a staycation at the in-laws

Our family stayed for the past two weeks with my in-laws and it felt like a short vacation or a staycation because a lot of people helped out with taking care of Essy. I'm extremely grateful for auntie Lydia, most especially. She took care of my mother-in-law when she was little and she also took care of C and his siblings. Now, she also takes care of Essy and could make her take a nap in just a few minutes! If we could take home auntie Lydia, we would.

Auntie Lydia and Essy

Having people to help me out meant I had more time for myself, which I loved. I had time to finish my assignments without rushing and I also had time to do a little bit of arts and crafts. I found some nice paper scraps so I decided to do some papercutting. The method is also similar to doing rubber stamps only you have to make sure that your design won't separate from the paper. 

And I must say that the Lord indeed times things perfectly. While we were here, we received some bad news that has made a huge impact for our small family of three. Good thing, we were with my in-laws so we could seek immediate counsel. I want to say that I'm completely blameless for what happened but of course I'm also at fault because I wasn't vigilant and insistent enough to avoid this situation. It all boils down to having discipline in things that really matter. Time and time again, the Lord reminds us of this and I guess something big like this has to happen so that it would finally stick. 

Aside from the presence of loving and wise people, I'm also comforted by the following passages from Psalm 46: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.... He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Now that we're on our way back home and even if it's just me taking care of Essy while helping out with solving our problem, I'm assured that I'm never alone because first, I have a beautiful family which is my source of inspiration and second, the Lord is with me and is the light that will guide me through this darkness. 

You Are Your Child's Best Teacher: A Parenting Seminar

"There is in every child at every stage a new miracle of vigorous unfolding."

- Erik Erikson

Babies are the fastest learners. From the moment a baby is born, she has to quickly learn how to breathe or else she wouldn't survive. I love watching Essy discover new things around her - a few days ago it was her hands and now she likes staring at me and her daddy. 

I thought having a background on developmental psychology would prepare me well with my task as my child's first teacher but there are some days when I'm so tempted to let her watch Disney Junior or Baby Einstein videos because I run out of activities to do with her and we both get bored. That's why I'm always looking for new activities that we could do that are developmentally appropriate.

Good thing I came across this seminar:

About The Talk:

"You Are Your Child's First and Best Teacher" is for parents of children ages 0 to 3. It's perfect for first time parents who may not yet be confident in their parenting skills and who want to connect with other parents.  It aims to help parents support their children's development by exploring the mindset of being the first and best teacher, discussing the basics of child development, and providing examples and ideas of appropriate activities for each developmental level. It would be a good venue to share experiences and connect with other parents.

Registration Fee:

Php 250 but it will be waived if you buy Php 500 or more worth of books or toys from The Learning Basket's booth.

Click here to register

For more information, click here

Tagaytay Weekend

Last weekend, we went to Tagaytay. It was our first time to stay at Discovery Country Suites and eat in Verbena. We were questioning our foodie selves why it was only our first time, everything we ordered were so delicious!

Before going back to Manila, we went to Sonya's Garden to buy greens, cheese hopia, and Spanish bread. We strolled for a bit because Essy likes looking at plants and flowers. 

It was such a perfect weekend :)

GV Mondays :)

Source: Uploaded by user via Idarmis on Pinterest

Despite having a set bedtime routine, E still refuses to sleep until 2am. Lately, she's been sleeping on our bed because whenever we put her down on her crib after rocking her to sleep, she'd wake up again and we're back from where we started 2 hours ago. So I would lay her down between us, feed her, and cuddle until she falls asleep. My neck and upper back ache all the time because I haven't found a comfortable sleeping position yet. But what I've found is the best view of my family: my daughter and husband sleeping peacefully, their long eyelashes fluttering, their mouths slightly opened, and sometimes they would sigh softly and stir at the same time. Before closing my eyes, I say a little prayer of thanks to Him for giving me such a beautiful family. The best thing that I have in my life.

Storytelling Time

story time with papa and mama

Reading books to E has been part of our daily routine and we all love it. We don't do it because we want E to become a genius or read independently by age two, we do it so she'll love books as much as we do. It's also fun to make silly voices and sound effects whenever we read to her. She still doesn't have a favorite book so we read our own favorites for now. C and I both love the Knufflebunny trilogy so much that we bought E a rabbit and named it Knucklebunny!

E @ 1 month with Knucklebunny

Personally, I love singing the lullaby from Robert Munsch's book, "Love You Forever," to E even when she was still in my tummy. It goes: I love you forever/ I like you for always/ As long as I'm living/ My baby you'll be. Here's a video clip of Joey (from Friends) reading the book:

Some helpful resources if you want to build your own collection of children's books:
50 best books for kids (Time Out New York)
67 books every geek should read to their kids before age 10 (Wired)

twelve 2012 highlights

*in no particular order*

one: bawled throughout the phantom of the opera

two: attended the natasha wang pole workshop 

three: was pleasantly surprised by wicked's ending

four: acted real immature in universal studios singapore

five: experienced pregnancy and being a parent for the first time 

six: arya, the sweetest KSP dog in the whole world

seven: rediscovered baguio thrice

eight: had an eating spree with my best friends in boracay

nine: got crafty

ten: finished reading the entire bible

eleven: finally got my 7 year long wish to go to casa san pablo

twelve: esther <3

*what are your 2012 highlights?*

Casa San Pablo

Last weekend, my family from my mom's side finally went to Casa San Pablo. We've all been wanting to go there for the longest time and my aunt's arrival was the perfect excuse for a short break. Personally, I've been wanting to go there for more than five years!

It's such a beautiful place and it suits different kinds of travelers. If you want a laid-back or romantic vacation, you can just stay in one of their quaint rooms (each room is different), eat yummy food in their restaurant, take a nap in one of their hammocks, and stargaze at night. If you're someone whose idea of a vacation is to move around as much as possible, there are lots of activities there: you can go swimming, do outdoor sports, they even have cooking classes. There are also tours offered outside the inn such as the Viaje Del Sol and lake tours. I swear, one visit is not enough! And it's very accessible so it's a perfect weekend getaway for couples, families, barkadas, or the lone traveler. When E gets a little bit older (a month or so from now, hehe), we'll surely come back.

More photos:

choose your hammock

such a pretty flower!

little chair

i love every tiny detail

essy says hi

breakfast

part of our yummy lunch

we stayed in room 13

one happy baby :)