home is where alex is

today is our first day back here in bratislava, after over a month of vacation from philippines. alex learned a lot of new tricks over this period. most of them, if not all are not really unexpected, but are pretty amazing.

when we were about to fly to philippines, the first thing i was worried about is how alex would be able to take naps. she was hard to put to sleep before we left. every little sound she hears startles her into wakefulness. so i was wondering how she could fall asleep in a tricycle infested town. having a corner lot would make the matter worse. or so i thought...

by some weird turn of events, she slept through the sounds of the motorcycles passing by our humble home in san pablo city. it was like just yesterday that she was born into these city sounds. she even likes to watch motorcycles and other vehicles passing by, following each and every one of them, and anticipating which street they would turn to. it's home.

alex was passed the stage of getting anxious with strangers. however, she would stare (embarassingly for us, and for the one being stared at). she would study each and every corner of a strange, but maybe somewhat familiar, face. she doesn't cry even if she's picked up by a total stranger. in 15 minutes she would be smiling and laughing like she had known them all her life. everyone is captivated by her and she was at home with everyone.

now, daddy went home 3 weeeks earlier to go back to work. it's quite a long time in adult terms, so i wondered what more for our little angel who lived on this planet a mere 7 months. i wasn't concerned that alex would feel estranged when she sees her dad after such long separation, but it didn't stop me from getting so amazed at her. she instantly smiled (a smile that seems to say, "it's you!") at her daddy the moment he spoke when he picked us up at the airport.

in our apartment, she looked around curiously. however, the moment i put her down on our bed, it's as if she suddenly remembered every patterns on our sheet and started rolling around happily. she's home again!

Bea Alonzo

This morning was special for me. I got to know Bea Alonzo, what's more, I was able to talk to her. It was funny how she grabbed the headset, it almost looked like she wants to eat the microphone. Also, she looked like she's eating her own lips almost the whole time. Funny, at times it seemed like she has no, or just few teeth. Maybe just the two front lower teeth. Maybe it's just my imagination. See for yourself.

Chatting with Alex

It's January 10, 2007. It's a day at work as usual. More or less work. Maybe less, to be honest. Day like any other? Nothing special?

No! There was something that made my day special. A call from the two most beautiful girls in the world. It's not just a call, it's a video-conference. There is a small girl, no longer a new-born. Was she ever a newborn? She looks around and sometimes directly to the webcam. Very focused look, very serious. I'm sure it's not because she just woke up. It's because she's investigating. Investigating the webcam, investigating the headset, trying to grab the foam microphone. And then it happened. Alex focused on the keyboard. Knowing that she cannot speak yet... well she can, 'aua', 'ha-brr' and tiger's 'uaahh' but she just knew at that moment that keyboard is the only way to really talk with her dad and exchange with him whatever is on her mind. It started with her investigative thumb. It turned into a typing thumb and there it was, one thumb typing at its best. Alex's first ever internet chat with her dad. See for yourselves.

Note: I have slight doubts, that Mommy helped Alex with the lines 'hi dada', but I believe the help came only in form of emotional support.

at seven months

this could be the most eventful month yet. alex had her very first fever and cold during the holidays. but on the brighter side, the holidays were perfect time for her to learn her socialization skills. she really loves an audience, and they love her back (if not more). she has outgrown her anxiety with strangers. anyone can pick her up and she will not cry. she would even stare at people she doesn't see often, as if trying to know them more.

we visited lots of friends and relatives during christmas. everywhere she went, she was a star. it's as if she knows she has to perform in front of her loving audience. she was sleepy but didn't sleep until we left from the first visit. she was asleep but the moment she woke up, she started with her antics.

new year was no different. eve of new year, she was performing in front of the apex family. screaming her lungs out, making everyone laugh, eventhough she was sleepy and not to mention newly recovered from her bout of colds. maybe that's why she was sound asleep amidst the sound of firecrackers. but maybe it was the cotton i used to cover her ears... :)

new things:
* two lower front teeth
* roll over (both ways; round and round the bed)
* go on all fours (and swings back and forth -- baka-bakahan in filipino)
* still crawls backwards (but this time on all fours; round and round the bed)
* pulls to standing position

miscellaneous
* still talks a lot
* high pitched screams (which could make your eardrums break)

christmas and colds

have you ever wondered why you sometimes get sick during the holiday seasons?

when we took alex to doctor to check about her "teething fever", doctor said alex was about to catch a cold. doctors, as it turned out, are right most of the time. add to that the stress of being cute to everyone on Christmas day. how else could you earn more than 2k?! ;)

so the day after Christmas, alex was sick (the real thing) for the first time. she fought it for a week and she even lost some weight. on second thought, i might just have hallucinated that part about losing weight. alex was back to normal after a week. okay more than normal. she started eating and feeding more :))

all i want for christmas...

...
is my two front teeth
my two front teeth
gee my two front teeth
...

it was less than a week before christmas, alex's gums were showing some signs of teeth. it's not that visible, but we were sure. she even got the fever. it was the first time she ever got sick, but this was a welcome one. the fever lasted only over night and by christmas eve, they were really showing. her two lower front teeth were born, like rice grains stuck on her gums.

the peaceful traveler

16 dec 2006, 4:00am -- time to drive to vienna airport, we're going home for the holidays. vacation!!! yipee!!! but it was still several hours away. alex, barely 7 months, 70cm and 8.2kg doesn't fit in a bassinet for babies up to 9 months. so how to deal with it?!? hmm, hmm, hmm...

at the airport, we still tried our luck, but it didn't come. we still couldn't get bassinet. and even if we did, there's no plae to put it anyway, since all front rows were taken in this fully booked flight. so we just accepted our fate -- 16 hours with an 8.2kg "load" on our lap. flight was on time and of all miracles, there's one free seat on our row. alex claimed not just the extra seat but also half of mine. this explained the stewardess' comment the following morning, "i didn't hear you at all last night." of course, she was sound asleep almost the whole time :)