is not so little anymore. I do my grocery shopping every weekend and usually the last aisle I visit is that of the babystuff. The staple on my list would be a big can of milk, baby wipes and two packs of nappy. Last weekend, though, I skipped the nappy and baby wipes shelf. Half of the nappy pack I bought last week is still unused. And then I'm reminded, he doesn't use a lot of nappies anymore.

I bought him a can of chocolate milk last weekend because he kept on asking for kuya pei's milk (which he usually drinks from a glass when we were in bulacan). Yesterday morning he had breakfast at the playground. I fixed him blueberry sandwich, a banana and a bottle of his chocolate milk. I decided at the last minute to change the nipple into a sippy spout, the one we bought long time ago and remained unused until now. He was pretending the playground is his school and I am the teacher. When I said it was time for snacks, he gladly sat at the foot of the slide, sandwich in one hand and the banana in the other. He looked really independent. While before he would usually ask me to "feed him", this time all he needed was my help in taking off the cover of his milk bottle. He finished his milk using the sippy. We are slowly getting there. For each new thing that my little boy learns, the mommy swells with pride.

Recently he likes to pretend that he is a student. This morning he insisted I dress him in polo, pants and boots because he's going to school. In fact, we were just going for a walk at the lake. He didn't like to take off his polo until I convinced him that students take off their uniform once they get home.

I am so excited at the thought of sending him to school soon. I bet new adventures await both of us when that time comes. My boy is not so little anymore. Sigh.

Anyway, I am supposed to research about cures for hemorrhoids but I won't bore you with the details of this unpleasant topic. :)

Mommy Moments: New Favorite

It's good to be back here at Mommy Moments. I think it's been almost two months since I last joined and I'm excited to share with my fellow mommies Miguel's new favorite activity--painting.

He's always loved playing with his water color set since we bought it half a year ago but when he first tried his hands on painting, he would usually just use the color black and would mix it with water instead of actually painting on paper. When we were doing this acitivity before, he would usually end up either soaking the paper or messing the table. I thought he still wasn't ready for that kind of activity so I decided to keep his water color until a later date. Few days ago, I was telling him about starting on writing activities when he suggested we do painting. So I obliged. I brought out his old water color set and he painted for a good 20 minutes. His artwork of course still doesn't deserve a space on the gallery but he sure is appreciating colors other than black. He would splash different colors on his canvas and throw an explanation of what he painted.

Of course, singing and playing with instruments remain a favorite too--he sings all day long and sometimes talks to me in a sing-song voice. He loves playing the drums so we got him a drumset for his birthday and his current favorite bedtime story is The Ugly Duckling. One thing he isn't showing any interest yet is writing...sigh. I hope he gets around to liking it soon, though.

Join us here for more mommy moments.

Meanwhile, I'm off to research about hair loss prevention since the husband needs it badly :)

Birhtday at the Snow Park

Eventhough we had an advanced birthday celebration in the Philippines, we still felt Miguel deserved a fun day out on his 3rd birthday, especially since he was scheduled for two pedia visits on that day. Thankfully, both doctors confirmed Miguel is doing well and we're particularly thankful that his third echo test showed normal results. The doc also confirmed that there's no need to go for annual echo test but suggested we have it done at least on the 3rd or 4th year which we intend to do.

Days before his birthday I already prepped him for the doctor visits and so when I sang to him a happy birthday song when he woke up on tuesday, he cried hehehe. He cried and asked if it's time to go to the doc. I had to paint a really nice picture of the day's planned activities just so he won't be scared and I promised him there wouldn't be any bloodworks. I made good on my promise. :)

From the hospital we headed to Mall of the Emirates, had dinner at Friday's and eventhough he heard me order a cake and ask the staff to put candles on it, he was still surprised when they sang and brought in his cake. TGIF is just beside Ski Dubai and he almost couldn't eat because of excitemet. After dinner, we proceeded to Ski Dubai and bought two tickets to the Snow Park for him and daddy. He was overjoyed as he played in the snow, mindless of the fact that his hands were almost freezing.
at the hospital, waiting for our turn with the docs

the surprised birthday boy

fun, fun, fun in the snow

snow slide, weeee :)

As usual, he almost didn't want to leave the park. And he's been begging me to bring him back again. I thought it was a fun birthday, especially since he got to do what he's been wanting to do for months. :)

Gotta do my quick trim review now. Ciao! :)

Poop Scoop

I'm supposed to research about the benefits of colon cleansing when a related thought came to mind.

Miguel turned 3 yesterday and has been "almost" nappy-free for the last couple of months. I said almost because although he doesn't wear nappy both at daytime and at night, he still prefers to poop in his nappy. He successfully pooped in the bowl a couple of times before but refused to even sit in the bowl since. A week ago, Nico was able to convince him to poop in the bowl. And he agreed..and he pooped! I thought that was the start, but the next days he still refused even with Nico. One thing about his pooping style is that he usually changes position and place. He would start in one corner and end up at the other end of the room before he's done. His poop is usually hard and dry too (although not always) and he usually has to push hard. I thought perhaps that's the reason why he's not comfortable pooping in the bowl.

I still refuse to resort to coercion when it comes to potty-training as they said it will have a negative effect on him. Besides, the mommies I know assure me that the right time will come. I just hope it will be soon.

Vanity..again!

Speaking of natural acne products, I just discovered a cheap and easy way to find out the best beauty buys. I hardly have time to shop around, with a toddler tugging at my shirt every moment and demanding to go to either the toy store or the play area. I need to find ways to get my hands on the good buys even if shopping leisurely is not an option. I'm currently loving the complimentary magazines from the different malls which they issue every quarter. The different sections of the mags feature fashion, beauty, home, entertainment and even books. They have options for save or splurge, including the prices and the brands of the products so shoppers know where to find them. The only thing about having these mags at home is they tend to tempt me more than when I am forced to ignore the shops at the mall and head to the playroom. :)

Zits

All the pigging out during the holiday season is taking its toll on me. Not only did I gain extra pounds, adult acne is popping out here and there. My chin is the most vulnerable part to pimples and zits and I can feel a lump is due to come out in a few days. I've never really bothered with any facial routine except for the regular use of toner and moisturiser with sun protection, but with the pimple season around the corner, I'll probably need to scan the pharmacy shelves for effective acne products.

HK Disneyland

And because I am so lazy to story-tell, I will just let the photos speak about our recent Hong Kong and Disney vacations...



Even before you get there you will feel the Disney magic. Everything inside the Disneyland resort line is Disney-inspired (but of course!). The seats are upholstered in blue velvet, figurines of Disney characters are on display and even the windows are shaped like Mickey's face.



miguel, inside the Disneyland Resort Line.

We would have liked to pose with all the characters--chip & dale, tigger & pooh, and the disney princesses, but with lots of people waiting in line we had to make good use of our time. So we just made sure to have a photo with Mickey and Donald to make sure we still have time to enjoy other attractions.

incidentally, our outfits matched! :)

One look at his face and you will agree that Dinseyland is indeed the happiest place on earth. :)

More on my next posts...

Water Bottles

We love to visit the parks especially during this time of the year and we usually bring food with us--either lunch or snacks. I also make sure to bring lots of water since Miguel tends to get really thirsty while playing and bottled water at the refreshment kiosks at the park is way too expensive. However, big bottles of water tend to be really bulky so I'll probably get those custom water bottles for us. They're perfect for picnics and gym workouts too.

Yesterday's Shopping

Let's just say I am taking a friend's advice seriously--that is, to stack up on winter clothes before moving to Canada. Last weekend we had some good finds at Mothercare, Gap and Zara. All three stores are currently offering up to 70% off on selected items and we were able to get a few good stuff at very reasonable prices. We got Miguel a winter jacket that is fleece-lined at Mothercare for Dhs70 from the original price of DHs185 and another winter vest from Gap for Dhs54 from its original price of Dhs165. We got knitted shirts, long-sleeved tops, and gloves, too--all at a discounted price. As I was seriously scanning the clothes racks and digging the stacks, Nico joked that we seemed like on a panic-buying mode. And it's not even the start of Dubai Shopping Festival yet. Anyway, more about my bargain shopping soon. Gotta check outer banks foreclosures online for now.

Today at the Park

...he learned how to roll down the hill. Thanks to Bart and Lisa Simpson, my 3-year old is enjoying the park on a different level now. Although he still plays a lot on the playground facilities, he's recently discovered that the vast, empty space is much more fun to play in. We need not bring lots of props for the day, his good old tigger & pooh ball is enough to give him a fun-filled, breath-stopping time at the park. And when he folded his arms, lay down and started to roll down the steep hill, I couldn't stop laughing. He looks like a rolling stainless steel drum, fast and non-stop. He hated it when it was time to go home. Yet we needed to limit his physical activities or we risk another asthma attack.

Happy Birthday, Mims!

We wanted Miguel to have a special birthday this year and by special I mean celebrating with the whole family instead of just the three of us. And since we were scheduled to fly back to desertland before his birthday, we decided to treat the family to an early birthday dinner. I was grateful that everyone was able to make it despite the very short notice.

It wasn't anything fancy, not an all inclusive resorts vacation type. We just headed to a nearby mall, got a reservation in the biggest resto we found (relatively bigger than jollibee or mcdo, that is) and had a fun-filled dinner. We were the noisiest group in the place. Prior to getting together, I already planned on getting a cake for Miguel, for what's a birthday without the candle-blowing ceremony. I was just planning to get one of the usual cakes from Red Ribbon until the sister volunteered to buy it for us (I thought it was her way of making sure we waited for them before the party began since they'll be coming from Pangasinan). I agreed.

Everyone was seated, waiting for the food to be served. The boys, of course served as the entertainers--going in and out of the resto, clowning around, singing and telling stories. When the waiters started serving food, Miguel asked to wee-wee and so I brought him to the washroom. It was very timely that when we got out of the washroom, tita Lala was already there with the cake--with three candles and toy trucks as decoration. Miguel was surprised and felt shy that he wanted to go back in the washroom. It was so heartwarming to see how much he was pleased with the simple gesture. He just knew it was his cake.

The brothers--kuya Luis and Enzo started singing the happy birthday song and everyone joined in, while Miguel remained speechless. And then they chanted "cut the cake, cut the cake" after the candles were blown. But Miguel had a better idea, he dug his fngers in his chocolate mouse cake and enjoyed the icing.

It wasn't a fancy birthday party. It was a special one.

Migration Update

We're down to the last leg of preparing for the biggest move we'll ever make as a family. We've secured our PR visas, thanks to our coordinated efforts in gathering and filing documents. We've also agreed on a target date to immigrate and as we are nearing that date, I realized that the easiest part was securing the visa; the hardest would be leaving families and adjusting to a totally different culture. Blame it on the recent holidays we spent with the family, I am having second thoughts about moving THAT far. Anyway, there are lots of things that need to be done to make our move successful. As early as now we are checking possible job opportunities as well as rental rates in our target area. I've gathered important info about schooling, settlement organizations, job hunting options and rental practices. Nico, on the other hand, is checking out plane fares and travel insurance quote. And oh my, flying roundtrip from Manila to Toronto means big bucks. I hope the sisters are starting to save as early as now *wink*. :)

Time for the Outdoors

We are currently loving the outdoors. Since coming back here almost two weeks ago, our mornings and afternoons are usually spent either at the playground or at the lake. On days when Miguel doesn't demand to go out, we would lounge at the balcony while watching the gardener trim the bushes, the cleaner tidy up the playground or the neighbor clean her window blinds.

In the evening, long after Miguel has come up from the playground, we could still hear shouts of laughter as kids play all sorts of game--baseball, cricket, long-jump and more. Unlike the apartment where we stayed before, this one gives the sense of belonging in a community. And eventhough I am excited to move to a new place soon, I will surely miss the frost-free winter in Dubai.

HK Ngong Ping 360

I've been meaning to share stories here of our recent trip to HK and the Philippines but everytime I look at the tons of pictures we took, I am overwhelmed and just don't know what to post first. I've just started downloading the photos from my cam (and haven't even printed them) so I'll probably start with the ones already in my pc.

Our main agenda in HK was to visit Disneyland. Day 2 in HK, mission accomplished. We spent the whole day in Disneyland, morning till night. More about this in my succeeding posts. We didn't have anything planned on our 3rd day so we decided to try Ngong Ping 360. Afterall, what's a HK visit without the cable car ride? We waited almost an hour for our turn to ride since there were a lot of tourists that day. I don't exactly have fear of heights but as I watched each car leave the platform, I suddenly thought why I never even considered checking life insurance rate for myself :)

And then it was our turn. Miguel made the ride really fun with his non-stop blabbering. He was singing, asking lots of questions about the Buddha and even inventing stories of his own. I forgot that I was scared. We didn't dare climb the very steep steps to the Giant Buddha, instead we contented ourselves with a photo-opp at the foot of the steps and headed to starbucks as Miguel wanted his mocha frappucino, cream only :) The ride back to Tung Chung was abreeze.

We're Back

...in Dubai, that is. It seems the long awaited vacation went too fast for me. I almost didn't want to come back. Miguel and I came back two weeks ahead of the original plan. We had to fly with Nico since Miguel had asthma since arriving in the Philippines and the grannies thought I might have trouble traveling with a sick kid on my own. And the change of plans meant missing my niece's 18th birthday party too, hay. And since we all came back together, a lot of things needed to be done. The bedsheets had to be changed, the delta faucets had to be fixed and the entire house had to be put in order. Add to that the luggageful of clothes that I needed to press. Anyway, it's been a week since we got here and most of the chores have been accomplished so I'm slowly getting back online, although I'm not exactly on blogging mode these days so you'll probably just see fillers and blahs in the coming days...bear with me. :)