yesterday, today, tomorrow...

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

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"

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

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

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!!!

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

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

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

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)

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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

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

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).