My Daughter Needs New Sunday Dresses

My daughter’s Sunday dresses are getting smaller and smaller for her. This is a sign that she’s getting bigger and taller. Since I am training her to dress properly, I do not allow her to wear shorts or jeans during worship services. It will be easier for her to wear skirts and dresses when she is older if she started it now.

I am already allotting some budget for her dresses. I am planning to buy her a smocked dress. It look elegant. I want her Sunday dresses to be the best for I want her to learn at a very young age that Sunday is God, and God deserves nothing but the best.

Mommy Moments - I Gotta Wear Shades

Friday once again and Mommy moments again. This week's theme is "I Gotta Wear Shades".
Enjoy my daughter's shades moments below.

my daughter's first time to wear shades


more shades moment of Ska


Visit The Mommy Journey for more shades moments.

Mommy Moments - Look At The Mess

It is not a tradition in our house to celebrate my daughter's month day. On her ninth month, I don't know what entered to my mind, but I bought my daughter a half-roll Ube cake. So this is the result. A really mess! But a cute one, isn't?

You can click to view the larger version of the image.

Happy Mommy Moments

Mommy Moments - First Steps

Today's Mommy Moment's theme is First Steps. Unfortunately, I was not able to capture my daughter's first steps because the first time she walked by her own was during unexpected time.

Like what I frequently mentioned in this blog, my daughter was a bit late when she started walking. This maybe attributed to the fact that she was not an active baby. She's been sleeping most of the time during the first year of her life. And I think she was traumatized when my husband was trying to let her stand alone. This may also caused her delayed walking.

The first time she walked was in church. She herself didn't realized that she can already walked. She was trying to run after another baby in our church while I was holding her at the back through her sleeveless jacket. While she was running after the baby, I would let her run alone without her noticing that I already freed her up. I was really surprised that she can already walk by herself but once she realized that I no longer hold her, she would sit down and would just crawl. She was already one year and four months that time.

After few months more, she's more confident to walk by herself and now she can endure to walk farther distances.

She was only six months when she started to use her walker, but not for so long because our helper broke it without telling us. When Ska used it again, she was hurt and since then, she no longer want to use her walker.

Her crib helped her exercised her legs and knees. She can walk inside the playpen while holding on the wooden bars.

This was the time when my husband was letting her stand by herself while leaning on the wall. He was trying my daughter if she can walk by herself, but my daughter was traumatized instead.

Two things I learned from this milestone. First, each child has his/her own time. We can't force him/her but we can give some means to help them. Second, child's trust and confidence can easily be broken, so we should be careful with it.

Happy Mommy Moments!

I... Love... You...

Every mom (or probably even dads) would love to hear their little ones hear the three magic words and I am not an exception to the rule. I would love to hear my daughter utter these words to me. I've been telling these words to her since she was born (and of course my husband too) so I am excited for her to return it to me, lol!

Actually, she can already repeat the words after we say it whenever we asked her to do so. And there are words she can already say clearly like milk, toys, book, eat, fan and many more. But she seldom completes a two-word phrase by herself. Most probably, she would completely say the first word and just the last syllable of the second word or vice versa, which ever word is easier for her to pronounce.

Going back to the three magic word, what we are doing with her is to let him repeat the word I, then she can already proceed with the remaining two words. So I was surprised last Wednesday because she was able to complete the magic words without any initiation from any one though the timing wasn't very appropriate. She yelled the words during our midweek evening service nyahahaha....

This was how it happened. She stood up in the bench where my husband, she and I were seating. She was between me and my husband and we were seating on the second row of the third column. Since our attendance during Wednesday is less than half of our Sunday population, most goers would seat in the middle column. We were only the one seating on that column for the purpose that she will not disturbed anyone during the service. When she stood up, I didn't mind her since she was not making any noise. She was just smiling and moving her hands. But not so long, she started saying I... Love... You! Her voice was in increasing tone and she was facing the other members as if she was telling them the words. I immediately put her down and whispered to her to keep quiet. Good that our pastor is already immuned with such distraction and is no longer affected. Some members were smiling at her that I feel so embarrased. But I was so happy deep inside because she can completely and clearly say "I love you."

Mommy Moments - Playing Time

Today's theme for Mommy Moments is Playing Time. I guess, all kids love to play. Although, they might have different preferences on the type of game to play, the fact remains that they still enjoy playing. And I believe that this is something that no single child must be deprived of whatever the circumstances maybe. This is every child's right.

Playing is not just for fun though this is the primary and most obvious reason. Playing also helps a child to develop and improve his/her locomotor skills. And if there is a chance to interact with other kids while playing, this is a good opportunity to develop the child's interpersonal skills.

For my daughter, we encourage her to enjoy some outdoor activities because she walked a bit late. If the weather is good, we bring her out in the morning for a walk and in the afternoon, we bring her to the playground. And since, there are other kids in the playground, she get the chance to interact with other kids. During holidays, we also bring her somewhere to her expose her to other places.



These pictures were taken at Toy Kingdom Megamall.

Early this year, when I passed by this store going home from work, I noticed that the store was exhibiting these kinds of recreational equipments for toddlers. I knew that I can't afford to buy these for my daughter. So when I reached home I shared this with my husband and we planned to bring our daughter there the next time I report to office for her to experience these kind of equipments. Good thing was, the sales personnel allowed the kids to play with the equipments. And my daughter really had a great time playing with these giant toys for free.

The following photos were taken at Rizal Park last June 12

My daughter was enjoying the grass on the spacious ground :D

The playground is at the back of the Grand stand. When facing the Ocean Park, it is on the right most part. The playground is very suitable for kids because the flooring is made of rubber. Again, this is also free :)

Who says we need money to make our little ones happy? There are still many free things that would make our children happy. Let's maximize them :D

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A More Beautiful Morning

Every morning, every time I woke up, the first thing I do is to thank God for keeping me safe the whole night and giving me another day to sojourn in this world. I also pray for guidance and wisdom for the entire day so I can accomplish the things that He wants me to accomplish.

But there is one thing that makes my morning more beautiful, it beats the bright sun or the dazzling rain in the morning. It makes my morning complete. It is none other than my daughter's smile whenever she woke up in the morning. It brings joy whenever I see my daughter smile. She can turn my world upside down by her smile. It is very unusual for my daughter to cry whenever she woke up. Only when she is sick or her sleep is disturbed. Other than those circumstances,I can always expect a smile when she wakes up.

What a wonderful blessing, isn't? How about you? What makes your morning more beautiful?

Mommy Momments - Pouty Face

Mommy Momments once again. Today's theme is Pouting Face. According to YourDictionary.com, pouty means protruding: said of the lips. Here is my entry for this week's Mommy Momments.

My daughter loves to pout her lips ever since. This is her father's influence to her :D

Love to see more pouty faces? Please head to The Mommy Journey Mommy Momments.

July 2: Pasig City Day - Declared Special Non-Working Holiday

Our admin staff sent an email stating that July 2, Thursday, is a non-working Holiday for us in celebration of Pasig Day. This is a good time to rest after being stressed with my daughter's coughs and colds. I have two less- sleep nights and and still need to work in the day time. I feel so tired.

I am thankful to God that my daughter is a little better now. She was able to sleep the entire night last night but her breathing is not yet fully normal. It was my hubby who made her slept last night because my eyes can no longer open because of sleepiness. I don't know what time they slept last night, but when I woke up in the middle of the night, they were both sleeping already.

July 2 is a very timing day-off. I hope my daughter will continue to get better so I can have that day as a rest day.

Hit vs. Kiss

When my daughter started to walk (which was a bit late) and started to explore our very small rented-house, she bumped to the wall, corners or table or other stuffs in our house from time to time. At first, I really get worried and I am the one who almost cried whenever she was hurt. To pacify her, I would ask her to hit the wall or the table or the object which caused the pain. I know that I am not the only one doing this. I've seen several moms doing this on their toddlers. Later on, whenever she would bump to any object and get hurt, she would hit that object.

God made me realized that this is not right. That I am teaching my daughter some kind of revenge . Although, the object she is hitting is non-living, the idea that she can hit the one that hurt her might be instilled in her mind and she might think that hitting others is okay. In doing this, I am not teaching my daughter to be obedient with the Word of God which states that "Vengeance belongeth unto God."

So I change my tactic. Now whenever my daughter bumped to an object, I would ask her to kiss the object and touch the object softly. This is kind of weird for others but I want to instill in my daughter's mind that she should love those who hurt her. I find it effective with my daughter. I also realized that there are inevitable pains that I should allow my daughter to experience.

Potty Training Update #2

Ska's potty training is still on going but with a big improvement. She no longer use diaper during day time for weeks now (big savings for me :)), except when we go out. There are still accidents but not as often as before. Before she would only say wee wee after she'd pee on the floor but now there are times that she would already call our attention if she need to pee, just like today. She approached me while I was cooking for our lunch because she needed to pee. Then, while we were eating, she approached our helper, because she wanted to poo. And surprisingly, she poo without any struggle. She usually cried when she wants to poo because she does not want to do it on the toilet bowl nor on her potty. I don't know the reason but she seems afraid of the bowl and the potty. Maybe because she is always constipated since we changed her milk.

I almost surrendered with this potty - training. We tried several approach to help her feel more comfortable when laboring(that is how we call it when she is defecating. As if she is delivering a child, lol!) The first approach I tried was I allowed her to sit on her potty with her undies and diaper. She would only sit for a few second then she would just play with her potty. I also tried to carry her on the sitting position while I was sitting on the cover of the bowl and place the potty on the floor, but no success! She would struggle with me for me to put her down. We would give her some toy or play with some bubbles to pacify her. But this approach came to an end. It came to a point that even we gave her some toys, she would continue with the struggle. I was already thinking that she's not yet ready for the training. For a while, I allowed her to do it by her own.

For the pee session, we usually bring her to the comfort room, few minutes after she woke up from her nap, after she drunk her milk or water or after 30 minutes to 1 hour after her last pee. We applauded her whenever she made it to the CR. And since we were doing this consistently, she got the idea that she is being applauded whenever she made it to the CR. Now, she's the one initiating the applause right after she peed.

Since I noticed that she wants to do the defecating standing, I tried to let her stand on the toilet seat facing me or the anyone who is holding her. This position is effective for her. Since we tried this position, she would not hesitate to approach us when she need to poo and the struggle is eliminated.

Next step is to train her sit on the toilet seat. It is along process but I am confident that she will be able to make it.

Image by Inmagine

An Independence Attack!

Yesterday, since it was a non-working holiday, my husband and I brought our daughter to Rizal Park commonly known as Luneta. Our original plan was to brought our daughter to Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife (I thought it's National Parks and Wildlife, silly me! hehehe) for her to see the real animals she can identify in her posters and dvds (especially, monkeys like boots in Dora the Explorer) then proceed to Quezon City Memorial Circle for some strolling and biking.

But my daughter took her nap a bit longer and we were afraid that we may not be able make it to the Parks and Wildlife since it would close at around 5 or 6 PM. So we decided to visit Luneta instead since my daughter was never been there and the last time I visited the park was three years ago (if my memory do not fail me).

My husband and I both failed to anticipate that there might be some program being held there in the celebration of the Independence Day. We only realized it when we reached the place. But we were thankful that the park was not that crowded and we could still roam around.

After riding off from the cab (we don't have our own car :D), we headed to the area where there were fountains. We took some pictures of course. Suddenly, in just a nick of time that we took our eyes off my daughter, a litte boy, probably just few months older than our daughter, attacked our daughter. We just saw him bitting my daughter's head while tightly holding my daughter's face. I was really shocked and I immediately pulled my daughter away and carried her but I made sure that I would not make the damage bigger. The companions of the boy took the boy as well (they are farther from us) and just uttered, "nanggigil na naman." My daughter was too afraid to cry :( (I was the one who almost cried). She just bore her face on my shoulder and hugged me so tight. My husband checked her head and her face. There were three long scratches on her left cheek and another small one on her brow. Thank God that the scratches were not deep.

One of the companion of the boy said sorry but no one among them (they were three) checked the damage their boy had done to my daughter. I did not even heard them reprimanded the boy nor told the boy that what he did was wrong.

We just left the area and find another place. Maybe my daughter was just too happy to be in a new place and see fountains that she immediately forgot what happened. After a while, she already managed to walk again and utter her usual words. But she was not in the mood for pictures.

My husband was teasing my daughter that she should bite the boy also but I told my daughter that she should love the boy because the Bible says "Love your enemy." Of course, my husband was just teasing my daughter to lighten her mood.

How about you, what would you do if you were in my place? Or if you were the companion of the boy? How would you let the boy realize that his action was wrong?

Mommy Momments - Outdoor Fun

Near our place is a playground, it is actually the baranggay playground. We (with my hubby) usually bring our daughter there to practice her locomotor skills. Before, she was a bit afraid to play but recently, she can manage to use the bigger slide, but of course with supervision. She would always want to use the swing but there are only two swings available and most of the time they were already occupied.

I also include her first outdooor fun outside the metro, although I am not sure if she really enjoyed :D

Would you like to share you outdoor fun? Visit Mommy Momments @ The Mommy Journey

Doctor, Doctor, I am sick again?

My daughter is sick again, maybe because of the weather. She has colds & fever. Almost the same time last year, just after her first birthday, she got sick also. That was the time that her cough didn't leave her for so many months and we jumped from one pedia to another.

But today, I am thankful that her body can manage to cope up with her sickness. She's still a bit irritated but there is a big improvement now. She can still play, eat and drink her milk even she's sick. Unlike before that her body was really weak and she do not want to be carried by anyone else but me. I am praying her sickness will not last for long and will not result to complications.

Turning Two

My daughter will be turning two this friday, May 29. Hay... how time flies so fast -as if it was only yesterday when we celebrated her first birthday and now, in few days time, she'll already be two years old.

I can still remember the preparations we made for her first birthday - it took me a month or so to finish her birthday banner and invitations. We went to Divisoria for her party needs, give-a-ways and her gown. Although I wanted to make it memorable, my practical side as a mom also reigns. I go where I can save some money :D

Ska's Birthday Invitation (3R)

Ska's birthday banner (3" x 2")

Her 1st Birthday Cake

Ska's first ever gown

You probably have already guessed the theme. Yes, it was Dora the Explorer. Dora is the only cartoon character which my daughter can recognize during that time :D

But this year, my husband and I decided to make it a simple celebration. We just ordered a simple cake for her and that's it. We will reserve the effort and money for her 7th birthday, lol!