Dear Mia,

it’s nearly 2 months before your 3rd birthday. and we were just talking before bed what you wanted for your birthday. you said you wanted a birthday cake, balloons, and nothing else.

you’re so adorable. whenever i need cheering up, i just try to remember some of your quotable quotes like,

“akyu!” you shouted that when you heard the bananacue vendor yelling outside the house one afternoon.

or,

“mommy, i can’t, i can’t!” when i tried to make you write your name one time. you were so frustrated then, in such a very cute way. or,

me: mia, let’s go to sleep already because mommy needs to wake up early tomorrow to go to work!

mia: you’re leaving me?

me (with a very sad tone and face): yes

mia: it’s ok mommy, it’s ok. don’t cry. (with matching hug)

sometimes i wonder where you get your smarts, but then again i remember that you’ve got my genes. =)

you can be really stubborn too.

me (pointing to a picture of  a jaguar): this is a jaguar

mia: no way!

me: it is a jaguar because it has spots!

mia: no way! it’s a lion!

i could just let you have your way, but then what will your teacher say when you go to school? it’s great that you can actually tell the difference between jaguar and leopard spots, but you have got to get the names right my dear.

but most of the time you get it right naman. and i’m so proud of you! but even if you sing Nobody (“Nobody, nobody not you!”) with your own lyrics, i don’t care. you’re still the best composer there is.

my dear little Mishka, i am always praying for you. that you grow up to be the sweetest and nicest little girl that God wants you to be. and yes, you will always always be my little girl.

love you always!

Simple [i vs p]

i was too dazed to notice that i posted a photo for a different theme from P’s. haay.

so here it is, (sorry P!) my Simple entry.

we adults always say, ‘if only i were a kid again, life would be much simpler.’ i’m afraid i’d be guilty of saying that. it’s sad how sometimes growing up robs us of the best experiences in life. it sounds cliche but it’s true.

now that i have a kid of my own, the reality of it sort of kicks me in the butt. for a good cause, though. i wouldn’t want mia to grow up knowing how her mom is grouchy and always tired and never willing to play with her when she comes home from work.

always busy, too rattled. like this week past. when i forgot that our theme was not Ancient, but Simple. haha.

no, i wouldn’t want that.

so i’ll always try to be a kid at heart. simple, true. but most of all, fun.

mia’s 1st blog post

hi, my name is Mishka Andrea, but everyone else calls me Mia. except maybe for my pedia doctor who calls me Mishka. i like it either way even though i can’t pronounce it.

you know, i’m not all eat, poop and sleep. i can sing my ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle, Rain Rain Go Away, and Happy Birthday all on my own. i can count up to 12 now, and even count in espanol, thanks to Dora.

i like imitating my lola photocopy stuff with that white machine which my mom always tells me not to touch. i do anyway. buttons are soo nice to press and it makes me feel like a grown up!

i regularly eat itty bitty meals now, and i think my mom is very happy with me. but i like McDo apple pie, ketchup on just about anything, noodle pasta or rice without anything on it, and Cookie Crisps. i can eat kalamansi without wincing! my mom says my taste is really weird. sometimes i eat better when we’re dining out, and i think it’s because of the pretty bright lights and nice tables and spoons to mess around with.

i’m quite the party girl too ’cause i love to sing and dance. you can play any song and i’ll dance to it, even native music which my tito ian plays sometimes. he says it’s for school, but i think sometimes they just love to see me dance ’cause i’m good at it. and as you can see, i’m a very good model.

i know all basic shapes when mommy shows me stuff, and i know the letters of the alphabet! well, most of them. Z is for Zebra, you know. i’m still learning colors but i got Blue right, i think.

i love wearing dresses, especially long, billowy ones. i like how it flaps around me when i twirl. i’d ask my mom to let me wear one even when i don’t have to leave the house. and i like putting on make up too, just like lola and mommy. but i think they just pretend to put some on me when i ask them. sneaky, sneaky.

that’s about it. i’m one happy little girl that loves everything cute, cuddly, shiny, and sweet. oh, and i love bubble baths too!

Does this mean I don’t have to worry?

Is My Toddler Eating Enough?

It’s hard enough to get your toddler to sit still for meals, let alone keep track of how much he eats! But there are easy guidelines to help you figure out if your toddler is getting the nourishment he needs.

Three bites of pasta here, a half an orange there, a handful of Cheerios on the go. Ever wonder if your finicky, distracted toddler is eating enough? And what gives with the days he suddenly eats as though he’s wolfing down his last meal? Why

the inconsistency? Rest assured that extreme fluctuations in appetite are fairly typical toddler eating habits. (Read the rest of the article here)

hmm. ewan ko lang ha. but so far she’s been like a normal 2 year old — makulit, malikot, maingay. haha. so i think she’s pretty ok, just on the lighter side of the scale. blame it on the genes then.

it pays to be polite

watch your words, ma!

especially when you’re polite to your toddler. i love how kids can easily imitate an adult’s actions and words. their minds are just a sponge, even at this early age. the rate of learning is just so fast that you don’t know where to start teaching them.

so i started when Mia began talking. or blabbering, that is. simple everyday conversations would be my mode of teaching and i would always say “please”, “thank you”, “welcome”, “excuse me”, and even “see you, ingat”.

guess what, those are phrases she regularly use now. sometimes i don’t even tell her to say them, but since she hears that from us at home, she just copies.

case in point is the “excuse me”. i was just surprised one day a few months back when she wanted to pass through and i was blocking her way. she tried to push me aside and said, “etut me!” very loudly (and maybe even a little irritated).

now that just made my day.

Too picky

Picky Toddler Food Jags: Easy Ways to Get Your Child Eating Again

Your toddler may be finicky with his food, but at least you can count on a few fallback foods you know he’ll eat. What do you do, then, when your picky toddler won’t eat his usual favorite foods? Read on.

Uh-oh…you just served your toddler his all-time favorite food. The same food he’s been eating happily for, oh, forever. The food you could always fall back on when he wouldn’t eat anything else so that at least you knew he ate something. And now…horrors! He’s pushing it away with a firm, “Mommy, I don’t like that.” Ah, toddlers. Their ever-changing tastes certainly do keep parents on their toes. Just when you think you’ve got a handle on your picky toddler’s likes and dislikes, he changes his mind. But don’t lose hope. There are tactics you can try when your fallback meal plan falls through.

Don’t panic. Your toddler won’t starve. And making a big fuss about what your tot will or won’t eat sends a signal to your li’l food critic that this is a surefire way to push your buttons and get a reaction. So play it cool and don’t stress.

Seize the opportunity. View this as a golden opportunity to get your child interested in — whoa! — something he hasn’t tried before. Even a food that was vehemently rejected may suddenly find favor with your picky toddler right now. So, jump on this chance (while he’s not stuck in his old food rut) to introduce new foods into your toddler’s repertoire. And remember that it can take up to 15 tries for a child to get used to a new food, so be patient with your tot’s palate. Start by simply putting the new food on his plate or letting him taste a pea-sized portion. Take it one bite at a time. (Read the rest of the article)

15 tries, huh? try a million with Mia. *hay*

i’m desperate. she eats rice without anything on it, pasta/cooked noodles without anything on it, and loves apple pies from McDonalds. and chocolate of course, what child wouldn’t want that?

these are times as well that i wish i was a stay at home mom. at least i could cook for her and try all those “creative ways to get your toddler to eat”.

:/

when the sun did come out [ws]

the sun almost never comes out lately as harsh as did last weekend. that’s because of major climate changes, our summer has been reduced to one month. one month!

for beach and summer people like us, it’s unthinkable. it’s almost  a crime.

so last saturday (and fortunately since the past couple of days) the sun finally did come out.

and it was time to bring out the pool!

–

my Weekend Snapshot entry, after a looong hiatus from the meme.

Canon EOS 400D, P.

Baby dresses

I still shop at the Infants section at the department store. Mia’s 2 and a half years old. She’s supposed to be wearing toddler clothes already! Oh well, she’s really just on the small side.

Which is just nice since babies’ clothes don’t usually cost as much as toddler clothes. SM Cubao recently had a month-long Baby Sale and I got 4 pieces (dresses and tops) for about Php500 only (one of them is what Mia’s wearing in the photo). Neat stuff, no?

I love sales and bargains not just because I’m a cheapskate but it’s also an excuse for me to be extra patient and resourceful in finding really cool stuff (which I don’t normally do). Sige na nga, cheapskate kasi talaga! But not for shoes, though. Those I don’t mind buying the more expensive ones for her. Mahirap na, ang likot pa naman ni Mia.

Where do you usually shop for kids’ stuff? Do share!

Picture perfect

Clarice: Smile Mia, we’re on camera!

Mia: Ito na nga, naka-smile na.

Clarice: Ganito turo sakin ng mommy ko!

Mia: I’m 2 years old!

Clarice: Hinde, ganito pag nagpapa-peechur. Korean style.

Mia: Ganito?

Clarice: Actually hindi ako sure…

—

This is Mia with her second cousin Clarice.

It’s always fun to watch kids. Their curiousity is just so amusing.

heatwave

this is too much. the heat is just too much!

Ice Cream by Ninang Patty (Lomo lc-a)

i want ice cream!!! what’s a good ice cream you can indulge in without the calories though? what’s that brand from DQ again?

Mia moment #1

Mia just loves to shout out loud in places where she knows there will be an echo.

So mommy teaches her the word “echo”.

Mommy: Mia say e-cho (enunciating the syllables very carefully)

Mia: eee-cho! (like eco)

Mommy: No, say eh– (this time emphasizing the ‘e’) –cho!

Mia: eee-cho!

Mommy: haay.

At 28 months

Mia writing

Creating a Creative Spirit in Your Child
Give a toddler’s imagination room to grow — you’ll be amazed at how far it can take her.

By age two, your toddler’s creativity and imagination is fully on display, and what an entertaining show it is! She’ll wow you with herability to scribble a blue blob and call it a picture of a kitty cat, or pick up a stick and wave it around like a pretend firefighter’s hose. Your 29-month-old can tell you she’s planning to “move my house to the moon” with pure conviction. You’ve gotta love that!

The Power of Imagination

What toddlers lack in ability (and logic), they easily make up for in imagination… – (Continue reading at Whattoexpect.com)

I am resisting the urge to bring out the Play Doh and let her play with it. But why not, right? We had so much fun the last time we played with clay, just very, very messy.

Water, please!

A day out swim is just NOT enough. I’m so proud of Mia, she’s not scared of the water at all! (Hello, she’s not even afraid of the dark). She would count to 3 and jump off the edge of the pool into my arms. Now that’s brave. 

We still want to go swimming. Water please!

Tatu-bath!

She just loooooves bubble baths.

Obvious ba?

Nakuha pang magpa-cute.

Someday she’s gonna kill me for posting these on the net.

–

Photos courtesy of Ninang Jed

Mia’s First

First Baguio trip and first strawberry taho, that is. We went to Baguio about 3 weeks too early for the Panagbenga Festival last February, but so what. Mia still got to enjoy the strawberry flavored taho (only in Baguio) and horseback riding (well you can’t say you went to Baguio without at least riding a horse once in your life). She was so happy to ride the pony at Camp John Hay that she kept pointing at every horse she saw and shouting “horse!”

I, on the other hand, loved the bonding time. Buti nalang it’s one whole week that I’m not going to work. I hope we get to spend it on the beach!

Ikaw san lakad mo?