robin is now 2

happy 2nd birthday robin!

know that you are so loved and blessed. we are so proud of you because of who you are and with what you have accomplished especially for the past months. God is good and faithful!

at this age, we can see your independence by wanting to do things on your own such as feeding, bathing, dressing up, brushing of teeth, washing hands and even walking on your own. hey kiddo, know that me and your daddy will always be here to guide you as long as we can and even whether you think you don't need our help anymore...

we see courage when you climb that high monkey bars at the park or you try on ate raya's big bike or sing your heart out even if you do not know yet the words. we are your number 1 fan ;) its funny how you want to use the big toilet bowl right away and not your pottie, but we are really proud of you.

we also can see your love for learning by wanting to read "ook" [books] all the time or tinkering with my laptop or daddy's itouch or playing with ate's laptop. all the things that the people around you does, especially ate raya and your cousin kuya miguel, you want to learn them all, taking it all in. thats good, honey, never ever stop learning.

remember a few months ago, we were so worried that you mght have a speech development problem. look at you now, we can't stop you from talking and talking with your loud voice! no worries my dear one, we are more than happy to hear you utter words especially the words "mommy" and "daddy" even if you have to wake us up in the middle of the night just to make you your "ilk" [milk]. knowing what you want and expressing them through words has lessened your tantrums. im not so worried anymore. i can't wait for you to say the words "i love you" and i also wouldn't mind to hear your stories someday about your day, your crushes, heart aches, your dreams and your thoughts no matter what they are.

we appreciate your love for eating everything even ampalaya. but rob, can you please lessen the sweets and chips? i know its our fault but please try :)

all these, you take it in stride and with a happy face all the time. that makes us happy too. we wish that you will continue this even when the ride gets tough. again, we will be there to share your pain and as well as your joys.

happy birthday rob! we love you so much!

robin's development

i'm so proud of our second daughter, robin! with my two daughters, i am finally starting to understand the phrase "my reason for living". it's so amazing how motherhood can brng such impact in a person, huh?

on rob's first year, we were so worried that she still couldn't walk on her own. when she was 18 months old, we were worried that she doesn't know a word yet. now, she couldn't sit still and would always like to go outside to walk around the village. she would also talk or babble a lot that i am actually begging her to be quiet even for a few minutes! she grows up so fast. so charming, too. smiles a lot. very strong personality. if it's no, its really no for her. if she doesn't get what she wants, she gets so frustrated. she is at the stage wherein she is trying to imitate us. instances such as when she would also put moisturizer after washing her face, she wants to put on make up as i am putting mine, loves to wear her daddy's socks and shoes, and though her hair is short, she wants me to 'fix her hair' after i do ate raya's hair. she likes to play her ate's toys and bike, likes to play with my laptop or her ate raya's laptop, likes to color and build blocks when her ate is doing it too. then she would proudly shows her 'work' to us and says "tada!". =) one funny thing is that she also taps the remote control to the wall because she sees us doing it [when the remote isn't working properly]!

when excited, she would sometimes express her emotion by pushing or slapping us. if we say "oww", she would point at the 'injured' part then she will kiss it as if to soothe the pain. when her ate raya falls, she would offer her hand to help her up. when rob sees her ate raya cries, she will get her bib and wipe off the tears from her sister's face. when ate raya is reprimanded for being naughty, robin will come to her defense by being "mad" at us. actually, raya is the same way too. when robin is being reprimanded, raya will go to her and comfort her and will say "it's ok. don't do it again. what you did was bad and very wrong. just go to mommy and say sorry".

these things, tugs my heart all the time. it means a lot to me, to us as parents. makes me think that we might be doing something right. it's hard being a parent. when we see that the values we try hard to instill in them are being practiced, that is the greatest reward one could ever ask for.

raya's development for SY 2011-2012

i'm proud of my daughter, raya gabrielle! last october, we had a parent-teacher meeting with regards to her development for this semester. of course i was scared again. i even told my husband that he should do it alone. he refused of course, cos he is afraid too. hehe. anyway, so we faced it together.

we couldn't be more proud. :) according to her teachers, she has developed a lot academically. she knows her numbers already. up to 100. also by 10s. she knows how to write her full name by herself. though mathematics is not her strength, raya seems to show more interest in the arts fields. i'll post some of her works next time. we also noticed that since she likes to color a lot and do some arts and crafts even here at home. she loves the show art attack and would always ask me to do whatever she sees on the show. i try since i am not really artistic. anyway, this is perhaps one of the reason why we want to enrol her first in a progressive school so that she could expand her wings and discover herself more.

there's more that her teachers said. but the ones that really stuck to me and almost made me cry was that raya is a well-mannered and well-liked kid. that means a lot to me. i always admire those kids who have good characters and as a parent, i try and pray hard that my kids will grow  up good. i guess my patience is paying off. i thought that all the things i say to them just goes in and out of their ears. you know how we always hate our moms for repeating themselves over and over. hehehe.  i would also like to believe that somehow me and my husband are not just teaching them but showing them some good, right?

i had hopes that raya will get the brains of her dad who went to philippine high school in high school and passed UP as a mechanical engineer (though finished as geodetic engineer) or her aunt (hubby's elder sister) who also went to philippine high school and graduated magna cum laude in her micro biology course also in UP or her other aunt(hubby's youngest sister) who is a cum laude in UP.  well, we don't know yet what her strengths are nor if she's going to change her interest. gelio and i will support her all the way. and the priorities are her faith in God and the building or strengthening her character. because that's whats really important.

we were surprised at her development. sometimes it's different at home. we would try to 'study' or do activities, but most of the time she doesn't like and would want to play instead. i thought i was not teaching her enough. i didn't know that she already knows a lot. :) even when we talk, so much that she knows too. so so proud of her!

such a nice blessing.  

a wake up call

i am worried, frustrated, and guilty :(

worried because: 1) raya still needs a lot of catching up to do in counting from 25 onwards (teachers from her school said that at her age, she should be able to count up to 300); 2) raya needs also to learn the alphabet & its sounds; 3) robin doesn't know a word yet.

true that all kids develop at different stages, but still, i am frustrated. not on them but on myself. as i've mentioned in my previous post, their weakness is also my weakness. it is my responsibility to teach them. there shouldn't be an excuse for it because i am stay-at-home-mom! :'(

this is a wake up call for me. 

happy 8th month robin!

i cooked mac & cheese (a lot of thanks to my titas in australia for sending us a lot of different cheese), chicken bbq and choco loaf to celebrate rob's 8th month.

 

we are happy and proud of her. she smiles a lot and that makes her more beautiful!

she can push herself up and stand. actually, she'd rather stand than sit down.

she crawls so fast. most of the time, she knows when to stop so that she won't fall off the bed :)

two of her incisors have started to show.

she eats a lot. she even likes ampalaya and broccoli.

she is sweet. when she wakes up, she gives us a kiss or reach for our hands to let us know that she is already up.

i can't remeber when did it start, but she can now sleep through the night. meaning, 8 hours of sleep. straight. yipee!

she also laugh a lot everytime her ate raya plays with her.

she is in good health, a happy & strong baby.
aaahhhhh... life is good!

robin at 7 months

yey! at 7 months old, robin can stand and sit. she needs help though. but she is so strong! she would grab on to something -- the headboard, our leg, our tummy or our hands -- then push herself up :) when we put her in her crib, she doesn't want to be in a lying or sitting position, it has to be in standing position.

she crawls so fast that she can't be left alone on the bed even for a second. i don't want to remove the bedframe anymore like what we did when raya was a baby. instead, i added some pillows around her (which she can easily go over to) and placed some mats around the bed. 

when she poops or wakes up, you wouldn't hear a cry from her. we sometimes would know if she's awake when she has fallen off the bed already. hehe. 

also, her 2 incisors (lower part) have started to show up. i found out when she bit me and it hurts :)

i counted her spots the other day ;) i think there are about 17 spots in her body.  i don't know if its adding up each day or it's just there ever since. some are beginning to lighten already.

she is still talkative. even at 5 in the morning! sometimes, she grabs my finger or kisses me (with open mouth and all that saliva!) to let me know that she is awake. she is my alarm clock. wow, tipid. hehe.

oh, and her face is changing too. i really think she looks like me. i know it!