A Boy's Baler Adventure

this trip took place last summer making this post long overdue. but i miss my little boy and i miss traveling i just have to post this now. 

it was rainy in Manila when we traveled to Baler. we left around 4 am aboard a luxurious Genesis bus with its lazy boy-like chairs. the trip took about 7 hours, arduous yes, but we slept the entire time. 

ever since he was a baby, my boy has been so used to traveling long distance that i never had a problem taking him to different places. now at 5 years old, i could not count anymore the number of places he has been to. he's been to Davao, Dakak in Dapitan, Bantayan in Cebu, Baguio, Tagaytay, Zamboanga, even Vigan in Ilocos. i have a wanderlust of a son just like his mommy.

we checked in at Bay's Inn, Sabang around 11am, ate our lunch and rested till afternoon. by late afternoon, we got on a tricycle to take us to nearby spots we could check out.

Baler is actually a very idyllic town, quiet and charming with its very inviting beaches and other attractions. although this is also a surfing town, this little boy is afraid of rough seas he never bothered setting foot in the beach just across the hotel in Bay's Inn, in Sabang where we stayed. But he gladly waded on the sand and shallow waters at serene Digisit Beach a good 15 minute tricycle ride form Sabang.

Baler Church

On our second day, we started with a day tour around  Baler and the nearby towns of Aurora, also aboard the tricycle. We first passed by the Baler Church near the town plaza. 

In the Siege of Baler, this is the church where the remaining Spanish soldiers hid for months. I remember watching the local movie Baler when i got back home in Manila only to reminisce most of my trip there.

ayan na pala ang ating bida, parang naka snatch lang ng bag hehe...

this was the stage when the little boy is still in his Thomas the Train obsession. that is supposedly his school bag we just bought from Greenhills. he never wanted to part with it even as we toured around Baler. the get-up consisted of course of his Thomas shirt and flipflops. inside the bag is his toy train, a Thomas pencil case, among others.

while we looked around and took photos of the church, we left the little boy here playing with the local kids. i wonder how he got that empty seat, eh!

from the church we proceeded to this long expanse of pebbly beach near Maria in Aurora. It was almost 12 noon, the sun was glaring brightly and the little boy didn't really like it. and he detested walking on pebbles and bits of sand but mommy still wanted to check out the place and take photos!

after having lunch at some nearby carenderia, we proceeded to the big balete tree and i mean BIG! this 600 year old balete tree has been designated as the Millenium Tree. 

the little boy's face lit up when he saw an ice cream vendor. he then gladly posed for photos. 

i'm in Baler and i have ice cream, bleh!!

next stop was the Ditumabo Falls. i was hesitant at first upon learning that there will be a 15-20 minute trek passing through rivers and rocky, unpaved roads. but i remember this little boy has gone to Katibawasan Falls in Camiguin when he was about a year old and he walked along with us. without complaint as always.

it was not just a 15-20 minute walk for us though. we must have passed through three or four make-shift bamboo bridges. a few times we had to ask the little boy if he's tired and wanted to be carried but no, he kept on and ambled and was really enthusiastic. my, this 35 year old mommy indeed had a hard time keeping up with the agility and gait of her 5 year old, but of course! i guess he just got really excited when we told him we're going to swim!

the falls was breathtaking literally and figuratively, the water was ice cold but the little boy totally loved frolicking and splashing around. we stayed for an hour and he almost didn't want to go till we told we would still be swimming on the next stop. after the long walk back towards the main street, we let him wade for a short while on the nearby river until he finally bade goodbye to "swimming".

On the way home, while mommy shopped for souvenirs, the little boy had his eyes fixed on Pres. Manuel Quezon's vintage car which was on display. Aw, sorry, son, but we cannot take that home.

we left Baler and the town of Aurora the following day sun-kissed and sated. we had so much fun and the little boy enjoyed himself. now on to more destinations!

:eek: moments

this is a bit overdue but i can't help but laugh about it every time i remember.

Xan is growing into a mischievously sweet boy and i can't help but marvel at his feats every now and then. these are icky moments though.

one time, i was watching tv in the living room when he came up holding something out to me and said, "Mommy, yuck!"

..it was a hardened cat litter which he picked up on the floor. I was mortified and panicked and shouted "Yuck!" to which he shouted back, Yuck!" and smiled his most sheepish,sly smile.

and he also eats his booger haha! i saw him sitting at one corner and picking his nose. I said, "yuck, what are doing?". He became shy but quickly flicked something into his mouth and also said "Yuck!"

So i went on to clean his nostrils using some cotton buds, pero ang bata nakikipag unahan sa pag pick at sinusubo ang kulangot nya! and would tease me again by exclaiming, "yuck!"


I told my mom about it and she said not to fret too much, my brother did more icky stuff when he was way younger hehehe...

He barely talks still but most of the words he knows aside from "Yuck" is "Wow!" and "Mommy, no-no!".

whateva!

20th

happy 20th month my dear Xan!!

too bad you're sick like mommy too...have lotsa juice and lugaw then.

mwah!!

my little man...

mommyhood becomes me...

(this is a repost from my entry for momexchange)

"i just came from my OB, i am 12 wiks preg. am sori but i've never felt this hapi b4."

i remembered that was how i texted my sister and my bestfriend the news. i have just came from the OB then for my check up. i was sitting at dunkin donuts near world citi i could almost feel the tears welling up. i was happy. i've never felt such joy. and though they did not even know i was with someone then they both responded favorably. my sis asked me at once as to whether i wanted her to tell my mom or i could just tell her myself. my bestfriend only told me she's happy for me and to take care of myself. and to come home soon. home where i could be well taken care of with my delicate condition.

this was almost two years ago, i was 29. i remembered i was telling my high school friends then how i'd have a child by the time i was 30 married or not. i guess i was just so heartbroken then and felt i am a hopeless case as far as succesful love stories are concerned. they all pretty laughed about it and called me too independent and even selfish. why would anyone wants to bring a child into this cruel world alone anyway? but here i was anyway, pregnant and single.

though i was with a guy, yeah, he's not just some guy i picked up in the bar or along the streets hehe...we had something, i was happy with him. i almost felt like i could actually live with him for the rest of my life. but ewww, time passed and i realized there's no point staying and making it work....

i went on with carrying my son. of course, the next trimester was not so good. i would throw up morning, noon and night. worse, i wasn't able to tell my officemates then. my mom flew in at once and asked me how i was. she didn't ask me for anything nor my plans. she just wanted me to go home. i insisted to stay though as i still have to work.

when i finally told my boss, who happens to be a priest, he just asked me how i am and if i needed any help, counseling or any emotional support. all i asked was for him to support me. my officemates hugged me and was happy for me. except for those a few who chose to talk behind my back though. normal na yun, after all, some people couldn't really wait to bring us down.

i would read up on the internet a lot as i was counting the days. i remembered i even had to travel then for work but i welcomed each challenge. i was on my 5th month when i went to cotabato to do some interviews. was on my 6th when i flew to legazpi for research. i remembered i couldn't take anything beef and pork. i didn't have any particular cravings. i just wanted to watch game ka na ba everyday hahahaha!!! no wonder!

i went home to iligan on my 8th month in time for the xmas break. my mom flew in again to accompany me home. i was almost denied passage at the airport good thing mom was there to assure them i'd be alright and it would be best i come home soon.

my preggy days in iligan would have to be the best. my nieces and my nephews would camp around me and feel my tummy. and how they'd giggle when my baby starts moving and poking his knees or elbows maybe. and how he would stir up when they would sing him "my humps, my humps!" hahahaha. and they would text me every single day if i wanted to walk around the city for my exercise. my baby wasn't born yet but our home was already filled with laughter and anticipation.

oh well, xan is indeed in this world now. not just bringing laughters but chaos and bewilderment, shrieking and wreaking havoc everywhere. he's still my little precious. and he's growing to be a cutesy, more adorable, soo kulit baby each day. me on the other hand have never felt this blessed. true, i still have those dark episodes sometimes, which i would indulge in anyway...i still am able to come off it pretty well as soon as i've stared at my son's wonderful features.

motherhood is indeed a bliss no matter how hard the circumstances you've come through just by bringing him into this world. true, so true. :D

happiness

...is seeing my Xan enjoying himself this much. *love*

happy singles' day!!

yeah, this day is not just for lovers huh! let's just all celebrate love whoever we are with. ;)

and today is my Xan's 13th month birthday too and he'll be more than happy to celebrate it with his best buddy jollibee hahaha!

bloggin love

i've never really known what real love is all about. yeah, i'm the kind of person who loves to be in love all the time. but it's merely just the notion of being thought of and being able to think of someone in a different light. the kind of love that makes you giddy with excitement just with the thought of seeing the person.

in school we were even introduced to scott peck who gave us his own definition of love being not just a feeling but a decision. that love becomes love when you decide to stay with the person even when the sparks have gone out and the excitement has died.

i'm afraid though that i never got into experiencing that kind of love. or i chose not to love that way anyway. love has not been so good to me. i only ended up hurting and hating.

but then when i had my son i knew what love is all about. it's the kind of feeling that brings tears in your eyes just looking at that helpless newborn longing for your touch. it dispells all that notion of love being difficult and hurting and even cruel. it's like falling in love at first sight. falling in love all over again. falling in love all day everyday.



forgive me, but yeah. am back to being in love once again. so great that you'd see the sparkles in my eyes just like that.

missing Xan

i'm home on a friday night. nowhere to go. not really wanting to go out with anyone anyway. pathetic but true. i'm currently reading a book but my thoughts are wandering somewhere else. how i wish am home and not here sulking and mulling over what and who's not here.

as i was thinking about this blog i stumbled upon a thread in Pex which inspired me to expound on this. special thanks to ms. violetbabe, nick relative. :D newei, here's my own list:

-i miss waking up till noon, kissing my dear Xan, and getting up for coffee just the same.

- i miss watching Game Ka na Ba with Xan and trying hard to get the million peso question.

-i miss sleeping again and or chatting with my sis as Xan make cutesy faces on our webcam.

- i miss lining up with my nieces and nephews for our 1 hour each allowance use at the computer.

-i miss running after Xan everytime he darts to the stairs and would even retort back when i would try to stop him.

-i miss watching GMA telebabad with my family. here, it really doesn't make sense watching Bakekang or Jumong alone.

-i miss my mama's cooking. even the sight of her favorite paksiw na isda which i don't eat at all.

-i miss our pet cats Ginger and Ponkie which my mama no longer allows entry to the house since they got skin diseases.

-i miss waking up to the background sound of Eudemons whenever my nephew would sneak in to the pc and play till the wee hours of the morning.

- i miss Xan's toothy smile as he sees me holding his toothbrush. he just loves brushing his teeth even if he gets tickled when the bristles brush his gums.

-i miss chatting with my nieces as they recount their anecdotes for the day.

-i miss teaching Xan to say "Mai-mai" even he says back Ma-pa or babababa....

-i miss scouring the ukays at the market with my sis and my nieces.

-i miss taking Xan to jollibee and hearing him say "mmmmmm" whenever i feed spaghetti.

i could go on and on but waaaahhhh i just really miss Xan and everyone home!!!!!!

Baby no more

my son just turned one last sunday. i've a baby no more. it seemed like days ago when i learned i have him and walked around with a bulging tummy. how time really whizzes by.

it seemed like yesterday when i would be up till late when he cries and coos till i nurse him to sleep. now all he does is run around and swings his toys like crazy till his eyelids droop.

sooner or later this baby will be charging out the door and into the streets.

i miss my baby.

last year...

(To celebrate my Xan's bday today, I'm reposting this entry which i posted to our Pex forum. Haay, so good to reminisce lang)


I was due feb.1 or late january but it was only jan. 14 around 530am nung nagising ako at parang may nagloosen na buto sa hips ko. then i felt na parang naiihi ako, i was sleepy so i held it down for a while kaso nag trickle na yung water so i slowly got up and went to the bathroom downstairs. dahan2 ako naglakad while controlling the water. i made it through the restroom and peed, ang tagal hehehe...i went back to my room, water was still trickling. i woke my mom up na . medyo nataranta din sya, got up at once and woke my niece up. kami lang kse sa bahay. i was lying on my side sa bed. then my mom told me, baka d pa yan. minsan daw kse a week after pa lalabas. i got her fon tinext ko mga kilala sis ko at friend ko na gustong sumama sa hosp (med tech kse sya) then i timed my contractions. mga 5 mins apart pa lang.i was dictating to my niece what bag to use, what to bring. d ako handa!! i even asked my mom kung klangan na pumunta sa hosp. bat daw sya tinatanong ko. heheh


around 7 nagpatawag na ako taxi. i was wearing pa din my daster na basa na. nahihiya pa ko sa driver kse nabasa seat nya. pagdating sa hosp ni IE na ko and told me 4cm pa lang. ni shave na ko then told me to wait lang. i wasn't adviced to walk or move around. ask ko lang kung ok lang nman mag text heheh... i texted everyone. my bro texted back to say "good luck". i was wheeled to my room to wait. i was told na pag medyo nai-ebs ako at masarap na umire then it's time na.

Yun, masakit na, masarap umire. para kang nai-ebs nga. i called na the nurse. i was wheeled back to the delivery room. tapos sabi 8cm na ako. dpat 9cm pa. My feet we're up on the stirrups. the nurse and the doc were in front of me nag chichikahan.i would whimper during contractions pero d ako sumisigaw, shy ako eh heheh...my bestfriend was there with me holding my hand. sobrang sakit na i got my legs from the stirrups and laid on my side, grabe ang sakit, i vomited. yes, i pooped din. sabi ng doc it's ok to poop kse kasunod daw bebi na lumabas. about an hour later 8cm pa din. liit na tummy ko and yet ang taas pa ni bebi. my doc suggested for me na mag CS. bulong ko sa frend ko sana normal din lang ang bayad heheh...tapos i asked pa my mom sa labas kung ok lang cs ako ayoko kse talaga. then nag decide na ko. i was rushing the doc na kse sobrang sakit. kaso someone else was scheduled na sa operating room so they have to refix it para mauna ako. I was wheeled there i was on my knees, pina pa straighten ako ng doc for the anesthesia ayoko gumalaw, pinilit nya ako, sinakyan para madrecho then inserted somthing sa back ko. then i felt numb na. then nag panic ako kse i couldn't breath, gusto ko sumigaw walang sound. i prayed na lang na mag pass out ako. yun, i woke up tapos na daw. i couldn't move. i slept for hours and hours. yun... then my doc told me na buti namadali kse nag cord coil pala bebi ko at nakatingala sya, his chin was up kaya nakaharang d sya makalabas agad. ang tagal daw makaiyak kse stressed na sa loob, and boy he's big at 7.18lbs! heheh...now i've my 4 month old bebi Xan.

prepping up for another celebration

the past months have really been crazy for our household most particularly our kitchen. we've been planning and preparing one party after another since most of our birthdays fall along with the holidays too. and now that my son is being added to the list too we are now busy preparing as well for his first birthday.

really great as we've been really excited celebrating his big day that we've celebrated mini birthdays every month as a sort of practice and countdown. we can't wait!!!

my greatest gift

the little boy in my manger.

christmas in our home

haay, Christmas here is always spent in a flurry. i went out and had to do my last minute shopping bleh! turned out my friends are meeting at zoey's with their kids so ninangs can give their gifts too so i brought Xan and had to buy a gift for an inaanak as well. Xan got really excited with all the confusion at the store hahah! then i met an ex at jobee and we go together to zoey to meet the rest.

wow, for once we had zoey all by ourselves heheh...

well anyway, we finished eating and chitchatting and had to go rush out again for the shopping, finally!

we get home around 7pm and ohhh smelled good there. Mama finished cooking the pata tim and the fruit cake is all laid out. then we set the table around 9pm after wrapping the hurried bought gifts.


we had chicken and pork afritada and roasted chicken and the ham and the leche flan and the mango supreme. oh so yummy!

around 11, we were so sleepy and tired to wait for midnight so we started giving gifts already. Xan was so confused with all the ohhs and ahhs we gave out after receiving the gifts and he shrieked too when he finally got his own.


oh well, i was to sleepy and tired to go out and watch the fireworks i went to our room and slept. heheh...watta kwismas!

priceless treasures

i recently got 3 pairs of high heeled shoes from the ukay which i got for 100 bucks a pair. pretty inexpensive though i don't really know what to do with them or when to use them since we don't really get to wear these in the office.



last night though i tried them on and strutted in front of my son and oh how he giggled and laughed as if tickled red. he must have been so amused at how mommy looked so funny wearing high heels in just her shorts and house shirt.




now at least i know of a great way to make use of these shoes hehehe....

Xan Day (as posted on momexchange)

it was only about 9am when i heard people around me saying "mmm! nam-nam! sarap sarap!' i sort of panicked because i might be missing all the food they were having. i immediately tried to pry my eyes open just to see what it was but instead there was no food but my mamang, ate mai, ate bb and ate tata taking turns in trying to wake me up by pretending there was food. my mom wasn't beside me anymore and i tried to look for her but mamang and everyone else was quick to greet me "good morning xanxanboy!" and i had to smile of course. mamang then carried me and brought me to the living room where mommy was sipping coffee. hmm, so this is where the food is. i then took a seat in the dining table with them and ate bits and pieces of rice, scrambled eggs and longganisa. hmmm, namnam talaga!

around 10am mom brought me outside to take a bath al fresco which i love so much. yey!



after which my mom puts on my shirt and diapers but i'd be so likot she had to pin me down just to get done. and when i'm all done and fresh looking my mom looks all disheveled up and sweaty hehehe...

1030 i played with my cousins and they let me crawl all over the floor and even practice walking once again!

walk!


11am i got so tired from all the moving around that i fell asleep. zzzz...


12noon, of course i woke up at noon just in time for my favorite daily show Game Ka Na Ba. Mommy lets me sit on my chair in front of the tv and she can just leave me and do whatever she wants while i get hypnotized by Kris.


after which mom fed me my with my favorite cerelac and this time it's brown rice with milk variety. i can already eat anything but she still gives me this because she loves it for herself too. hehehe...

130pm...we were supposed to go to the grocery store but mom still wants to watch Survivor Cook Islands at 2pm so she let me play again and even eat a chocolate cookie!

230pm...i fell asleep while waiting for mom to finish the show. though i've already changed for our gala she set me on the bed and i snoozed again.

330pm...i woke up and we left for the grocery store. but mom stopped by the bank to pay her bills first and i entertained the tellers with my cute chubby smile bleh!

400pm...we're in the grocery picking up some goodies!


5pm...mom hasn't eaten lunch yet so we all trooped to jollibee for some more yummy moments.

Jolly spag moment


700pm...we finally got home since my mom dropped by to ukay once again. i got home really tired and fell asleep on the ride home.

800pm... i woke up and get to drink my milk again. after which i played around and watched tv too.

930pm... mom gave me a warm bath to freshen up.

10pm...i slept once again. haay i'm such a sleepyhead.

1130pm...i woke up since my mom is still not beside me and i hear my kuya ian playing conquer on line again. i got up to watch.


they got annoyed because i want to click on the mouse and the keyboard and play too. so they placed me on my mat and i played with my toys instead.


and i showed them my new antics too!
Close-Open


around 130 i finally felt tired and climbed to bed with my mom there already. she gave me my milk and i tossed and turned while i suck on my milk till i  finally fell asleep. good night, errr good morning world!

look who's back!!!

I went to Manila a few months ago and mommy brought me to toy kingdom and made me try out this bike. wow! i can ride a bike. someday soon i will ask for one i could finally take home. ;)