2nd Shot of Flu Vaccine

I was again given a flu vaccine, it was the 2nd and the last flu vaccine administered to me. The next flu vaccine will be a year thereafter. As usual, I don't even cry and just looked at my pediatrician.

I weigh 7.40 kilos ( 16.28 lbs.), I lose some weight since last month, I don't know if it because I was sick a week ago and now I have cough (again). The doctor just advised mom to continue giving me salbutamol, she doesn't heard on her stethoscope any indication that I have phlegm. I am still being observed if the couch and phlegm was due to allergic reaction. The funny thing was, I am not coughing whenever I am seeing a doctor and the moment I step out of the clinic I start to cough again (dad's note: are you preventing it, Gabby?).

After my check-up, we went to a supermarket to buy a few stuff needed like laundry soap, bath soap, biscuits among others. I was enjoying riding in the grocery cart, whoosh!!!. Dad did not realized that the cart actually has a seater for babies to ride in the cart comfortably.

But dad wondered, if it is safe for babies, to ride in the grocery cart, specially with bacterias. The cart is exposed to such because many are using it and the chance of spreading germs is high. An independent body tested the cart by swabbing some of the area usually touched by shoppers. The swab was sent to a lab and was tested positive with bacteria and fungus that can cause disease.

The solution: shopping cart cover. (dad's note: it's a little bit expensive but it will protect our baby from germs because chances are without this kind of protection, they might get sick. Babies often put their hands in their mouth and There would come a time that we can't prevent our baby to ride in the shopping cart).

I hope I'll be okay soon. I am missing some gatherings because of the cough.

P.S.: I was able to sit on my own last night, I wonder if I could repeat it again the soonest time without any effort. Anyway I am still practicing more to make it perfect.

Have a nice day,

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of any image may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above photos were taken by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the photographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

I'm Eight Months Old

I turned eight months old last Wednesday and we simply celebrated it with some pizzas. Let me share with you on how far have I accomplished for the past four months.

I am now creeping (pushing myself around on my belly), and sometimes practicing lifting my belly, as if I am doing push-ups. I was able to figure out how to move forward and backward by pushing off with my knees. I usually do the"combat crawl", a variation in which one leg is the pusher and the opposite arm the lead puller.

All of these variations on crawling strengthen the muscles that will soon enable me to walk. It's fascinating to see how I solves the problem of getting around (dad's note: she made us all smile in awe, she has so much courage to try new things).

I am able to pull myself up to a standing position while holding on to furniture or on my crib's railing. I also let mom and dad watch my tricks which made their heart jump. I could sit without any support but I am still practicing to sit on my own from lying position.

At this stage some parents put their children in baby walkers, but that's not a good idea. Walkers are unsafe: they discourage floor play, which helps her learn to walk by giving her opportunities to crawl, pull up, and cruise while holding on to furniture — all activities that lead to walking. (dad's note: we've learned this in a seminar, pacifier is another item which is not in our list to buy).

That's all for now.

P.S.: In less that 3 months I'll be having a new playmate. See you soon baby Zia (soon to be child of Ninong Joel and Ninang Agirl).

Have a nice day,

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of any image may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above photos were taken by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the photographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

Side Trips

Here are some of the places we visited during the night, just to relax some more and to eat some more.

Baker's Hill - Located at Mitra Road, Barangay Sta. Monica, Puerto Princesa City . Home of special Hopia and other pastries. They also have a restaurant and a theme park. Visit my Dad's blog site for more information.

Above photo shown was a swing (for age 3 and below) at Baker's Hill playground. I mostly enjoyed the ride. whoosh!!!

Puerto Princesa City's Baywalk - a suiting place to relax and a nice place to bond with my (your) family. Here we enjoyed strolling and eating chicharon (fried pork skin), balut (fertilized duck embryo) and fresh fruit shakes.

I was riding on a rented bike with my Tito Renz on the wheels. I love it...whoosh!!!

Happy Belated Father's Day to all the fathers in the world, specially to my dad. Tomorrow, I'll be turning 8 months old.

Have a nice day to all,

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of any image may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above photos were taken by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the photographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

Day 5: Our Last Day in Palawan - A Milestone

June 6, 2010 - All our bags were packed, we were ready to go. Our relatives were standing outside their door. They hate to see us going.

One final day in Palawan was an exciting (and sad) day because I've learned 3 new things on our five-day vacation. The third was evident on the photo on the left (I will elaborate more later).

First I've learned to kiss people whenever they put their cheek in front of me and says "Kiss ____ (name of the person). Mommy said not to kiss people on their lips except her (LOL).

Second, I've learned to say "babay" (bye).

The third one happened in Badjao Seafront Restaurant where we ate our lunch with some of our friends. After eating our lunch, we posed for some photo as a souvenir, as usual dad took the opportunity to let me posed in front of his camera. They put me on a high chair, while I was facing the sea dad instructed me (as if I already understand what he was saying) that at the count of three (3), I should be turning my head on him and smile.

The unexpected happened, Dad counted "one, two, threeeee", I turned and smile (see above photo).

He repeated it again "one, two, threeee" and the result is the same, It is not tsamba (luck) after all. Now, dad is not having a hard time making me smile in front of his camera. No need for fancy faces or clapping of hands or calling my names. It's effortless, he just count "one, two, three" and voila, I smile and look at him (dad tried it even if he doesn't hold his camera to check if I will still smile and the result is constant).

Try it for yourself, you wont be disappointed.

We left the restaurant at 3pm. Our departure was scheduled at 5:55 in the afternoon via flight PR 195 of Philippine Airline. Dad need to buy a last minute souvenir for him and mom. He bought 3 shirts and 3 bracelets for P330 only.

We went back to St. Mary to get our bags. It was raining but the rain stopped before our scheduled flight, so we didn't experienced any turbulence.

We arrived at the Centennial Airport at 7:19 PM and was able to get a cab at around 9:30 PM (dad will tell more about it in his blog site Travel and Photography).

Finally, home sweet home, then we got sick. Cough!, couch!, couch!... Dad, me, Tita lola and Momsie, sigh?!.

Have a nice day to all,

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of any image may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above photos were taken by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the photographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

Day 4: Aborlan Road trip

June 5, 2010 - Our last day before our departure. Since it's Sunday, we went to a church first to hear mass (very important for us even if we're on vacation) before we continue our activity for the day.

We travelled in the afternoon (2PM) going to Aborlan, my lolo jay (momsie's younger brother) home town. Originally, we were set to travel at 7am so that we could still go to Estrella Falls (3 hour road travel from the City of Puerto Princesa) but we changed the plan and decided to just visit lolo jay's farms.

Our first stop was at the mango farm of lolo jay. they harvested quite a number of Palawan mangoes as well as Indian mangoes for our (or rather for their) own consumption. I posed for a photo as if I was picking a mango from the tree.

Dad also, took the opportunity to bond with me while we were riding on swing. It was fun actually, those giggles Which were not captured by dad's camera was between me and dad. I also bonded with my Tito Renz while others were eating mangoes.

After they (my relatives) were done eating mangoes, we continue our trip going to the 2nd farm.

It is a coconut farm with a number of animals like pig, chickens, ducks scattered all over the place. It is a bigger farm compare with the mango farm.

As usual, they harvested a couple of dozens of coconut and drunk the juices. I cannot eat with so I just stared at them while they were eating and drinking.

After filling up all their stomachs (I settled for 2 pieces of Mari biscuits) we proceeded to our final destination, my lolo Jay's house. We rested for a while (I took a nap and a round of breast milk) then we went back to the road for another 2 hours of road trip going back to Puerto Princesa City.

Next: Our Last Day in Palawan - A Milestone (I've learned 3 new things on our final day in Palawan)

Have a nice day to all,

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of any image may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above photos were taken by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the photographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

Day 3: Honda Bay Island Hopping

June 5, 2010 - After a much anticipated Underground River exploration yesterday, comes another breathtaking tour for me. We were set for an 8am Honda Bay Island Hopping and everyone were busy preparing for their stuffs (swim suit, snorkel, sun block etc.). I, for one was excited to wear my new customized bathing suit (P500++) because for the second time mom and I have the same bathing suit design courtesy of her office mate.

There was a slight delay to our schedule because our boat was overloaded. We almost left 6 of our relatives including my grandparents because we were having a hard time looking for another boat. Finally, after an hour of delay the boats sailed going to one island to another.

First stop was Starfish Island where we did a lot of picture taking for souvenir. The left photo shows me and my mom posed for a photo behind a giant clam. I saw a number of starfish in the water as well as in the hands of the tourists. After a couple of shots with my family and friends, we proceeded to the next island.

20 minutes later, we arrived at Snake Island.

This island is a government owned island (according to the boat guides) so there is no entrance fee. We only pay for the cottages rental for P50 each.

Here we ate our lunch together. We grilled fresh fish, we have "enasaladang talong at manga" (eggplant and mango salad) and alimasag (crab) for our lunch. After we ate our lunch, I changed my cloths and wear my bathing suit (yahoo!).

I posed again for a few photo wearing my new bathing suit (see left photo, I could sit without any support and posed like a pro).

Popsie took me from my mom and we both went to the sea to take a dip, it was my first to got wet with salt water. Unluckily, after just a couple of minutes, I felt itchiness in my whole body.

They all enjoyed snorkeling while I was sleeping. After a couple of hours more, we prepared for our departure going to our last stop before we go home.

Our last stop was Pandan Island. We planned to stay only for a couple of minutes and took some photo but as we were about to leave the island, a sudden change of wind prevented us to sail. For our own safety, we delay our departure.

The last photo below is one of the many photos of me while I was in the sand.

After the wind was weakening we continue our sail. The trip was scary because of the strong waves but we arrived safely, thanks to our experienced boat guides.

For more information on Honda Bay, see my dad's blog post at Travel and Photography.

At night we went to Baker's Hill, famous for their delicious hopia (bean-filled pastry). I'll let dad tell more about this place. That ended our Day 3 in Palawan.

Next: Aborlan Road Trip

Have a nice day to all,

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of any image may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above photos were taken by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the photographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

Day 2: Underground River, Sabang

June 4, 2010 - We prepared for this trip as early as 5 am since our time of departure was scheduled at 7 am. It took us one and a half hour of road trip before we arrived the town of Sabang, home of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) (or most commonly called The Underground River)

At around 9 am, after we showed the necessary permit for this exploration, we hopped on a boat. It was a 30 minutes boat ride going to the Underground River.

Since I am under 5 years of age, I was not allowed to join the exploration of the cave. Anyway, My mom did not joined the exploration. As they were waiting for their turn, we took the opportunity to posed for a few photos (that's the least I could do).

Dad would have wanted me and my mom to join this exploration but I am still too young to join, maybe next time dad. Finally, after waiting for another 30 minutes, then boat arrived.

The exploration lasted for 45 minutes and I took that opportunity to drink my milk (from my mom, off course). We went back to our boat and waited for them.

Afterwhich, we returned to Sabang Port and eat our lunch and my young relatives took a quick dip before we left the town going back to San Jose.

We arrived San Jose and 4 pm, took a bath and ate our dinner before we went to stroll at Baywalk (not the Baywalk in Manila. Dad will tell more about Baywalk soon).

We went home at around 10 pm. That ended our Day 2 in Palawan

Next: Honda Bay Island Hopping

Have a nice day to all,

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of any image may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above photos were taken by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the photographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

Day 1: Departure (Our Palawan Vacation)

June 3, 2010 - We woke up at around 5 am, for our scheduled flight via Philippine Airline PR 198 bound for Puerto Princesa, Palawan. It was raining when we left home going to the Centennial Airport (NAIA 2).

Dad thought that we were going to ride on a Cebu Pacific Plane, so he thought that we were going to NAIA 3. The taxi we hired doesn't know how to get at NAIA 2. Finally, after asking for the right directions we arrived at 6am in time for check-in of luggage.

After checking in our luggage, we proceeded to the waiting area for our flight at 8am. As we were waiting for our flight, mom and I played pick-a-boo and all other games to ease our boredom in waiting.

Boarding should be at 7:30 am and it was already 8am and boarding is not yet in effect. Dad, decided to asked a staff on what was the reason for the delay. The crew said that they were waiting for the clearance to be released for them to fly.

And we waited for an hour and a half more.

Finally, at around 9:40 am, we boarded the plane and we left Manila at 10 am (Dad's Note: Thank God that Gabby is with us in this trip, I just waited patiently while I was playing with her).

The rain stopped and the weather was fair. We arrived Puerto Princesa Airport at 11:08 am. It was my first time to ride on a plane so it was pretty an exciting experience.

Popsie, Tito Reggie and Lolo Elvis fetched us at the airport. It was another 30 minute tricycle ride before we arrived to our destination (my great grand parents' house).

All my tita's (mom's cousins), were all excited to see me. It was mom's first visit since 2005 (my great grand parents were still living at Narra, Palawan, a two hour ride from Puerto Princesa), so it was sort of a reunion for the family and their first time to saw me.

It was a not so busy Day 1 for us since our first day of exploration really started on Day 2. We had enough time to rest and to meet and chat with my relatives.

This ended our Day 1 in Palawan.

Next: Subterranean Underground River, Sabang, Palawan

Have a nice day to all,

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Unauthorized use, edit, copy, reproduction, publication, duplication, download and distribution of any image may result in severe legal and criminal penalties under the law. The above photos were taken by Ricky Pascual and remain the properties of the photographer. Please do not use elsewhere without the owner’s permission.

Figuring Out How Objects Relate + Crawling

I am beginning to understand how objects relate to one another in three-dimensional space. I admire my reflection in a mirror and the way dad and mom suddenly appear behind my image, I turn and look for them instead of believing that they're in the mirror itself.

A simple game of peek-a-boo is absolutely fascinating to me. That's because I am starting to understand object permanence (that an object I can't see can still exist) and loves games in which people or things appear and disappear.

I could straighten my back and twist my trunk as I sits (with a little help and support from mom and dad). I hope I could sit on my own the soonest time.

Finally, I can crawl now with my tummy on the floor. Maybe in the next couple of week I can crawl by pushing off with my knees and by balancing my hands. It will strengthens my muscles for me to walk sooner.

Upcoming Activities: Puerto Princesa, Palawan (June 3-7, 2010)

Tomorrow: Bisolvon Alagang Supermom Photo Contest, announcement of winners (I hope we're one of the 7 winners)

Here's a photo from the 2010 Kerygma Fun Raiser courtesy of http://www.iflick.ph/, the fruit of our labor (it took us an hour and a half of waiting).

Have a nice day to all,