Yohann - January 2012

Yohann is now 9 months old! Parang nagdalang-tao akong muli at nanganak na! Haha.

I'm kinda missing his baby fat arms and legs, mukang pahaba talaga sha at matangkad like his daddy. Malakas naman kumain ng solids, pero hindi tumataba. And since he's breastfeeding, I know hindi sha tataba nang matabang-mataba like formula-fed babies. Okay na lang din, pero kakamiss lang manggigil sa chubby baby eh. hehe.

He can now sit, stand, take some steps while holding on to furniture, at nag-a-attempt na ding bumitiw at lumakad without support.

Nakakatakot! Binata na ang baby boy namin, waaaaah! :p

Thank you, 2011!

I'm a week late with this post, but fellow mothers will understand why. Hehe. In case you don't, it's 'cause it's hard to type a decent post while a) running after a baby on board a walker b) feeding a demanding boy who kicks your arms if you're typing while feeding him c) cleaning up after a little boy who bowls over everything within a 5-meter radius d) and so on and so forth :p

Anyhow, let me try to make a short tribute to the year that was and all that it brought us, of course while the little tyke is napping away.

2011 was basically a quiet year for us. There was barely any lakwatsa, which was the trademark highlight of my year since I can remember, but you can't say it wasn't any fun.

The first quarter of the year was all about endings. I resigned from my job at Avon, saying goodbye to my co-workers and friends of almost two years. It also meant less get-togethers and dinner/coffee dates with my friends, most of whom are Makati-based. That was a sad time :( But I knew it was a decision I had to make in order to prepare for a new beginning. Good thing we had a quick out-of-town trip with friends in February, thanks to Terence, and the baby showers held at home. Those were fun times! :)

The second quarter of the year was the most awaited one! The little boy's arrival finally came in April 3. Yay! After a day's labor, Yohann was finally delivered via C-section. He is definitely the highlight of this quarter, of the year even :) He was the timeliest gift Mommy and Daddy ever received for our respective birthdays :)

The third quarter of the year was mostly about raising up Yohann, getting the hang of being a mum, and starting this blog. We also had some friends come over and visit us at home, which I really, really loved. It's been hard leaving home even for just a few hours, so having friends at home is always a welcome break. We also got to bring the little boy out of town to Bulacan, have his photo shoot session at The Picture Company and attended his first ever birthday party with adults :p

The last quarter of the year was the most eventful! October was Yohann's Dedication Day. It was a busy month! It was also when he first got sick, and gave me a taste of Motherhood 101. I firmly believe you don't fully become a mother until your child gets sick and you go through the sleepless nights-worried sick-praning moments that come with it. Thank God, it was only Roseola and nothing  that needed hospitalization. The rest of the quarter was mostly visits to family, the mall, the park, etc. November saw the arrival of another family member, baby Juliana, making Yohann an uncle at the age of 8 months, hehe.  December, we partied with friends and celebrated the holidays for the first time with the little boy. Christmas was a bit trying, what with me and Yohann catching the colds. He also got an upset stomach on Christmas eve from the soup he ate. New Year's eve he was feeling better, that was also when he tried standing up without any support for the first time.

All in all, 2011 was a year of learning - tons of lessons in patience; adjustments, experimenting, growth, friendship, family. It wasn't a bed of roses all throughout, but with God's grace we survived. We are hoping and praying that 2012 will be even more fruitful and meaningful, and we are looking forward to some surprises along the way. Again, by God's grace, we believe that the days ahead will be even better :)

Yohann's December pics

The little boy is 8 months old now! How time flies! :)

He's grown longer, his feet bigger, his arms and legs stronger. Kung makahataw kala mo mama, kung makatakbo (sa walker) kala mo hinahabol. Haha.

He eats a lot, and I mean a lot, hindi tumitigil hangga't hindi natatapos ang pagsubo sa kanya. He loves rice and soup. And ripe mangoes too. And yoghurt. And clementines (kiat-kiat :p).

I love waking up in the morning to see him staring at me, then making me sampal pag nakita niyang dumilat na ako. Haha. Sutil. But I go back to sleep and he just plays some hanggang makatulog na ulit.

He's already a handful at ilang beses ko na ring napapagalitan. Sorry ka, strict ang mother mo :D

House Partey!!!

We had our advanced Christmas get-together last Dec. 11, pero bitin ito. So we had part two of the videoke-slash-photosesh partey at home. FUN! :)

my climbing crawling critter

Yohann surprised me again today with a new trick.

We were playing on the mattress in the living room floor when he saw this toy which I placed on the couch on one side of the mattress. He wanted to reach for it, so I stood him up on his feet and placed him against the couch. But when he was already there, he decided he didn't want that toy, but a pack of Giggles wipes which Daddy left. So I took it away from him and placed it on the far end of the couch, knowing he would only put it on his mouth again. Now, Yohann is one determined little boy. If he wants it, he'll find a way to get it.

So he looked at the pack of wipes which I put away, reached for it, realized his arms were too short for it. Imagine my surprise when he pulled one leg up and climbed onto the couch. I thought he was getting a wee bit too ambitious there (lol) and was pleasantly surprised when he actually did it, the little critter just climbed up the couch! His weeks of climbing over me in bed every morning paid off, haha.

To be sure that he really could do it, I set up the digicam on a stool and made him do it again. He did so with little effort and I caught it on video. But instead of uploading the vid, here are some screen shots of the little boy's latest trick ;)

saw the pack of Giggles

must.get.Giggles!

Giggles here I come!

crawling fast

Yay! You did it! Mommy's proud!

I guess this means I should be preparing myself for more exciting action around the house ;)

Otso-otso

Yohann turned 8 months yesterday, yay!!!

Tignan niyo naman kung gano sha kasaya:

TAGUMPAY!!!

Hehe. He's really a happy baby and it's not hard to make him laugh and smile. Yun lang, kahit sinasaway ko na sha at pinagsasabihan, he'd just laugh or smile at me! Anubeh! :p

This will be his first Christmas and I already got him his Christmas outfit, hihi. And to complete his outfit, we got him this head band.

I'm a reindeer!

A few more months and the little munchkin will already be a year old... hay, di na sha baby! Ngayon pa lang his cousins are already saying he looks and acts like a toddler already. Which kinda makes me sad coz I'd love for him to be a baby for a long time pa sana, but of course that's not possible. He will always keep growing no matter how I want him to be a baby forever. :p

Picky eater...Not!

Yohann's been eating solids since the second half of his fifth month. His pedia gave the go signal to start solids when he turned 5 months, but I was hesitant since I knew that according to the World Health  Organization, 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding is the optimal way of feeding infants. But every mealtime and I would be carrying Yohann with me, he would already pull my plate or make chewing motions whenever he sees or even smells food. I figured that he was already into his 6th month anyway and was already very active and energetic, the solids would probably do him good.

he likes to eat with his ceramic spoon :p

I first gave him mashed potato. I cooked it myself and added breast milk to make it easier for him to chew. My pedia's advice was to give him a couple of teaspoons per feeding, but Yohann always found it bitin. So I think I fed him a couple of tablespoons on his first try :p He ate potatoes for 3 days, and after that I fed him squash (kalabasa). He liked it too! This is currently his all-time favorite food, as he would eat and eat without showing signs of being full. I just have to give up and stop feeding him or we stop when he's eaten an entire serving already. Since then, he's eaten bananas, mangoes, oranges, applesauce (which I made), sweet potatoes, sayote, carrots, cantaloupe, okra, eggplant,  fish, some pork, arroz caldo and chicken liver. Yes, chicken liver! And he also loves my sinigang. Hehe. I've also given him Cerelac on days when I had no time to cook his food, or when I ran out of veggies or fruits for him. But mostly, I feed him home-cooked baby food.

When I fed him chicken liver, it was funny how he wanted to throw up after tasting it. I was watching him closely, knowing how babies generally dislike its taste. When he looked like he might throw up, I offered him water at once. He drank, and when I offered him some more chicken liver, he still opened his mouth to eat. He was able to finish at least two tablespoons of chicken liver even if he obviously didn't like it :p The last time we ate chopsuey, he already likes chicken liver and no longer gags on it. Good boy! Most of the time too, whenever we are eating, he would be in his walker and running around, passing by my side and demanding to be fed again. I would give him some rice and bits of whatever it is we're eating as long as I know it doesn't have anything that might upset his wee tummy. I've let him taste lechon paksiw, spaghetti, adobo. He mostly likes rice, as it gives him something to chew on. He's tasted spices like pepper and he doesn't seem a bit turned off by it.

I would often tease his dad that the day Yohann eats ampalaya is the day he also begins to eat veggies. Daddy's a picky eater and the little boy has to learn by example that all veggies are good for the body and are to be eaten. When that day comes, I'll be the happiest mommy (and wife!) on earth. :D