Holiday gifts for Abi

Christmas has just passed. We don't celebrate Christmas though, but we had our "Family Day" on the 25th of December where we did an exchange gifts. And once again, it's the day of spoiling the kids. Oh yeah, the kids got really spoiled that day 'cos of all the gifts they received.


the winner toy: copter from Aunt Yvonne

Yup, his favorite toy now is his copter given to him by my sister-in-law, Yvonne. But I was so proud of him though, because he shared it with his cousins. Though he was hesitant at first, but we keep teaching him how to share, so he ended up sharing it. I know it was a big sacrifice for him and it really broke his heart to see that someone else is playing with his new copter. But at least, he did the act of sharing.


laptop from Mom & Dad

Then, we got him his own laptop. It is actually a learning laptop. Of course, he's too young to have his own real laptop.

We got him that 'cos I used to work in front of the computer. So, with his own computer, he can keep himself busy and think that he is doing what Mom does.


little truck from Aunt Shonda & Uncle Kevin and big truck from Grams

It was a co-incident to have them give Abi the same type of toy. Actually, those toys have the same brand. The only difference is the size. But Abi still enjoyed playing with both, and at the same time. Those two trucks always goes together for him.

Then, he also got some new clothes from his grandparents too and set of balls (football, basketball, and soccer) from my brother-in-law Kevin and his wife, Shonda. So, he got 5 gifts, in total for his Holiday. He sure did had lots of fun with his new stuffs.

A future entertainer

We, mothers, always hope that our son had a talent that would make him a successful person in the future. I wish that I'd know it as early as possible so that whatever he wanted he in life, I can start to prepare what it needed, finance-wise, etc.

My husband would laugh at me how I can say what our son wanted to be. Each time, he'd do something, like having airplane and helicopter as his favorite toys, I'll say that he wanted to be a pilot. All such things. I might not know what he will be in the future, but I always pray that he will have the life that he wanted.

Anyway, enough for all those sentiments as a mother. Below is a video of my son being an entertainer. Have fun! :-)


So, what do you think?

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness"... I've heard that motto when I was still in Elementary, that is why I always make sure that I am clean and my surroundings is clean. Now, as a Mom, I am trying to instill that motto to my son and so far so good. He knows that he needs to take a bath everywhere and was his hands when it's dirty and before and after eating. Good thing, he can easily reach our Grohe faucets to where he can wash his hands by his own.

It feels really good to see your child learning good things and doing it always.

Job for a stay-at-home Mom like me

Being a stay-at-home Mom is not as easy as what others think. Especially me that was used to working and having my own income. Then, all of a sudden, I need to stay at home and take care of my beloved son. It may not be my choice but I am still loving it 'cos I get spend more time with my child. Except that, I wish I have my own income 'cos even if my husband is providing us our needs, but I'm just not used to asking from someone whenever I need something.

Anyway, I was looking online and saw a job that is best for a stay-at-home Mom like me. If we have enough finance, we can start a business with coffee franchises. That kind of business is good 'cos we could stay at home and earn money at the same time.

Big Boy On His Bike

This video was just caught earlier this morning while I was preparing breakfast. Abi was having fun with bike, going back and forth between the dining and living area.



It is really amazing how big he is now. When we first got his bike, he doesn't know how to ride on it yet. He always wants be on ride on it and drive it while he sits at the back. But now, he knows how to properly ride on it. Oh.. my baby is a big boy now.

Toy Box From Grandpa

It is so sweet of Grandpa to make a big toy box for Abi.

Toy box as big as what he did (see image on the left) is very expensive. Good thing he knows carpentry and thought about giving our son a very nice toy box.

He must probably have heard me when I talked about asking my husband to bring me a big box so that I can put all of Abi's toys in one place. My husband brought two boxes already but I can't put the toys in it 'cos Abi's more interested on getting in it. Then, last Saturday, Grandpa showed us the toy box that he made about a month ago while he was at their ranch.

It is a pretty big toy box and Abi's toys really fit in their. Actually, there are more spaces left to where we can put more of Abi's toys in the future. Now, I have all his toys in one place and not just scattered all over the house.

Thanks Grandpa for this wonderful gift to our son!

Babysitted by Grandma again

Abi was babysitted by his Grandma last Saturday and Sunday again.

Last Saturday was his Daddy's birthday. We went to Grandma because she was preparing Enchilada as requested by Daddy. Then, we left him to his Grandma so that me and Andy can have moments alone with each other.

It is so different to not having Abi around the house. The first time we had him slept at Grandma's was during our honeymoon. It didn't hit me that time because we were not in our house, but I still missed him though.

The 2nd time really hit me big time. Grandma just wanted to babysit him that time so we let her. Then we just stayed at the house and watched movie. But I could imagine him bothering us while we watch movie. The non-stop "Mommy" and "Daddy" whining he does just to distract us from the movie. It can be annoying but when he's not there to do it, the atmosphere and surrounding of the house can never be normal.

Then, the 3rd time was last Saturday. I still missed him but I'm getting used to have him at his Grandma once in a while. And he enjoys it a lot. You know what Grandma does, spoiling the grandkids unintentionally *wink*.

Got A Good Quality Winter Jacket For An Affordable Price

I just got the Winter (Bubble) Jacket that I ordered online.

I was hoping that it's good one and I didn't fail. You may be wondering why I seem to have doubt on it. Well, because when I saw that same jacket from other stores, it cost $50.00++, but I got it at $8.00 from Walmart.com. Nope, it's not a typo, it is really that cheap. But mind you, it doesn't look cheap.

Actually, when I looked today on the product so that I can leave a nice comment as an appreciation to good quality and fast shipping of Walmart.com, it now cost $6.00. Such a great deal, isn't it? You can always have the best deal when you shop at Walmart.com. Plus, their product has always good quality. What can I say? I'm a satisfied customer.

Oh, and you may be wondering why I'd say that it has a good quality when I just got it. Simply because, you can really tell with the materials being used in the product. It has nice fabric that would really make my son warm during winter, which is why I got in the first place.

So, if you are on budget (or not), why shop anywhere else when you can find it at Walmart.com? I'm not posting this to advertise them, but because I am really satisfied and they deserve a good thumbs up from me.

If you wanna see the same product just click the following link:
Faded Glory - Toddler Boys' Bubble Jacket

Mommy's Vitamins

Remembering to give my son his vitamins is not an easy task for me. It may for you, but I always have problems remembering something, unless I am into the habit and even if I don't remember it, I would still do it. You know what I'm saying?

Well, now that I am taking diet pill which my son calls "Mommy's Vitamins", I won't forget about giving him his vitamins. My only problem though is if I'd forget to take my vitamins.

Babysitter Wanted

Not for now though, but some time next year. Me and my hubby are talking about having a nice vacation in Vegas next year so we probably need a babysitter for our son while we're away. Though we know that my his Grandma would be willing to babysit him but we're not sure about her work schedule yet, so that's why I'm making this announcement as early as now.

We don't have a fix date yet because we are still trying to find a hotel in las vegas where we can stay at. Once we're done with that, everything else would follow.

It's 2:00 AM and still won't go to sleep

I was so miserable last night because Abi doesn't want to go to sleep and it's already 2 o'clock in the morning. I know it's not his fault because he is not really tired. He took a nap for 5 hours yesterday, so who would be sleepy when you have that long of a nap. He started his nap around 3 o'clock, then woke up after 8:00 in the evening.

But even if I wanted to keep him company the whole night, I can't keep up to it because my head was already aching really bad. I didn't have a nap like what he had, I wish I did. If only I knew that he'd be taking a long nap. I don't want to leave him alone playing either, then I'll go to sleep. He's just 2 years old, he may do something he is not allowed to and may hurt him badly. And of course, he won't like it too.

My first attempt was just simply putting him to bed, gave him his milk, and made him comfortable by putting his sheets on him, but that didn't work. He was whining for me. I ignored it at first but he just won't stop. So I went to him and talk to him, then I went back to bed. This time, he cried for me. I just can't help it, so I went back to him. He wanted me to lie with him on the bed, so I did. I stayed there for about 15 minutes and started to feel uncomfortable and my headache seemed like killing me. So, I talk to him and made him understand how I felt, he still cried. I told him to stop crying because there's no reason for it. I went to bed then dozed off. I honestly didn't realize what happened next because I was fast asleep since then. I'd probably hear something from my husband once he gets home if Abi still didn't go to sleep once I dozed off.

Hayyyy...kids! Sometimes (or shall I say, most of the time?), it's just really hard to keep up with their energy. They have so much of it, while we grown-ups has only limited energy. Oh well, that's part of being a parent. How about you? What's your experience? :-D

Great Vacation Deal

I always wanted to have a family vacation next year. I want to go to some other States. Right now, I am searching for the best deals I can find to make sure that our vacation is worth each penny that we will pay.

One of the best Vacation Package I've seen online is from Orland Theme Park Vacations, which is a 3 Day Vacation that includes the following.

* Westgate Resorts 5-Star Accommodations
* 3 Days / 2 Nights
* 2 Disney World Theme Park Tickets

And it only cost $99 which was originally $399. Isn't that a great deal?

I'm sure my son would enjoy that vacation and so am I because I've dreamed of going to Disney World eversince I was a kid. Now, this would be my chance.

The search for gifts

I am so excited for our first Family Day here with my husband's family. We are so glad that Andy's parents understands that we don't celebrate Christmas so instead of having the traditional Christmas party, they agreed to just celebrate that day as our Family Day. But to make the kids happy during that day, like what they are used to, we can wrap some gifts for them. That makes me more excited because I love to give gift especially for the kids. Finding the right gifts is easier said than done though. Well, I don't want to just grab any cute things and give it to them. I wanna give them something useful and they would enjoy. It's funny that I'd compare this experience with finding a unique commercial real estate because you think that they are very easy to find because they are just anywhere, but nope! I need to find something that is worth buying because every penny has a value nowadays.

But, before I made this post, I already did my online shopping for the kids' presents and I am so excited for it. I am sure the kids would me more excited than me once they see what I've got for them.

Do you know what a mesothelioma is?

Do you know what a mesothelioma is?

I was just reading a book and that word captured my eyes. I searched it through Wikipedia.org and I found out that it is a type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.

Now, do you know what asbestos is? Well, it's your turn to ask Wikipedia (grin).

Anyway, in Mesothelioma, malignant cells develop in a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs called mesothelium. Normally, this disease would exist in the outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall, but it may also occur in the lining of the abdominal cavity, the heart, and in a sac that surrounds the heart.

It is not a common disease but know it does exist. Again, this disease can be with people who are exposed to asbestos: have been working with asbestos, or washed clothes that were exposed to asbestos.

Bonding with his Aunt Yvonne

Last night, Yvonne, my sissy-in-law asked Abi to borrow his airplane. She sometimes jokingly would tell Abi that she wanted to sleep with his airplane. But last night, she was in the mood to play with Abi and his most favorite toy, his airplanes. Good thing I was able to capture it in video.

Keep your appliances away from your children

One of the things that most parents would take for granted when they have a kid at home is to make sure that appliances are away from their little ones. It is very important that appliances are out of reach from the little ones because one, they don't know how to use it yet and two, it might hurt them. So, as much as possible get the furniture that would put the appliances out from their reach. It may can be expensive but it's all worth it.

For TV sets, I found tv lifts that you can put with the furniture where you usually put the TV and it will extend your TV to where it would be too high for your little ones to reach.

Similarity

One thing in common between Philippines (my home town) and Texas (present address) is the weather. Though not exactly the same, but it's almost the same because it's always warm. Of course, since Texas is in USA, it gets cold here during winter season and Philippines doesn't have that season. But most of the time, it is warm in Texas.

That is why whether I am in the Philippines or in Texas, I need to make sure that my car has an a/c compressor that works well. It is important since most of the time, we need to use AC in our car due to the warm weather.

Need a help moving?

If you are planning to relocate home but having hard time to transfer everything, you can always count on to moving services company. They will help you pack and unpack everything and carry them all on your location. That way, your relocation would be less hassle than doing everything.

Relocation is really a hassle, especially when you have a baby or kid with you. Trust me, because I've experienced that. So, don't do it by yourself alone. Right services will be of help whenever you need them.

After I gave birth

Giving birth is never easy, especially when you realized the after-effects of it. I am not saying that I didn't enjoy it because I truly cherished the day that I gave birth to my angel. But giving birth changes everything in life: physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and just everything.

One physical problem that I had after giving birth is gaining too much weight. Before I got pregnant, I weighed 94 lbs. Of course, I gained weight while I am still pregnant, but I was thinking that my weight will go back after I gave birth. I was wrong because I weighed more than how I weigh when I was pregnant.

Now I am trying to lose weight because I am always more comfortable with the body I have before. While trying to work out on it, I am also searching for something that would help me lose weight faster. Then I found Phentermine. They said that it is proven safe by the FDA as an appetite suppresant.

I haven't tried it yet but I am looking at it. Hopefully, it can help me a lot to have the weight I had before.

Updating this blog

I feel so bad for not updating this blog as much as I wanted too. As you all know this blog is all about my son and me as his mother. I would like to fill this up with lots of pictures and videos of each captured moment of my son. But it is hard for me to do that right now due to some problem that I am having with the computer that I am using. Each time I tried to upload photos or videos, it keeps giving me an error message about computer memory. The only reason that I can think of about that problem is my computer doesn't have enough memory or something like that but unfortunately, I don't have any idea how to fix it.

My Active and Independent Son

One of the things that I am proud about my son is that he is always active and healthy. In fact, since we came here in Texas from the Philippines, he never got sick yet with the weather that keeps changing, but I got sick about twice already.

Another thing is he is very independent. Yes, he would ask for me once in a while, but compare to other kids I've encountered, my son can entertain himself without needing someone to be with him. Though sometimes, he would try to do some things that he is not supposed to do so I still require an adult supervision, but as long as you are in the same room with him, he is gonna be fine playing all by himself.

Anyway, the following video is taken while we were at the playground and it showed how active and independent he is.

He is never be afraid of anything

Almost every week, during my husband's off, we would go to a playground so that we can all go out and bond together. Of course, we know that our son enjoys it so much and though he already had a full exercise by just running around the house, he can have more exercise in the playground.

One thing I noticed about my son is he is not afraid of anything. Just like what he's doing in the following video.



Honestly, while looking at him doing it, I was more afraid than him. While I was taking the video, I am giving my husband a look to make sure that nothing harm will happen to our son. But Abi was fine and even after that video, he kept coming back to that same stair and tried to climb without any hesitation.

Me and My Mom's Similarities (From BlogThings.com)

I took a test on Blogthings.com about if me and my Mom are the same. I just answered some questions truthfully and the following is the result.

You Are Somewhat Like Your Mom

Believe it or not, you and your mom are pretty darn similar. It may not seem like it at times, but you and your mom have a lot of common ground. You and your mom do understand each other well. You may just need to work on communication. Over time, you'll probably get closer ... especially if you emphasize the things you like about each other.

Are You Like Your Mom?

The result is somewhat true. But I can't really tell if it is true, but all I know is that I am proud of my Mom and she will always be the best Mom for me. Well, I maybe more like her but she did some things that I think which is not good as a mother, spoiling your child, which I am trying my best to avoid doing so. I don't know yet if I am doing what I wanted and what is right though.

Visit to his cousin, Kevin Jr.

We visited Kevin, Jr., son of my husband's brother, Kevin today. It was his birthday last Wednesday, Nov. 12, and today is a small get together for Kevin's family which is us.

Abi had so much fun and got very excited with all the toys of his cousins. New toys are really interesting for kids, even if it is just new on their eyes.

Well, there are a total of 4 kids in their, my son, Kevin Jr., Keegan, and CJ, Shonda's nephew. I stayed with them in the playroom which made me babysit all the 4 of them. It was so overwhelming and exhausting because they all need attention. I even said to myself that there is no way that I will have 4 kids.

Anyway, I was surprise coz being with other kids, which I don't normally do coz I am just with Abi alone most of the time, made me realize that Abi is far better than the other kids. I am not saying this in a bias way, but I am really observant about other kids' behavior.

I was playing with the other kids' earlier coz they wanted my attention, like play with them with this and that, but my son, he was just very contented playing all by himself. He was able to entertain himself coz he knew that my hands are full. I felt bad about it coz I know I should be playing with him instead of the other kids. But he's handling himself pretty well which made me a very proud Mom.

JennyL's Birthday Bash

Hey gals and guys! I spotted another big event in the blogosphere. A so-called mini contest hosted by Jenny of Jenny Talks, Ir is her way of celebrating her birthday month and her birthday would be this coming 16th. But this contest would run November 30th.

It is very easy to join. Just click on the contest logo below for more information.

HERE ARE THE PRIZES:
1st PRIZE
$20 from Jenny Talks
$10 from Nita's Random Thoughts
$5 from When Mom Talks
$5 from Buzzy Me
1,000 EC Credits from A Slice of Life
500 EC Credits from A Life in Bloom
500 EC Credits from Simply Me
500 EC Credits from Nita's Corner
500 EC Credits from Great Finds and Deals
500 EC Credits from Batuananons
125x125 ad spot from Thomas Web Links
125x125 ad spot from Simply Jen
2ND PRIZE
$10 from My Fruitful Voyage
$5 from Moments of my Life
$5 from Blessings in Life and Nierva Dot Com
$5 and 500 EC Credits from Kitchen Deelite
500 EC Credits from Way of Life in OZ
500 EC Credits from Because Life is a Blessing
500 EC Credits from Fab & Chic Finds
500 EC Credits from Filipino Online Community
500 EC Credits from Computer Technology Gadgets
125x125 banner ad display from My Precious Niche
125x125 banner ad display from Food on the Table
3RD PRIZE
$5 from Fab Finds, etc.
$5 from Just Blogging It and PRC Board Exam Results
500 EC Credits from Around HongKong
500 EC Credits from Whats Up!
500 EC Credits from Digiscraptology
700 EC Credits from My Cross Roads
500 EC Credits from Healthy Living and Lifestyle
125x125 ad spot from Thomas Travel Tales
4th PRIZE
$5 and 500 EC credits from A Mother's Horizon
1,000 EC Credits from Nierva Dot Com
500 EC Credits from This and That
500 EC Credits from Scraps & Shots
500 EC Credits from Rumination
125x125 ad spot from Erlinda's Wandering Thoughts
125x125 ad spot from Tech Stuff Plus

Great prizes huh?! Don't let tjis chance pass and join Jenny in her birthday celebration. Com'on!

Abi's Spoon Trick

My son has a cool spoon trick that I just discovered early today. Yes, that is what you seeing right now in the picture. He can have the spoon hanging on his nose.

I know this trick is kinda old and lots of people may know how to do it. But I guess they lick the spoon first so that it would stick on their nose. But with my son, I just put the spoon on top of his nose and it would just hang there. Kinda cool for me. What do you think?

Maybe my son would want to work on the circus someday coz he knows some trick like this one. Oh well, just a part time though. lol

SimplyWP 3 months Blogversary Contest

Another big contest event is happening in the blogosphere and this time, it's SimplyWP is hosting it. This is to celebrate it's blessed 3 months endeavor in the blogging and world wide web. They gained lots of achievement for the past 3 months that they existed in WWW. They are giving away cash prizes, 47,000 EC, and ad spaces. If you want to join this contest, just simply go to SimplyWP.net.

Anyway, the following are the prizes in the said contest:

Prize #1: ( $15, 15000 EC Credits, ad spots )
$10 from BlipBit
$5 from My Life's Adventure
5000 EC Credits from Wiehanne Lounge
5000 EC Credits from Wiehanne Contest
1000 EC Credits from Random Detoxification
1000 EC Credits from Michael Aulia's Tech Blog
1000 EC Credits from dramas of my life
1000 EC Credits from Momiespace
1000 EC Credits from LupuSurvivor
125x125 ad spot for 2 months at Pastel Corner
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at Call Center Gal
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at 24x7 Online Diva
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at Love Is A Precious Gift
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at A Message From My Heart
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at The Journey
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at Only in Silence
125×125 ad spot for 1 month at Hit-or-Miss

Prize #2: ( $10, 12000 EC Credits, ad spots )
3000 EC Credits and $10 from My Own Utopia, Sasha says, Sasha's Corner
3000 EC Credits and 125x125 ad spot for 1 month from Serradinho.com
1000 EC Credits from Life Together Starts
1000 EC Credits from A Housewife's Journal
1000 EC Credits from Make Money Online
1000 EC Credits from ThemeLib
500 EC Credits from All Healthy Tips
500 EC Credits from All Blogspot Templates
500 EC Credits from The Joy Of Life Forever
500 EC Credits from The Fountain Of Happiness
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at Call Center Gal
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at A Simple Married Life
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at Pinay Freelancer
125x125 ad spot for 2 weeks at 24patrol

Prize #3: ( $5, 9000 EC Credits, ad spots )
$5 from Earning Money Online
3000 EC Credits from Medan Daily
1000 EC Credits from Gettin’ Personal
1000 EC Credits from I Love Nice
1000 EC Credits from Erikson's Home
1000 EC Credits from Multiply Themes
500 EC Credits from Heart random
500 EC Credits from Name Sherry
500 EC Credits from Days of My Life
500 EC Credits from Thomas Travel Tales
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at A Simple Married Life
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at 24x7 Online Diva
125x125 ad spot for 1 month at Pinay Freelancer

Prize #4: ( 5500 EC Credits, ad spots )
2000 EC Credits and 125x125 ad spot for 1 month from Night Clicks
500 EC Credits and 125x125 ad spot for 1 month from Genrya.com
500 EC Credits from Nita's Random Thoughts
500 EC Credits from Nita's Corner
500 Entrecard Credits from Healthy Living and Lifestyle
500 Entrecard Credits from Arts and Entertainment Center
500 Entrecard Credits from CompTechGadgets.com
500 Entrecard Credits from Erlinda's Wandering Thoughts

Prize #5: ( 3000 EC Credits, ad spot)
1000 EC Credits and 125x125 ad spot for 1 month from atenean101
1000 EC Credits from The Couch Potato
500 Entrecard Credits from Filipino Online Community
500 Entrecard Credits from Great Finds and Deals

Prize #6:
500 EC Credits and 125x125 ad spot for 1 month from Wonderful Things In Life

Prize #7:
500 EC Credits and 125x125 ad spot for 1 month from Kahpeng.com

Prize #8:
500 EC Credits and 125x125 ad spot for 2 weeks from Contest For Bloggers

Prize #9:
500 EC Credits from Thomas Web Links
125x125 ad spot for 2 weeks at Journal of Journey

Prize #10:
500 EC Credits from maldita.us
125x125 ad spot for 2 weeks at i-heart-contest.com

SPECIAL PRIZE:
1 year webhosting from Benghan.com
1 year domain name of your choice from SimplyWP
Custom theme design for Wordpress from SimplyWP

Amazing huh?! So, don't just be amazed. Join the contest and get the chance to win some of these cool prizes.

Do's and Dont's In Disciplining a Toddler

I have a toddler and I admit that it's really hard to discipline him plus I am a first time mother so I guess I don't have any idea on what to do. I know I am not alone. So, I would like to share with you an article I found from Parents.com about the Do's and Dont's in Disciplining a Toddler.

Dont's

Don't hit. That sends the message that it's okay to use force. Plus, a young child can't yet connect his misdeed to your response.

Don't overuse the word "no". Toddlers who hear this term all the time will tune it out. Focus on what he can do instead: "Why don't you jump on the floor, not the couch?"

Don't cave in when she cries. If you do, you'll set a precedent for future sobfests.

Do's

Do stay calm. Yelling may startle or scare your child, but it won't improve his behavior.

Do catch him being good. Shower your child with kisses, hugs, and praise when he listens or behaves well.

Do make eye contact. This shows respect and commands attention.

I admit that I don't do some of them but it makes sense to do them. So, if you are a parent who is having hard time disciplining your toddler, learn from the expert.

Recognizing Numbers At Two

My son surprised me yesterday. I was solving Suduko Puzzle and he came to me pointing on the puzzle and said "numbers". I was surprise coz I don't remember teaching him to say numbers and wonder where he learned that. I am teaching him to count from 1 to 10 and that's about it. I never said the word numbers to him. But I am more surprised when he pointed out some numbers and recognize what numbers they are. Like when I wrote number 2, he said "two". Then he pointed out on number 7 and said "seven" and so on. He said it very clearly.

It just amazed me how he learned all those things. Probably with the TV shows that he's watching everyday because I always make sure that he is watching educational show but entertaining at the same time.

Each time I teach him to count or recite the alphabet, he doesn't seem to be interested and all. So I was so surprised when he recognizes numbers now. He could be smarted than his age because he is still 2 years old right now. He can even follow the alphabet song though he missed some letters coz the song is too fast for him.

But I am so proud of my son, always will be.

My disciplining adventure for today

Today was my first time to put my son on his time-out chair. His father is usually the one who do the utmost disciplining because I honestly would tolerate my son and doing my best to be patient and just keeps telling him NO whenever I need to. But today, I was not so pleased with doing the same thing that he is not allowed to do.

Here the things that he did:

Crossing the fence. We have a little fence between our living room and my sister-in-laws bedroom. We put that there coz we don't want Abi to go to her bedroom coz she has lots of stuffs there that he may end up damaging. In fact, he already damage 2 of her CD players. A few days ago, he got an idea on how to cross that fence by using a chair. He would move the chair near the fence and jump his way across it. I kept telling him NO and on the 5th time of doing it, I told him that I will spank him the very next time. He did it for 6th time and he got a spank on his butt.

Playing with the stuffs underneath the sink. There are lots of stuffs underneath our sink that are dangerous due to its chemicals. We put lock there so that he won't be able to get to them but my son broke it a couple of days ago. We told him not to go there plenty of times to no avail. Earlier he did it again so I put him on his time-out chair.

Broke the puzzle. His time-out chair is a high chair that we put on one corner of our house where can't reach anything. Well, we thought he can't but while he is on that chair, he got interested with the big puzzle behind it (talking about about 2,000 pcs puzzle) and decided to break them into pieces. Now, he is on his bed. Got bored then conked out.

Being a mother is not easy. You need to have never-ending patience but at the same time, you need to discipline your child for his own good. It hurts me to punish him but he needs to understand the WORD NO especially when parents say it.

Am I alone? I need to know

I guess I am not alone. Almost all mothers feel bad each time they punish their children for doing things that they are not allowed to do coz it may hurt them and having a 2-year-old kid that is so active, two eyes are not enough to watch him. If I am the only one like this, please let me know.

My son, as a 2-year-old, he loves to explore anything. He easily gets bored and even having millions of toys around him is not enough to keep him entertain. I may have time to play with him but not 24/7 coz I need to attend to my personal needs too. I just can't watch him every second which sometimes makes me feel guilty coz I know I should be watching him so that he won't do anything that may hurt him or put him into trouble.

I guess I am too young for this and I am not mature enough to become a mother. I, honestly, wasn't ready when my son came into my life, but I whole-heartedly accepted him without regrets. I love him to death and I wanted him to grow as good person. And a part of me is telling me that I am not doing the right thing and one part says, just be yourself. But how would I know if I am doing the right thing? Do you ask yourself that too?

Row, row, row your boat

This is another video of our son, Abi, playing with his Daddy and singing "Row, row, row your boat". Again, I missed the part where he was singing with his Daddy so below is what I got. He was actually singing the song with his Daddy but it was too late when I pulled out my phone to catch it because Abi decided to just play and no singing.

Anyway, here's the video. have fun!

The Love For Banana

My son really loves Banana. I guess it is his most favorite fruit. He can actually eat 2-3 pieces of cavendish banana in one day if we let him to. But I observed that each time he eats banana, he poops a lot which for my own understanding is not good. Though I know that there are lots of nutrients and benefits that we get from banana, but too much of anything is always bad. So I still let him eat banana, at least once a day.

Anyway, here are some benefits that we can get from banana that I got from HubPages:

Health Benefits of Banana :

1. Banana is an energy booster.
2. Banana contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that is known to make you feel happy and improve your mood.
3. Banana is a rich source of iron, thus it is helpful in cases of anemia.
4. Banana is good a good source of potassium. If you are taking diuretics take 2 bananas a day to prevent the depletion of potassium in the body.
5. The skin of the banana is said to help remove warts(cover the warts with the inner skin of banana).
6. Banana is good for people who have high blood pressure because it is low in salt.

Banana is also helpful in the following cases : Stomach ulcer (banana has a natural antacid), Colitis, Digestive disorder, Diarrhea, Constipation (banana is high in fiber), Hemorrhoids

Nutritive Values : Per 100 gm.

* Vitamin A : 430 I.U.
* Vitamin B : Thiamine .04 mg.;
* Vitamin C : 10 mg.
* Calcium : 8 mg.
* Iron : 6 mg.
* Phosphorus : 28 mg.
* Potassium : 260 mg.
* Carbohydrates : 23 gm
* Protein : 1.2 mg.
* Calories : 88

Alphabet Dance (Abi's Own Version)

This happened last night when he was playing with his Alphabet Edison worm toy. First, he was singing alphabet with the toy. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to record it on the video coz it was too late when I finally got my celphone. But I got him to dance while Edison the worm was playing the alphabet melody and his Daddy was singing the alphabet. Somehow, we can't figure out how Abi made the worm toy sing the alphabet (darn!). Anyway, enjoy watching the video!

Taking a bath

This is what my son does everyday while he is taking a bath. Of course, I don't just leave him alone in there. I normally would be sitting with in the tub while he is having some fun. Sometimes, if his Daddy is available, they will stay longer in there. But his Daddy is so strict about it to where he is not allowed to stand up on the tub. I know that it is dangerous but I am always watching him and I don't always allow him to do it, just for this time, for the sake of this video. Have fun!

Inseparable

Every kids has always something that they are really attached with. Most of the time are some kind of stuffed animals. But my son is always attached to his pillow and for now, with his milk bottle.

His pillow is actually a stuffed dog but it can be spread out to form a pillow. I got it from my sister-in-law from those things that she wants to get rid of. Eversince I put on my son's bed, he was inseparable from it. Everytime, he asked for milk which he normally drinks from his bottle, he would ask for his pillow. He never drink his milk if he doesn't have his pillow. But at least when we are at his grandparents's house, he knew that his pillow is not there so he has another pillow which is a purple one.

It is alright to tolerate our kids with those things as long as we know that it won't hurt them. Because having something that they are attached with such as toys or like my son, pillow, meaning they know that there is something they can be comfortable with. Believe it or not, if they know that they can be comfortable with something, they feel confident about dealing with other people and encounter other toys which can be good with their interpersonal relationship.

Fun splashing in the pool

During one of our Sunday visit to my husband's parents. Abi together with his cousins was swimming, playing, and splashing in the pool. That is one of the kids' favorite leisure activity. Have fun watching the video!

Ring Around the Roses

I have a video of Abi playing with his Daddy. This is one of their moments which I am glad I caught on the camera.

Grandparents' Babysitting

Yesterday, Abi slept over at Grandma and Grandpa's house. His grandparents (my husband's parents) baby sit him yesterday. We always see to it that every once in a while, Abi can have at least a night with his grandparents because it is their way to bond with each other too plus me and my husband can sometime our time alone.

It has been a while since me and my husband had our dinner date so we decided to have it yesterday. We went to Joe's Crab Shack and indulge ourselves with seafood.

As a parent, it doesn't mean that our time will be always with our kid. We also need to have time with our husband alone because in a family, your relationship is not just with your children but remember that you have a relationship with your husband or wife as well. So find time to spend a quality time together.

I am very glad that my husband's parents are always please to baby sit Abi.

Horsey! Horsey!

Abi loves playing horse with either me and his Daddy. I would play with him once in a while but I can stand in it for a length of time because my back aches. He enjoys playing this kind of game so much. So, here is a video of Abi playing horse with his Daddy. Enjoy!

A Piano For Abi's 2nd Birthday

We gave Abi, our son, a Fisher-Price Baby Grand Piano on his 2nd birthday.

We decided to give him this toy because we observed that he loves to play with his Dad's piano. Plus this toy is something where he can learn a lot and would help a lot for his development. He can learn to identify colors, count from 1-8, play music, etc.. This is really something that is appropriate for his age.

I saw it from Toys R Us online, but unfortunately, they won't accept my PayPal account for payment. So, I called the Toys R Us store nearest to us and I was so glad that they have a couple of this toy. So, we immediately went to the store and bought it.

Ice Cream For A Treat

We normally always have ice cream on our fridge coz aside from we all love ice cream, we use that as a treat for Abi. Or sometimes it serves as a reward each time he does something nice at the table.

This picture was after one of our dinner. Abi ate a lot that time so we think that he deserves a treat which was ICE CREAM. Obviously, he loved it so much and it shows that he can't get enough of it.

Well, actually got the idea licking the bowl from my sister-in-law. She sometime teaches Abi some silly stuffs not to mean him harm but just to make him silly sometimes which what he is now. I can be silly too but I guess I got it from my husband (Peace Hon!).

Anyway, that is how Abi enjoys eating ice cream. Lick the bowl and all. He even can have his hair eat some ice cream too. hehe. But, of course, he doesn't know any better yet.

Big Boy On The Stair

My son just recently started using the stairs without holding on to something just like BIG BOYS. Though this video didn't show him all the way down. He actually has a video that shows him going down through the whole stair but can't transfer it in the computer for some reason.

My son and his bestfriend

Oh yeah, my son is only 2 years old and he already had a bestfriend. Someone ti play with and tolerate his cruelness. My son usually is cruel to him but he doesn't mind it because they are bestfriends. He knows that Abi, my son, doesn't know any better yet. Well, here he is, meet my son's bestfriend, COOKIE!

Yeah, Cookie's a cat. He is the best cat that I've ever met in my entire life (just don't let the other cats here in our house know that or they would hate me forever). He is the best because it seems that he knew that my son really doesn't know better yet so he never try to scratch or bite my son whenever he pulls his tail, lift him, or just anything to hurt him. He just stays calm and quiet. And after all those cruelness my son did to him, he would still go to my son and let him pet him. Such a very nice cat. Of course, we never stop telling my him that he needs to be nice to the cats or any other animals and he seemed to understand it because he does it every once in a while. He is getting better now though. He doesn't hurt the cats as much as he does before. It is just a matter of being consistent about telling him what not to do.

Anyway, now you already met my son's bestfriend, tell me then what you can say about it. *grin*

Contagious Laughter

The following video was taken when we were still in the Philippines. My son was around 9-10 months old that time and I am sure you would say that he is indeed cute. Have fun while watching the video!

More about my son at Beauty of Life

Before I started this blog, I already have a few blogs but my very first blog is the Beauty of Life. It is about anything and everything that life has to offer. But I have lots of posts there too about my son. If you want to read more about son and when he was before 2-years old, check it on Baby Concerns category of my other blog and you surely will have fun reading some more about my son.

One day at the playground

The other we brought our son to the playground. It is actually his first time to be out in the playground for a length of time. We stayed there and let him all he want for over an hour. We were the only people there at that time so we have the place all by ourselves.

One thing I noticed is my son is afraid of the other things that he can play with there except for the slide. I guess because he never seen any of those things yet aside from the slide. I notice first that he was afraid of the hanging bridge, then the monkey bars. But it didn't bother him because he enjoyed playing with the pebbles around the playground. He was so confident though on the longest slides there. Actually, the video below would show him when he was on the longest slide.



He did had a very great time there. Hope you enjoyed this post. Have a great day!

All vegetables are beans and all meats are chicken

For my son, all vegetables are beans and all meats are chicken. He is not really a picky eater. He always end up tasting anything that we put on his plate. As long as we call beans all the vegetables and call chicken all the meats that we serves, he would eat them. Normally, we have corns, beans, and olives served at the table, so they are all called beans here at our home now: corn as yellow beans and olives as black beans. It really is funny but if that's what it takes to make him eat, we don't care.

One of the hardest part of taking care of a toddler just like my son is to make them eat. Because he is now in the stage where he thinks he knows what tastes good for him, so he won't always eat every food that we serve at the table. At his age, he is more interested in eating candies, chocolates, or any kind of sweet foods. It is his age too where they are easily destructed by anything just like the TV. He would rather watch TV and forget about eating. That is why most of the time, we will have the TV off when we're eating so that it won't destruct him. As I have said earlier, we'll do whatever it takes just to make him eat.

TV Shows Appropriate For Your Kids

My son is two years old now and he is in the stage of entertaining himself by just watching shows on TV. Good thing that there are channels dedicated on showing things just for kids. With our DirecTV cable connection we have, I think, 5-7 channels that are appropriate for my son's age just for kids, at any age. Everyday, our TV is always tuned in to Nick Jr.1&2 and Noggin channels because those are the channels that has shows appropriate for my son's age. I would change channels once in a while if I really wanted to see a certain show but we are making sure that it is something that my son can watch. My husband likes watching wrestling but we can't watch it with my son, so he will watch it alone on our other TV or when our son is sleeping, that way he can't see all those violent stunts shown on wrestling.

My son's favorite shows are Wonder Pets, Dora the Explorer, Yo Gabba Gabba, Ni-Hao Kailan, and The Backyardigans. Those are shows that would help our kids learn manners, responsibilities, socialization, and other languages such as basic Spanish and Chinese. Through that shows, I can see that my son had improved a lot, especially with his speech.

As a parent, we need to make sure that our kid is not watching any show that are not appropriate for them. Like me, I have a 2-year old so I don't want him to watch action movies where it involves violent scenes, or a show where they're using foul languages. We need to guide our children for them to learn and become a better person when they grow up because it is our responsibility to mold them. So, make sure that you know what your kid(s) is watching on TV.

What's About Airplane?

As I have mentioned on my previous post, Know My Son, that my son, Dion, loves Airplane so much. Not just the toy but real airplanes as well.

When we came here in Texas all the way from the Philippines, we've been in the airplane for 12-13 hours and never we had problems with him aside from when the plane's steward ask us to put on Dion's seatbelt which he didn't like at all. He cried until he fell asleep. But the rest of our flight with him is so much fun. He was very excited seeing all those real big airplanes and being inside the airplane.

Two days ago was his birthday and he got a few gifts. I guess it was a mistake that we let him open his Grandparents' gift first. It has 4 mini airplanes there which made him take all the other gifts for granted. Since that day, he is always attached to those airplanes. During at night, he normally would wake up in the middle of the night and ask for milk, but this past two nights after his birthday, he would ask for airplane instead of milk.

There was one day when we went to church and he brought his old airplane and a milk on his other hand. The deacon in the church ask for his airplane but he gave him his milk instead of the airplane. I guess he would rather starve than giving away his airplane. Not a good idea though.

Every day when we go out to throw his shitty diaper in the outside trash can, he would look up in the sky and shout airplane. He thinks that airplane would pass by anytime.

Airplane, airplane, and MILK, that is what my son's life is all about for him right now.

Know my son

I would like to introduce to you my one and only son.

His real name is Dion Bernard but we call him Abi, you may read the reason behind his nickname here.

He was born on September 24, 2006 at 8:13am in Northern Mindanao Medical Center located at Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

He has a dark brown hair and eyes, a light brown complexion, and weighed 6.16 lbs when I gave birth to him. But he is 27 lbs now that he is 2 years old.

I can say that he is a very active kid, just like the normal kids moves and interact. He loves mac and cheese so much, as well as jone's supreme, biscuits, gold fish creackers, pudding, and of course, just like the other kids, he also loves ice cream, cake, and candies.

For now, his favorite toy is airplane. He is so much crazy about it, he can't go anywhere without an airplane or more in his hands. He likes helicopter too and anything that has wheels on it or just the wheels itself.

He is a strong kid. He won't cry easily. He won't cry if he would fall or slipped or hit himself unless it really hurts. Usually I am more hurt seeing him in situations like I mentioned but actually he is not. He would try not to cry if someone's mad at him and scolding him, it could be me or his dad. But he would cry so much if I am away from him and he would realize it otherwise he is fine.

he is a very observant kid. We always make sure that if we are doing something that we don't want him to do, we would not let him see us doing it or else you will see him doing it the next time you see him.

***
I am very happy and blessed to have a son like Abi, He is everything I ever wanted for a son. He is sweet, smart, healthy, and everything else. But whetever he could have been, I would still love him the same.

He keeps giving me reason to live my life and love it because he is part of it. His face makes me realize how wonderful my life is and his smile gives me reason to smile. His hug makes me strong and his kiss makes me feel loved much more than any love that I can imagine.

Abi's Birthday Celebration

We just got done with our little birthday celebration for our son's 2nd birthday. It was so simple but I am pretty sure that Abi had so much fun.

We didn't have a big celebration because we can't afford for it right now and Abi is still 2 so he won't appreciate such thing yet but we made sure that it is something that would my son's day.

My husband's mom, brother and his own family, and his sister who lives with us was our only visitors. We had Abi's favorite food: Jone's Supreme, Mac and Cheese, Beans, Cake, and Ice Cream. Though we let him to be picky this time coz it was his birthday.

Abi got a couple new toys as gift. We got him a little grand piano coz I observed that he loves playing his Dad's piano. His grandma and grandpa got him a big squishy ball and 4 mini airplanes. Yvonne, my sis-in-law, got him Thomas the train with flashlight and a metal slinky. And Kevin, my brother-in-law, got him couple of shirts.

I don't have pictures to post for right now because it is hard for me to upload the pictures on my sis-in-law's computer and our computer is not working properly at this time. I will publish the pictures and will write a post about it as soon as possible.

Blog Template

A few days ago, I have been really thinking of making a blog only for my son. But I wanted to start it on the exact day of his birthday which is today, September 24th. Before I started making a post, I searched for a template that I like and match my blog's theme. When I searched through Google, I clicked on the 2nd link that came up in search results and that is where I found this nice and clean template.

I just wanna say thanks to Btemplates for providing FREE gorgeous templates just like this. I really love this template because of everything it has. First, the Blog Search that can be found on the upper right-hand corner of this page. Then the way the sidebar is. This is very clean and I can easily organize my widgets.

Credits for the creator of this template can be found on bottom part of this page. Thanks again guys! Great job! *wink*

My Baby's Name

This is actually a tag that I posted on my Beauty of Life blog. But this topic is related to this blog so I reposted it here.

My Baby's Name: My son's name is Dion Bernard. We got those names from my parents name. Dion is from my mother's name which is CereDIONa while Bernard is from my father's name BERNARDo.

I named my son after them because I owe them a lot from the day that I was pregnant with him until now. I know I betrayed them as my parents when I got pregnant by a boyfriend who just left me out of the blue. I know I hurt them so much but they still took care of me. Accepted me as their daughter and forgave me without any doubts for what I did. If without them I would've been dead by now because what happened to me was never easy. But they loved me just how they always do when my mom herself carried me in her bossom. They are so precious me just as how they treat my son preciously.

But we gave my son a nickname, Abi. Abi is a bisaya (language in Visayas and most part of Mindanao) word meaning "I/we thought or a term for guess". When I was pregnant of him, I always love to wear pink. Anything pink: my clothes, shoes, even my underwear, hairtie. just anything but pink so I thought that I have a girl baby. But when I had my first ultrasound when I was 7 months pregnant, we found out that it was a boy. We were not disappointed though but we just named him "Abi" because we only thought that he's a girl. hehe.

A blog dedicated to my son

Today is my son's 2nd birthday and so I decided to a create a blog all about him. This would be all about my life as a mother to Dion Bernard aka Abi.

I titled it Starts at 2 because I am starting this blog today which would be exactly his 2nd birthday.

I have seen lots of Mom blogs all around the blogosphere and I admire how they run their blog with passion and writing all bout their motherhood. I am a mother too and I love to tell the world how happy and blessed I am to have my son in my life.

This would be my son's blog and for all the other Moms and babies out there.

Let me hear from you