my little ballerina

We planned to enroll Caitlyn to a ballet class because she'd shown interest on it. She would normally dance and turn around like a real ballerina. We had her attend a trial class today hoping that we could enroll her and she could start on Monday. But then, we weren't successful. Caitlyn was just interested with the dress, but not with the class yet. She told the teacher she just wanted to watch, and watched was all she did. One of the girls was kind enough to invite her at one point so Caitlyn joined the group. But only for a couple of minutes and then went back to me to just watch.

She was following instructions though but seems like she's not really that interested, or probably just not comfortable yet. We decided to hold off enrolling her until she's ready. Hopefully, her ballet outfit would still fit her by then.

For now, I'll just cherish these pictures until I see her on her first recital :)

partners in crime

What's best to eat on a hot summer night???

Happy Easter

Went to MOA during Easter, not to celebrate Easter, but just for the usual weekend malling. While when on our way to Italianni's for lunch, Caitlyn saw the Easter activity and wanted to go. We told her we needed to have lunch first and so, she obliged. I wasn't really keen on bringing Caitlyn to the Easter activity as there were just too many people.

Caitlyn and Mommy patiently waiting for the food.

Right after lunch, we had her ride the ferry's wheel. It was her first time at MOA's ferry's wheel and I was surprised how brave she was.

And when I thought she already forgot about the Easter Egg hunting, she pulled me to the direction of the activity hall. She insisted on going and so this time, we obliged.

Caitlyn waiting for her turn for the egg hunt.


Look at all her prizes!

Happy Birthday, Caitlyn!

Caitlyn turned 3 last Tuesday. Her party won't be until Sunday but we tried to make the day very special for Caitlyn. We took a day off from work so we can spend it with the birthday girl.

We woke her up early that day and surprised her with a birthday cake. And since she's been glued to Playhouse Disney the past weeks, we decided to get her a Minney Mouse cake.

We got her a cake the night before and I just decorated it in the morning. Thanks to the "decorate your own cake" at Goldilocks! :) We had to keep Caitlyn away from the fridge the night before so she would not see the cake.

Just look at how suprised she was seeing her cake!

And of course, a birthday will not be complete without making a wish and blowing her birthday candle. Caitlyn wished for a star (probably so she can make more wishes)!


And of course, the birthday present!

After breakfast, went straight to Splash Island. Caitlyn had so much fun and enjoyed the wave pool very much. There were just a very few people during that day so it was more relaxing. Hoping we can steal another weekday and bring Caitlyn again.

La Maison

My team had lunch at La Maison at Greenbelt 5 today. First impression was very good. The restaurant has nice interiors, the food in the menu looks really yummy! While deciding what to order, I was already thinking of coming back and bringing my love as he'd definitely enjoy it.... but then I was wrong.

It took them 30mins before we got our soup and salad. The soup wasn't even hot at all. We were all done with the soup and with all the stories we could talk about, and our food hadn't come out yet. We had to wait more than 1hr before they were able to serve all the food.

I had to talk to the lady who's attending to us to complain about their service. She said it really takes a while cooking the ribs to make sure it's perfectly grilled. Ok, I can buy that lousy excuse. But what about the soup? To compensate for their poor service, we got a choco lava cake which we decided to just take along since it was almost 2pm.

They also gave us discount cards, which I didn't bother to look at and gave it away instead. I have no plans on going back to that place again.

Will I recommend the La Maison to anyone? Probably yes ONLY for 2 reasons: (1) you want to get complimentary lava cake, which by the way wasn't that good or (2) you want to spend more time with your date; you'd probably be engaged by the time they serve your food.

It was even posted on one corner that they have served 16,000+ customers since they opened in October. Oh well, it could probably be 50,000 if not for their bad service.

here comes the sun...

It's been very hot the past few days. It's officially SUMMER. And what do you do on a hot sunny day???

Thank God for that swimming pool 50 steps away from our doorstep :)

Happy Birthday, MyLove!

It was MyLove's birthday last March 1 and we celebrated it differently this time. Went to Fun Ranch and Ark Avilon. Caitlyn had so much fun, as if it was her birthday :)

Caitlyn and Mommy at the hanging bridge. Caitlyn didn't want to walk on the bridge and had herself carried all the way to the other end.

Caitlyn here enjoying the train ride with mommy.

This was the last ride that Caitlyn took. But actually, it was the very first ride that she wanted to get on. Her Dad though was not very much comfortable having her ride all by herself as she might get dissy and/or fall. So we had to talk her through. She agreed and took the other rides instead. But then, her heart was really on this one so before we took off, she again asked if she can ride it. I said no because I can't join her because I will not fit in. She responded, "Mom, I can ride all by myself. I'm a big girl already!"

We were surprised with what she said! She's just turning 3 but is already very much confident about herself. I was both proud and sad realizing that Caitlyn has really grown.

After Caitlyn's last ride, off we went to Ark Avilon Zoo. The place is just small, nothing spectacular really. But we were not expecting a lot so it's just ok. As usual, Caitlyn got scared of the animals like the Donkey and the snake (well, who wouldn't be?)

Caitlyn here in front of the aquarium. Medyo nabola to sit on her own, but look how uncomfortable she looked in the picture ;)

Turtles at the background. Caitlyn didn't get scared with the turtles. Probably because she has pet turtles at home.

We had an early dinner after, did some grocery and went home really tired but very very happy. Nothing beats the happiness of seeing how Caitlyn enjoyed the day.

where had i been?

I wasn't able to spend much time updating this blog the past few months since November. Not to mention that I've been very busy the past few months, we were also internet-less at home for about 2 months.

Let me remember key events that happened in the last couple of months...

NOVEMBER

Went to Cebu and Bohol. Caitlyn enjoyed the beach so much. She can't get enough of the sand. It's our first time in Bohol.

Did a lot of shopping and spending in preparation for Christmas and moving to our new house. It's so much fun! What's not fun was what happened after... paying for the credit card dues.

Finally moved in to our new house by the end of the month. I was so excited but at the same time sad with Caitlyn living away from my parents.

DECEMBER

Merry month of December!! The happiest month of the year! Attended a lot of Christmas parties from work, from the neighborhood, with friends, with relatives. Looked like a gained more pounds at this month.

This Christmas was also extra special this year as this was the first Christmas we spent in our new home.

Caitlyn finally got her present from "Santa and Jesus" - her green and yellow car! Unfortunately, she was also excited about it during the first week. Caitlyn now barely uses it - well, I was kinda expecting that would happen.

Got a nice Lacoste bag from My Love for Christmas! :)

Caitlyn also got to watch Barney in December. As expected, the little girl had so much fun. I was quite disappointed though with the show. The production was far below my expectation as if it didn't have enough budget. But seeing the joy in Caitlyn's face, it's still worth it.

Had to fire Caitlyn's yaya because of some trust issue. It was difficult for me to do it because she's been with us since Caitlyn was 2 months old.

JANUARY

We were yaya-less during New Year and the first week of January. It wasn't too bad, in fact we felt more relax and comfortable without a yaya. It has just became a problem when we had to go back to work. We've asked my mother in law to stay with us for a couple of days to look after Caitlyn while we were at work. The following week though, we decided to just stay with my in-laws until we get a new yaya.

We got a new yaya 2nd week of January. I was just glad that Caitlyn warmed up with her easily.

January is my favorite month.. why, it's my birthday!!! This birthday was also extra special for 3 reasons: 1) my first birthday in our new home, 2) i'm on the last day of the calendar, 3) i got a very special gift from MyLove!!!!

For my birthday, I had 3 separate celebrations. One at work during merienda, then dinner with Family at David's Tea House at MOA, then dinner and drinks with friends at the clubhouse the following night. Too bad I didn't have a single picture because I was too busy to take pictures! :(

It was also in January when Caitlyn had her last class at Gymboree. I decided not to re-enroll her this time.

FEBRUARY

On the first weekend of the month, spent overnight at Laguna for Grandma's 88th birthday. Caitlyn didn't swim as much though because she has cough.

Visited two preschools I've been considering for Caitlyn. I'm planning to enroll her to a nursery class in June. She had her trial class in the first school that we went to. For the second school, didn't have the chance to sit in because our visit was unplanned. The class was already dismissed when we came. Caitlyn had fun sitting in the class. The teacher said Caitlyn seems to be really ready and didn't seem to adjust at all. Thanks to Gymboree :)

At the last weekend of the month, spent another night at Laguna, this time with some friends.

So there.. that's what have been happening in the 4 months that I was silent.

Caitlyn's turning 3!

Look at me-me-me..
I'm three-three-three..
I'm as happy as can be-be-be..
Can't you tell, can't you see..
I'm a very, very happy me...

i'm ecstatic!!

I never mentioned in this blog that I'm a Piolo Pascual fan! As in!!

And because of some connections, I was able to talk to him yesterday over the phone! Oh, I can't believe it! This was actually the 2nd time - the first time was about 5-6yrs ago.

I can no longer remember all the details of our conversation but 2 things I will never forget: His patented laugh and when he told me "hope to see you soon!" I don't care if ni-s-showbiz nya lang ako - I was really ecstatic!

Anyway, it happened when I got a call from my friend, who happened to be the husband of Papa P's co-star, Saturday morning. He and his wife were inviting me to join them in the taping somewhere in downtown Manila so I can have my coffee table book signed by Piolo. Side story - I bought Piolo's coffee table book, Believing, a few weeks back and was really planning to have it signed by him. Unfortunately, MyLove and I have to be somewhere else yesterday and therefore had to decline their invitation. My friend just offered to pick up the book from our place. A couple of hours later, I saw 4 missed calls from my phone. When I called back, my friend said Piolo wanted to talk to me to ask me where I want my book signed!! Oh my, I demanded from my friend to find a way so I can talk to him. This time, I turned my phone's ringer on and kept it close to me. Another couple of hours after, my phone rang! When I answered it, I heard a very familiar voice from the other end - pero syempre still asked who was it!!! Hay, I was in cloud 9. He was saying sayang I wasn't able to make it. He laughed when he heard mylove saying "Papa P" from the background and told him it was my husband. I was like a teener na tinawagan ng crush!!

Hay, I wonder when can I finally meet him in person....

best buddies

This is one of my favorite pics of Caitlyn and her dad.

It amazes me sometimes on how she thinks and speaks. She's also becoming more charming and much sweeter as she grows.

Hope she stays the same forever!

my little firefighter

January 5, 2008 - Gymboree G4

nike baby

Can she pass for a Nike baby model?


The little girl said she wanted to play basketball so I dressed her up like that :)

my baby blogger

hi, my name is caitlyn...

Caitlyn actually typed the entry above, with me dictating what letter to press on the keyboard. She already knew how to use the keyboard and the touchpad! I can no longer have uninterrupted surfing/working because Caitlyn would always bug me to play "Elmo".

Could she be a computer wizard in the making?

Caitlyn at Megamall

Caitlyn's first visit to Megamall. As expected, the little girl had so much fun at the arcade.

cry baby no more..

This was taken at Caitlyn's 1st birthday. She was crying because she didn't want to have her face painted. She's probably scared.

Whenever she sees the her birthday video, she always tells me, "Caitlyn want face paint. I will not cry. That's nice!"

This was never proven, though, until we attended her cousin's birthday party last Saturday.


We haven't greeted the birthday boy yet, pumila na agad si Caitlyn for a glitter tattoo! :)

got our tickets!

Got our tickets last Friday for the Barney show. We'll be on the 5th row! :) There are still available front row seats, but we preferred the 5th row because those are isle seats. The available seats on the front row were on the far end already. Plus, it may not be very comfortabnle to sit on the front row.

I'm just so excited to see how Caitlyn will enjoy the enjoy. Just this morning I saw how Caitly got all giddy while watching Barney DVDs. What more seeing them live :)

purple dinosaur...

.. is coming to town! I just got so excited when I learned about it that I wanted to run to the mall and get us a ticket! I can't though because I may be stuck in traffic and couldn't be back for my meeting in an hour. But MyLove and I will definitely head to SM later to get our tickets. I just hope we'd still get good seats.

Caitlyn will definitely be happy to see her friends Barney, Baby Bop and BJ :)

46 days to Christmas!

I can't believe it's only 46 days before Christmas! I can actually feel the cool breeze already - which made me lazier to get up each morning.

Unlike last year, though, when we're mostly done with our Christmas shopping at this time, we've just started with our Christmas shopping, mostly toys for our inaanaks and pamangkins. And it's becoming more challenging because whenever I buy something, I'd always wanted to get one for Caitlyn. I'm stopping myself big time from buying anything for Caitlyn yet as she still has so many toys and clothes, half of which are still even in the box. But I sometimes couldn't stop myself especially when I see nice clothes for her. We also need to start looking for Caitlyn's Christmas wish - a yellow car. She's been consistent on this one for a couple of months now. She actually includes this on her bedtime prayer. It seems quite not easy looking for that yellow car - most of the cars we saw are of pink, blue and green.

This year's Christmas will be special as well, as this will be our first Christmas in our new home. We haven't moved in yet, though, but will definitely be before the month ends. Just a few more finishing touches. I'm just so excited!

I'm also excited for Christmas because Caitlyn now understands Christmas and can celebrate with us. She actually knew a few Christmas carols already. Thanks to Dora, Barney and Hi-5! She's more fond of Snowman, though, than of Santa.

She also gets excited when she sees gifts but a smart girl that she is, would not insist on opening them when you tell her it's not for her :)

Oh Christmas, it's indeed the most wonderful time of the year :)

Mall of Asia - Nov '07

i'm back from clark

I attended a 2day seminar at Clark. Checked in at Hotel Stotsenberg on Sunday and left for Manila early afternoon of Tuesday. From what I read, the hotel has just opened a couple of months ago. The first time I saw the Hotel ground, I kinda liked it and somehow reminded me of the school we used to go to in Illinois. However, after checking in, that’s when reality sets in. It’s very far from how I expected it to be. Or maybe I was just expecting too much?

The room was just your ordinary hotel room. The layout was quite awkward, though. The room that I checked in, though, didn’t smell really nice. The CR stinks. There could probably be a leak in the sewer. I requested that I be transferred to a different room. Frontdesk told me they’d call me back once they find me a new room. One hour had passed, still no call. So I called to follow up. A different person attended to me this time and asked me if I’ve already talked to somebody else. I said I was just following up. The same thing, he said he’d call me back. 30mins have passed, still no call. Called for the 3rd time. A different person again and said the same thing to me. This time, I really got mad and told the girl on the other end that that was actually my 3rd call. She said she’d call me back. This time, I asked how many minutes should I wait. She said 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, I got a call informing me that somebody would pick me up to transfer me to a different room. Hay salamat.

The room where I was transferred to was quite smaller. But it really didn’t matter to me anymore. This one smelled “normal” already. There’s a very slight stink in the CR, but something I could just ignore.

Monday night when I returned to my room after the seminar, my card key wasn’t working anymore. I had to go to the Frontdesk to have it reset. E ang layo kaya ng Frontdesk from my room!

Food was ok. Service wasn’t. On our first morning, my omelet never came out. The second day, I had to follow up to get my scrambled egg.

And that didn’t end there. Checkout process was too slow also. They’re having the room checked before clearing you out.

Anyway, I had some fun din naman in spite of all the troubles. Lost a couple of bucks at Casino. Not really a gambler so that couple of bucks meant a lot to me! It was also a best way of keeping my mind away from the stressful life in the city.

I also shopped a few items at the duty free shop nearby. The duty free shops at Clark are far better that what we have here in Paranaque in terms of available items.

I was finally home by 5pm on Tuesday and was very happy to see and be with my love and my baby again!