...growing up with alex...

alex writes and spels?!?

2011-11-30T20:18:00.000+01:00

i heard alex and karol in their bedroom talking while i was still in bed. i didn't realize what they were doing until andy and i went to their room after they left for kindergarten.
alex likes to draw. most of the time she forgets to clean up and leaves her work on the table. this morning was no different and as usual andy got hold of her work. i've saved many of her works many times before, but this was the greatest save so far....

now i realize, what the fuss was in the morning. alex was asking karol what words he would like alex to write for him. see how many words/names you can recognize! :))

sick day = play day at home

2011-10-31T00:14:00.002+01:00

the biglets were sick and had to stay at home for the whole of last week. the only good thing about it is that they can play with mommy, daddy (when he's not at work), and of course andy. alex usually likes to draw by herself. sometimes, she also likes to boss karol around into playing a diner in a restaurant, a student in school, or a sick cat. it usually starts nicely, but most of the time it ends up into a fight. sigh!

so one day, mommy had to think of some way where all three piglets can play together. we all built a tower of blocks. well, sort of! karol built a truck while alex and mommy patiently waited for andy to put a block. in the end, only alex and mommy was left. alex was so amazed at how tall the tower is. i had to take pictures of her with it. and, thinking the tower was taller than her, she had to tiptoe at one of the pix. :D

filipino songs

2011-06-01T00:44:00.003+02:00

alex used to be able to sing "ako ay may lobo, "bahay kubo" and "sampung mga daliri" with her own funny thwang. however, over the course of time and since she's out of practice, she has forgotten the lyrics.

a few weeks ago, she learned the jollibee counting song in filipino. and last week, she asked me to teach her again "bahay kubo." she hasn't memorized the whole song yet. but she would sing bits and pieces of it from time to time. one time i heard her singing and it went something like this

bahay kubo, kahit munti
ang halaman doon ay sari-sari
singkamay at paa

cool song, ain't it?! :D

five year old alex

2011-06-01T00:39:00.001+02:00

on the day of her birthday, i took her to the old town to go to church. unfortunately, we went to the wrong church and wasn't able to hear mass. on top of that, the shoes she was wearing gave her blisters. i really felt so bad for her, as we had to walk a long way until we got to the pharmacy to buy plasters, and finally to the shoe shop. we got her a new pair of hello kitty sandals to save the day.

afterwards, we headed to mcdonald's for her happy meal lunch and had ice cream right after. since we missed the mass, we dropped by at our church to say a little prayer. then, we went straight to pickup karol from her old kindergarten.

it was the first time she visited there after she left last december. she was so excited to see her former teachers and classmates and yet, she became a little bit shy when everyone gathered around her. it was a nice feeling seeing her happy there. we were lucky that they accepted her back (plus karol) even if they were full. we just need to wait for the doctor's go signal so alex can go back to kindergarten.

in the evening, we had a simple dinner and of course a cake. but alex had to pretend to blow her candles since we didn't have lighter nor matches around the house. (sorry, mommy's fault) then she got a boxful of art supplies from mommy and daddy. she was so overwhelmed and couldn't help exclaiming, "wow! so many!!!"

two days later, she had another celebration with two of her closest friends and more family of course. she got nice presents.

* thanks to julinka for the littlest pet shop cat doll which she now takes to bed every night.
* thanks to natalka for the paint your nails barbie. another addition to her collection.
* thanks to tita lucia and tito peter for the microphone that allowed her to sing more.
* thanks to babka for the vaccuum cleaner which she so loves.
* thanks to dedko for the scooter she's been wishing for for a long time.

two more days later, she got the best ever birthday present. finally, after months of waiting the doctor gave the go signal... and tomorrow (oops! it's actually already today), alex will be going back to kindergarten! yay!!!

* thank you LORD for another blessed year!!!

yesterday, today, tomorrow...

2011-05-26T00:41:00.006+02:00

it's past 12 midnight so it's already alex's 5th birthday. i just finished the last touches for my very first fondant birthday cake.

i have been trying to teach alex the concept of date and time for quite some time now. she already knows the days of the week and the names of the months. but i think, she hasn't fully grasp what yesterday, today and tomorrow mean. most of the time she refers to the past as yesterday, whether it be last week, last month or last year. :D

yesterday morning, at breakfast, i thought it would be good to try to explain to her that tomorrow is already her birthday. while i was doing a monologue, she looked at me and asked,

"so mommy, when will it be three-morrow?"

then she gave me a mischievous smile, and i couldn't help but laugh and hug her. happy birthday my dear little, funny, smart alex! :)

alex's bests

2011-05-20T12:42:00.005+02:00

yesterday we cut karol's hair for the summer. no more side parted hair. i will really miss that boyish hairstyle :(. now, he's a skin head and he looks almost like a different boy. or in alex's words, "he looks like a boy that is without a name karol."

--ooOoo--

in the morning, alex was having snack in the kitchen while i was cleaning up. i gave her a slice of banana bread which i baked last night. then she wanted to tell me who are the best ones for her...

"you are the best, for baking delicious cupcakes and cakes.
karol is the best, for finding a merry go round one time*.
babka is the best, because she takes me to playground everytime.
and daddy is the best, because he likes mo all the time."

*this happened almost two weeks ago. we were shopping in pandorf outlet store when karol disappeared. daddy found him outside by the playground in one of those merry go rounds where you drop coins.

"i see"

2011-04-15T18:35:00.003+02:00

another interesting dinner conversation between alex and daddy :D

alex: daddy, did you know? germs are everywhere!
daddy: i see.
alex: no, you don't see. you hear.

makes sense! now, i'll remember this everytime i say "i see" or "I C" (sms style) :D

chewy and bitey

2011-04-08T09:27:00.003+02:00

alex: mommy, why do we say chewy?

hmmm... mommy had to really stop and think how to explain this. knowing she likes chewy candies, i made a contrast between chewy and hard candies. hoping she gets the picture, i said that chewy candies we can chew and hard candies not.

well, she probably understood alright because she blurted out, "aha! and there are also bitey candies, which we can bite."

my little lyricist

2011-04-05T13:18:00.003+02:00

alex started singing almost the same time as she started talking. singing and talking is like breathing for her. what amazes me most though is her ability to memorize songs.

when she was about two years old, i tried an experiment. i sang bahay kubo to her every nap time. on the third day, she memorized the whole song. unfortunately, she has totally forgotten it already.

anyways, then there are those times she just picks up the lyrics on her own...

♪♫♪barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly...
stethoscope as rhyme, song as old as time
beauty and the beast♪♫♪
-- beauty and the beast ost

♪♫♪when somebody loves you, everything is beautiful
every hour spent together, ready, get set, go...♪♫♪
-- "when she loved me" (toy story 2 ost)

three hands!!!

2011-04-04T16:01:00.002+02:00

i don't know what is it with this day, but alex is pulling so many of her antics. it could be that she's bored and is missing karol, who is at last back to kindergarten after three weeks.

mommy decided to put andy in the car seat while she goes about hanging newly washed clothes. alex decided to entertain andy and tried to put rattle socks on her. of course andy was kicking nonstop. alex kept trying to talk andy into staying still to no avail. exasperated, she blurted, "oh my gosh! if only i have three hands!!!"

took a lot of self control for mommy not to roll on the floor laughing. :))

she still didn't give up though. kept trying and talking to andy. one time she almost called andy "karol!" proof that she also tries to boss karol around :D and then i heard her again say, "oh my goodness! i wish for a third hand!!!"

this time she approached mommy who couldn't hold her laughter anymore.... the more she tried to explain why she needed a third hand, the more mommy teared up from laughter. :))))

eyelids

2011-04-04T12:51:00.003+02:00

after lunch conversation with alex

she suddenly remembered tangled, the movie we watched at the cinema. she remembered the princess hitting the prince with the pan and closing it's eyes (i.e., fainting). then she remembered the chameleon.

alex: she (referring to rapunzel) also found a lizard.
mommy: ah! that's her friend. it's a chameleon; it changes it's color.
alex: everything?!
mommy: yes!
alex: even it's eyes?

mommy had to stop and think for a while...

mommy: i think not. maybe it closes it's eyes and then the eyelids change color.
alex: eye what?

mommy closed one eye to show what eyelids were.

mommy: eyelids! see, there's skin...
alex: so why not eyeskin?

long pause... mommy had to stop herself from laughing. then, honestly answered...

mommy: i don't know.
alex: because that would be silly.

the end! :D

the kiss

2011-03-24T23:35:00.005+01:00

i discovered something interesting from the conversation i had while i was putting alex to bed. she was on her way up to bed when she started...

alex: mommy, when are we going to aia's house again?
mommy: i don't know. but we might go to adrian's house on sunday.
alex: again?!
mommy: yes! you remember him?
alex: yes, but i kissed him.
mommy: you did?!! why did you kiss him?
alex: because i love him. he has lots of toys and i thank him.
mommy: aahhhh...

mommy trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing tried to continue on with the conversation.

mommy: you remember that?
alex: yes! we were there when there was party...

HSP

2011-02-05T22:13:00.002+01:00

Henoch–Schönlein purpura (HSP)

Henoch–Schönlein purpura (HSP) is a form of blood vessel inflammation or vasculitis which affects the capilliaries and frequently the kidneys. It results in a skin rash associated to joint pains (arthritis) and sometimes cramping pain in the abdomen.

HSP is an unusual reaction of the body's immune system in response to an infection (either bacteria or virus), usually of the upper respiratory tract. Drugs can also trigger this condition. HSP occurs most commonly in children, but people of all age groups can be affected.

The Symptom

Alex usually wears tights/leggings during winter. One day, when she came home from kindergarten, we found red spots on the area of her calf. It was a cross between a bruise and an insect bite, and has a very deep red to purple color. At first we suspected they were bruises. We dismissed it since it didn't hurt her. So we thought it might just be some form of allergy from wearing tights and having very dry skin.

After a couple of days or so, similar spots appeared near her elbow. Then, the last straw was the one that appeared on the joint of her middle finger. At this point, we still didn't have any idea what it was so we decided to take her to the doctor.

The pedia immediately suspected HSP and recommended Alex to go to hospital. The doctors in the hospital had her admitted on the very same day; she stayed for 10 days.

Various tests were made to check her blood and kidney. They took blood and constantly monitored her weewee. She was immediately put on antibiotics. Later on, we learned that this was a wise move since she was also positive with Streptococcus pneumoniae (or pneumococcus).

Then more medications were prescribed when the test results came out positive for HSP. Thankfully, she didn't have any of the associated symptoms. Her kidneys were clear, but they had to put her on Prednisone (a synthetic corticosteroid drug) to prevent further complications, plus other meds and supplements to counter some side effects.

Meds

Now Alex is home. However, she cannot go back to kindergarten until she finishes the countless medications she took home with her:

Penbene (syrup) - antibiotics
Prednisone (tablet) - sytnhetic corticosteroid
Famotidin (tablet) - inhibits stomach acid production
Ascorutin (tablet) - for blood vessels and a lack of vitamin C.
Zyrtec (drops) - antihistamine
Kaldyum (capsule) - potassium
Celoskon (tablet) - vitamin C supplement
Biogaia (drops) - probiotic drops
Vitamin E (tablet) - supplement
Fish Oil with vitamins D & E (syrup)

Most of these she has to take twice a day, some even thrice, except for the supplements. As if a 4-year old taking tablets is not bad enough, Alex also had to be woken up at odd hours for the not so tasty antibiotics. :(

Oh well, you gotta do what you have to do. Looking at the brighter side of things, we have at least a couple of things to be thankful for. First, Alex is doing ok. Ever since the beginning, no one would suspect that she's sick, except for the rashes. Secondly, the prognosis for HSP patients are excellent with no long-term problems. Hopefully, it will not recur for Alex.

It's not over yet, but I believe we are getting there. Thank you Lord, and thank you everyone for all your prayers!

the four-year-old alex (part two)

2010-06-29T20:28:00.003+02:00

mommy is really so proud of little alexandra. she's growing up so fast that i have to weed out her clothes like every other week the last couple of months. :)) moreover, she can be very independent and can do a lot of things on her own.

* she already knows how to swing by herself. she learned a bit of rhythm and tempo, at long last! mommy was afraid she has daddy's sense of rhythm. (well, she probably still does.)
* goes to weewee by herself. she wipes and washes hands by herself also. but we insist to do the wiping after uu :D
* she can dress herself from top to bottom; shirt to shoes. though only when she's in the mood. otherwise she'll pretend she doesn't know how to do it.
* she knows two prayers, prayer before meal and prayer to the guardian angels.

alex's bedtime prayer
angel of GOD, my GUARDIAN dear, to whom HIS love commits me here, ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. amen. bless mommy, bless daddy, bless karol, bless myself, bless my friends (she added this one by herself), bless all the whole world of the ___ (fill in the blanks, e.g., family, your classmates, stars, tv, etc. and by etc. i mean whatever she comes up with).

the last few days, i asked her to pray for her daddy. today, i asked her to pray for our unborn baby. it went a little something like this:

jesus, please help daddy feel better so that he can come home soon.
jesus, please help the baby eat so much so that he will be very strongest.

shoeses!!!

2010-06-13T21:00:00.005+02:00

after church, we had lunch at the newest mall in town -- eurovea. naturally, mommy took advantage of the opportunity to go shopping (for the second time since it opened last march, but in the same week :D) last time it was clothes, and today it's shoeses!!! i know, but i can't help it. it's really fun to shop with alex. she likes trying things on.

being a "school girl," alex needs lots of shoes. she has outgrown most of her shoes and the new ones that daddy bought from US were still too big (or so i thought!) anyway, so we bought her insoles to make her mary janes fit, and shoes/slippers for kindergarten.

slippers for kindergarten
complete with accessories

of course mommy also bought a pair of ipanema for herself and couldn't resist buying a pair for cutie alex.

cute ipanemas (mommy wants for herself)

when we got home, i made her try on the two pairs of supposedly big shoes and surprise! surprise! they fit already! so no need for the insoles.

shoes that were too big:
(1) nike mary janes; (2) nike rubber shoes

now she has like half a dozen of new pairs of shoes/slippers :D

(1)tinker bell thong slippers for home;
(2) barbie clogs from tita niña (2 years ago)

big sister alex

2010-06-13T20:20:00.006+02:00

the whole of may, the kids have gotten sick. of course we had to visit the pedia several times. we almost always had to wait with other patients. luckily, there's a nice waiting room with toys, pencils and papers, rocking horses (or mouse :D).

on our last visit, alex was on the rocking horse while an older girl was on the bigger rocking mouse. (it was an elephant before. go figure!) karol, being the curious kind, was approaching the girl. then, she started telling him off in a not so nice voice.

poor karol, went away; went closer to our side where alex was rocking. alex then began to tell the girl something in slovak, "to je moje bracek! nechaj ho!" (that is my brother! let him be!) naturally, the argument didn't end there. the other parents started smiling already. i had to ask hubby for translation and it went something like this:

big girl: this is mine! (referring to the rocking mouse)
alex: it's not yours!
big girl: it is mine. i will not let anybody else ride this!
alex: but when the door (pedia's door) opens then you will go inside and somebody else can ride it. and when you go home, other kids can use it.

it was a really very funny scene and at the same time very touching. on one side there was karol acting very hurt. he was just standing on one side; looking down on the floor; not moving at all. i had to call him to my side to offer him some comfort which he readily accepted. it was as if he was trying to be strong. and on the other side, there was alex defending his little brother.

the four-year-old alex

2010-06-09T19:03:00.002+02:00

birthday presents in bed, that's how alex's birthday started. at first, she stayed lying down while opening the first box. then she realized there was another box underneath when it made some sounds; she immediately shouted, "maracas!"; stood up excitedly and asked her daddy to help her open it. we can see on her face how happy she really was, specially when she said with all her heart, "thank you soooooooo much!"

the whole day, she was all giggly like a high school girl seeing her crush. even after a few days, if you ask her how old she is she would have this expression on her when she proudly says she's four.

the evening was celebrated with dedko and babina. she got a special cake from dedko in the shape of a pumpkin.

a second party was held with her friends julinka and natalka.

the filipino experience

2010-02-18T18:42:00.008+01:00

the filipino people
first night back in ph, it was already evening when we arrived in san pablo. so we did the whole night time routine of showering the kids and preparing them for bed. then, come sleeping time...
alex: daddy, but who will stay with me?
daddy: don't worry, i will stay with you.
alex: no! but i want some filipino people to stay with me. like inay or tatay.

the filipino house
we went to boracay for a week. alex was so happy having disney playhoouse channel. but one time, she wanted to watch some cartoons she was watching while we were in san pablo. so she said, "mommy, i want to watch the thing that i watchted in the filipino house. you know?"

the filipino kindergarten
in slovakia, alex spends most of her weekday in kindergarten. fearing she would miss the experience, i opted to take her to nursery school in san pablo. unfortunately, it's a very different setup. in slovakia, it's mostly play school. while in philippines, children her age are technically schooling, writing and memorizing stuff. it was probably a shock to her and made her miss her slovak kindergarten even more. "mommy, i want to go to my slovakia kindergarten. i don't want to go to the filipino kindergarten. it's too long already."

the filipino brumik
brumik is a bear-shaped cake filled with different flavored cream filling we buy in slovakia. i brought some for our trip back to philippines. alex likes these for her snack, and of course we ran out after some time. then, i bought a chocolate filled cake made by gardenia and packed it for school. she liked it, and the next time she asked for it, she said, "mommy, i like the filipino brumik."

alex's first ever stage performance

2010-02-18T17:41:00.002+01:00

it was mikulaš or santa day in alex's kindergarten. the kids in her class did some song and dance numbers. it was so cool to watch the kids, most specially alex. it was surprisingly amazing how she knew all the words and some of the steps. but notice how she was moving restlessly the whole time. :D

santa day presentation

quotable quotes

2009-11-24T23:32:00.004+01:00

i just had to write down these things before i start forgetting them... alex talks so much, i think much more than any average 3-year old that sometimes she comes up with funny words or interesting ideas.

scene 1: last summer, we were in our car on our way to dunajska streda (swimming pools).

alex: daddy, your car is so cool!
mommy (amazed and wondering): really, alex?
alex: yes, it's cool, it's like a bus.

hehehe! so i don't know if that's a compliment or what. but we rarely ride the bus, so in her eyes, maybe it's really cool to ride a bus. :D

scene 2: the things that she is DOINGING

alex playing with her vtech laptop
alex: daddy, i'm computering.

playing with spongebob laser stickers
alex: wait, i'm stickering.

scene 3: the things that she DIDDED
alex: mommy!!!!!!
daddy: yes, alex?
alex: i calleded mommy.

scene 4: sleeping time. i usually kiss her good night and say "i love you." she usually says it back to me. but tonight, she said it so cool and i found it really sweet...

mommy: good night ate! i love you!
alex: uh huh! i also...

my heart melted... i almost forgot that she is soooooo makulet and being a terrible three. sigh! :)

kinder Überraschung

2009-10-19T13:31:00.006+02:00

main Entry: kin-der Ü-ber-ras-chung
function: noun
etymology: German
1 : kid surprise (literal translation)
2 : a hollow milk chocolate egg shell containing a toy
3 : alex's small surprise at her choice of friends from kindergarten

julinka

last august, alex tried out kindergarten for the first time. it was only for two weeks but she became close friends with the half-japanese-half-slovak-girl julinka, who is a year older. julinka already transferred into a different kindergarten but they stayed good friends. almost every week they meet in some playground and play together.

daddies' little girls

natalka

alex liked kindergarten so much that we decided to set her up for the whole year starting last september. even though we knew julinka will not be around. alex made a new friend -- natalka, a half-columbian-half-slovak girl, and around half a year younger. the bigger surprise, we found out that they went to swimming school together when alex was just 11 months old.

natalka (left), alex (middle)

natalka and alex sitting together on the floaty

*current picture of natalka not yet available :P

kindergarten!!!

2009-08-05T16:22:00.003+02:00

alex had been asking to go to kindergarten since forever. so last month, daddy and mommy started kindergarten hunting. so far we've visited 3 but never quite find exactly what we are looking for. we however decided to try out klub vcielka for the first 2 weeks of august. we decided to just let her stay for half a day the first week and see how it will be.

alex started yesterday. she didn't have any problems being left by herself. she almost totally ignored our presence once she was inside with the other kids. though she did give us a kiss when we went away.

we picked her up after their lunch, just about time for the children to take their naps. we found her laying on her own bed. she didn't want to go home with us. instead she was asking for her own pillow and blanket, like with the other kids. it took some convincing before she finally budged.

alex really enjoyed her first day. so today, she's stayed in kindergarten the whole day. so far, the teachers said she's doing great. in 30 minutes, daddy will be picking her up and mommy is really missing her.

outdoor girl

2009-08-05T15:21:00.002+02:00

the whole family went to the high tatras mountains over the weekend. alex was quite a big girl. she hiked by herself most of the time, stopping only for a few pieces of cookies, a sip of water or a bottle of milk.

day 1: we arrived at the hotel around 3pm. unpacked a bit. then, hiked to the ski jumps and along strbske pleso. alex kept singing the whole way to the ski jumps. quite a singer and composer i would say.

day2: cable car ride from tatranska lomnica to skalnate pleso. alex hiked with us around the lake. playing games along the way, like "big rocks" and "no rocks." games mommy made up to get her to walk a bit faster. :))

day 3: another cable car ride from stary smokovec to hrebienok. hiked up to the water falls. again, alex did an amazing job, hiking all the way up. mommy carried her on the back from time to time just to quicken the pace along the rocky paths uphill.

4 birthdays @ 3 years

2009-07-24T22:23:00.005+02:00

last year alex had 2 birthday celebrations for her 2 years. this year she had 4 :O

in the philippines: alex celebrated her birthday with cousin ayie

her actual birthday in bratislava

ready... get set... blow!!!

celebration with dedko, babina and dedino

last but definitely not the least

she also had a children's birthday party at klub palisady, a play house in bratislava. the whole place was reserved for alex and her friends: yumi, josh, ninka, risko, and fergal. complete with balloons and all. the kids really enjoyed themselves. alex specially enjoyed jumping on the jumporaine (read: trampoline).

friends

2009-07-22T21:05:00.007+02:00

alex enjoyed our almost 2 month stay in philippines. she found friends among her own cousins and neighbors. from time to time she remembers them and asks to see her pix with them. sometimes she even says things like, "mommy, tomorrow when i go to kuya miguel (her cousin)..." or "i want to go to libot."

swimming with kuya miguel and kuya nian (missing in action)

rada cousins

ate ayie (who is exactly just 1 week older)

one of the "big" girls

take a pension

2009-04-25T15:29:00.003+02:00

guess it is very common for kids to repeat the things that they hear from their parents. one example i've read is how they scold their teddy bears the way their parents scold them. it is said that this is a way for kids to feel they are in control somehow.

alex does it a lot. she also likes making complimentary statements. for example when i tell her, "hold on or you might fall!" she would say, "but if i hold then i will not fall."

today alex was playing with my mom (we call her "inay") and i heard her say:

"inay, if you don't listen to me i will put this back. but, if you listen to me then i will give it to you."

however, my mom wasn't minding her at the time so alex insisted:

"inay! inay! you have to take a pension!"

it took me a moment to realize that she meant... "pay attention!" =))

something, anything

2009-01-29T15:54:00.005+01:00

alex spelling her name: "a-l-e-y-o-p-x... alex!"

alex immitating tigger (t-i-double g-errrrr!!!): "t-i-ge-ga-double g eouw!" (growling)

alex doing verbs: "sit downing" or "this one sit downs"

alex singing fly to your heart:
fly to who you ay (fly to who you are)
flymb upon yoy side (climb upon your star)
you felif if you fly your wings (you believe you'll find your wings)
flaa-aah-aah-aaay to yoy haym (fly to your heart)

---o000o---

alex had name's day (alexandra) last january 2. we just had a simple celebration at home, with a homemade cheesecake of course. yum-yum-yummy! she really loves to blow candles. i guess all kids do. :)

---o000o---

alex started potty training during the holidays. she still wears pull-ups up to now. from time to time she askes to go to potty, but most of the time we have to make her. although sometimes she asks to go to potty every 10 minutes so she can get a gummy bear or lately a jelly bean (her favorite rewards).

---o000o---

the mini kitchen is one of alex's favorite toys nowadays. by mere coincidence, a friend gave her apron and pot holders. she also loves to play with her building blocks, some puzzles, stuff toys and books.

two and a half year old vocabulary

2009-01-09T14:44:00.005+01:00

i just can't say it enough... children are really amazing creatures of GOD. at two and a half years, alex still continues to amaze me. right after karol was born, alex started asking THE question -- the never ending "why?"

it happened one time when i was changing karol's diaper. she usually gets the new diaper. that time, i forgot to wait for her and took one myself....

mommy: alex please put back the diaper.
alex: but, why mommy? why?

her language skills are really overwhelming (i know, i've said it a million times). like a sponge, alex absorbs everything she sees and hears. now she speaks and understands slovak much more than before. she also has learned to apply some rules of grammar on her own. see examples below: :D

irregular verb:
do's (as in "parents do, and santa do's.")
do'd (as in "what did you do'd?")

plural:
bookses, jellybeanses
jablkos (jablko, slovak for apple)

it's realy cool when she makes these grammar mistakes. because that's when we learn that she's learning :)

check out her newly posted old pix. click here.

ate alex

2008-09-20T15:21:00.006+02:00

when karol and i came home from the hospital, alex was asleep on our bed. so we put karol in the playpen and i laid down beside alex. after a few moments she woke up and started talking as usual.

ia sked her if she wants to see "baby brother," as she fondly refers to him. then, she stood up and went to the playpen. she always says that that's baby brother's bed and where to put him, etc. she continued with her monologue then got tongue-tied the moment she saw karol. she wasn't expecting him to be there already and was so surprised. it was really funny. she just froze. well, she went on talking once she regained her composure. :))

it's a big change for her. the first few days she was having a hard time. until now she's still adjusting. sometimes, she would throw some tantrums or do things to get our attention. it might take some time still for her to fully adjust. but we are slowly getting there.

the good thing is, she doesn't reject karol's presence. she even helps us when we change his diaper. she also kisses him on the head to say bye-bye or good night. i think she will be a very good ate*.

*ate (a-te) in philippine culture, it is a title used to refer to an older sister.

alex's second 2nd birthday

2008-07-29T11:45:00.021+02:00

i know, i said we just had a simple celebration on alex's 2nd birthday. but i thought we owed it to alex to have a real children's party. she didn't have such on her 1st birthday. we have lots of filipino friends in singapore with kids of their own. so, i grabbed the opportunity. :)

the slide

see-saw, up and down
you go up and i go down

it took some time to plan, but it was well worth it. everyone enjoyed the gymboree activities, including the mommies and daddies. dora and diego was the main theme. i even dressed up alex in dora's colors, pink and orange, complete with the purple backpack :)) we had nice dora cupcakes, designs and some balloons too.

the wheels on the bus go round and round

happy birthday to you... foo!

thanks to our friends and loved ones for helping out. this wouldn't have been possible without your help. muah!

and of course, thank you for the gifts...

alex turns 2

2008-07-29T11:25:00.009+02:00

this is long overdue, but here it is...

alex turned 2 years when we were in singapore. but i measure her weight and height only when we came back to bratislava. she weighed 12.5kg and was 91cm tall. for long time she stayed 12kg at 86cm. so imagine my surprise! she's really a tall girl.

anyway, we just had a simple celebration of her birthday. we went with inay and tatay to meet daddy at suntec. had lunch at a japanese restaurant, which mommy and daddy really likes.

for dinner, we had a few guests: inay, tatay, tita sharon, and ninang ganet and ninong romy. had shrimp, garlic mushroom , chicken (from carrefour), rice, and of course the bengawan cake. mommy also had some nice balloons inflated which she enjoyed, much to our delight.

lastly, the birthday gift...

breakfast conversation

2008-07-01T10:13:00.003+02:00

mommy: alex, ninang jenny is coming here next week. do you remember her?
alex (nods head): mommy, do you remember tita gail also?
mommy: of course. do you remember her? and her babies?
alex (continues to nod head): ye-ees!
mommy: do you miss them?
alex: i think so! i miss them...
mommy: how about tita sharon, do you remember her?
alex: ah, ye-ees! ahtatata light blue.... tyatyatya.... (etc., etc....)

hehehe! that's our little conversationalist. she really can communicate, almost like an adult. however, she makes up some words and sentences when she doesn't know what to say anymore. to her, she thinks she's still making conversation. quite cool really! :)

phrases

2008-03-30T12:45:00.007+02:00

alex's language skills has really improved a lot and i think is quite advanced for her age. she likes describing everything that she sees. most of the time she can understand what she's told. and even with her childish speech, she can be understood. these are some of the things she commonly says:

* i don't want!
* what is it? (even when she knows the answer)
* let's go to [name/place].
* it felled! or shoe is felled! (talk about past tense)
* it's toyning! (loves electric fans)
* it's stop! (still loves electric fans)
* it's (so) funny! (everyone and everything is funny to her)
* um angee! ("i'm angry!" with matching scowling face)
* no, no, no! do not touch!
* it's sleeping (embarrassingly describes sleeping people)
* it's boken (broken)
* mami fikkit ("mommy, fix it")
* heyo!
* bye, bye [name]! (even to inanimate objects, like tricycle)
* good night [name]! (Mama Mary, Jesus, daddy, mamika, etc.)
* alex, rocking the chair.
* alex is walking/sitting/etc...
* mamika/daddy, it's odj odj odj ongkin (well, this beats the hell out of me :))

two months to go (at 22 months)

2008-03-30T11:58:00.008+02:00

i know i keep saying this, but it's really true that time flies by so fast. in just two months alex will be 2 years old. i can't even put into words how she's grown up so cute, so funny, and so smart over the months. we love watching how she enjoys her new experiences. we see that she understands more and appreciates more the things around her. oh, such great joy!

"swim to sea/ocean!"

we have been in philippines for 3 weeks now. the first week went to boracay. alex enjoyed the sea and most specially the sand.

unfortunately, her very exciting experience Was tainted by her very first scratches. on the last night she fell while running and she scratched her left knee and right hand. how that happened i don't know. worse, when she woke up the following morning, one of her eyes was totally swollen from some insect bite. poor one-eyed-alex, it lasted for 3 days.

"swim to pool!"

the holy week is really good time not just to reflect o the passion of the Lord but also to spend time with family. alex was able to spend lots of time in the water with her cousins. once we went to some local resort, and another time, the kids had fun waddling in an inflatable pool. it was a bit chaotic but really fun :))

"let's go to out!"

there were also lots of other non-water activities that alex enjoys, like going out for a walk. every morning we go out for a walk. although during the first few times she asks to be picked up after a few steps. then she started seeing the flowers, the butterflies and the birds. she even likes the air conditioning unit sticking out of the neighbors' walls :)) but the trip is not complete without "touch the coconut." which of course she couldn't reach because it's too high, even for me.

she also likes visiting other cousins who live around our neighborhood during the afternoons. she's starting to become an "outdoor" person. she doesn't even want to go home anymore. the moment she sees that we are heading towards our gate, she goes the other direction saying "i don't want! i don't want!" what a very clever child... :))

first embarassing moment with alex

2008-01-14T16:29:00.000+01:00

what a nice evening it was. monday, 7th of january, our 2nd year civil wedding anniversary. hubby surprised me with a nice dinner in some fancy restaurant. however with alex, a dinner could be anything but quiet. the moment we entered the restaurant, she started naming every item she recognized: "boat!", "kacicka!" (duck), "candle!", "light! light! light!", etc., etc....

luckily there weren't so many people. there was one group on my left and then 2 serious-looking businessmen in front. everyone went on with their dinners not minding alex's litany. until....

one of the businessmen accidentally hit his wine glass. he profusely apologized to his partner, who immediately dismissed the accident and went on with their conversation. at that precise moment, alex pointed at them, started her big fake laugh and said in her booming voice, "it's funny!"

we couldn't help but laugh of course. good thing the businessmen were pretty good sports and became alex's fans for the rest of the evening. ;)

2008

2008-01-05T22:28:00.000+01:00

new year's eve dinner with babka. unfortunately, alex wasn't able to greet the new year. like last year, she was sound asleep amidst all the fireworks. :) but it didn't stop her from bobsledding the following day in nice sunny-snowy weather...

... and two days after ...

christmas 2007

2008-01-05T21:36:00.001+01:00

Christmas 2006
Christmas 2007

it's hard to believe that a year has passed. so many things have changed yet so many things also stayed the same, like our christmas family picture. :)) well the facts are: a) alex is much bigger and has much longer hair; b) 2006 was in philippines, and 2007 in slovakia; and, c) we are wearing different clothes (luckily!).

7 december: mikulas (nicholas' name's day, actually falls on 6 december), sunguard system access celebration. in slovakia, this is the traditional start of christmas. children receive sweets and candies from santa if they have been good. and of course alex got a bag of goodies.

24 december: christmas eve dinner at home. we had the traditional slovak christmas dinner. except for alex, everyone had:
1) oblatky (replaced by airplane crackers :D) with honey
2) garlic (phew!)
3) kapusnica (sour cabbage soup)
4) fried fish with potato salad

25 december: we went to another christmas meal, lunch with great grandparents.

these are some of the christmas gifts that alex got (from left to right): baby doll with stroller, trike (from "dyeko", a.k.a. dedko), dora (from "tito pito", a.k.a tito peter). she also got nice home socks, shirt and sweater (from "bahka", a.k.a. babka), interesting magnetic books (from "tita lutita", a.k.a. tita lucia), and a new ball (from babina and dedino, great grandma and great grandpa).

when i grow up, i want to be a... (at 18 months)

2007-12-04T11:16:00.001+01:00

the one and a half year old alex weighs about the same and is maybe taller by a centimeter. amazing how time flies by. in a blink of an eye she could be anyone she dreams of becoming to be...

...doctor
she carries around her "emyo" (elmo) doctor's kit. checks heartbeat of her bears with the "cookie montu" (cookie monster)r stethoscope. says "aaah!" with the bert thermometer and "burd" (big bird) otoscope. wears ernie blood pressure gauge.

...soldier
marches to "left! left! left! right! left!"

...ballerina
walks on tiptoes and dances around in circles

...actress
pretends to cry a lot :))

...ball player
likes to play with "boi" (ball).

...singer
alex (singing): meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow! (to the tune of "tinkle, tinkle likel kay", a.k.a "twinkle, twinkle little star")

alex likes singing and listening to music. used to really laugh at the screaming part of "doo bidoo" in the the "kami nApo muna album". the one that comes after "eto na, eto na, eto na..." now, she says "bi doo wah" and points to the pc when she wants me to play the songs and sings along.

...music playing in the background...

mahal kita, mahal kita.
hindi 'to bola
sumagot ka naman
wag lang...

alex (singing): owan... (ewan)

...music playing in the background...

doo bidoo bidoo
bidoo bidoo
doo bidoo bidoo
bidoo bidoo
alex (singing): bidoowah!

...wordsmith
alex speaks four languages: english, slovak, filipino and spanish. mommy and daddy speak to her mostly in english while "baka" (babka) speaks to her in slovak. picks up some filipino words from me. and, to our surprise, she sometimes counts in spanish, or says "abre! open doy!" (open door)

ahdanda neyi msh a.k.a alex the destroyer (at 17 months)

2007-10-31T16:47:00.000+01:00

"what is your name?"
alex: ayi

that's our girl! this 85cm and 12kg little thingy is getting cuter and smarter by the minute. likes watching dora the explorer, reading books, sorting shapes and learning the alphabet.

she recognizes almost half of the english alphabet (from watching jollibee, hehe). she makes us write on her magnetic board and likes naming the letters one by one. although sometimes she confuses "R" and "B", "N" and "M", among others.

"my name..."
alex: ihssss...

"alexandra..."
alex: ahdanda

"neri..."
alex: neyi

"mraz!"
alex: msh!

her speech has also improved considerably. well, aside from the fact that she pronounces "y" instead of "r" or "l". for example she now says "boy" instead of "bi" for ball. "foy" for four. and now, "flowo" instead of "flawee" for flower, etc.

alex is starting to recognize different shapes. her favorites are: "kar" (star), "flowo" (flower), "nganga" (triangle), "kurkle" (circle), "owaw" (oval), "quay" (square), "batitu" (trapezoid), pentagon and diamond. she may not be able to pronounce them properly but she surely can put each and everyone of these shapes into her shape sorter.

the total entertainer (15-16 months)

2007-10-01T21:27:00.001+02:00

the poor thingy has gotten sick the last couple of days. she's had the second fever in her lifetime. but she is so strong that she only had very low fever and a teeny-tiny bit of the colds. i wouldn't even have noticed her colds if it weren't for the fever. otherwise, she has never been better.

alex has sprouted 4 pearly white molars in the last couple of months. we haven't weighed or measured her recently. we are just guessing that she's more than 82cm and around 11kg. let the clothes she wears speak for her -- size 98(cm), 2-3 years old. :)

"old mcdonald had a farm..."
alex: "ee-ai-ee-ai-eeyo-ya-ya"
"and on that farm he had a pig..."
alex: "ee-ai-ee-ai-eeyo-ya-ya"

she likes singing and dancing. she has her own version and actions of "itsy-bitsy spider", and "sampung mga daliri" (ten fingers).

"swiper no swiping! swiper no swiping! swiper no swiping!"
alex: "ah, meen!" (oh, men!)

sings all the dora the explorer songs and has different dance moves for all 3 songs.

"yum, yum, yum delicioso!"
alex: "ba-pa, ba-pa" (backpack, backpack)
alex: "ahm mee, ah mee" (i'm the map)
alex: "pi dee dee, pi dee dee" (we did it!)

another favorite game of hers is pushing buttons on her activity table to play music. then she dances around the living room. she's really funny. one time, she picked up a pair of her jammies and started playing with it.

she's always more than happy to show off all her talents to anyone. she's not very shy. but she sometimes need a minute or two to warm up to a new face. however, just recently, we visited her great grandparents whom she hasn's seen for quite some time. the moment we arrived at their home, they were so excited that they took her from me and started fussing over her at once. she was just sitting very still on the sofa, not making a sound. she was just looking at them. when i got to her, i saw tears welling around her eyes. it's as if she was trying to be a big girl about it and doesn't want to appear scared or anything. it was so sweet and funny at the same time. she got over it as quickly as it started and didn't shed a tear at all. she even ended up eating the cookies and bread sticks, which were not really meant for her.

alex is not only talented in the arts, she's also a very smart baby. she names animals by their sounds: "hawee" (dog), "meow, meow", "moo", "hee-ha" (horse). and some more: "ba-kee-ka" (butterfly), "kaka" (kacka, duck), "kwog" (frog), "buh" (bird), "bug" (ladybug), and so much more.

like a sponge, she picks up everything we try to teach her. sometimes, i would try to teach her some words and she would never repeat after me. then surprisingly, after some time, you would just hear her saying the words when she's playing by herself. she now knows, "moon", "nyan" (sun), "hak" (heart), "apuh" (apple), "book", etc., etc. she can also identify the letter "A" and "B", and sometimes "C" but she says "ee" :))

it's amazing how fast she's learning new things. sarah taught her one day after church to bless. it's a filipino tradition of giving respect (to elders) known as "kissing the hand", which evolved into holding an older persons hand to your forehead. now she asks everyone "bi" and puts the hand to her forehead.

she has also learned to attach names to people. daddy is "dadi", mommy is "mama", lucia is "tita" (aunt), sarah is "nina" ("ninang", godmother) and peter is "tito" (uncle), "baba" is "babka" (grandma), and she's still trying to practice "dido" for "dedko" (grandpa). "tita" and "tito" she also uses on our friends. alex would sometimes remember them even when they are not around. when we are at home, she would sometimes call "dadi", "tita", or "nina" and look at the door. she's probably expecting them to come. most often she misses her daddy and calls him a lot during the day when he's working.

our little angel is really growing so fast. learning so many things that sometimes we are the ones who can't keep up with her. from her remix version of "old mcdonald" to her countless words, she's really the total entertainer. it's not a secret, but alex and all babies are mysteries, and so is "kudi" and "kay".

alex: "mama kay. nina kay. dadi kay."

baby talk (13-14 months)

2007-07-25T03:16:00.000+02:00

she's now 10.5kg. gained weight in a matter of 5 days. it's amazing how much she has changed. i was expecting that most changes after her first birthday would be gradual. boy, I was wrong!

she talks even more now. i know, we never thought that was possible also. but her vocabulary is fast growing.

it's funny how she constantly immitates vocalizations and tries to repeat the words we say to her. she learned the "i" ("ee") sound on our way home from philippines. she kept saying "da-dee", with very strong emphasis on "dee". by emphasis i mean, with all her breath and strength :)) and after that she started to learn more words and uses "ee" a lot.

from her first words: "baba", "papa", "mama", and "dada"

expressions (some with hand/body gesture):

bye-bye (slovak, "papa") - waves bye-bye and say "papa" or "baba" or "paba" or "bapa"; or other combinations of "ba" and "pa" (as many times repeated as she pleases). she says this when saying bye-bye to someone, or when she wants to go.

light - her first official word. looks up, points to the light and says "lai", which evolved from "lah" in less than a week

give me/thank you - gives to or takes an object from someone and says "pa pi", which evolved from "pa bum" or "pa pum"

i don't want (filipino, "ayaw") - waves both hands frantically in criss-cross motion, and says "aya aya aya". it is often used when she doesn't want anymore during feeding.

no (slovak, "nie") - "nie nie nie" and sometimes waves her point finger from side to side

papapa (filipino, "to eat") - "papapa"

muah (kiss) - pouts lips or puts her lips closer to you and says "mmm ma"

words with more than one meaning:

daddy - "dada" has evolved to "da dee". but it could also mean mommy or other members of the family like grandma ("babka") or grandpa ("dedko"). or, when she wants to say something we haven't deciphered yet.

mommy - "mama" has evovled into "ma mee". but sometimes means "no more" when accompanied by two hands shaking. or, when she points to an object she threw down and wants it to be picked up.

"meeya meeya" - could mean "yummy", "my! my!" (slovak, "moja! moja!") and then strokes a person/object with her hand, or "meow! meow!" referring to a cat.

things (recognized objects; can point and identify the object):

flower - "wla wee"

dog (slovak, "havo") - "haw haw" or, more often "ha wee"

ball - "biy"

nose - "nou"

commands(phrases she understands):

no! - sometimes she obeys, but most often not :D

hug (object)! - hugs the object and swings her torso from side to side

come here!/let's go!

where is (your) head/ears/nose? - points or holds that part

throw the ball!/catch! - throws the ball/says something that sounds like "catch".

step! step! - used to encourage her to walk on her own.

whew! those are a lot of words for a 14 month old baby :) but that's not all. she can also repeat after us most of the time. except when we make fun and try to make her say "mee ma" or "dee da". it's funny that this really puzzles her. although lately she babbles "ee ai" repeatedly on her own. amazing isn't it?! :)

last, but definitely not the least, the talk of the town -- alex is walking. although she still gets a little scared sometimes, or walks too fast and loses balance. alex can also climb up and down the sofa or bed. she has really become more dangerously cute these last two weeks :)

a.k.a (at 12 months)

2007-07-04T12:22:00.000+02:00

12 months
10 kilograms
78 centimeters

wow! it doesn't seem that long ago, but here we are, on the first year mark. alex is so special that she celebrated her birthday 3 times. twice in slovakia and a swimming party in philippines. it's mostthe fact that mommy and daddy has so many friends and relatives, hihihi! but also, it's just proof that she's so much loved by everyone. (^.^)

i could still remember long before she was even conceived. there was only name for her -- ALEX. now, she could give the FBI's most wanted a run for their money for acquiring so many aliases in such a short time.

"alex"
yes, that's her nick name. ALEX is a nick name mommy has always wanted and so she was named ALEXANDRA.

"neri" (var. "nerinka")"
she was born on the feast day of St. Philip Neri. Philip doesn't really seem fit for such a pretty baby, so we adapted the surname instead. "nerinka" on the other hand, was coined by the nurse of alex's pediatrician. it's a slovak way of changing names for calling small children or as term of endearment (e.g., minela = "minelka", matej = "matko")

"uu maker"
it's a mystery to us how a baby who only takes milk can make such fowl smelling poopoo! we really didn't have problem knowing when to change her diaper. well one could smell it from a mile away :)) now, just imagine what happened when she started having solids... well it's not so bad, or maybe we just got used to it. 3 times a day is no joke.

"the thing" (var. "it")
so far, this is the most used nick for her between mommy and daddy, that is, aside from "alex". for example:
* "the thing" is already asleep.
* "it" is looking at us.
* look at "the thing".

"tiger"
we're not sure now where exactly this nick came from. but it's most probably from the one of the funny sounds she creates which probably mimics that of a tiger. :)

"koala bird"
this was adapted from when she was much younger but is not so much used now. "koala" refers to the way she holds on to the person carrying her, which very much looks like a koala bear hug. "bird" comes from the high pitched screeching sound she makes.

"lazy piglet" (var. "piglet")
as you may have observed in her pix (specially earlier ones), she really is on the chubby side. "lazy" is self-explanatory :) well, she didn't want to hold her own bottle for long time even when she already could. sometimes, she also didn't want to walk. she crawls instead because of the fact that it's easier for her.

"marshmallow bear"
alex has a cousin, ayie, who's only one week older than her. we used to joke how alex would bully ayie when they grow older. it's the fact that alex is bigger and taller than most babies her age. but the irony of ironies, alex turned out to have a softer physical nature. so even if she's a big girl, she's as soft as a marshmallow and as cuddly as a bear.

there's so much more that i couldn't remember them all. we come up with different nicknames for her whenever she does something so special (which is every minute of her waking hour, but sometimes even in her sleep :)

at one year:
* we think she's more talkative than most babies her age. she can say "mama", "dada", "papa" (usually, when she waves bye-bye). she also makes gibberish sounds as if she's really talking.

* her first word is "light". although she could only say "lah" in the beginning, she really knows what it means. everytime we enter some room, she would look up, point and say "lah".

* she can stand alone pretty well for more than two (2) seconds

* she walks with two hands held. then confidently with just one hand held. surprisingly, she was also able to make her first two (2) steps.

* all her eight teeth are out.

teething alex (at 11 months)

2007-05-03T17:34:00.000+02:00

sorry guys, i wasn't able to post for alex's 10th month. but hopefully this will help you catch up.

alex growth rate is slowing down now. probably due to the fact that she's much more active. she also grew two more teeth (upper middle) during the tenth month and somehow lost her apetite for a week. we didn't have statistics for 10th month so here's for 11:

statistics:
* weight : 9.57kg
* height : 76cm (previous measure, now measured at 74cm?!?)
* head c : 45cm
* chest c : 45cm

there's not much new tricks except for the fact that she's mastered most of her previous tricks and that she can do them more on demand.

improvements:
* goes to sitting position from standing without any problems
* cruises (walks holding on to furniture, not just playpen anymore)
* picks-up tiny objects with thumb and point finger

new things:
* stands alone momentarily
* walks with two hands held
* points with index finger (to get what she wants)
* casts/throws her toys
* imitates vocalizations
* understands "no!" but sometimes complains with a fake cry :))

funny tricks:
* holds hear head ("where's your head?")
* claps hands ("clap your hands!")
* points upwards ("where's the light?")
* hugs toys and people ("hug!!!")
* does fake laugh when she hears others laughing

last tuesday, we discovered she's growing possibly four new teeth. one on the lower right is very much visible, sharp and pointed. two more on the upper part are just sprouting. but the lower left is not so visible. must really be a pain for poor alex. she has a hard time sleeping during the night. otherwise, she's doing great and is as babbly and as happy as ever. :)

at nine months

2007-03-06T00:04:00.000+01:00

statistics:
* weight : 9.28kg
* height : 76cm
* head c : 44cm
* chest c : 44.5cm

new things:
* pulls to standing position from sitting
* drops to sitting position from standing :))
* cruises around her playpen
* bends over to pick up her toys (one hand holding on to railing)
* waves hi/bye-bye (we don't know the difference) :D
* shakes her head when you say "no, no, no!"
* claps hands
* can mimick some sounds/actions

other things:
* eats a lot (cereal, rice, carrot, potato, cauliflower, brocolli, kalerab?!?, chicken, pork, infant crackers, apple, mango, apricot)
* babbles a lot ("baba", "papa", "mama", "a-boo", etc...)
* smiles a lot
* squeals (or is it scream?) a lot :D
* complains a lot (sometimes :)
* makes a lot of faces

waking up with a laugh (at eight months)

2007-02-06T22:59:00.000+01:00

i have heard of people waking up with a smile on their face, but never laughing. one morning, i just did.

ever since we came back from PH, alex wakes up really early. sometimes at 2am, we're lucky if it's at 4am. it has become a routine for us to get her from the crib and place her in between us on our bed when she wakes up. she stays there until everyone fully wakes up. sometimes she would go back to sleep, but most often than not, she would keep babbling and rolling around while we try to drown everything out and catch a few more winks.

one morning, i must have fallen back asleep a little deeper. because then, i woke up and laughed instantly when i realized what woke me up. alex was playing with my arms, raising it up and thumping it down the bed.

she's in the middle of her 8th month now. we didn't get to weigh or measure her height. but we sure know she's growing well. she's eating a lot more of solids now (maybe a little more than she should). it's probably due to the fact that she's more mobile these days. she sometimes surprises us.

one time, i was browsing the internet while she was playing in her playpen. one moment she was on her tummy and the next she was sitting. or another time, after hearing her dad shushing her during one of her morning litanies, she made her own little shushing sound over her pacifier. it was unbelievably funny. little milestones for our little angel (with horns :).

although she is still more interested in babbling more than in honing her motor skills. nu-ni-noo-ni-noo... i wonder who she got it from?!? :D all i can say, is we are very proud of her.

home is where alex is

2007-01-26T16:05:00.000+01:00

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

2007-01-17T14:53:00.000+01:00

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

2007-01-10T10:32:00.000+01:00

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

2007-01-09T14:25:00.000+01:00

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

2007-01-09T14:15:00.000+01:00

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...

2007-01-09T14:11:00.000+01:00

...
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

2007-01-09T14:07:00.000+01:00

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 :)

at six months

2006-12-14T02:29:00.000+01:00

5th of december 2006, alex was scheduled to get her 3rd shot of the hepa b vaccine. luckily, her pedia adviced to have it together with her pentaxim vaccine (so it's actually hexaxim now?!?). anyway, she was saved that day. what should have been a painful visit has just turned into a routine well-baby checkup. her stats were perfect:

weight : 8.2kg
length : 70cm
head c : 42.5cm
chest c : 43.5cm

she's very much ready for her solids. and we got plenty of instructions. for one week already, she's been eating carrots for lunch and rice cereal for dinner. and just yesterday, 13th of december 2006, she started having potatoes together with carrots. it's amazing how she has caught up with eating solids. at first she used to take small portions only, more like trying to take in the taste than really eating. but now, the portions are getting bigger... very much fit for her size i guess, hehehe :) but she's not really taking so much rice. but i'm suspecting it's just the timing, which we really have to work on.

during dinner, she's more tired and sleepy. so, i think she wants milk more than rice. but it's not so bad. at least she seems to be adjusting with solids quite well so far. no allergies or rejections. only thing is it is sometimes hard to feed her milk. she's been teeting for a long time now, but no sign of teeth yet. so frustrating...

anyway, aside from solids, she's also enjoying drinking water from the cup. it's funny really. i have to hold the cup for her of course, and she spills most of the water :)). but she's learning fast (at least for mommy's standards), and i'm very happy about everything she is doing and learning to do. she really is our little bundle of joy.

new things:
* babbles a lot (still! and more and more... and more... and a bit more)
* teething (without visible signs of teeth)
* sit without support (but after a few seconds falls to her side and smiles)
* plays in jumper (thanks for the hand me down, cousin bianca :))

fast forward

2006-12-06T01:27:00.000+01:00

26 november 2006, sunday alex turned 6 months

2 december 2006, saturday alex got a high chair. she didn't like it at first, squirming here and there as we strapped her belts. but after a few minutes and several toys, she loved it :).

4 december 2006, monday she tried her very first solid food -- rice cereal. didn't eat much but she somehow liked the new taste. or at least we think that, since the following day she ate more. and by our calculations, she would be eating more and more, hehehe...

baby girl mraz

2006-12-06T00:47:00.001+01:00

Alexandra Neri Mraz, born on 26th of May 2006, at 2:31 PM (GMT+0800) in SPC Medical Center, San Pablo City, Philippines, by caesarian section. She weighed 3.6 kg and was 52 cm long. Measured 34 cm head circumference, and 33 cm chest circumference.