Meet Gabrio

I've always wanted a baby girl.  I mean, after Renzo, my husband and  I decided that it would be nice to have a little princess.  So what happened? I researched and researched different ways that could potentially help in conceiving a baby girl.  If you want some ideas, you can just message me (of course, no guarantees!).  As much as I wanted to share them to you, some are just too explicit to be posted in a blog.  If you know what I mean. Wink.

Then the day of the ultrasound arrived.  Nelson and I were eager to find out to see if our "experiments" worked.

Sonologist:  Would you like to know what you're going to have?
Me: Yes please!
Sonologist: Congratulations it's a boy!
Nelson: Are you sure?
Sonologist:  I can see his ****. I'm 90% sure.
Nelson: (Very hopeful!) There's still a 10% chance it's a girl. =)

Nine months later… 

We named him Gabrio. It means God is my strength.   And I couldn't agree more. I felt him kick and punch all the time while he was still in my womb that I knew deep in my heart that he's one active and strong baby boy.

I've been busy!

Dear Friends and Readers…  I know I have not done my part to keep up with blogging.  Here's what has kept me busy for the past year or so... 

New Job… May of last year, I got accepted for a research position at Stanford Pediatric Hematology/Oncology division.  

Then, November of the same year, I had a new baby!  My handsome boy Gabrio came to the world and rocked our lives, especially Renzo's. =) (More about Gab later!)

Household with two boys.  Period.  

Renzo started to go to a new preschool/day care. 

This guy moved in next door. Do you know him? 

Baby got very sick. (He's better now… Will tell you more.)

A good friend got married.

Another wedding, this time a very close niece and friend…

Finally, we went home to the Philippines for an extended vacation.  This is a whole new chapter in our lives. (Again, will tell about it later.)

See? I had so many excuses! Haha… Now I'm back. Promise to do better in keeping in touch.  How have you been? Drop me a line or two.  

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'll be turning 36 this Thursday. Happy and excited.  I'm putting up a wish list (for the hubby!) and see if any of them comes true! LOL This year I think I'm slowly becoming "domestic" with my choice of gifts... What do you think?

Cupcake Stand

Cupcake Carrier

Cookie Cutters

Crepe Pan

Throw Pillows

A Weekend Get-Away

Nothing beats spending quality time with my boys! Priceless!

Kitchen Love

It's been awfully quiet around here.  Guess everyone's pretty busy.  I was a bit preoccupied myself.  I got into liking being in the kitchen... To cook! Of course! Well, love to whip up some favorite Filipino dishes for the husband and to introduce my little boy to the taste of the Philippines.  I make him Adobo (Chicken cooked in soysauce and vinegar), Ginisang Kalabasa (Stir-fried squash) and Afritada (Chicken in tomato sauce) to name a few.  I also have started baking... First, I made apple pies... Then cookies - oatmeal chocolate chip is a favorite, muffins and cupcakes.  I love to bake especially for Renzo.  He's my number 1 fan.  I think he likes everything I make.  Mommy knows best, right?  Let me share with you some recipes later on.  Happy Monday everyone!

I'm Back!

Hello! I do hope you're still following me... Even if I took a somewhat long hibernation.  Things have been busy.  Renzo's now 19 months old.  Hubby's celebrating 15 years on the job.  Me? Still the same.  Super mom and wife... Before anything else, how have you been?  I'd love to hear from you... 

Happy Birthday, Honey! And Happy Anniversary too!

Yesterday, Nelson celebrated his birthday.  We had a blast watching the Giants game at the AT&T Park in San Francisco (it would have been better had they won...), it's still a bright sunny, altogether awesome day, nonetheless.

Today, September 5th, marks our third anniversary.  It's been a wonderful 3 years and I'm loving every minute of it... Happy anniversary, baby!  Love you always!

Baby Signs

I've been teaching Renzo some baby signs since he was a few months old.  I didn't really do it everyday as adviced but still tried to squeeze it in here and there.  It was only about 2 months ago that I started reading the books to him every night.  

I noticed that he prefers to look at the photos in these books compared to his story books.  I guess it's cause of the babies in the pictures.  He especially like pointing at them while watching me sign for him. 

He started signing a few weeks later.  He now knows how to sign the "moon", "light", "sleepy" and "more".  I'm so proud of my baby! 

He's One!

The past few weeks have been really busy for us.  School, work and a big birthday bash!  Oh yes, my little Renzo is now 1 year old.  We celebrated his birthday the weekend prior to his actual birthday so that family and friends could come and enjoy.  

We did "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" as the party theme.  This has been Renzo's bedtime story since Day 1 and we figured we should just go with something he's familiar with (I'll save the Circus theme for next time!).  The party was held at the park and my sister, Leah have helped so much in the preparations.  She designed the invites which we sent out a month before the birthday, and then she also made a sign frame for the guest to leave messages for Renzo as well as the photo board.  The party venue was adorned with red and green balloons with white tables and chairs.  We also hanged some crepe papers up on the tree (Don't ask how we did it but the good thing was we we're able to put it down after the party)  We served all the food that the caterpillar ate - yes! apple, plum, pears, strawberries, oranges, chocolate cake etc etc!  Renzo's birthday cake was chocolate and we also had a smash cake which was carrot made for him.  The kids also enjoyed the banana cupcakes.  

The highlight of the party was the puppet show based on the story.  Renzo's cousins were the great puppeteer and narrator.  Kids and adults-alike had fun watching the puppet show.  Afterwards, the puppets led the crowd in the singing of "Happy Birthday" for Renzo. This was followed by the blowing of the cake (Of course, it was mom and dad who blew the cake - Renzo just watched.)  

There were also a lot of games - guessing game, pass the orange, water balloon toss and trip to market (food caterpillar ate).  Here are some photos from the big day... 

 Happy Birthday, dear Renzo!  Here's to the best 12 months of Daddy and Mommy's life and here's to many years of love and laughter for you!

He's Now 11 Months!

My baby is now 11 months old... Well, make it 11 1/2 months cause he celebrated it about 2 weeks ago.  Time is going way too fast for us.  I can see how much he's grown every since he was still in mommy's womb.  My little egg, turned into a baby who's turning into a little man....  Yes, much like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.  Hence, to celebrate his first year, we've decided to go with a favorite book - "The Very Hungry Caterpillar"  by Eric Carle.  I've read this to him since day 1, and it has become his bedtime story.  


We have big plans for his 1st birthday.  I originally wanted to do a Circus theme with clowns, magicians, cotton candy etc... The works!  However, my hubby and I decided that he's  still too young to appreciate magic and cotton candy so we'll go with something simpler.  Besides, we want him to celebrated with something familiar and the hungry caterpillar is.  I'll post more about the birthday plans later.


In the meantime,  here are photos from the 11th month celebration.  Happy birthday, little guy! Love you!