Happy Birthday Sandy!

My mom and I went to Market Market to buy more toys to be given away this Saturday, Sandy's birthday party. I planned on buying a real birthday cake complete with themed decors but wasn't able to find a bakeshop that are willing to do it in a couple of hours. We ended up buying a rectangle black forest cake and put some wooden letters to spell Sandy. I also borrowed her Barney stuffed toy and placed it on top, LOL.

Mom and I went home around 6PM and I felt so guilty that I spent the day without Sandy. She was waiting for me at home and didn't even took a nap. I tried to nurse her so she can get some sleep before our small party but she was so excited that she couldn't concentrate on her feeding. My mom and yaya Shel were blowing the balloons inside our room and she wanted to "help" them.

Around 7PM, Sherwin arrived and we started putting up some birthday banners in the dining room. Sandy loved everything! She's very easy to please. Even the cake with the borrowed Barney on top! She also received her first gift from Tito Ralph and Tita Karen, a bigger version of Barney stuffed toy.

Here are some of her photos.

Blowing the candle


Just posing



Posing with Lola and Grandma


Eating and playing with Barney



*****
Sandy was so excited last night that she could't sleep. I was a bit concerned because she felt a little hot before we went to sleep so we gave her a cold sponge bath. When I checked on her again in the middle of the night, her temperature was 39 degrees! I got really scared because she never gets sick and dengue fever is so rampant these days. Sherwin told me to wake her up so we can give her Tempra and another sponge bath. She was smiling and saying hi while we were fussing with her. Her fever subsided and she remained alert and playful then eventually fell asleep.

One year ago

A year ago, I gave birth to a 7.2 lbs baby girl. I was in labor for approx. 2 hours only and and I told myself then that I'm willing to have lots of babies if the delivery is going to be that fast. I thought that we we're already done with the hard part. Imagine our shock the first time we changed our little Sophia's nappy. It took us 30 minutes because she kept on crying and we had no idea what to do. We knew it wasn't easy to raise a baby but we didn't know it was gonna be that hard. It really was a very difficult year for us. Our daughter has cross-milk allergy giving her rashes, diarrhea and tons of tummy aches. Breastfeeding was the only solution at the time. I'm telling you that it doesn't come naturally, you have to work hard if you're serious in breastfeeding exclusively. She's also unlike any other babies that you see sleeping inside their strollers or staring at their mobiles. She hates her crib, stroller, sling and carrier. She doesn't have any quiet time, wouldn't sit still, wakes up when you put her to bed and had to be carried all the time. Having said all that, Sandy grew up to be very confident, smart and sweet. I guess all those carrying and nursing paid off. It was an exhausting ride but I wouldn't want to miss a thing. (There's more to come I know!)

Anyway, I still can't believe that she's already a year old. Here are the things that I'm looking forward now that she's one.
1. We can now try feeding her soy, wheat, small amounts of dairy. That means mommy can also start eating some of them hehehe.
2. She's learning to walk and I can't wait to see her run wild.
3. Hopefully, she will learn to sleep through the night :D
4. She's starting to babble a lot and even understands a lot of instructions
5. More out of town trips for us

At 11 months

Sandy says:
ca-h = car
jsus = jesus
shs = shoes
buh-per-phay, buhpay, bahpah = butterfly
papah, pa-pah?, papa!
mama, mummm-mah?
bop = baby bop
memmo = elmo
poo = pooh
brd = bird
tete = ate (yaya)
yaya = lola

She loves to:
Play horsey horsey
Watch barney, talk about Barney
Watch shampoo commercials
Feed anyone using her fingers
Drink water and says AAAhhhh when she's done
Twist and turn her body until she falls
Look, dance and stand in front of the mirror
Pray to all kinds of statues
Use our cellphone to call someone. She even says "hmm?"

Nathan's 1st Birthday

We went to my godson's (Nathan) 1st birthday party. Nathan was the son of my ex-officemate / friend so all of our friends (dakulpipol) are there. It was the first time that they saw Sandy since her baptism last Dec, 2005. They all laughed at how Sherwin and Sandy looked so much alike. Sandy was a bit uneasy at first but she became her usual self and started performing all her tricks. The party was in Pampanga and I was hoping that she could get a nap so she won't get cranky. We rented a van and we stayed at the first row, so if you look at your back, you will see all the other passengers. Sandy didn't sleep at all because she'd rather move from the first row to the second row wihle 'performing' for the the nth time. She just loves to be the center of attention. All of our friends were tired and sleepy but she still tried her best to keep them awake. There were times when I think that she's about to doze off while I'm nursing her (her only rest) when all of a sudden, sher jumps up say hi to all of our sleep friends.

She enjoyed herself at the party too. She danced, and squealed and laughed and played. All the babies her age slept at one time or another, even the birthday boy napped for a couple of minutes. Not my little Sandy though. It's like she was afraid that if she falls asleep, she'll wake up and realize that the party is over.

While she was playing and watching with her yaya, my friends and I chatted and learned that my friend Lorna is planning to have a baby! How wonderful! Now they will know how hard it is to raise a kid. I just wish that they'll be blessed with a sweet tempered baby hehe.

Sandy came to me holding a big inflatable tiger which I realize was one of the decor. The party is not even over yet and there was my baby, holding the big tiger that was supposed to give the place a wild, safari feel. I placed it on the floor and she kicked it. Nathan, who's already walking, approached the tiger and tried getting it back. Sandy kicked it again and Nathan decided to just join her. It's really fun watching them. Sandy is so friendly and confident and she says hi to everyone. I'm very proud of her.

Sandy went home with tons of toys including a vibrating, singing penguin that she loves to put in her tummy. Even if she was tired, she only slept for 30 minutes on the whole 2 and a half hour trip. That's my hyperactive baby and I won't change a thing.

Barney is NOT real

Even in my dreams, I can hear all the Barney songs. No kidding. I introduced the TV to Sandy so we can all have at least 5-10 minutes quite time including the yayas. She hated it at first but eventually, Barney started to work its magic. She squeals, jumps, claps, dances and twirls her body the moment she sees the yellow orange signal in the TV that says DVD. She already know that she's going to see Barney.

I used to watch Barney with my niece Gabby and I hated it so much. It gives me headache to watch it the whole day. It's a different story when it comes to your own though. I find myself smiling whenever I see Barney wearing ridiculous hats and costumes. Even Sherwin, who still hates Barney, laughs at the sight of Barney dancing to the butterfly song. Sandy loves that butterfly song so much she sings it when she's bored. She just says buhpay, buhperpay, buhpay haaaa-haaaaaa-haaaa. It's so sweet! I just love to watch her dance and sing that I sometimes forget that I got tons of stuff to do. She doesn't sit through the whole 30-minute show though. After her favorite songs are over ("if you're happy and you know it clap your hands", "mr. sun", "haha-hee-hee", "i can tell what you're feeling","butterfly"), she will slowly slide down the bed preparing to walk on her own. She can't do that yet so we have to stop whatever we're doing to assist her (hold her armpits) so she can walk and go to her favorite place, the bookshelf. Her shoes are stored at the bottom row of our bookshelf so she loves to go there and say "shs", then she'll sit down and try to wear all of her shoes.

There goes our 10-minute rest.

Rainy Escapade @ The Beach

We went to Subic with Sherwin's family last Saturday. I was really looking forward to this trip coz it has been a long time since hubby and I went to the beach. The last time was when we were trying to conceive Sandy hehe. It was also Sandy's first beach escapade so we bought her a bathing suit, sunscreen and a cute floating device with roof. Unfortunately, it rained so the water was icy cold. The waves are crashing loudly and she got really scared of the water.

I really love this picture. Even though it was raining, the sun was up when we reached the shore. The waves are still a little wild making my little Sophie uneasy. You can see below how she tries to hide from the sun and it seems she can't get close enough to mommy.


We wanted to take advantage of the sun so we changed her to a bathing suit and that was when she decided that she hates the sand.

Here she is again, scared of the waves. You'd think the monsters are coming to get her the way she was holding on to me. I know she's afraid but it gives me satisfaction that she finds comfort in my arms. It feels so nice to know that she trusts me to get her away from all the bad things in life.

It started to rain again in the afternoon but we still managed to have fun.

Sandy and I were inseparable, lol. That's how she is whenever she's in a new place. She doesn't want anyone to carry her but me which explains why Sherwin doesn't have a lot of pictures with her.

Nicko got hitched!

Nicko, an old friend of mine got married last weekend. It has been years since I saw his family so I was excited to see them at his wedding. His mom and sisters all looked beautiful and his dad couldn't be any prouder. Nicko's face was pasted with his foolish grin trademark the whole time. He seemed very nervous but genuinely happy. As much as I like this guy, I always think of him as carefree, reckless and immature. Even at his wedding, I can see that he's still the old happy-go-lucky kid. He walks around laughing, talking to himself, drinking beer and occassionaly scratching his head.





However, there were a couple of moments when I catch him looking lovingly in his bride's eyes. Then he'd give her a smile full with promise of undying love for her and their unborn child. It was a smile saying 'wonderful things are coming our way'. How did I know that? Well, it was the same smile that Sherwin gave me when he dropped me off at the hotel the day before our wedding. We were fighting that day but before I closed the door, he said in an i-told-you-so voice, "I told you I'm gonna marry you" and then left with that smile.

I just love weddings, don't you?

At 10 Months

Sandy:
Dances very well (she twists and wiggles her body)
Uses the phone and chats for a longtime with "someone"
Stands up for longer periods of time
Hums the bfly song
Mimics the sound of dogs,lizard, airplane
Points at sandy, mommy, papa, lola, barney, pooh, butterfly, jesus
Runs so fast using her walker (with yayas watching of course)
Shampooes her hair, washes her body
Says hi to everyone especially salesladies, waiters, busboys and janitors

She's not yet walking (except when she's using her walker) and can't even stand on her own. It doesn't stop her from trying though.

On the loose

This is a series of photos my husband took while we're playing with Sandy one Sunday morning.









Here she is trying to conquer our bed.


Have I told you that she knows how to kiss now? Look at her kissing all the furry animals at the mall.

She also loves watching herself in the mirror. Here she is playing in the mirror with the "baby" inside Schu store.




It's never too early to teach her how to do grocery shopping. Below you can see her studying the ingredients of cheese. She's a little disappointed because she still can't have any dairy due to her cross milk allergy.

Bathtime for Everyone

Every bath time is a struggle. She wants no one but mommy to shampoo her hair. Then while you're scrubbing her grubby arms and legs, she'll try to impress you by rolling and kicking and screaming.

It's definitely one of my not-so-favorite time of day. But she seems to love the attention and the water splashing around the newly waxed floor, so I guess I can learn to love it too.



Just look at those chubby arms and oh-so-trusting face. When she grows up, she won't even remember how she loves messing up our room. She'll probably spend all of her time outside with her friends and boyfriends. Until then, she IS my baby and she can make a mess whenever, wherever she likes.