Enzo’s World

  Hi there, it’s been a while since my last update. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s new with me…

I got my first ever toy car from my Mamoo. Here it is… Isn’t it cool? I had a blast vroom-vrooming through the house!

And speaking of vroom-vroom, I can hold on to the handle bars of my bike now. But that’s as far as I can go. I can’t quite reach the pedals yet.

  Mom says I’ve been a mean destructive machine lately. You see, I’ve manhandled some of my toys recently. First there was my basketball goal which I destroyed when I did an impressive dunk. Then there’s  my Winnie the Pooh bump and go toy which I "disarmed."

Then my helicopter Swoosh  Swoosh suffered a similar fate when I accidentally pulled off its wheel. Then I further handicapped Pooh when I broke one of its other parts.

Here’s another one of my Pooh toys all bandaged up. I broke the handle when I banged it on the floor too hard.

I attended my friend Ezekiel’s post-birthday at Jollibee last January. I had fun watching the games. I was too small to join in, so Daddy and I just watched by the sidelines. I brought home a cute spongebob backpack as a giveaway. Here’s a photo of EZ and me. EZ is the son of Mom’s friend, Tita Ann. They became friends after Mommy shared her milk to EZ to help him gain strength after being born a preemie.

Speaking of parties, Daddy had a simple birthday celebration at home with the family. My cousins Ate Keona and Josh-josh came over. Ate Jeje was also there. I was a good boy, I shared all my toys with them.

I’ve been doing lots of reading lately… honest! I enjoy reading my books even when I’m by myself. But most of the time, Mommy or Daddy reads for me. Tito Ninong bought me a bunch of books from Book Sale recently. Wow, there were so many cute books to add to my collection! Mommy kept them for the meantime because I’ve many books as of the moment. My favorites now are Jack and the Beanstalk, What’s for Breakfast, Baby Einstein’s Counting Book, and The New Baby Sitter from the Barney Series. Sometimes, I also read  Mommy’s magazines. Here’s Daddy and me reading Smart Parenting Magazine.

I’ve been computer-savvy lately. Mommy taught me how to bang away on the keyboard to produce "art." Here’s my oatmeal art from the Sesame Street website. Take a peek at my other artworks here.

Mom says I’ve been doing lots of mega-cute stuff lately. For starters, I’ve been very adorable everytime I do my cool dance steps. I have a sumo dance, a chicken dance, a foot dance, a 5-6 / 5-7 dance. Check out some of my dance videos.

I’ve also been up to a lot of silly stuff lately. Here’s  one of my cute antics—my saklob drama. I’ve also become a master at making faces. Here’s one of my favorite ugly faces.

I’ve also been caught on camera in my funny sleeping positions. Sometimes I sleep like a frog, and sometimes, I sleep sitting down.

This is all for now… ’til next time!

I stopped using my baby shoes recently. Mommy and Daddy said it was time to wear shoes for kids or what I call "Big Boy Shoes."

At my January visit to Doctor Buendia, my Pediatrician, she said my Mommy and Daddy should buy me new shoes already after she saw me slipping while walking on the smooth-tiled hospital floor. My baby shoes, she said, had no traction (traction? Hmnnn… I wonder what that means). She said since I love exploring and running away from my baby sitter now, it really was time to migrate to the next shoe level.

And so it was time to say good-bye to my beloved Mickey baby sandals… *Sniff!* Sniff!* I love my Mickey sandals! I picked it out all by myelf. Daddy wanted to buy another pair, but I saw this pair on the rack and I wouldn’t let it go. So, Daddy had no choice but to buy it for me.

One Saturday morning, Daddy and I made a trip to the mall… We spent quite some time finding the right pair for me. I’ve got awkward feet, that’s why. My feet are stubby at the fleshy point after the toes. Mommy calls it a HUMP. So Daddy kept asking me to fit shoe after shoe after shoe…. It was taking so long, my head (and feet!) started to hurt already.

At last, Daddy made a decision. We settled for a pair of gray Evans sandals which strap on at 3 points—an added safety feature, says my Daddy. He says the tri-strap design makes putting on and taking off the shoes easier. Hmph! As far as I’m concerned, putting on shoes or sandals is a bummer, so it doesn’t matter if it has one or two or three straps. I’d change my mind though if the sandals had a Mickey Mouse design! Daddy also says the tri-strap design makes the sandals more flexible when it comes to getting a good fit.

This is a picture of my foot in my new Big Boy Shoes. Boy, are they expensive! 350 pesos for a pair of kiddie shoes. Geez! Daddy says it’s even one of the least expensive ones. The others cost 600pesos or more. Mommy’s eyes grew big upon hearing the price. Such costly shoes for such little feet, she says.

Now, going back to the Big Boy Shoes… I didn’t like to wear them at first. It took a couple of days before I learned to like my new shoes. I think they’re a bit heavy. My feet go clip-clop on the tiled floor every time I walked. But you know what, I think I understand now what Dr. Buendia meant by "traction."  Since I started wearing my Big Boy Shoes, I noticed that I hardly slip anymore (I tend to trip at times, though when I feel a bit lazy to lift my feet properly while walking). Now I can explore my surroundings more without slipping on the floor! Come and catch me!

Mommy and Daddy went to the doctor last Saturday. Don’t worry, nothing was wrong with either of them. Daddy says they went to the doctor to have a picture of B2 taken inside Mommy’s tummy. An ultrasound, that’s what I think they call it.

Wow, a picture of B2! I couldn’t wait to see it…

When they came home, Mommy and Daddy gave me the news:  I’m having a baby brother! Yey! Then they showed me a fuzzy black and white photograph of B2.  Funny… it didn’t look like a baby. Daddy explained that B2 was still very small, that’s why I couldn’t see a baby’s figure in the picture yet.

Wow, a baby brother… Now I’ll have someone to wrestle with and play boxing with. Daddy was soooo excited to find out he’ll have another team mate. He says he and I will teach B2 a lot of things like playing war games, dodgeball and basketball, climbing trees and rooftops, and riding a bicycle. When Mommy wasn’t looking, he whispered a secret to me, too… he said he’ll teach us how to make pretty girls fall for us easily. Hehehe. Mommy said I shouldn’t listen to everything Daddy says ’cause he’s so pilyo sometimes.

Mommy and Daddy were super excited at finding out B2’s gender. They started talking about names for him… I heard them rattle off some Spanish- and Italian-sounding names.  If they ask me, I think the name B2 is just fine—just like one of the Banana’s in pajamas! Cute, right? And easy to spell, too.  I also like the names Mickey, Barney, Snoopy, and Pooh. I wonder why Mommy and Daddy didn’t include them in their list? Hmnnn…

Mommy has started briefing me on how to take care of my baby brother. She explained to me that when B2 comes, she looks forward to my help in making sure he is all comfy and happy. As early as now, I start running small errands for Mommy like fetching stuff like pillows, the tissue box, her bag. She also taught me to be neat when it comes to my toys and stuff. She taught me to pick up my things from the floor so that we won’t trip over them.

Mommy and Daddy also taught me how to show B2 I love him. They taught me how to embrace little stuff toys so that when the right time comes, I can also hold B2 in my arms and squeeze him real tight (not too tight though, says Daddy because I might make B2 cry).

I also studied a song I’d like to sing to B2 so he’d be amused. I know how to sing Old McDonald Had A Farm… well, just the eya-eya-yoh part actually. I can sing it all day–ala long playing album. I plan to learn more songs while waiting for B2 to arrive so that when he’s home, I’ll sing for him the whole day!

Daddy says it will still take 3 months before I see B2. I wonder how long 3 months is? How many naps do I still have to take til that day comes? Hmmmnnn…. I wonder… Oh welll… I really have no idea, but anyway, I promise I’ll help prepare for B2’s coming. Don’t worry baby brother, Kuya Enzo will be right here to show you the ropes. I’m an expert on baby stuff—after all, been there, done that.

See youin May, B2!

I had fun last holiday season! There were lots of festivities, food and fun… not to mention lots of new stuff to add to my stash of toys, clothes and whatchamacallits. Here are some of the cool things I got over the holidays…

This cool bike is from cousin Josh. Actually… he got this as a gift from Jollibee when he celebrated his birthday there. But somebody gave him another bike as a present, so I ended up on the receiving end of this awesome toy. Now… if only somebody would teach me how to ride this thing properly…

Check out this nifty xylophone I got. I enjoy banging away on it and giving Mommy monster headaches. Sorry Mommy! But she doesn’t keep me from developing my musical talent… she just covers her ears and prays for Divine intervention. Hehehe

I also got lots of clothes to add to my ensembles. Here are some of them…

A Disney sports shirt from Ate Keona

A Mickey terno from Lola Wisa

A cutie Garfield get up from Kuya Chino with a cool inscription on the shirt which says: If you think I’m cute, wait til you see my Dad! (and yup, you guessed correctly— Daddy loves the shirt!)

I also received lots of mechanical toys that make different kinds of sounds. I have a Pooh bump and go, a Pooh train, a helicopter, a Fancy Train, a noisy doggie, a cowboy on a pony, and my very own dashboard. Of all my mechanical toys, Mommy likes this penguin best. It doesn’t make too much noise, she says. It just sings a comforting "Happy Birthday To You" while it vibrates.

I also have a new bestfriend/wrestle-mate in Mr. Bear, one of Mamoo’s birthday presents for me. I enjoy tackling him and pinning him down on the mat. He’s as big as I am so it’s a fair match.

This sofa bed is one of the most useful gifts I got last December. It’s from my Ninang Kiss and Ninong Jun. It has helped me become more independent. I sleep in it everyday during my daytime naps (I sleep on the big bed with Mommy and Daddy in the evenings). And I also take my milk here. Whenever they give me my milk bottle, I head right over to my bed, lie down, and chug it down.

Then of course, my all-time favorite is this super cool gift I got from Tito Ninong: a bag of 100 multi-colored balls! Yipeee!!! I have so much fun with them everyday. I couldn’t say the same for my caretakers though. I think they don’t have a grand time at all recovering the balls from under the bed, the veranda, the garden and the neighbor’s yard. But I can’t help it, they’re so fun to throw around! Yey, balls!

NEW LIKES

Of course, with the coming of the new year come new developments. Here are some of the things I enjoy doing now…

I love standing infront of the mirror and playing with the baby I see infront of me. Hmmm… funny…. he kindda looks like me. Here I am showing him how to make my toy duckie all slimy.

I also developed a love for books over the holidays. I love them so much, sometimes I tend to manhandle them. Mommy gave me a dressing down one time when I mishandled my Disney book Look Before You Leap. I’m sorry Mommy, I didn’t mean to tear a page… or two… My favorite book as of now is Brave Little Baby Dan. It was a Christmas gift from Ninang Kiss and Ninong Jun. I love it when Daddy cuddles me in his lap while he and Mommy read it to me complete with sound effects.

I also discovered a new hang out— Daddy and Mommy’s closet! It’s got lots of stuff I could play with. I have a blast playing tug-of-war with the sleeves of Daddy’s long-sleeved polos and barongs. Plus, I get to sift through Mommy’s hidden stash at the foot of the closet. You know one time, I discovered where she kept some toys she meant for me to play with when I’m bigger. Oh, what a treasure trove! Too bad for her I found her out. I’m not letting go of my new finds! So I guess, she’d have to buy me new toys when I’m a bit bigger, huh?

Speaking of the cabinet… it’s also my favorite place to hide stuff. I hide all sorts of what-nots in any cabinet I could open. I once hid Mommy’s license in there… a used feeding bottle… balls… the aircon remote… and Ela’s eyeglasses.

One of the discoveries I had during the holiday season was that of a wonderful thing called ICE CREAM! Ooooh, I just love it’s different flavors, the cool, tingly effect it has on my lips and tongue… I love it best when it comes in an ice-cream cart I could bang on while lining up to get my share.

And of course, one of the things I’ve become very good at is…counting toes!!! Here’s a picture of me counting Daddy’s toes. But actually, I like counting Mommy’s better. Her toes are cuter than Daddy’s, and they come with nails painted with pretty pearly colors. Plus, she doesn’t have blisters. Hehehe. Sorry Daddy, just telling the truth!

So… these are the new stuff about me… Happy 2007 everyone!

I’m ONE! ONE! ONE!

To celebrate my first birthday, Daddy and Mommy threw a great Mickey Mouse-themed party for me. It was soooo fun! There were lots of people, good food and fun games!

Yellow and blue were the colors of the day. My balloons, and the table cloths were all yellow and blue. Pictures of Mickey graced the name tags, loot bags, prizes, gift tags and even the tarpoulines displayed. Daddy had 2 tarpoulines made with my best photos on them. One had my solo picture. the other contained my photos since birth until 11 months. I also had a Mickey cake!

I surprised Mommy and Daddy by being on my best behavior ever. I was a really good boy and a gracious party host. I didn’t cry at all. Well, except for that time I almost cried when we first entered the dining hall… I just woke up and they tried to dress me up in a jumper. You know I’m not really a fan of wearing jumpers! But honest, I really was a good boy that day. I think what got me all warmed up was my Ate Keona. As soon as we arrived at the party hall, she took my hand and walked with me. She helped me get familiar with the venue.  That’s my Kuya Benedict on the left, he also helped me    become comfortable with the people and the place. I was so comfortable, I went into show-off mode. What I did? Walk on my own most of the time during the party.

My favorite babysitter that day was my Ninang Kiss. She took care of me almost all throughout the party. We walked around the venue so many times, I think I made her dizzy!

Here’s a picture of me and Daddy mingling with guests. Daddy was so proud of me because I warmed up to people quite easily that day. In fact, I enjoyed the company of our guests, especially the kids!

I got to see my cousin Josh again after a long time. He is one of my favorite kids there. He and I are of the same age, that’s why. He celebrated his birthday the day before I did. I didn’t make it to his party though. But nonetheless, we had a great time swatting each other at my party— some good ol’ rough housing baby-style.

Here’s a picture of me with some of my kiddie guests. There’s my Ate Kim, Ate Espie, Andy, Jaymie, Kuya JC, Lene, Kuya Benedict, and Ate Keona.

My kiddie guests sat on these cute kiddie sets. Mmmmm….Yum! The kiddie food was good—baked macaroni, french fries, mini-burger and a choco beehive cake.

Now here’s a glimpse of some of the prizes we raffled off during the program… I got to personally give away some of the prizes. Here  I am handing Kuya Marco his prize. There were some bloopers, though. There were times I didn’t want to let go of the prize despite Ninang Andeng’s prodding for me to GIVE and not GET it.  The audience found it so amusing ’cause my guest, Kuya Jet, had to almost wrestle with me first to get his prize. Hehehe.

Tito Ninong gave a wonderful yoyo demo for my guests. Everyone was so awed at his great yoyo tricks.

Then Ela’s students from San Beda performed 2 puppet shows for the kids. They called their group Matthew and Friends. My favorite among all their puppets is this very makulit brown bear who appears on-stage all the time. I poked him once during the puppet show and he nipped my finger! Kuya Benedict playfully boxed him for nipping my hand =)

Here’s a picture of me disturbing the puppeteers backstage. In the middle of a show, I just strolled right into the backstage and filched one of their puppets, Mr. Brocolli.

After the games came the blowing of the candle on the birthday cake. My guests sang for me Happy Birthday, then Daddy blew out my candle. Next came the distribution of loot for the kids. We gave out candies and goodies in candy cane boxes . The bigger kids got  books with their loot and the babies got pillows. Everyone got to bring home finger puppets specially made by Mommy for my birthday.

It sure was a great day! I had so much fun! Mommy and Daddy were so happy, too. We’re very thankful Mommy and B2 were well enough to brave the bumpy car travel to Makati. Good thing we were able to borrow a wheel chair so Mommy and B2 can come in wheels.

Thanks to everyone for all the nice presents you gave me (the best part was ripping open the wrappers) hehehe. And special thanks to Kuya JC for being the prayer leader during the opening of the program. Thanks too to Ninang Kiss, Ninang Che and Ninong Jun for fixing up the venue. Thanks too to my Ninang Andeng and Tito Ninong  for being the emcees. Thanks to everyone who helped us with the party.  I’m doubly happy because my guests took the time out this hectic holiday season to join us in my simple party. I truly am blessed for being surrounded by loving people. Luv u all!

Hi!!!! I’m back!

Mommy was out of commission lately, that’s why I didn’t have a typist to encode my entries. Whew! a lot surely has happened since my last blog entry. For starters, Mommy’s tummy is BIG now, I think she swallowed a melon! Daddy says that means the baby (whom we fondly call B2, is growing well inside Mommy’s tummy. Oh, I’m so excited to meet B2. But Daddy says it’s going to take 5 more months before I see him or her.

What about me? Well, I’ve grown up a lot in the past two months. In fact, I bump my head often on the edge of our dining table because I’m taller now. Here’s a picture of me sleeping in my crib. I’ve gotten so big, there’s hardly any room to roll over.

That’s why I often sleep on Mommy and Daddy’s bed. But latelt, Daddy and I have been deported to floor duty ’cause I’m a fidgety sleeper. Daddy’s nervous I might accidentally bump Mommy’s tummy and hurt B2.

Here are more details on what’s been up with me since October….

Last October, I got sick twice. Boohoo! I lost some weight since I had tummy trouble and colds. But getting sick didn’t stop me from mastering how to maneuver my walker. I get around the house with ease, even opening doors on my own (screen doors, that is). I’ve even "driven" my walker out in the village’s basketball court.

One of the fun things I did recently was go trick-or-treating with the Teatro San Jose kids. Mommy and I had dress rehearsals to get me all comfy in my posible costumes. First, she tried making me dress up as an angel. Duh! The wings were so uncomfortable! No way was I going as a cherub. I didn’t want itchy underarms from the pesky garter.

Then Mommy made me try on a basketball uniform I inherited from my cousin, Ate Keona. I looked gooood… but the material was warm, so Mommy ditched the idea.

Next get-up… baby devil. Sure, I looked cute— but me wearing a headband? Nah-ah! Not by the hair on my chiny-chin-chin! Mommy ended up wearing the headband with horns. Me? We finally decided on an igorot outfit. I had a blast trying on the bead accessories. Oh, did I say try on? I meant throw about. Mommy had a hard time picking up the bracelets and neck pieces I threw all over the room! But the final outcome was well worth the trouble. I was soooo    adorable the night we went trick-or-treating. Here is a photo of me with the TSJ gang.

I visited 3 houses, but I had to go home after that since it started to rain. The best part was rummaging through my lootbag, of course. So many candies! I even got a stuff toy, a white lamb. I wonder what I’ll be next year…

I got sick again last November. I was hospitalized for four days. I surely gave my babysitters a hard time keeping me still while I had my dextrose on. I bawled my lungs out when the resident at the ER put in the needle thing-y into my left hand. Ouch!!!! This is a picture  of me when I got to my room. They had to wrap my left hand with a diaper to prevent me from pulling out my dextrose connection. Being hospitalized wasn’t that bad, really. I had my Daddy’s and Ela’s full attention those four days. Boy, was I spoiled rotten! Then of course, I had the chance to explore the hospital corridors… it sure was fun cruising along the wide corridors with my dextrose stand! Weeeee! Vroom! Vroom! (I made Daddy’s back ache from having to escort me as I walked in the hallways).

Now enough of the bad news and on to the good news…

I’ve got 6 teeth now. Two up and 4 down.  My teeth help me eat a lot of food now. I’m not a too picky eater now. I eat almost any fruit. But veggies are still my enemy. I want to eat only squash, potatoes, sayote and carrots. I eat any kind of bread and many kinds of biscuits now. I love filching Mommy’s food everytime she eats. It’s more fun that way! And, I loooove eating with my hands. I feel most satisfied when my face is all covered with food.

I’ ve lots of new talents now. For one, I’m a great dancer, says Mommy. I dance to any beat. I am also a great contortionist. See, I can suck my toes (which actually grosses out my Mom…. yuck! she says).

I also know how to answer the telephone now (well…kindda, if only I can figure out which end is  up!.)
And I’ve learned how to plant perfect sloppy kisses on my ela’s cheeks, too. And guess what, I can really walk now—without my walker. I even hate having someone take my hand while walking. I bet that by my birthday. I’d be really an independent walker. Oh yeah… check out my next blog entry, I’ll be telling you all about my birthday bash. Daddy and Mommy planned a smashing party just for me! Til next time!

Mommy and Daddy told me the good news… I’m going to be a KUYA! Mommy’s having a baby sometime May next year. Wow… having a baby… I’ll be a big brother soon.

I don’t exactly know where babies come from, but I sure am excited to see if I’ll have a baby brother or a baby sister.

If I’m having a brother, goody-goody! I’ll have someone to wrestle— but not immediately, of course. Daddy say’s it will take a couple of months before the baby could wrestle with me. Daddy, of course, will have a field day having 2 buddies to rough house with. Then of course, baby brother gets to inherit all my clothes and toys.  I’ve taken really good care of my infant shirts, so baby brother won’t look kawawa when he wears my hand-me-downs. But Mommy and Daddy would need to buy him new sandos when he needs them by age 5 months. Mine are all worn out from all the spit-ups I’ve made. lus, the cloth has become hiri-hiriki (as Mommy calls it in Tagalog) since my sitters have been pulling at them during the times I crawl or walk away to quickly for their comfort.

Now, if I’m having a baby sister, that’s gonna be a different story…  I’m pretty sure she’ll need lots of stuff that are different from mine.  Mommy says she’ll buy her lots of pink girly stuff. And Daddy says Mommy will have a field day dressing up my baby sister— she’ll be able to do the things she wasn’t able to do with me, like dressing up in girly-girl clothes, headbands, ribbons. She says she looks forward to wearing matching outfits with my baby sister. if you ask me, I really have no idea what to expect with a sister. But there is one thing I’m sure of… I’m going to take care of her like Daddy looked after his sisters. I will be KUYA ENZO, DEFENDER OF BABY SISTER IN DISTRESS. =)

But you know waht, Daddy and Mommy say it doesn’t matter if we’re having a girl baby or a boy baby. What’s important is that Mommy will have a safe pregnancy and that my baby bro or sis will be a healthy, normal baby. That’s why I pray with my parents every night for Jesus to watch over all of us, especially Mommy and baby.

Hiya everybody! Here’s a quick run-down of what’s new with me.

First of all, do you know that I can walk now—in my walker, that is. Ela bought me one after Mommy waved the white flag in surrender from having to chase me all over the house as I learned to stand, crawl and walk. Poor Mommy, her back always hurts. But not anymore! Not since I became a whiz at walker walking. Once they plop me into my walker, I go zooming through the house! Except of course when I have omps and would rather be carried.

You know, before Ela bought my walker, Mommy tried making me use the andador. Hmph! I never really like it. Not only couldn’t it hold me up (I think I’m too big for it), it’s also so uncomfortable. I suppose this picture shows just what I thought about Mommy’s andador. Am I glad Ela bought me a walker! Not only do I get to run about the house, I get to play with the cool gadgets on its tray! It’s got spinning balls, musical buttons, a rubber tree-like thingy I can chew on and a giraffe with hoops which I can tinker with. I’ve become really mobile with my walker that mommy had to rearrange the things inside the house. The microwave’s now sitting way, way up on the ref, the rice-cooker’s on the kitchen counter and the blender’s tucked away in a cabinet. She kept them out of my reach after I pulled the blender’s cord and nearly sent it crashing to the floor. She also got panic-y when she saw how curious I was about the rice microwave’s knobs and buttons and how excited I become when I see steam coming out of the rice cooker every time they cook rice.

So going back to the andador… it was never able to serve its purpose, which was to teach me how to walk. But it does have a unique use now. It sits with my toys in Ela’s room. I’ve demoted it to become a mere play thing. Believe it or not, I could carry it! In fact, I even raise it up in the air. It makes me feel like a superhero— ala Captain Barbell!

It’s playtime!

Speaking of TOYS… I went to my Lola Wisa’s house last August and wow! She put out so many toys just for me. They’re Kuya Joaquin’s and Ate Sandy’s. They are kept in storage while they’re in Nueva Vizcaya. I had a grand time tinkering with the different toys! I got dizzy from having so much of them! There was a big bag full of toys just for me to play with!

I’ve found new toys to tinker with at home. Here is one of my favorites— a Chinese drum given by Ninang Abby to Daddy last Christmas. It’s not a baby’s toy, but Mommy lets me enjoy it (just as long as I don’t destroy it, that is).

I love playing with blocks and other thingies which look like blocks. Here are some blocks from my stackable set. But I get bored easily, that’s why Mommy has added an assortment of things to my collection. Included now in my toys are 1-gallon mineral water bottle caps, plastic milk can covers, prune juice bottle caps, toothpaste boxes, cereal boxes, and baby wipes containers. The odd collection keeps me busy, much to Mommy’s relief.

Sometime last month, I learned to appreciate cross-stitch art. We have a pillowcase in the bedroom which I love to play with. This is a photo of me talking to the cars, butterflies and letters on the pillowcase. It’s a special pillowcase. Mommy gave it to Daddy on their first Christmas together as girlfriend-boyfriend in 1994. Since it’s special, I take extra care not to barf on it.

Now what else…. Oh, I almost forgot! Lola Lolly had pasalubong for Josh and me when she came back from the

US

. Stuffed Toys!

Daddy brought them home so he could deliver Josh’s toy to Ninang Cha. In the meantime, I had fun with the kitty and the doggy. Daddy said I should choose only one because the other one was for Josh. Hmnnn… I took my time choosing, and I ended up liking the doggie more. Maybe because it looked like our pets at home. I named my doggie TOMIKO, nicknamed MIMI in memory of our pet who died last month. MIMI now sits in my crib in the sala. Occasionally, I get him , embrace him, then wrestle him to the ground. Mommy scolds me when I run him over with my walker. Kawawa naman daw. I also enjoy poking its eyes and rubbing its fur. The fur makes me shiver though. It tickles!

New Talents

Mommy says I’m a baby with many talents. Here are some of my new developments:

Ela taught me recently how to use the telephone. Here is a photo of me dialing away on my toy telephone. Now, if I could only memorize Daddy’s and Mommy’s cellphone numbers…

If there’s an opening at the circus, sign me up please! I don’t know how I do it, but my magic feet could spin this mini beach ball. Daddy says I’m like a seal. I could throw it up in the air, catch it, spin it, juggle it— all with my feet! Daddy often jokingly says we could make big bucks putting on a talent show featuring Enzo the Sirkero!

Now take a look at this…. This is one of my special talents: making “sabit” anything at the tip of my fingers. I do this with clothes, diapers, camera cases, cellphone straps, blocks, cups, caps… say it, I’ll dangle it!

Then here’s another one for the books—- I’ve learned to sleep while sitting. Sometimes, I’d wake up and then fall asleep again while leaning against a pillow or my caretaker’s tummy. One afternoon, Mommy caught me sleep-sitting in the living room…

Do you know that I might be ambidextrous? Both my left and right hands can work actively. As a matter of fact, I can do a weird good-bye wave using both hands. With my right hand, I can wave bye-bye ala close-open style. Then at the same time, I can do a Sandara Park-bye-bye wave with my left hand as my middle and index fingers are interlaced. Talk about multi-tasking!

It’s modeling time!

My Tita Cathy sent me a package from

Italy

. Naks! I feel so special—imagine, 8-month old me receives packages from abroad already. Hehehe. Tita Cathy was daddy’s student at CHS. She, together with Titas Irish, Ivy and Marilen, became very close to Mommy and Daddy. She has a baby, Gianluigi, who’s 2 months older than me.

Tita Cathy sent me lots of clothes! Ooooh, Mommy and I just love them! The styles of the clothes were just what Mommy wants for me. She was so relieved they still fit—especially the Winnie the Pooh shoes. It’s the first pair of shoes that really fit me well. Here are photos of me in the stuff Tita Cathy sent…

Don’t I look swell in my walking shoes? It took me some time to adjust to wearing footwear since I’m so used to being barefoot (since Mommy and Daddy couldn’t find good-fitting shoes for me!).

I really look good in this light blue Enfant shirt and shorts ensemble. It makes me glow, says Mommy. I’ve worn it to Church, to SM and to a baptism reception.

Then here I am in the cutest jumper Tita Cathy sent. Daddy says I look so handsome in it.

Now for a cowboy look (sans 1 sock and shoes), here I am in a checkered polo and blue shorts. Too bad I don’t have a cowboy hat to top off the ensemble. I wore this the first time when I went to Church.

Do you know what is my favorite of all the things Tita Cathy sent to me? The box! I enjoyed turning it into a drum. Just kidding, Tita Cathy! I love everything you sent! Mwah!

Now since we are on the topic of clothes… Am I glad it’s starting to get cooler in   the evenings already. You know why? I have some clothes I haven’t worn yet because the weather is so warm. There’s this cardigan Titas Marinette, Jane and

Lot

gave me, which I haven’t worn yet.

Then there’s this sweater and pajama set  Ela bought for me. Mommy and Daddy took pictures of me wearing them just in case I outgrow them.

And speaking of outgrow—I might outgrow this Igorot vest Ela bought for me. I’m supposed to wear for trick or treating this Halloween. But my growth hormones are so active, my costume might not fit me anymore! I might end up wearing just a diaper and angel’s wings for a cherubim look! Hey—that won’t be so bad…. I think I’d look good as a diaper model.

Now speaking of modeling… One afternoon, Mommy made me play with her bracelets. Then she got the silly idea of making me wear them as armbands. This photo would tell you just what I thought of the ordeal:

Yup. I wasn’t happy wearing bracelets. If I could only talk, I would have screamed: “Daddy!!!! Si Mommy o, pinagsusuot ako ng bracelet!” But I was a trooper. Just to make Mommy happy, I played with the bracelets for a while so she could get some pictures to add to her collection of Enzo’s Silly Photos.

And speaking of silly photos… here’s a very candid, pa-cute photo of me.

And here’s a photo of me in an I’m-so-lazy pose.

Celebration time!

Now let’s talk about celebrations.

It sure was great to be eight… months, that is.

For my party, we had Domino’s pizza and a yummy chocolate cake from Conti’s. Lola Inga and Ate Elma joined us for dinner that day.

Then it was so fine to be nine! Oh, how time flies! Imagine, I’m nine months already! My turning 9 months is a big deal for my mom and dad. And you know what, I had sort of 2 celebrations on the  same day.

My first was at Mamoo’s in

Marikina

where we had a triple (or quadruple?) celebration. Josh and I celebrated turning 9 months, Ninang Kay celebrated turning twenty-eight, and Ate Keona celebrated her Merry Un-birthday Party.

We had lots of food for lunch and mirienda! During the picture-taking at lunch time, I tried taking a swipe at the pancit (of course, I just had to do it! My day wouldn’t be complete without taking a swipe at something on the table!).

At mirienda, we had a blast with four cakes. Mine was Winnie the Pooh, Josh’s was Tweety, Ate Keona’s was Blossom, and Ninang Kay’s was a smiley cake (the smallest of the four, ironically).

I had lots of fun that day. I enjoyed the food, the company, the trip. Josh and I played with Ate Keona’s toys, including this mechanical elephant.I even had a pseudo-swimming session that morning at Mamoo’s garage. Ninang Kiss put up a plastic pool, then Daddy and Ninong Jun inflated my boat just so I could enjoy swimming. The water was too cold for me, though. I just sort of swished the water with my hand and foot in-between tears (I cried everytime Daddy and Mommy placed me in the pool). But I still enjoyed semi-swimming.

Ninang Kiss hopes that the next time I visit them at

Marikina

, I wouldn’t cry anymore. I’ve been improving. At least now, I smile more often and interact with people.

Then of course, after the celebration at Marikina, we went home and blew a birthday candle again at Ela’s. This time, we didn’t just look at the cake, we ate it! Rather—they ate it. Wow. These surely were great 9th-month celebrations!

And speaking of celebrations…. I believe my Tito Ninong Nikki deserves three cheers for being one of my alalays now.  Gone are the days when he’d hardly take a peek at me inside the room. He’s not afraid to carry me anymore. In fact, I enjoy piggy back rides with him! Plus, He makes a nifty playmate while Mommy takes her dinner. As usual, Tito Ninong never fails to amuse me with the funny faces he makes.

Three cheers also for my Ninang Andeng whom I finally met in person. She dropped by at the house one evening and babysat for me while Mommy changed into her lakwatsa clothes. She and Ninang Andeng went to visit my other Ninang, Ninang Mylene.

Wow, there sure was a lot in this update. Til next time, folks! Tata-for-now!

Yellooooooowwww everyone, I’m back!

I got really busy the past two months learning how to do lots of baby stuff like eating solids, socializing, sitiing,crawling and standing that I’ve hardly had time to visit my blog myself! Well, fret not, ‘coz I’ve got loads of stories to tell. Ready?

Party Baby

I attended my very first kiddie party last July 2. Wow, it was fun. There were lots of kids, some games and mascots. It was Kuya Marco’s birthday. Marco is the son of Tito Joben and Tita Vina. Tito Joben is a former officemate of Daddy’s.

The party was at Fazouli at Libis. Kuya Marco’s party had a Sesame Street theme. I enjoyed watching the puppet show. I also enjoyed taking a swipe at the mini cakes on the table (too bad Mommy was quick to swat my hand. I would have wanted to poke the icing on top of Big Bird’s head hehehe.)  I also made new friends. There was this baby who loved my disney socks so much he wanted to  take them off my feet. Then, there was ate Bea, the daughter of Tito Raymond (another ex-office mate of daddy). And you know what? I got to see Tommy Tomato and Elmo(Tommy is Fazouli’s mascot). I even touched Elmo’s velvety head (Daddy told me to!). Daddy and I couldn’t squeeze in for a picture during the photo ops near the gift table. I thought we’d go home without a souvenir shot with Elmo. But My Mommy was so clever. She told us to ambush Elmo at the exit route. And true enough, we got to have our picture taken with Elmo! That party was lots of fun. I enjoyed so much, I hardly took my milk. I guess too much excitement is bad for me. And oh yeah. I got my very first loot bag that day, a blue Sesame Street pouch filled with goodies (which Daddy ate) and toys. I loved the toy clapper best. It’s like a rattle shaped like two hands which you wave about for it to produce a clapping sound. I’m already an expert at making it clap! I made Mommy’s head ache from playing with it non-stop for three days!

Speaking of parties… during my 7th month celebration, we had cake and Earl’s  cold cuts for dinner. As usual, I loved the cake! Swiping at the icing is one of the things I enjoy doing lately. Icing is so colorful, soft and mushy, that’s why!

We had a simple celebration at Mamoo’s the week after my (and Josh’s) 7th month bdays. Aside from the normal dinner fare, we had cake and Jollibee spaghetti (courtesy of Tita Cha, a friend of Mamoo’s who was celebrating her birthday, too). Of course, I just had to take a swipe at the cake again. This time, Mommy wasn’t so quick to whisk me off. 

Then, the latest party  I attended was Kuya Shuey’s swimming party last August 13 at La Vista Pansol.

Daddy bought me a boat just for the occasion. I enjoyed swimming. We must have stayed in the water for an hour! All was fine, I enjoyed the experience  (except for the times the other kids splashed me! I really hate being splashed with water on the face). I also got to use a swim ring for the first time. This is me in Kuya Shuey’s Sesame Street swim ring (one of my birthday gifts for him).

There were no souvenirs at this party, but I had the chance to take home something. Tita Cielo gave me this orange plastic plate. I loved playing it with it so much, Mommy asked her if I could bring it home. it is now sitting with my other toys in my play pen.

Posing! Posing!

Mommy has been clicking away with the camera again. This time, she has been catching me at my silliest moments. Here are some of her favorites…

That’s a diaper on my head. Guess who put it there. Mommy, of course! Do I look like those foreign judges with wigs? Daddy says I look like one of those guys from Knights of Columbus. Mommy says I look like I’m having my hair curled.

This is me wearing an exercise head band. Am I cute or what? Daddy doesn’t like this picture. He says I posed like a girl.

Then here’s a picture of Daddy and me. Weeee! I just looooove shoulder rides. I hang on real tight to Daddy’s hair, I don’t want to fall!

This is one of my classic "istambay sa kanto" poses. I look like a contented cow, don’t I? And speaking of "istambay," Daddy and I have lots of bonding moments just lounging about at home while Mommy goes to work on Saturdays. She came home one day and caught our silly pose on camera…

I caught the flu last end of July. I lost some weight, as you can see in this picture. But I’m a strong baby. I got well real quick and was a happy, bouncy baby again.

My Possie

Mommy made an inventory of my toys recently and just to show you how much toys I’ve accumulated, here’s a photo of my "possie." Included here are my musical/noisy toys: Dino the Dionosaur from Mamoo, Caty  the Caterpillar from Lolo Tete, Mickey Firebuster from Kuya Shuey. In the picture too are some of my soft toys and rattles: Honey, Chichi, Bugz, Ducky, Moo, Bob the pig, Bluey the dog, my soft book from ate Keona, baby G the giraffe, my rattle shoes, and Twiggy the beach ball. Even mommy’s pooh bed socks are now in my toy box.

Here are my other toys: the tv remote, Mommy’s cellphone, my rattles and the clapper from the loot bag from Kuya Marco’s birthday. Mommy has been very inventive lately. Whenever I get bored with my toys, she gives me something new to play with—something just lying around the house.

I love playing with Daddy’s camera case (without the camera in it, of course!). I also love playing with PUSH, the baby wipes dispenser. It’s my favorite toy during diaper changing time. I call it PUSH because I think that’s his name printed on this big white button on top of the box.

Watch out for my next blog entries as I share with you my newest toy acquisitions!

June 23, 2006. Friday.

Mommy and I cried at the Doctor’s clinic today. I had to undergo a procedure to remedy my tongue tie.

Dr. Duran, the E-N-T doctor, said a cut had to be made to the membrane under my tongue. You see, my tongue doesn’t extend correctly when I stick it out. It stops short right after it reaches my lips. She said my tongue had to be released a bit more for me to be able to enunciate properly.

As soon as Mommy heard the news, she cried. Poor Mommy!

Me, I didn’t know what was about to go down yet…

Dr. Buendia, my Pediatrician, volunteered to do the procedure with Dr. Duran so Mommy could sit it out. She said Mommy might faint, so she asked her to just wait in her clinic. Ate Marie was brave. She went with me to Dr. Duran’s clinic for the procedure. Ela was there, but she’s a scaredy cat like Mommy, so she stayed at Dr. Buendia’s clinic, too.

All was fine at first… I had no idea what all the hullabaloo was about… until the doctors wrapped a blanket tightly around me. Hey! I couldn’t move my arms! Hello! Can someone get this blanket off me?!

Then, Dr. Duran sprayed topical anesthesia onto the underside of my tongue. She said it’s so I won’t feel anything when she snipped the tissue. *Eeeewwwww!* It tasted awful!

Then, it was time.

Ate Marie was asked to hold my legs to stop me from squirming. Dr. Buendia held me by the head, and Dr. Duran set off to do what she had to. Ate Marie later on told Mommy, Daddy and Ela what a BIG pair of scissors Dr. Duran used. Good thing I didn’t see it, my eyes were glued shut from crying so loudly. The snipping was quick. Then, the cut was cauterized to prevent bleeding. But squirmy me caused a minor mishap. I was twisting so much, my inner lower lip got slightly burned by the cauterizing implement. *Ouchie!* It made me cry harder! *Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah!*

Soon, Ela came into the room and off I went straight into her arms. I made sumbong what they did to me. Ela’s soothing voice calmed me down, and soon I was fast asleep, tired from the ordeal. Mommy was there in the room by then, discussing after-snip care with the doctors.

When I woke up, we were back home. My eyes were singkit—so were Mommy’s.  We both cried lots that afternoon. But guess what? I’m a-ok! It really doesn’t hurt much. In fact, I resumed making dodo immediately. And why not? I would have gone hungry if I didn’t! Hehehe.

My tongue’s okay now. It’s not heart-shaped like it used to be (imagine, Ate Marie even found it cute that it’s heart-shaped, not knowing there was something wrong with it!).

Okay Ela, when’s our next speech lesson? I’m ready to enunciate properly now. =)