Griffin's Growing Up

Daddy's 1st death anniversary

2012-01-23T09:28:00.003+08:00

It was Daddy's 1st death anniversary last thursday, January 19. We had a get together at home and a lot of yummy food which I ate for lunch and dinner the following days. If only Daddy could see his three grandchildren now, I'm sure he would enjoy their company. It's sad that, he only saw Griffin and Griffin was still small then. As Griffin grew older and was studying already, Daddy's health deteriorated and you could no longer talk to him. Even before Hailey was born, he was bedridden already. If only his mind was still ok then he could have seen Griffin and Hailey. Unfortunately, his disease affected his brain. He never knew that Griffin went to Xavier for big school and never heard Griffin reciting his Chinese poems. I'm sure he would have loved to hear that and would speak to Griffin in Chinese. But I guess God has other plans for him and he's in a better place now. We miss you Daddy! Hope you could be with us now. Please watch over our family from up there. : )

Griffin and school

2012-01-23T09:15:00.002+08:00

Griffin is doing so well in school. He has had First Honors for the last 3 quarters, hopefully he maintains good grades this fourth quarter. I have not much problems with him except that he keeps on playing on the computer. He doesn't even want to come with us when we go to the mall.
I' m less stressed though when he does not come since I only have to take care of Hailey. Griffin still does not eat much except for chicken, nuggets, hotdog, luncheon meat and cream of mushroom soup. I hope he grows out of being a picky eater. It's difficult eating out with him because he always has to have Mc Donald's if the restaurant has no fried chicken or chicken fingers.

Hailey is 2 years 8 months old

2012-01-23T08:53:00.003+08:00

Hailey at 2 years 8 months can speak in sentences better now. She still uses "me" instead of "I". She is very observant and has a good memory. A few days ago we were in Shopwise and passes by the Carbtrim shelf and she told me, "Mommy like". She probably heard me comment on the Carbtrim commercial saying I liked the product. She also recognizes the junk food that Iper buys when we are at the chips section. She's a lot better in Filipino. Griffin, at this age could not understand any Filipino word. She knows the meaning of Filipino words like basa (wet), mata, buhok, ilong, tapon, maybe even more. She can also understand when you speak in Filipino although I don't know how much she understands. She loves pretend cooking, pushing her shopping cart around, filling bags with stuff and carrying it around. She can also fold a hand towel with a piece of tissue inside and gives it to me saying " gift to you" meaning its a gift for me.

This is how she pronounces the following words. She sounds so cute when she says these words.
Jan8-recue me for rescue me
-cebration for celebration
-lunchime for lunch time
Jan22-patater for computer
-aytus me for excuse me

Hailey can now write the letters H, O, T and can draw faces quite well. She still does not know the alphabet so well except for the letter O, that is why I'm thinking of sending her to school this coming school year so that she could learn more things. I tried teaching her letters but she's not so interested. We visited K.I.D.S last thursday and seems like she's ok with school, she follows and repeats what the teacher says especially when she joined the stretch n grow class. I'm still deciding though if she'll be in school everyday or iust 3x a week.

My baby is such a big girl now. She'll be 3 already on May 20. Time flies so fast.

Decluttered room for the New Year

2012-01-03T20:18:00.003+08:00

I cleaned up our room, got rid of some toys, removed posters/pictures on the wall and had the whole room painted just before the New Year came. Hopefully our decluttered room would bring us more blessings this year. For a start, Griffin no longer has a badly clogged nose at night because we got rid of so much dirt and dust in our room, especially the dust on the shelves and frames which have collected for years. I'm very happy with our very clean room. Hopefully, i can keep it that way all the time.

Hailey is 2 years 7 months old

2012-01-03T19:57:00.006+08:00

Hailey turned 31 months old last December 20. She is a very talkative girl who loves to repeat whatever you say. She speaks in sentences already. She would say thank you when you give her something and would say you're welcome when you say thank you to her. She also knows how to say please when she wants something. She can say numbers although not always in the correct order. She can also recite some of the alphabet but cannot recognize the letters yet except for the letter O. She also knows colors and shapes. She is a very sweet girl as she would often tell me "yab you" for love you. She is kind of shy when she is around people she does not know. Whenever I ask her if she wants to go to school, she would say no. I am thinking of a way to teach her to recognize the alphabet since she is not interested in reading books or watching videos about it.

These are just a few of the new words she knows, i was not able to keep track of the others.

Nov28-hailey can count to 13
-she likes arranging stuff by color
Dec9- jingbebels for jingle bells
Dec12-muncha for monster
-chababi for strawberry
Jan2- celebration
- hep me for help me
- recue me for rescue me

Hailey is 2.5 years old

2011-11-21T07:28:00.002+08:00

Hailey at 2.5 years old is very talkative. She can say so many words, words that I did not think she knew. She loved our trip to Disneyland early this month. Her favorite attractions were the Pooh ride, spinning cup, Buzz Lightyear ride and the Philharmagic movie. She also enjoyed the parade and seeing the Disney characters. She was happy to see the characters up close but there are times though that she does not want to have her picture taken alone so i had to carry her. She would love to visit Disneyland again. On our next trip to Hong Kong, we'll visit Ocean Park so she can see the pandas.

Her current favorite toys are play doh and beados. She also loves fingerpainting. She has also picked up some of Griffin's expressions. She was playing the marble race when she said "best ever". She meant the toy was the best ever. She probably heard Griffin saying the same when he likes a toy or game. The other day she was choosing from her dvd's when she saw one with Cinderella. She told me, Sinena (Cinderella), more fun, diba? She sounded so cute.

The following are newer words i heard her say but I could not keep track of all the words anymore because she knows so much now.

Oct21-sip for slip
-fun/funny
-choose
- food
Oct22-batoom for bathroom
-table
Oct27-geen for green
Nov10- patati for spaghetti
- butta-fly
-mash bothers bawl
- kiss
-baki for broccoli
Nov17- best ever ( she said this while playing marble race)
-awesome
Nov18-pookaba for peekaboo
Nov20- efant for elephant

Hailey is 29 month old

2011-10-21T22:52:00.001+08:00

At 29 months, Hailey can suddenly say so many words. Words that I did not know she knew or could say. She can say colors like black, red, yellow, sometimes green and orange although she still calls it nana. She can even say Griffin's name whereas before she did not even want to try to say Griffin. She still calls him gege and herself meimei. She can even understand Filipino. When I asked her, "Anong pangalan mo?", she said, "Hay-yee". The following are the words she can now say:
Sep 20-oh no
   -nice
   -baseball
   -manana
   - notebook
Sep 25- nanak for knock knock
   - icee for icing
Sep 26- manana for banana
   - oh my ants bite meimei
Sep27 - toad
   -taste
Sep 28- itchy
   -ghost
   -aunt nikki
   -apit
Sep 29- neck
   - toes
   -teeth
   -ma-key for monkey
   - ouch
   -this
Sep 30- i know cute
Oct 3- bah bee for barbie
Oct 5- pace for space
Oct 6- mall for small
Oct 7- i no know for i don't know
Oct 9- bahay buho for bahay kubo
Oct10- moon-no for moon dough/play dough
   -patata for pajamas
Oct12-black
   -white
   -baby bop
   -wait
   -bomba
   -naked
   -moon
   -batman
   -black bird
   -ben 10
   -cookies
Oct12-eat
   -dark
Oct16-wed for red
-box
-book
Oct18-eat
-watch
-any
-again
-wain for rain
-mix
Oct20-pactice for practice
Oct21-sip for slip
-fun/funny
-choose
- food
Oct22-batoom for bathroom
-table

Hailey is 28 months old

2011-09-19T11:21:00.006+08:00

Hailey is 28 months old today. She is starting to talk in phrases now. She refers to herself as mei mei although she can already say Hailey. Griffin is still gege to her because she still can't pronounce Griffin. She can say so many words already. It surprises me sometimes that she can say cat, dog, cow, etc. Whereas, just a few months ago she could only call them by their animal sounds. The following are the newer words she has learned to say, some of the words she can pronounce more clearly now.

Aug 21- ke kow for gege
- ba bow for barber
- hah for tiger
- mei mei
Aug 22- pap pap for backpack
Aug 24- key
Aug 25- deh dis for dentist
- tank two for thank you
- pup for pump
Aug 26-bike
- tee for three
- eygoo for igloo
Aug 27- dada's i d for dada's d s
- dai dee for daddy
- wet
Aug 29- cut
Aug 30- dizzy
Sep 1- boot
-yo/ ya low for yellow
- cookie
- cat
-dog
- yuck
- hotcake
Sep 2- touch
- abc
Sep 4- mommy
-pop
-this
Sep 5-bad
- bat for back
- bah bee/ bah dee for body
Sep 8-house
- wah ya for water
- shoes
- tatch for cut
Sep 9- pat sis for princess
- tah too for thank you
-bitsy
Sep 10- picy for spicy
Sep 11- ah pat for ipad
- hailey
-cut this
- bokey for broken
Sep 12-thanks
- panty
Sep 14-yuck baho
-ouch
Sep 15-monkey
-baho
-cow
- man
Sep 19- see gege or see mama( with
her hand over her eyes)
means she can't see bec. of
something or someone
blocking her view
- tsup tsup for jup jup
-hand
-mad
-peach/ness (characters in the wii games)

Griffin's First Quarter Report Card

2011-09-19T10:32:00.003+08:00

Griffin got his report card last thursday. He had very very good grades. His highest grade was 100 for Language while his lowest grade was 93 for CLE. The rest of his grades are as follows: Chinese-94, Reading-99, Filipino-96, Math-97, Science-98, Social Studies-96. His quarterly average was 97 which qualified as 1st Honor. He also got the Diligence Award for having a grade of Outstanding in both Conduct and Effort. When my mom told him, "Wow, you're 1st Honor!", he said, "What's that?". He doesn't know what being 1st honor is because during preschool, they weren't given awards like these. Good job Griffin! We're so proud of you! Keep it up!

Hailey is 27 months old

2011-08-20T21:50:00.008+08:00

Hailey is 2 years and 3 months old today. She is starting to talk in phrases. She can say things like, throw ball, more milk, no more pizza but not very clearly. She now calls Griffin, gēge ( older brother in Mandarin) and calls herself meimei (younger sister in Mandarin). She still can't pronounce thier names so when we told her yesterday that she can call Griffin, gēge and call herself, meimei, she can now easily call Griffin. She now has a habit of looking sad with pouting lips (emoting) every time she feels sad like when Griffin gets something from her or when she is not given something she wants.

Here are some of her new words:

July 26 - dad for done
July 27 - co for cold
July 28 - poo for pool
   - ta for butterfly
July 29 - beash for beach
July 30 -hoe for hole
   -moo for move
July 31 - pisha for pizza
Aug 2 - do dey-a for go there
Aug 3 - boke for broke
   - i tea
   - fish
   - i .day for i.d.
Aug6 - choose
   - weh for wet
   - eww for yellow
   - piece
   - pay for play
Aug 7 - kise for case
Aug 10- wah for water
   - ump for jump
   - wash
Aug 11 - home
   - hoe koo for hong kong
   - heh heh for hailey
Aug 13- tat-too for tattoo
   - beh for bed
Aug19- no mow pizza
Aug 20- doe ball for throw ball
   - mo for mall

Griffin turns 7

2011-08-02T16:19:00.004+08:00

Griffin is 7 years old today. Time flies so fast. It seems like only a few years ago, he was my baby. We used to be together 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He would always want me by his side saying he'd miss me if I would go somewhere without him. He is now in Grade 1 and has grown up to be a very smart boy. He has never given me problems regarding school work. But I hope that he learns to control his temper now that he's older. We did not throw him a party for his 7th birthday, we just gave him a wii instead. He's very happy with his gift. Happy birthday baby boy! Wishing you many many more birthdays to come!

Griffin wears eyeglasses

2011-07-25T08:50:00.003+08:00

It was last summer, when Griffin had an eye test that we found out that his right eye is nearsighted. We did not go to the ophthalmologist right away because he told me the next day that his vision was not blurry anymore. It was a few weeks after school started that I decided to bring him to the doctor. The doctor initially thought it could be a lazy eye. His other eye was 20/30 which she said was normal for his age. We had to return the next day for the eyedrops to make his eye dilate because he had tests the next day and the eyedrops would make his eyesight blurry. Thankfully, after another eye test and checking his eyes, it wasn't a lazy eye after all. He just needed to correct the nearsighted eye with glasses. The lens prescribed to him was -1.75 for the right eye and plain lens for the left eye. The glasses I got him are made of flexible and light material. It is quite expensive but at least it is more comfortable for him than heavier glasses. His next check up is six weeks after his first check up.

Hailey is 26 months

2011-07-24T01:24:00.004+08:00

Hailey turned 26 months last Wednesday, July 20. She still doesn't talk in sentences. She can recognize shapes and colors but she can only say blue and pink and she calls the circle, O. She can understand some Filipino unlike Griffin when he was the same age, who seemed to block off any Filipino words he hears thus he could not understand it. She can also climb up the stairs on her own, holding on to the wall, at times, for support. Here are some of the new words she can say:

June 22 - fafa for foofa
   - peach
   - ha fa for hi5
June 24- pink
July 2 - pica for picture
July 6 - pig
Jul 8 - pika for pizza
   - bib
Jul 14- kis for case
Jul 17- kakak for hong kong
   - o-koo for hong kong
   - popo for tapon
   - ice
- yup

Bullying in school

2011-07-24T01:21:00.002+08:00

Griffin was a victim of bullies last Monday, July 18. He told me what happened to him during lunch that day. He usually plays with Andre but while playing in the quadrangle they got separated and he couldn't find him anymore. That's why he said he was playing alone when Ethan kicked him. He said he wasn't even playing with them. Ethan punched him then did a flying kick to his tummy. Then he said Hanz spit on him. He said Ethan told Hans, "fight Griffin". Ethan was his classmate in Nursery. He even told me he played with Ethan during the first week of school. This incident isn't the first time Ethan and Hans ganged up on him. Two weeks ago, he told me Ethan and Hans made him eat plastic (a Nissin wrapper). I don't know how they forced him to eat the plastic. I told him to tell a teacher or tell teacher Roi but he said he didn't know where to find T. Roi. I just told him not to go near those 2 kids.

I wrote a letter to his teacher and emailed the school director about this incident. The 3 kids were called. They talked to Mr. Avanzado about it. The 2 kids admitted what they did to Griffin. Ethan admitted that it was an accident when he fell and that he kicked Griffin. Hanz also admitted that he kicked Griffin on the leg. This, I did not know. I didn't know that both of them kicked Griffin. It was Cody, his classmate who told their teacher about the incident. When T. Roi confronted them about the plastic incident, they said it was a joke, such a cruel joke! I don't know what disciplinary action was done. Just hoping Griffin does not encounter any bullies anymore.

Griffin's loses 2nd milk tooth

2011-06-27T09:16:00.002+08:00

Griffin's lost another milk tooth yesterday. I wonder when his upper front teeth would come off.

Griffin lost a tooth

2011-06-23T07:53:00.002+08:00

Griffin lost his first milk tooth yesterday. It was his lower front tooth. The tooth right beside it is also loose and would probably fall off soon.

Hailey is 25 months old

2011-06-23T07:28:00.004+08:00

Hailey turned 25 months last Monday. She knows a lot of words already and sometimes combines some words. We warched Mr. Popper's Penguins last Saturday and she loved it. I thought she was going to fall asleep because we watched the 2:45 pm screening but she finished the whole movie. She can now say milk and often asks for some. The following are some of the new words in her vocabulary:

May 23 - bi for big
   - coke
   - quack quack
   - moo
   - bow for bowl
May 26 - mall for small
May 28- eaw for ear
May29 - mow for more
May 31 - ah pad for ipad
   - tow for throw
June 3- cake
   -elbow
June 6- mo for worm
June 8- hehw for hello
June 12- ahp fu for iphone
June 19 - fah for fred
   - milk
   - nana for nenen na
June 20- hat tea for ice tea
June 22 - fafa for foofa
   - peach
   - ha fa for hi5

Hailey is 2 years old

2011-05-25T17:40:00.008+08:00

Hailey turned 2 years old last friday, May 20. She had an Elmo cake and Elmo cupcakes, as well as floating balloons. She loved her cakes and cupcakes and started eating the icing. She also enjoyed playing with the floating balloons. In the afternoon, we checked in at Sofitel to spend the night there. Once in the hotel room, she immediately went on the bed. She loved going up and down the bed and playing by the drapes. After a while, we went swimming then Griffin and Hailey played on the playground. She had fun on the swing and see saw. At around 4:30 pm we went back to the room to take a shower and get ready for dinner at Spirals. Hailey fell asleep, but when she woke up, she feasted on shrimp dumplings, fried kani and tempura. The next morning we had buffet breakfast then played in the playground for a while, before returning to the room to wait for check out time.

Hailey at 2 years old, still does not talk in phrases although she adds more and more words to her vocabulary everyday. Her current favorite expression is "eww". She says this when she sees something that looks dirty or yucky. She's also really good at putting on her pajamas by herself as well as eating on her own. She can say the animal sounds of a dog, cat, duck, cow, elephant, tiger, lion, and monkey. The following are some of the newer words she knows:

May 1 - no
May7- anana for banana
   - duck
   - rio
   - byu for blue
May19-up
May 23 - bi for big
   - coke
   - quack quack
   - moo
- bi for big
-bow for bowl

Hailey anecdote

2011-04-25T10:59:00.002+08:00

We were at Watson's with Hailey yesterday. I got a pack of baby wipes and was about to pay but Hailey saw Trolli Neon Squiggles and got a pack. I told her that we were going to pay for it already. So she walked with me to the cashier holding the pack of gummies saying "pee" which meant "pay" of course. I was waiting for my turn while Hailey wandered off. When I was done paying, i saw Hailey back at the shelf where the gummies were and she was holding 1 pack saying "pee". My bqby is such a smart girl.

Hailey is 23 months old

2011-04-20T21:29:00.003+08:00

Today, Hailey turned 23 months old. She can say a lot of words now but doesn't use them much when she wants to tell you something. She has a very long attention span as she was able to watch Rio, a full length movie, sitting on her own chair for almost the whole duration of the movie. She was never restless and was never noisy. It is quite a feat for a kid less than 2 years old to be so behaved in the cinema. She can also follow dance actions she sees on tv especially when she watches Hi-5. The following are some of the words she knows by now:
Last week of march -hide, bee, mah for mad, dye for bye
March 31 - wow
April 3 - apu for apple
-happy
April 5 - eyes (usually when taking a bath)
   - hot ( when we went in the car and it was hot)
April6 - bibi for baby
Aprl 12 - ayg for egg
   - duh ti for dirty
April 20 - me (while pointing to herself)
   - bull for ball
- shfi for fish
April 23- nooow for nose
   - buhbow for bubbles

Lessons from Griffin

2011-04-12T18:34:00.003+08:00

A few weeks ago, I was checking the lotto results and Griffin saw me holding the tickets. He said, "did you win?". I said, "no, why don't you pray to God". He said, " God is not about money. God is about hope." I said, "ok, I know". Nasupalpal ako, a lesson learned.

Griffin's summer activities

2011-04-12T17:50:00.003+08:00

Griffin joined two summer activities last week. From 8:30 to 12 noon he had cooking and baking workshop of Maya kitchen then from 2:00 to 4:00 pm he was a Mc Donald's kiddie crew. He enjoyed both but had more fun as at the McDo kiddie crew workshop. He even sang Firework as part of the Mcdo talent workshop. He did not join the Graduation at Maya Kitchen because he did not want to be late at Mcdo. I asked him if it was ok to be late at Mcdo but he told me it wasn't ok because according to him, "i have to serve". He had his graduation at McDonald's Kingswood last Saturday. I'm thinking of making some sugar cookies which we can decorate, one of these days. Maybe we could also go to Manila zoo. Thinking of more activities so Griffin won't get bored this summer.

Rio : Hailey's first movie experience

2011-04-12T17:26:00.003+08:00

We watched Rio today at Cash and Carry. This is Hailey''s first time to watch a movie. We bought pop corn and soda and went in the movie house a few minutes before 1:30 pm. It was the first screening for the day. At first she was enjoying the pop corn sitting on her own chair then when movie trailers started being shown, I think she kind of got shocked by some of the scenes which made her stop eating. For most part of the movie she just sat on her own watching the film. She never became restless. I just carried her for awhile at the latter part. She was so behaved even more behaved than Griffin when he first watched a movie when he was 3. When the movie ended, I asked her if she liked the movie and she said, "ya". Maybe we can watch another movie again this summer.

Hailey is 22 months old

2011-03-21T19:25:00.004+08:00

Hailey turned 22 months old yesterday. As of now, she still does not want to talk. She gestures and makes sound effects to tell you what she wants. We went to Boracay last week, and Hailey loved it there. She is a true water baby. She loved the beach, playing in the sand and swimming in the sea. She is not afraid of getting water in her eyes and even liked the big waves. During our stay there, she had a new word. I was making bread and cheese and she said cheese. We bought a lot of ref magnets from boracay, mostly fish with some turtles, starfish and other sea creatures. Just today, she was playing with the magnets and said "turtah" for turtle. We asked her to repeat what she said and she did so. She probably knows a lot of words but refuses to say it aloud. She'll be 2 years old in a few months. Hopefully, she'll be speaking by that time.

We'll miss you Angkong!

2011-02-02T00:05:00.003+08:00

My dad, Angkong to Hailey and Griffin joined our Creator the evening of January 19, 2011 at almost 11 pm. We'll surely miss him but we know that he is happy with God now and he is no longer suffering from pain. Griffin got to know Angkong for almost 6.5 years while Hailey had 20 months with him. Angkong never saw Hailey as he does not react anymore when you talk to him. Hailey knows Angkong and points to him when asked "where is Angkong?". When he passed on, we asked her "where is angkong?", she would answer with both her palms facing up which meant "not here". A few days after daddy was laid to rest, we were hanging out in Ama's room. It was time to return to our room so we started going up the stairs. Griffin went ahead so it was just me and Hailey going up. She was walking up the stairs, after a few steps she looked back and was waving like saying bye to someone then she climbed a few steps and looked back again and waved. I was asking her who she was waving to but of course she does not know how to talk so she did not answer. She was probably waving at Angkong. When i asked her the next day if she saw Angkong, she said "da" which meant yes. I don't know if it was true because she sometimes says yes to anything you ask her but she has never waved at no one. Rest in peace Daddy/Angkong.

Hailey is 20 months old

2011-02-01T23:46:00.002+08:00

Hailey turned 20 months last January 20. At 20 months, she can understand very well. When you tell her to do something, she follows. She listens to our conversations and reacts which means she understands. She seems to understand both Filipino and English. She still doesn't talk though. The few words she can say are "da" or "ya", "ow", "uh oh", "aye" for bye or hi and just today she said "ine" for mine. She is slowly learning to say new words but her comprehension seems to be advanced. I was asking Griffin the other day if he wanted nuggets from Mc Donald's and Hailey reacted by raising her finger which meant to say she wanted some too. She even reacts when I say things in Filipino. She seems smart too, I hope she would do well in school too just like Griffin.

Overnight at A. Venue Residences

2010-12-21T02:14:00.003+08:00

We were at A . venue residences last weekend for an overnight stay. We purposely went there to have a swim as I promised Griffin. We booked 2 adjacent 1 bedroom suites as no 2 bedroom suites were available. Griffin and Hailey had fun hanging out in the room but of course it was swimming that Griffin was looking forward to. We had our first swim on Saturday after eating lunch at Wendy's. We didn't stay long because the water was so cold that Hailey was shivering. Griffin still wanted to swim but I told him Hailey was cold so we went back to the room. He asked me if he could swim again the next morning and i told him yes if he could get up early. The next day i woke him up at almost 9 am. We just ate a little and went to the pool. The water was still cold so hailey just stayed in the jacuzzi where the water was warm. We stayed there till 11 am. Griffin had fun swimming. He did not want to go yet but we had to because we still had to take a bath and had to check out already. It was a fun weekend for Griffin and Hailey. If only the water wasn't too cold, hailey would have enjoyed it more at the pool.

Hailey's molars

2010-12-21T01:46:00.000+08:00

Hailey's 10th and 11th teeth have erupted from her gums. It is the upper left molar and the lower right molar.

Hailey is 19 months

2010-12-21T01:45:00.002+08:00

Hailey at 19 months still does not talk but is starting to put together more syllables. She can certainly understand us and can let us know what she wants although not verbally yet. She can now say woof woof when asked what a dog says. She raises both her hands when you say ran ran ru. She also does the same when she wants to see Ronald Mc Donald's ran ran ru video or whenever she sees Ronald's picture or statue. Her new tricks include 'brain freeze' where she holds the sides of her head and says 'aah!' , 'chill' where she stretches both arms with fists balled and shivers, tickle where she pokes you trying to tickle you and cries her fake cry when asked to cry. She once did brain freeze, chill and cry one after another without anyone telling her to do so. She can understand what we say even we are not talking to her. She has this bad habit now of spanking when you tell her 'no' and stamps hers feet when she doesn't get her way. When I ask her where something she played with is, she usually shows me where she left it. She also usually tells when she makes wee wee or poo poo even when she's in diapers. She loves touching stuff in stores and usually makes them fall down specially if they are bottles. She also likes putting stuff in the shopping cart. She loves playing with pretend food and also loves monkeys. I hope she adds more words to her very limited vocabulary. She can now say bubba for bubbles though, something I just heard her say just a few days ago while she was watching Hi5 blowing bubbles on the video. She has no problem making herself understood as she nods or shakes her head for yes or no and points and gestures to help you understand her.

Second quarter report card

2010-11-25T20:20:00.002+08:00

Griffin got his report card today. As I expected, he got good grades again. He got HS in Reading, Language, Math, Filipino and Chinese. This time he got an award for good penmanship. Good job Griffin! Keep it up!

Hailey is 18 months

2010-11-21T23:01:00.004+08:00

Hailey at 1.5 years old still does not talk although she can copy some repetitive syllables like mama, dada, kaka, nana, zaza and baba. She can say ya sometimes for yes and shakes her head for no. She loves watching videos of sesame street and hi5. She loves Dora and Spongebob. Whenever she sees these characters on clothes or other stuff like pens, blankets, containers she gets excited. When we are at the supermarket, she would get things on the shelf like chips and chocolate then drops them in the cart. She also loves making bottles fall on store shelves.

Hailey Anecdotes

2010-11-16T23:43:00.003+08:00

This afternoon when Hailey saw that I was cutting the plastic lamination from a printout for McDonald's, she got excited and pointed to the McDonald's "M" logo. There was also a time when she saw a very small Ronald McDonald throwing trash in a bin on the softdrink cup and nuggets box. She was ponting at it then raised both her arms up just like the Ronald doing the "ran ran ru" action om you tube. Hailey surely knows McDonald's. Just this evening she saw a Chowking coupon on the table. She was looking at it and pointing at the chicharap on the plate. She saw the chicharap and wanted some. Hailey sure is observant and has very good eyesight. She notices things even if it's just a tiny picture. She also remembers that there is a sorbetero on the sidewalk of Griffin's school. She often wants to go to that place even if the sorbetero is not there. She seems to be like another Griffin in the making. She's smart, observant and has a good memory.

Upper molars

2010-11-16T23:37:00.001+08:00

Hailey has two new teeth coming out. She has two upper teeth that have cut through her gums. I think it is her left and right upper molar.

Griffin's allergies

2010-11-12T01:46:00.004+08:00

We brought Griffin to the ENT last week to have his ears checked because he always complains that he's dizzy whenever he's riding a car. The doctor checked his ears, he did not see anything bad. We also told him that Griffin always had colds. He said it was allergies, as he saw Griffin's eyes. He checked his nose and throat and said Griffin had inflamed or enlarged tonsils, I'm not exactly sure. He also checked Griffin's balance and said he had a slight imbalance because he was slightly swerving to the right during the test. I don't know if the test was accurate because Griffin said his right shoe wasn't worn properly. Anyway, griffin was given Alnix and Avamys nasal spray to treat his allergy. He has been taking the meds for more than a week now and he's been allergy free so far. He has not complained of a clogged nose nor does he have colds. I am happy that he does not have to suffer from allergies anymore. So far, he also hasn't complained about dizziness in the car too which he never fails to complain of before taking the meds. His dizziness surely was caused by his allergies. It was not motion sickness after all because he also felt dizzy at times even when not in the car although not as bad. I'm glad that he no longer has to suffer from a clogged nose, something which I could not relieve him of.

My birthday

2010-11-12T01:10:00.002+08:00

It was my birthday yesterday. We had no special food, not even a birthday cake. The day was kind of hectic since Griffin had classes and it was raining so hard. We got home so late because the traffic was so bad around the school. We'll be having my post birthday celebration at Yaki Mix on Saturday so that my mom, Apit, Nikki and Iper can join us. I'll probably buy a cake later so Griffin and Hailey can blow out the candles and we can have some photos together.

Yaya interaction day

2010-11-12T00:39:00.002+08:00

Griffin is having their Yaya interaction day in school this afternoon. They won't be having classes just fun and games with the yayas. He doesn't have a yaya so a few months ago when they started talking about this activity, he was telling me he wanted one. He of course wanted to bring a yaya to school just like his classmates. When we got home from school yesterday, he was telling me about the gifts the other kids were to give their yayas. He didn't get one because he has no yaya. I asked him who else doesn't have a yaya and he told me only he did not have one. I felt kind of sad for him as he could not experience the bonding the other kids would have with their yayas. I also felt guilty for being a grumpy mommy specially when he's being "makulit". I feel stressed taking care of two demanding kids everyday. I am guilty of getting mad easily, having little patience and shouting. I really don't like being a monster mommy. I pray to God for me to be more patient and to understand that Griffin and Hailey are just kids. I know they love me and both want my full attention. It's not an easy task trying to split myself in two to satisfy both of them but I know it's not an excuse to be mad all the time. To be loved so much by my two babies is a blessing. I have to stop being stressed all the time to get rid of the monster in me.

2nd quarter test scores

2010-11-12T00:28:00.002+08:00

I am so proud of Griffin. He is really such a smart kid. I saw his 2nd quarter test scores pasted in his HSCN and he got perfect scores in Reading, Language, Filipino, and Chinese, while he got 39.5/40 in Math. He has been very good in school and hasn't given me any problems whenever he has tests. He knows his lessons well that he does not need to review much when he has exams.

Hailey is 17 months old

2010-10-21T01:43:00.006+08:00

Hailey at 17 months still doesn't talk. She can say mama but doesn't call me mama all the time. She say "da" for yes and shakes her head for no. She can follow instructions like "throw it in the trash can" or "get elmo". Hailey loves the water. She enjoys playing around in the big tub. A few days ago, I filled up the jacuzzi with water because Griffin wanted to swim, naturally, hailey and I would join him. She had a blast swimming. She wasn't afraid of getting her face wet . I had to hold on to her because she would twist and turn in the water . Just recenty, i saw her shakng her finger and trying to talk as if she were telling Griffin off. She's surely seen me get mad at Griffin.

Hailey is 16 months

2010-09-21T03:16:00.003+08:00

Hailey at 16 months knows how to get what she wants. She often cries to get her way. She quickly climbs the computer chair once she sees that its empty then gestures that she wants to watch youtube. She pushes Griffin when he comes close to the computer and if he does not leave, she starts to cry. She still has not said her first word, although these past few days she has called me "mama" a few times. I tell her to say mama so I can catch it on video but she refuses to say it. She can understand what you tell her and follows instructions like when you ask her to get something. She seems to have a good memory too. She can also identify objects in her books and posters. She likes playing with the play doh ice cream maker and pretends to eat the ice cream. She cries when she gets frustrated at something she can't do. She likes scribbling on her whiteboard. Just recently, she has been enjoying eating on her own. I gave her a small spoon and fork and she tries to eat on her own although the rice oftens falls off the spoon before it reaches her mouth.

Griffin's First Quarter Report Card

2010-09-08T22:18:00.003+08:00

I am very happy with Griffin's first quarter grades. He got HS in Filipino, Math, Reading, Language and Chinese. According to his teacher, Griffin's intellectual ability is amazing. He just needs to be more assertive. He is kind of shy in school. I am really glad that he is doing so well in school. I hope he keeps it up.

Hailey's 8th tooth

2010-08-16T10:28:00.003+08:00

Hailey's 8th tooth has come out. It is the tooth beside her upper right front tooth.

Hailey at 14.5 months

2010-08-08T15:56:00.003+08:00

Hailey still hasn't said her first word. Although she is starting to say mamama or paba, she has not called me mama yet. When she sees food and wants to eat, she says, a-ma or mam. She watches videos when we are in the car, but recently she has the habit of wanting to change the disk all the time without watching the video. She loves getting stuff out of drawers or cabinets. She likes riding on her car. At times she would play with her doll's stroller or her toy shopping cart but instead of pushing, she would carry it.

Griffin is 6!

2010-08-08T15:48:00.002+08:00

Griffin turned 6 years old last Monday. How time flies, he's growing up so fast. Next year, he'll be in Grade 1 already. He's a very smart kid so I don't have any problems with his school work. My main concern is his temper. He can't control it especially when he gets frustrated at something he can't do. I really hope he would outgrow his tantrums really soon.

Mid quarter PTC at Griffin's school

2010-07-16T17:47:00.002+08:00

We went to Griffin's school for their mid quarter PTC. We arrived before 10:30 am, luckily there were no other parents waiting so I was able to talk to Teacher Karen right away. She had very good feedback on Griffin's performance. She told me that Griffin is smart. He is doing well in school. He recites when he knows the answer and does well in his worksheets. She told me though that he easily cries and does not talk much to his classmates. Although, I think he does not mingle much with his classmates because he does not know them so well yet. I wanted to talk to his Chinese teacher too but there was a long line so I decided not to anymore. Anyway, he's doing well in Chinese. I just got a graded worksheet and he got a perfect score. He was able to recognize the chinese characters that the teacher dictated. I'm surprised he could recognize the characters because I haven't practiced him at home except for posting a list on the wall with the English meanings.

The PTC actually lasted for just 5 minutes but we stayed for around 30 minutes more because Griffin wanted to play in the playground. We left at around 11:10am. Griffin said he had so much fun in school even if there were no classes.

Hailey's 6th tooth

2010-07-10T14:14:00.002+08:00

Hailey's 6th and 7th tooth have come out. It is her upper right front tooth and the tooth beside her upper left front tooth.

Hailey walks

2010-07-03T16:45:00.002+08:00

Hailey can now walk very well. At home, she walks around the house barefoot. She was even able to walk around the mall wearing shoes. It used to be difficult for her to walk around with shoes. She hasn't tried running yet. I am sure she'll start running in a few more days. At this time, Hailey doesn't talk yet. She has yet to say her first word.

Hailey's 4th and 5th tooth

2010-07-03T16:41:00.002+08:00

Hailey's 4th and 5th tooth have erupted from her gums. It is the tooth next to her lower right front tooth
and the upper left front tooth.

First day of school: SY 2010 - 2011

2010-06-16T00:24:00.006+08:00

It was Griffin's first day of school yesterday as a Prep student. They had an open house so we were at his classroom till around 12:30 pm. He now brings a large trolley bag. It is quite heavy but at least it has wheels so he just has to pull it. Unlike last school year, when they had to carry their bags on their shoulders. When we arrived the school's vicinity, there were grade 1 students going home since they had half day classes today. Griffin said, with his hands together, " Please, I don't want to be in Grade 1." I asked him why and he said, "I can't wake up early.". That is truly a problem, because I can't even make him get up at 9 am what more if he has to get up at 6 am. I'll
just have to figure a way next year. Maybe homeschooling could be an option. No more travel time to school. As for this year, I am really glad that Griffin can understand and speak Filipino already. He's not that good but at least he's losing the accent when he speaks Filipino. When we picked him up he said he had so much fun running and playing in the playground.

Trip to Manila Ocean Park

2010-06-13T15:12:00.002+08:00

Griffin had his first trip to Manila Ocean Park last thursday. He had fun looking at the fish, touching the starfish, having his feet nibbled by fish at the fish spa. He did not get his feet in the water immediately because he was still reading the story about the doctor fish on the walls. He said it tickled when the fish started nibbling on his feet. Of course, we went to the souvenir shop where he got a clown fish stuff toy, some 3D cards, a glitter globe and sea creatures window decal. After having lunch at Chow King, we went to see skin and bones of different animals like a bear, goat, camel, etc. Then we went to see the dancing jellyfish. He said he liked the song the jellyfish were dancing to. He had fun and wanted to go back again although later that night he said he liked the Ocean Park in Hong Kong better. Maybe next year, we might go to Hong Kong when Hailey's 2 years old already.

Hailey's teeth

2010-06-13T15:04:00.003+08:00

Hailey's third tooth has erupted from her gums last tuesday. Her gums are all bulging, her teeth are ready to come out. She has been sick for a couple of days now. I hope she gets better already.

Griffin and his comics

2010-05-24T03:17:00.003+08:00

I bought Griffin a spiderman comic book last thursday. It is a compilation of 4 stories. He can read it so well and very fast too. I would like to get a video of him reading one of these days.

Hailey at 1

2010-05-24T03:04:00.004+08:00

Hailey turned one year old last thursday. At a year old, Hailey can already walk unaided but she is limited to a couple of steps. She is still a bit afraid to walk alone. Her steps are not that stable yet. She can't talk yet so she gets what she wants by screaming and pointing to whatever she wants you to do. When i am doing something and she wants my attention, she forces her way into my arms by trying to lie down on my arms. She seems to have a good memory too like Griffin. She's very possessive of me, specially when she sees me carrying Griffin. Even if, i am carrying both of them, she tries to push Griffin out of the way.

Hailey walks

2010-05-11T00:25:00.002+08:00

Last May 4, was the first time that Hailey walked a few steps unaided. She has started to walk on her own although just a few steps at a time. I hope she suddenly starts walking on her own before her birthday party.

Swimming time

2010-04-23T16:32:00.004+08:00

Hailey, Griffin and I swam in our new inflatable pool. It was a fun way to cool off this summer. Too bad, I think we got a little darker again. I was not able to take any pictures because I forgot to bring down the camera and I was already in the pool. I was not able to ask my mom to get it since she was not home. Hailey used the floating car as her walker in the pool. We swam for more than 2 hours. We got out because Hailey was sleepy already.

Hailey is 11 months

2010-04-23T11:07:00.002+08:00

Hailey turned 11 months on April 20. At 11 months, she can stand on her own but she is kind of scared to try walking. When i ask her to walk to me, she reaches her hand out. She does not want to walk unless she is holding on to me. She calls me mama when she wants me. Mama is the only word she can say unless you count "nanana" which means she wants to nurse. She can point out on a picture mommy, daddy, and Griffin. She still loves watching commercials and political ads. Her favorite character is Dora. She gets so excited when she sees Dora on tv or computer or even just a sticker. She gets jealous of Griffin when he is near me. She just to move him out so that she would be the one next to me. Hailey loves the water. She enjoys swimming so much.

Summer outing at Acuatico

2010-04-14T02:27:00.003+08:00

It was out first summer outing as a family, just the four of us. We went to Acuatico in Laiya, Batangas. We left the house at around 6 am. I carried Griffin to the car and he slept all the way to Acuatico. Hailey woke up around 30 minutes before we arrived at the resort. It was the first time for both Griffin and Hailey to go to the beach. Yes, in his almost 6 years of existence, Griffin has never been to a beach. In fact he has never experienced a summer outing till last Sunday. He actually loved being in the pool. He only stayed in the beach for a while to play in the sand. He enjoyed swimming specially now that he can hold his breath under water. He likes the deeper pool, the jacuzzi, which has water that reaches his neck. We swam twice, first after having breakfast then we had lunch and rested for a while in the room then returned to the pool at around 4 pm. Hailey also loves the water. She is not afraid to be in the pool. She even crawled on the fountain and near the ledge of the pool. We don't have much photos in our digicam but I brought a disposable waterproof camera which I still have to bring to the photo shop. It was a fun vacation but it would have been better if we had more company. Maybe we would return to Acuatico before school opens in June.

Broken hard disk

2010-04-07T01:19:00.003+08:00

I am so sad that our external hard disk with all our photos and videos is broken. It broke because Hailey pushed it off the top of the CPU. I tried to have the data recovered but the problem is a mechanical one so it needs to be opened in a clean room. The data is probably still in it but to have it recovered is very expensive. I have emailed a data recovery company in Hong Kong. They offer free evaluation but I have to ship the hard disk to them. I asked for an estimate cost for the type of damage of the hdd and it is quite steep but I'm still contemplating on whether to try having it evaluated. It is so unfortunate that I did not back up our photos from August 2008 to February 2010. I have printouts though until April 2009 and was able to save May, June and July 2009 digital pictures. I am still so sad that Hailey's 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 8th month pictures are all gone. I don't even have a single picture of her Baptism. Now I can't do her baby book because I have lost so many pictures. It is doubly unfortunate that I was not able to printout any of her pictures. The set of photos that I was supposed to have printed were lost to our other hdd which crashed before the external hdd broke. It is a very hard lesson for me to learn that backing up is so important. There are so many memories in there that's why I am still hoping that I would still be able to recover them.

Griffin's Report Card

2010-04-07T01:15:00.002+08:00

My mom got Griffin's report card last Friday. He got good grades. He had an achievement award in academics, Happy Gram and an award in Chinese. He did not get the award for penmanship though but that's ok. He actually writes so neatly now. The other day, he wrote the numbers 1-30 on a yellow pad and his penmanship looked really good.

Second tooth

2010-04-07T01:11:00.003+08:00

Hailey's second tooth started coming out last March 28. It is the lower right front tooth. She looks cuter, now that she has 2 cute little teeth.

Hailey is 10 months

2010-04-07T01:07:00.001+08:00

Hailey turned 10 months last March 20. At 10 months she can easily cruise around the house. Her single tooth is slowly growing. She can even say "mama". She still loves commercials and likes Manny Villar's new ad. She waves her hands when she likes a certain song. She still loves eating and oftentimes is envious when she sees other people eating. Her hair is getting longer but is still spikey but at least it is possible to put a hair clip on her already. She can clap her hands when told to do so. She also waves her hand when you say hi or bye.

Sick boy

2010-03-12T23:25:00.003+08:00

Griffin has been sick for 3 days already. He has fever and a headache. I don't know what is wrong with him. He now complains of a sore throat when he swallows. We will be going back to the doctor tomorrow. I am hoping he'll be better already.

Hailey's First Tooth

2010-03-12T20:25:00.002+08:00

Hailey's first tooth is finally cutting through her gum. It is her lower right front tooth. I will be brushing her teeth real soon. I hope she cooperates and allows me to brush her teeth.

School's out! Vacation time!

2010-03-10T15:34:00.003+08:00

Griffin had his last day of school yesterday! The day before they had their last exam then had special center time where they had face painting, made some music and had the chance to eat from the chocolate fountain. Griffin's first year in big school has gone so quickly. It was a breeze since he did not have any problems academically. He is growing so fast. He is also taller now as evidenced by his school pants which are too short for him now. He'll be in Prep this coming June, I am hoping it would be a good year for him too. He's happy that school is out because he is excited to go to the beach. It is going to be his first time at the beach. We'll be going to Acuatico in Laiya. The beach sand will be grainy and not the type for making sand castles but I hope he would still enjoy. Maybe when Hailey is older, we could go to Boracay.

Hailey is 9 months

2010-02-22T17:02:00.006+08:00

Hailey at 9 months can easily walk around the room while holding onto anything for support. She can crawl really fast and can go up and down the bed. She is quite talkative and has a loud voice. When she sees food, she would make noise to tell you she wants some. When she wants something, she can tell you by making noises and by reaching for it to the point that she could almost fall if you did not hold her tight enough. She loves Griffin and gets excited when he's running around. She eats anything and everything she sees. She knows though, if it's food. Her teeth, both the upper and lower front teeth, are almost coming out. You can see the bump under her gums. Hopefully, the teeth would cut through the gums before she tums 10 months. I think she'd look even cuter with teeth. Her hair is also getting thicker although it's still spiked up. I hope it gets longer soon. I would love to put a hair clip on her. She no longer wants a hairband on her head.

Griffin's 3rd quarter Report Card

2010-01-25T23:30:00.002+08:00

Griffin got his Report Card today. I am so happy with his grades. He got 5 VS marks and all the rest are HS. He also got a big Happy Gram, an award for Penmanship and another achievement award for academics. I hope that he always does well in school. I am also glad that he has learned to speak and understand Filipino through his playtimes with Ran Ran and Em Em. He hasn't mastered it but that's ok. I know that he will learn eventually. At least, I am no longer worried that he will have difficulties in his Filipino subject when he is already in Prep.

Hailey is 8 months

2010-01-25T23:17:00.002+08:00

Hailey at 8 months can now get to the sitting position effortlessly. She can crawl really fast and has figured out how to get down from the bed to the floor although she still has accidents. She can also get to the standing position while holding onto the bed. However, her legs are still wobbly when she is in the standing position. She moves around the house on her walker really fast so one has to watch out or she'll hit you and you would hurt your feet or ankles. She loves eating. She can eat rice even without soup. She's very active specially when you leave her on the floor to explore. My baby is growing up so fast. In a few months, she'll be one year old and would probably walking on her own. I'm starting to prepare for her first birthday party with an animal/safari theme. I am actually excited about it. I have just reserved the party venue this afternoon.

Disney on Ice : Disneyland Adventure

2009-12-31T01:46:00.001+08:00

We watched Disney on Ice early yesterday afternoon. It was Griffin's second time to watch while it was Hailey's first time. At the beginning , the National Anthem was played and Griffin stood up and even put his right hand on his chest. Griffin seemed to enjoy it more this time than when he watched it in 2008. He clapped and shouted and participated when the characters asked for audience participation. On the way home, he said that he liked the show. On the other hand, Hailey slept through the first half and watched the show for quite a long time before she fussed. She was relatively good as she did not cry during the whole show. Of course, we got some souvenir items which were so expensive. It was a good thing Griffin was feeling much better already and his cold sores were almost gone or else he wouldn't have enjoyed the show and he would not have been able to eat pop corn and cotton candy. My poor little boy, he suffered from so many cold sores in his mouth and he could not eat for 4 days. It is a lesson for him to stop putting his fingers in his mouth and to always wash his hands. We told him to stop eating his fingers if he does not want to suffer from cold sores again.

Hailey is 7 months old

2009-12-23T23:47:00.003+08:00

Hailey at 7 months is still vary attached to me. She does not like anyone else to carry her except me. When she is on her walker and sees me walking away from her she starts to cry. She is also starting to crawl. Although not very well yet, she can easily and quickly move around the bed. I just tried feeding her Gerber (squash) today and she really loved it. I tried to feed her homemade baby food but she could not eat it properly because I just found out that I should have made the consistency more watery like that of Gerber. When she sees us eating or drinking, she also wants to eat or drink. She knows how to make a sound telling you she wants something she sees. She starts laughing with sound now although still not that often. She also loves commercials specially Selecta 3 in 1 plus 1. I have a video of this commercial in my iPhone so when she is crying I play the video and she stops. She still has no teeth as of today. I wonder when her first tooth would come out.

Learning Filipino

2009-12-20T00:15:00.003+08:00

As I have mentioned before, it is my greatest worry that Griffin would not learn to speak Filipino before he enters Prep. My worries are slowly disappearing as he is learning the language slowly. He can now understand more words and can even say simple sentences in Filipino. He also gets practice while playing with Ran Ran and Em Em. He told me he said, " akyat na" when he was done playing with Ran Ran and he was ready to go upstairs. He also said, "opo, sira" when he was agreeing with Ran Ran that something was broken. It also helped that the song they sang for their Christmas program was also in Filipino. He has also learned new words because of the song.

Yesterday, he was at the playground in Timezone playing with a little girl who spoke to him in Filipino. Whereas before, he would speak English to his playmate, this time, he spoke in Filipino despite his limited vocabulary. Here is a sample of how he spoke to the girl:

Girl: Dito na tayo!
Griffin: Opo.
Girl: Color tayo!
Griffin: Exercise tayo!
After going on the treadmill...
Griffin: Play na tayo! ( proceeding to go up the play structure)

Some of the other things he can say...
Ligo na tayo!
Nanay, laro na tayo!
Ano pangalan mo? ( although he would say it as "ano palangan mo?" sometimes.

Willie asked him some questions which he was able to answer.
Willie: Sino tatay mo?
Griffin: Ikaw
Willie: Sino nanay mo?
Griffin: Siya (pointing at me)
Willie: Sino kapatid mo?
Griffin: Ano kapatid?
Willie: Brother or sister
Griffin: Si Hailey

He has learned so fast that's why I'm no longer worried that he would not learn Filipino.

Chinese watcher

2009-12-05T23:58:00.003+08:00

Griffin is one of the students selected to be in the Chinese dance for Chinese New Year this coming February. He had his last practice for the year last Thursday. Their dance practice will resume next year and will be from Monday to Friday. I asked him yesterday, if his other classmates are not Chinese dancers, what are they? Are they Chinese singers? He said, "No, they are Chinese watchers. They only watch".

Pet Ecology Week

2009-11-27T09:08:00.004+08:00

It is bring your pet day today at Griffin's school. Originally, he was going to brung his sea monkey but I asked him if he wanted to bring a fish to school. He told me he'd like to bring the fish like those Apit used to feed the Arowana, ie. feeder fish. Last Wednesday, we went to Cartimar and bought a small square aquarium and 2 colorful guppies. He was set to bring those to school but yesterday, we went back to Cartimar and bought 8 little crabs and a container with a handle. This would be easier to transport and also easier for Griffin to carry to his classroom. Aside from the convenience, I think it is a unique pet, not something a kid would bring to school. I hope he has fun looking at all the animals in school today.

Update:
We picked Griffin up in school. His pet got a special award as Rocker Pet (the hardest pet).

Hailey is 6 months old

2009-11-20T01:18:00.006+08:00

Hailey at 6 months is very active. She can move around in her walker very quickly and moves around on the bed really fast. She is not quite crawling yet but she can easily roll around the bed and can move by using her feet to push herself forward. She can sit down unaided for longer periods. She is also more patient when given a teether or pacifier. She does not cry right away as she can hold on to the objects better than before. She still cries but it's mostly because she wants me. She usually starts to cry when she notices that I'm not there which is almost immediately. We will start giving her solid food this month. She seems to be ready to eat solid food because everytime she sees us eating, it seems like she also wants to eat.

Report Card - Second Quarter

2009-11-19T23:26:00.002+08:00

Griffin got his Report Card today. He got even better grades than in the First Quarter. The S's he got last quarter are now VS except for one. His penmanship grade also improved from Limited Progress to Satisfactory. He only has 2 Satisfactory grades and the rest are VS and HS. I am so proud of Griffin. He got an Achievement Award again for Academics this quarter.

Griffin is doing very well in school. As I mentioned in my earlier post, his teacher said he's the fastest reader in his class. He was also chosen to be one of the prayer leaders for their prayer service on Monday. I don't even have to help him practice reading the prayer because when I asked him to read it, he read the entire prayer correctly. I don't have any problems teaching him his Reading subject as he already knows how to read. In fact, I have no problems teaching him any of his subjects, whether it's Math, Chinese or Language.

Dance practice

2009-11-17T00:47:00.004+08:00

Griffin was selected to participate in a Chinese dance for their Chinese New Year festivities on February 10-14 next year. They will be having their practices everyday from 3:00 to 3:30 except on Fridays, . I asked him if he would like to join the dance and he said yes. I hope that we'll be invited to watch the dance as I would love to see Griffin performing a Chinese dance.

Bad tummy

2009-11-11T18:18:00.002+08:00

Griffin had a tummy ache this morning. He still went to school. When we picked him up at school, his classmate told us that he vomitted in the classroom. He probably had indigestion because according to his teacher, he threw up 3 times in 2 minute intervals. He was sent to the clinic but went back to the classroom after a while.

When we got home, Griffin took a bath and told me that his teacher said he was the fastest reader on his class. I'm so proud of him. I hope that he will always do well in school.

Happy Birthday to me

2009-11-11T01:06:00.001+08:00

It is my birthday today. We brought Griffin to school then went to Greenhills and ate at Shakey's. We picked Griffin up then passed by Red Ribbon to buy a cake. Griffin sang the birthday song then we both blew the candles out. I then ordered Amber's palabok and barbecue for dinner.

Writing update

2009-11-11T01:00:00.004+08:00

Griffin has started writing his homework in his HSCN. He has already done it for two days and his penmanship actually looks good. He had GOOD stamped on the first one and VERY GOOD stamped on the second one. I am very happy with the improvement in his penmanship. I hope it gets better and better.

To sleep or not to sleep with Ama

2009-11-10T01:11:00.002+08:00

While hanging out in Ama's room last night ...

Ama: Why don't you sleep here with me tonight?
Griffin: I don't want.
Ama: Why?
Griffin: I don't want to, but I still love you Ama!

Hailey goes bananas over bananas

2009-11-05T21:10:00.003+08:00

Last Tuesday, November 3 , Hailey had her first taste of solid food. We gave her some bananas placed in a mesh container and as expected, she loved it. She's been trying to eat everything she sees whether it is food or not. When I am holding a glass or bowl or just about anything in my hand, she would try to reach it. We gave her some bananas again today. She loved it so much. She also likes drinking water in her zippy cup. We will start giving her solid food regularly by the time she turns 6 months in 15 days. It looks like she is not going to be hard to feed. I hope that she won't be too greedy as I don't want her to get fat.

Filipino update

2009-11-01T23:53:00.003+08:00

Griffin is learning little by little, more Filipino words. I asked him the other day, "Masarap bs yung ice cream?" and he answered, "opo". He also asked me once, "Gusto mo ng fries?". Just a while ago, he told me, "ano is what in Tagalog". He can also understand a little because sometimes we talk in Filipino and he asks or says something related to what we were talking about. I really really hope he learns to speak and understand Filipino soon.

Griffin's Conversations

2009-11-01T23:33:00.006+08:00

While eating at Max's Restaurant after Hailey's Christening ...

JD: I'm married to Jamie (his sister).
Griffin: I'm not married yet because I don't have a wife.

---------------------------------------------------

A few nights ago, while helping Ama make Angkong's food...

Griffin: Diego is back .(His classmate was absent for a few weeks. According to his teacher, Diego was in the US to do important things,)

Ama: What important things did he do? He went to Disneyland and Universal Studios?

Griffin: Ama, those are not important things, those are important places.

Hailey laughs

2009-10-25T23:07:00.003+08:00

Hailey laughed with sound today. She usually has big smiles but she has a silent laugh. But today while lying on the sponge during bath time, she sees Griffin and laughed a few times. It was a joy to hear since she rarely does it.

Hailey loves Griffin so much. She laughs when she sees him and she also loves to touch his face and hair. I hope they would always love each other.

Good Reader

2009-10-25T01:04:00.002+08:00

Griffin is a very good reader. He's a good sight reader but we tried asking him to read Tagalog words, he can also easily read them. He does not read them per syllable. He just says the whole word right away. I bought him a vcd and cd of Filipino songs to help him learn to speak Filipino. I hope he learns through singing the songs. I hope he'll be able to speak and understand simple Filipino before next school year.

Hailey is 5 months old

2009-10-22T18:11:00.003+08:00

Hailey turned 5 months old last October 20. She can sit down assisted and sometimes she can sit by herself altough not with her back straight. She has really strong legs as she can stand up with some support. She still screams specially if she wants something or when she wants me to carry her. She can easily turn over already. She likes grabbing whatever you're holding, particularly glasses and plates. She likes to eat just about anything. She is short tempered though, specially when she tries to bite her teethers. She bites them then after a while she gets so frustrated that she starts to cry. We might start her with solid food by next month. I hope we won't have problems feeding her.

Mooncake Festival

2009-10-21T23:12:00.002+08:00

We played the dice game in celebration of the Mooncake Festival last October 3. Griffin won First prize in the second round. I hope this brings him luck all year.

Hailey's Baptism

2009-10-17T23:39:00.003+08:00

Hailey is now a Christian. She was baptized at Our Lady of La Paz Parish at 11 o'clock this morning. She was well behaved for the Baptismal Ceremony and only started crying when it was time for picture taking. Her Ninongs were Apit, VJ and Alvin while her Ninangs were Iper, Nikki and Cathy. After the Baptism, we went to Max's Restaurant to eat lunch.

Griffin can tie his laces

2009-09-30T19:16:00.005+08:00

Griffin can tie his own shoe laces. He just tried it out last night. At first, the knot was kind of loose but when he did it this morning, it actually looked really good. He's really a big boy now. He takes a bath by himself and eats by himself. My little boy is all grown up.

A Visit to K.I.D.S.

2009-09-26T00:47:00.003+08:00

Griffin had no classes so we visited Teacher Cristy at KIDS yesterday. We arrived at around 11:00am. We were lucky that Teacher Cristy was there because she said she was not teaching this year. She will be in school only for 2 weeks because Teacher May was on leave. Griffin showed his Teacher his Happy Grams, Good job cards and Achievement award. She asked how was Griffin's penmanship and I said he improved a lot. Teacher Mina asked if he has tantrums in school and I said he was well behaved in school. I told Teacher Cristy my worry was Griffin not being able to understand Tagalog and I told her about the Filipino enrichment class I saw. But she said there's no need, he'll learn in school. Anyway, I still have time to teach him before next school year. I also told her that Griffin reads so well. He doesn't read slowly by trying to put the sounds of the letters together. She told me that he's really been a good reader. He sight reads so well.
Griffin had so much fun playing in the playground with his former classmates specially Enzo. His classmates Chesley, Nadine, Maddie and Angelo were there. He was really sweaty after playing on the slide and shooting balls with Enzo. We left at around 11:45 am. He told me he would like to visit again. I told him he could visit if he has no classes. Maybe on December he can visit again.

Hailey at 4 months

2009-09-21T21:50:00.003+08:00

Hailey at 4 months can now stay on the bed without crying a little longer. At times, she can be left lying on her back or lying on her tummy and she would squeal and smile. Her neck muscles are very strong now, so she can hold her head steady and even lift her head up for long periods while lying on her tummy. She can easily turn over from lying on her back to lying on her tummy. She can sit up with support and can be propped up to sit leaning on pillows. She also gives big smiles when she's in a good mood so it's much more fun to take pictures of her.

She already has separation anxiety. When I leave her with someone else she usually cries her heart out until I carry her. She would at times stop crying once she hears my voice. I guess she'll be as clingy to me as Griffin was and still is up to now. It feels good to be loved by my kids but it can also be tiring when they want you all the time. I love them both so much inspite of the stress.

Report Card - First Quarter

2009-09-21T21:47:00.004+08:00

Griffin got his report card last Friday. As I expected, he had good grades. He even got an achievement award in academics. His lowest "grade" was in Penmanship where he has Limited Progress. I'm not bothered by it because he has improved so much in writing, coloring and even in drawing compared to before he entered big school. He loves writing in his Megasketcher. He can even draw stars and hearts already. He can also draw by just copying a drawing unlike before when he would have tantrums because he couldn't copy the drawing.

UPDATE: I emailed Griffin's teacher to ask what grade he got in his Reading exam. Griffin told me he only got Good in Reading while he got Very Good in Chinese and Math because he got perfect scores in these tests. His teacher answered me today and said that he also got a perfect score in Reading.

Hailey at 3 months.

2009-08-23T09:35:00.002+08:00

Hailey is now 3 months old. She is no longer colicky however she still has crying spells. She likes talking to people in her gurgling language. She smiles a lot these days although it could be immediately be followed by crying. She has tried to lift her head up while lying on her tummy. We have also seen her turn over from lying on her tummy to lying on her back twice already. I am not sleep deprived at night because she usually wakes up to nurse then goes back to sleep right away. She's getting bigger and bigger each day. Before you know it, she would be sitting, crawling, standing, walking and talking. Can't wait till she gets a few months older so I can buy her more cute little dresses. It is really fun dressing up little girls. If only she had a lot more hair, i would buy her cute little hair clips. She looks like a baby boy because she doesn't have much hair.

School Boy

2009-08-19T16:13:00.002+08:00

Griffin has been really good at school. He is well behaved as evidenced by his Good Job cards and Happy Grams. Academically, he's doing really well. His quizzes have perfect scores except for one chinese test where he got 2 mistakes. His seatworks are mostly very good too. He also did very well in his oral tests in chinese and english. I am looking forward to seeing the results of his quarterly exams. It was really easy studying for the tests because he has mastered all his lessons. I just had to review him a little.

Griffin turns 5

2009-08-02T17:47:00.005+08:00

Griffin turned 5 years old today. As was his request, he had a Ben 10 cake and cupcakes. I also bought him flying balloons. Of course, he got to open his gifts which were mostly Ben 10 toys. He particularly loved the Alien Creation Chamber. We went to Greenbelt to eat at Chili's but there were no more seats so we ended up at Flapjacks. My baby is a big boy already. I will miss the times when he was younger that we spend every single day together, just the two of us.

Hailey is 2 months old

2009-08-02T16:54:00.004+08:00

Hailey turned 2 months old last July 20, 2009. She sleeps a little longer and doesn't sleep as much as last month. She's not so colicky anymore, although she still cries at times and likes to suck her hand or my arm. You can make her smile now, when she's in a good mood and is either lying down on the bed or sitting in her seater.

Sad Griffin

2009-07-28T19:55:00.002+08:00

When i picked Griffin up today, he looked sad and had teary eyes. I asked him what was wrong and he answered, " I don't know". In the car, on the way home, we asked him again why he was sad and he still said, "I don't know". When my mom asked him if he got a "good job" card, he said he got 3 stars but he did not get a "good job" card. We asked him if that was why he was sad and he said, yes.

I wrote to his teacher and she told me through email that Griffin did cry before dismissal because they had Penmanship and he was scared to stay after school to finish his work in case he doesn't finish it on time. He however finished second to the last and on time so he need not stay after school. He did get 3 stars and his good job card is in school where the teacher keeps them till the end of the week to keep track of who gets a Happy Gram by Friday.

Mid-quarter PTC

2009-07-28T19:12:00.003+08:00

I went to the parent-teacher's conference at Griffin's school last Saturday morning. I talked to his teacher, Teacher Ail. She told me that Griffin is a happy boy in school. He is enthusiastic when it comes to recitation. She also told me that when asked a question, Griffin thinks about his answer. His answers are very related to the question unlike some kids who just answer without thinking. She told me that Griffin is smart and has no problem with academics. He is also very friendly. He just gets easily distracted when other kids are talking or playing in class so his attention has to be called. Knowing his happy disposition in school the teacher was surprised when Griffin cried when classes were cancelled. He kept on saying to the teacher that I did not know that classes were cancelled and that I would not come to pick him up.

I am really happy with the feedback I got from the teacher. He also got a Happy Gram last week for being a good boy the whole week. Griffin has improved a lot. He had a lot of homework last weekend, particularly penmanship homework. He was able to finish it without any tantrums. Knowing that he's not fond of writing, writing so many letters and writing his full name 8 times was a major accomplishment, specially because he had to write it on blue-red-blue lines.

Ben Tennyson

2009-07-17T14:33:00.007+08:00

Here is Griffin in his Ben 10 costume made by Ama.

Happy Birthday Ama!

2009-07-17T14:33:00.004+08:00

Cancelled Classes

2009-07-17T13:49:00.005+08:00

Classes were cancelled yesterday. Unfortunately, I learned about the cancellation when I arrived home already. Poor Griffin, he had to wait for more than an hour to be picked up while most of the kids went home already. When my mom got him from the classroom, he was just sitting down on the chair. He kept asking Ama where I was and why I was taking so long.

That night, he told me that he almost cried because I was taking so long. He asked me why I did not know that classes were cancelled. I explained to him that I only learned about the cancellation when I reached home so I had to go back to pick him up. My poor baby, next time it's raining hard, I'll wait for a while, in case they cancel classes again.

Best mommy in the world

2009-07-10T00:01:00.006+08:00

Griffin and I were walking out of the EED gym, when I picked him up from school yesterday afternoon. As we left the gym, I saw one of his classmates who was not in PE uniform .....
Me: Why isn't Diego wearing his PE uniform?
Griffin: Maybe his mommy forgot it is PE day today.
Me: Maybe.
Griffin: You're the best mommy in the world because you know everything.
Me: Thanks.

It feels good that Griffin appreciates the things I do for him.