Weekend Blog Caravan

I'm joining this blog caravan from OnlineBiz and Resources.  I'm not a professional blogger so I don't really understand how this works but it sounds fun since I'd get the chance to know other mom bloggers especially pinay moms!  So here goes this caravan thing :)

Sleep? Thanks, but no thanks, mami!

Before sleep rituals at night is becoming more fun and uhm, longer with Little Spanish Pinay.  She tries to make it longer and longer so probably mami would forget about sleeping at all and she can just continue playing and clowning around.

We'd spend lots of time reading and re-reading and re-reading her books over and over.  Then as if trying to shoo away her sleepiness, she invented a new game.  She'd stand in the bed, pretend she's losing her balance and would suddenly fall off on purpose.  Or while seated, she'd suddenly fall on her back then roll over and bury her face in the bed or between pillows and bed sheets.  With matching soft slow screams as if falling from 40th floor while doing these silly things. 

Last night we had another one of those long sessions of putting her to sleep and here are some of her pictures clowning around.

This is her new favorite pose lately.

Everytime the flash starts to go off from the camera, she automatically puts on this funny face

I think at the beginning the flash made her blink and she saw that this make us laugh so now she does it every. single. time.

I was quick enough here to catch her in her semi-normal face

Sorry for the poor quality, I was trying to not use the flash but you see, it still didn't work. 

 All I got is a silly-open-mouthed-face

Here she has just "fallen" from a seating position.  She's really sleepy but really trying to put it off.

A Special and Intimate Celebration

The celebration day has finally came and it has been wonderful.  Relatives and real close friends came to share this special day for Little Spanish Pinay and for hubby and I.   Tala was really happy and I knew she felt really special with all the attention and festive mood around.

The little details that I have prepared over the weeks prior to the celebration day were all woth it of the time and effort.  Most especially the fondant cake that I've forced myself to learn to do, inspite of not having prior experience to baking. 

I like that people loved it and some even asked for the recipe.  Really, really big thanks to my friend Jane for giving me the recipe and attending to my questions :)  and of course to a very special friend of mine Sandra who helped me with the cake decoration.  She's an angel.  An evil one, but an angel nonetheless ;-)

What I love the most about the celebration was that once again, we are able to gather Manuel's family (now my family as well) and just share a special day with them.  Another plus is that we get to see really close friends from across the miles. 

Here are some more special pictures from the celebration

LSP asleep

Can't wait to devour the cake

There she goes enjoying her cake - no holds bar

The whole gang!

And of course the partners in crime.

Thank You For The First Wonderful Year

It's been a year my little one, since the first time papi and I laid our eyes upon the most beautiful thing in the world.  And do you know what that is? You, my little one.  You looked so tiny and fragile the first day we met you, the first time we held you in our arms and kissed you tenderly and smelled your breath.  The moment I heard you cry as doctors have pulled you out from my tummy, I said to myself that that is the sweetest cry I have ever heard in my entire life.  It was so sweet and warm that has made my heart burst with so much emotion and pure bliss.  I can still remember how your breath smelled and your supple cheek felt against mine.  I wanted to hold you and put you in my chest for you to feel mami at once and let you know how much you are loved ever since but I wasn't allowed to, due to the circumstances but I hope I have compensated that with all the hugs and carresses and kisses and cuddles we've been doing all this one year of being together.  And I promise you, there will be more to come as the days and months and years would pass by... as long as you would allow me to.

And I want to thank you, my little star, for coming into our lives.  For giving us joy, for letting us feel how much you love us back, for your affection, for your kisses, for your laughter, for teaching us to become more patient and selfless and giving and grateful and faithful, for making us strive to become better persons, and for everything that you are. 

It has been a very wonderful year full of emotions and a big roller coaster ride.  It has been a big challenge and test  for both of us your parents but at the same time, it has been very rewarding in an unmeasurable way. It has been full of tears and and laughters and dreaming and muscles aching and cuddling together and dark circles around the eyes and happy shreaks.  Most of all, it has been full of love - given and received even shared not only between the three of us but with all the family both nearby and across the miles.  We are looking forward to more of these every year.  And for all these,  I am forever grateful to the Almighty that has given you to us... more than ever. And I know, He's proud of you because you are a good daughter of him and will be even more as you grow.

Happy birthday, my dear Little Spanish Pinay.  We love you from the very moment we have asked for you until beyond forever.  Remember that always.

Some More DIYs For THE Birthday

As trying hard as I can be with this birthday celebration for our Little Spanish Pinay, I thought I'd put up a little poster to be placed in the door of the reserved room where we will have the small party.  And this is what I've come up.



It says "Celebrating my first birthday"


And then I also thought it'll be nice to have some birthday banner to set up the party mood a little bit more.  So here goes the birthday banner:

Problem is that I have no idea yet where to place them in the room. Talk about good planning, huh.  But by hook or by crook, I shall put this up coz, baby, that's a product of my sweat and blood!

I love these paper clips that looks like clips to hang the clothes. They made hanging those banners so much easier  and flexible.  And what's best is that they're pretty cheap.  Funny thing is that I've been looking for this from different bookstores here and none of them has these clips.  I've found them in the old reliable Chinese store... and what else to expect, they're pretty cheap!

Tomorrow, LSP is officially one! Tomorrow, hubby and I are officially one year old parents! Tomorrow, we are officially exclusively breastfeeding for one year! Tomorrow is Friday! And the sun will come up, Tomorrow (hopefully)! I love Tomorrow!

So I Baked!

...A cake! With fondant icing! Is that even legal??

Didn't I say I'm gonna learn how to bake? Well yes ladies and gentlemen I actually did try so this is not just one of those I-wish-I-could-but-I-never-tried usual song of people like me who's most of the times just stop from daydreaming and never really take actions.

And what can I say, It was not easy at all!! I don't understand baking terminologies and I never tried baking in my entire life...just once when I was in high school during our home economics class. We baked a banana cake! But that doesn't count coz that was a group effort and all I did was mashed the bananas. I love group works! Oh! Talking about banana cake... I think I tried it again last year and well, it was nothing especial but yes, edible. So, I was lying... I actually I have baked at least once in my life and on my own. But still it wasn't a decent baking effort so I am not counting that as an experience and then even with that, I am still counted as a novice in baking.

But then I'm lucky enough I have a long-distance friend, Jane, who patiently tutored me on step by step of cake baking and fondant creation. We've exchanged FB messages with my questions and doubts.

As expected, I've made a lot of boo boos. Buttercream did not crust. I didn't know what crust means and I didn't know that the objective for mixing the butter and the shortening is to eventually have it "crust" after applying on the cake. Crust means to "harden" in layman's term. Well, mine didn't crust at all. I did something wrong obviously. Perhaps I didn't mix well enough or I didn't use enough powdered sugar or perhaps because I substituted margarine for crisco because we don't have crisco here. Crisco is an american brand of solid vegetable shortening and we just don't have it here... not even a store brand of a this solid vegetable shortening.  Later on, I found a website that sells this but it was already too late. I still bought it though, for the next cake baking :). But man, is it expensive for a shortening!

Without furthere ado, I must show some pictures of this new found craziness.

The first cake I ever baked, fresh from the oven.

Doesn't look that appetizing, eh?
But it tastes quite fine, I swear.  Perhaps just a little bit too sweet.

Here's the cake after being covered with buttercream that didn't crust (I'm really using baking terminologies!)

See the buttercream was frozen here as suggested by Jane when I whined at her telling her that I failed with the buttercream, etc. etc.  She told me to put the cake in the fridge to harden the buttercream because that is important when rolled fondant is going to be applied.  So I obeyed.  Still, I wasn't hoping that it will turn out smooth after covering with fondant because as you can see, the buttercream has cake crumbs mixed in it.  While I was applying the buttercream, it was too creamy that it was kinda heart to spread and everytime I swish swish (yes, I invented that word...) the spatula, crumbs from the cake were being lifted. argh.

But then, there's really no turning back at this time.  I have to proceed and see how it goes.  If everything turns out to be a disaster then I'll just charge it to experience ;-)

So I moved on to preparing the fondant.  This is actually the part that I was most afraid of.  Coz it requires kneading and rolling (with rolling pin like that of preparing a pizza dough - just in case someone like me reads this).  These are big words to me.  Still, with a hopeful heart, I proceeded.  I was not able to take pictures of the step by step because I was too concentrated praying while following Jane's instruction which I printed.

The melting part of it turns out quite easy as all that was needed to be done is to pop it in the microwave... but the kneading and the rolling part.. man was that really tiring.  Plus I get too anxious about how should it looks like, how it should feel in terms of hardness and pliability etc.  The rolling part was the most difficult one... I can't remember how many times I had to knead it again and again as I was really doing it the wrong way.  It would have a lot of bubbles, not uniform in thickness and the shape, well, indescribable.  Let's show a picture to prove this.

See, how can I put this on top of the cake... it took me several kneading again and rolling again until I finally was able to make it round.

See, round rolled fondant baby! Patience is a virture, I tell you.

The marshmallows I used was half pink and half white.  I don't know what's wrong with this country but it's hard to find marshmallows that is all white.  And since I was just doing this as a practice, I didn't bother to cut each marshmallows anymore.  It turned out to be very light pink.  Not a bad base color.

Then I scooped it up like how I saw in the video (link was provided by no-one else but Ms. Jane and place it on top of the cake.

It didn't look like the cake crumbs that were mixed with the buttercream is causing bumps in the fondant cover so I was kind of thrilled.

Cutting the excess fondant.

Cake with the basic fondant.

After I finished cutting off the excess, I was so thrilled with how it looks like.  It's not perfect but knowing me and I told myself this is not bad at all for a first try.  I was so thrilled and happy that my heart started to pump more blood and I got too nervous my hands were trembling.  Shallow of me, right? But hey, this is a HUGE achivement for me.  I snapped pictures at once and showed send it to my hubby.  He was darn right suprised! :-D

Poorly cut edges.  I didn't have the right utensils for this.  I just used the old knife we have at home.

Here's my amateur design.

This is nothing like any of the cakes that Ms. Jane does but I am already veeery happy with it.  I CAN do simple fondant cake! and well, the design would require some more imagination and creativity but this IS a good start I should say!



This is one of the very few times that I really did pat my back :-D

Early Attempts for Potty Training

I've read some articles about infant potty training and while I believe in it, it's something that is a bit far-fetched for me considering that I have a full time work and can't attend to Little Spanish Pinay every minute of the day to watch her signs.  Not to mention that I love the idea and I find it pretty amazing.  Once again it shows how babies at their very young age shows that they are capable of communicating.

We are not really potty training LSP now but we've been doing things that we believe can help her to be potty trained as early as she can.  One is when we decided to use cloth diapers.  They said that using cloth diapers help babies potty train as babies or toddlers gets more aware of the wetness and discomfort and gets more motivated to use the bathroom.  We're doing mix though - i.e. we still use disposable diapers for going outside and at night.  Between work, household chores, taking care of LSP and convenience when we are not home, we can't just completely abandon disposable diapers no matter how much we'd want to. 

Anyways, another thing is that lately, since weather is getting nicer, LSP goes around the house diaperless.  That is right.  She'd have accidents, naturally but that's OK.  We just clean up and period.  one reason we do that is because I'd like her to feel free and be more comfortable (breeze in the butt, baby!) around the house.  This also helps her be more aware of the idea that she's urinating.  She gets more aware of how she'd feel prior to the act, then she'd see what's actually happening and what is done after that.  I'd also try to observe her behavior and try to understand whatever signs she may have when she's about to go.  And then I'd try to ask her if she wants to go and then we'll go to the bathroom and then I'd make a wisssss wisss sound.  To my surprise, once, she did go.  I was so happy and kept congratulating LSP.  She was happy and seemed to be proud too.  She doesn't go everytime I do that but there are a few times that she actually did go.  Somteimes I notice her looking down there and trying to touch it.  So I take it as a sign.  Once she also kind of suddenly shrugged like she felt some goosebumps and I took it as a sign too.  Needless to say, everytime I see her doing something out of the normal, I try to take it as a sign and send her to the bathroom. 

There was even one time that she pooed.  It has been 2 days since the last time she pooed and while we were playing I notice her suddenly became quiet.  I scooped her up and proceeded to the bathroom.  I put her in a squatting position while I carry her and made uhhhhhhm-uhm sound and what do you know, she pooed!

Today is the biggest improvement.  All through the night, she didn't pee.  Whe she woke up in the morning, after our morning kisses and tickles, I removed her diaper and noticed that it wasn't wet at all.  And she slept for 11 hours!  So I took her to the bathroom and made wisssss wissssss sound and without waiting too much, she pee'ed happily.  And quite an amount, by the way!

It's just too bad that I can't really be 100% with her to monitor her signs so we can go to the bathroom.  As little as she is, I know she does little sign to tell mami that she needs to go or poo and all I need is to religously follow that sign for her to become more confident with herself in terms of telling me when she needs the bathroom.  So while I work, we have accidents at home and it's really no biggie.  All my siblings and I never used diapers neither and accidents at home with babies is just normal.  At the same time, we're not really in a hurry for her to be potty trained.  We just do what we can little by little. 

And what I like the most is that LSP seems to be enjoying this diaper-less thing.  You should see her squeal while walking and playing around the house.  The sweetest thing.

And precisely just now, after waking up from her nap, we went to the bathroom again and she pee'd and poo'ed.  This is looking good.

A Love That is So Big

Hubby bought a book for me - one book that I really like but didn't want to buy it because I was already buying one book and I didn't want to buy another one and well, because I was being frugal (surprise!).

It's a children's book for ages 3 and up but I didn't care.  I still bought it for Little Spanish Pinay as she is really enjoying books and reading sessions especially when I read her with exaggerated sing-song way. Her eyes would open up with excitement as if I am telling her something so marvelous, her face agape.

I liked the book as it reflects attachment parenting and how grand a mother's love is.   I was teary eyed after I finished the book in 1 minute.   Yes, one minute.  It was just a thin book with few words and big illustrations that really touches one's heart.

The book is in Spanish but below is the translation:

Title: Un Amor Tan Grande    A Love That Is So Big

Mi mama me quiere así  de fuerte    My mom loves me this strong

Con un amor así de grande    With a love this big

Tan grande que no cabe...    So big that it doesn't fit...

En la boca de un cocodrilo    Inside the mouth of a crocodile

Ni en la maleta de un gigante    Not even in the luggage of a giant

Ni en el huevo de un avestruz     Not even in an egg of an ostrich

Ni en el sombrero de un elefante    Not even in the hat of an elephant

Ni en la barriga de una ballena    Not even in the tummy of a whale

Ni en los dibujos de una nube    Not even in the drawings of a cloud

Ni entre las sábanas del arcoiris    Not even between the bedsheets of the rainbow

Ni en un rayo de sol    Not even in the ray of sun

Ni en los besos de la luna    Not even in the kisses of the moon

Ni en toda la tierra Not even in the whole world

Es un amor tan grande que sólo cabe...     It's a love so big that it only fits....

En el corazón de mi mama     Inside my mom's heart.

Beautiful, isn't it?

She Should Go to the Daycare

I just got that comment from a relative-in-law... and to be honest? I was perplexed.  The relative-in-law was obviously referring to Little Spanish Pinay.  I'm just glad that there are many more people in the room  and someone unintentionally changed the topic and the conversation about LSP going to daycare that was about to start was cut off just after the comment was sent out in the air.  Because I know, my reply will not get a nods from anybody except my hubby who's ever supportive with my decisions and choice of parenting.  We basically share the love for attachment parenting and he even expressed one day how happy he is that we chose to co-sleep with LSP.  I was speechless when he bursted that out - but in a good a way.  Feeling-good way.  The way he said it was so tender and heartfelt and I am never ending grateful for my husband about that.

Anyways, back to LSP and daycare.  "LSP should go to daycare"?.  I had to bite my toungue to stop me from doing a Gettysburg-long speech.  And so, here I am typing in my blog to let those suppressed thoughts get out from my already-full-of-thoughts mind.  If the conversation continued with this topic, I'd start off my speech with "LSP should go to daycare? And why would that be?"  I know the answer would be because I've heard of this already from another person who has the same mentality about raising children and sending them off away from home as early as possible.  The answer would be the following:

• Because they will become more social
• Because they will become more aware of their surroundings and wiil be smarter
• Because they will learn so much more than what they can learn from home
• Because the professors in daycares are professionals and trained about child education

My answer to all those? Plain bull.  Those are bulls.  I have nothing against daycares and I respect all the other parents who really have to send their babies to daycares - I can even admire them especially the working moms who have no choice but to send their babies to daycare because well, they have to work.  I also respect other stay-at-home moms who choose to send their babies to daycare as early as 6 months just because they feel like to or believe that they should (though I don't share the same principle).

But giving me those answers above as if daycare is the better choice than home where babies can stay with their moms all the time and receive all the love and touch and care and time and attention they need?  I think that this kind of reasonings are a product of ignorance and too much modernization.  How can a daycare be "better" than the babies' own home with a ratio of 1 caregiver to 4-6 babies?  This kind of reasonings disavalue parents' especially mom's capacity to take care of their own children and provide the best care any baby can get.  And that ticks me off.

Yesterday, LSP and I went to for her 12-month revision and at the same time for a vaccine.  While in the waiting area, LSP saw a girl - having the age of probably 5 or 6.  At the site of this blond girl holding a baby doll in her arms, LSP got excited and started smiling and pointing the girl while making her ahhhh sound of excitement.  She immediately went down from my lap and proceeded to walk towards the girl.  I followed her as she's not very stable with her walking yet but I kept my distance.  She went directly to the girl seated with her pink ballet uniform.  The girl tried to ignore LSP with an I-don't-care-and-I-don't-want-to-have-anything-to-do-with-you facial expression. Of course, LSP didn't notice that.  She continued to look at the girl, even touch the girls legs tenderly.  The girl played with the her doll, talking to the doll, throwing it up in the air and catching it back then kissing the doll from time to time.  Seeing this, LSP also threw kisses in the air for the girl.  Tala loooves to give kisses. There was also a woman beside the girl and she was smiling at LSP for the gestures that she was doing.  LSP started pointing the woman and smiled back at her and threw another kiss in the air.  The woman was laughing this time and saying how lovely LSP is.  Then LSP looked back at the little girl hoping she'd notice her and probably play with her with the doll.  But nothing.  Until the the girl's turn to go to her pediatrician was up. 

I believe that IS ability to socialize for LSP's part and inability to socialize for the little girl's part.  Now, I do not know if the girl was sent to the daycare as early as 6 months or later but what's clear is that LSP knows how to socialize inspite the fact that she's staying at home with her own mom.  Perhaps the little girl didn't go to the daycare as well... but it only proves that going or not, children may have the tendency to be aloof to strangers - and that is totally OK.  Socializing is an inate ability of human.  Human is a social animal by nature.  Unless there is a big physocological impairness or trauma, then socialization becomes a problem. 

I will not even go through each of the bullet point above since they don't have any basis at all. Homeschooling is even becoming more popular and have proven a lot of advantages over children who go to regular school. Home is the best place for anyone specially babies.  We're talking about a normal functional home here, logically.

Anyways... really, I don't have to be affected by this random comment as I know better than anyone how perfectly our current setup is working for us not to mention how we are tremendously enjoying it - to which, I am ever grateful for.

April 10, 2010 - Monumental Day For Little Spanish Pinay

Yesterday - just 12 days short for her first birthday, LSP had a monumental milestone. She has conquered her fear and decided to launched herself completely to the world of toddlerhood.  She has started walking!  At the beginning she did 2 steps on her own.  She realized what has just happened and then gave us a proud smile.  We all applauded happily cheering her to do it one more time.  She was getting too excited and launching herself too soon too fast to walk so she'd kind of lose her balance and would fall forward but we'd immediately catch her.  Soon she started getting the hang of it little by little and started doing a little more steps in one go.  From 2 little steps, she'd do 4.  Then  finally, she was able to walk alone for 17 seconds!  And I was able to capture that in a video :)

The video quality's not very good as I just used my mobile phone and it was so spontaneous that I am not really able to prepare.

My baby... she's growing up so fast. There, there I am getting emotional again. So silly me.

Mother Anger

My mami patience was tested yet again and I am sad to say, I failed.  Last Friday, Little Spanish Pinay was more clingy than ever.  Obviously, there was something bothering her.  She wanted to be nursed all night and just be held.  It already took her more than the normal time before she fell asleep.  I was already dead tired to start with.  The weekend has been long for all of us.  LSP was having agitated sleep.  She'd turn and twist and then wake up and look for me and asked to be nursed.  This went on and on until around 2:30am and I was really already exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally.  When she seemed to have already fallen asleep completely, I tried to slowly slide my butt going down the bed so I can hopefully do some household chores, and then prepare myself better to sleep - at least brush my teeth before going to be bed, right?

But then just when my butt is almost almost 2 inches lifted away from the bed, LSP got startled and cried.  I was soooo ready to pull my hair and eat them until I don't have any left from my head and then yell on top of my lungs while some pieces of hair fall from my mouth - is that descriptive enough?  I was just so tired and frustrated and sleepy and wanted to finish some chores so I can wake up to a less-cluttered living room in the morning and then most importantly, brush my teeth before going to dreamland.  Is that too much to ask?

For the hundredth time, I nursed LSP and waited till she goes back to sleep but my impatience was growing by mililisecond while I was staring at the clock and then I snapped.  I left LSP in the bed still wanting more cuddle and warmth from mami.  Her papi attended to her but she just wanted one thing.  Mami. But mami marched away angry.  I went downstairs with fumes escaping from my nose.  I brushed my teeth while listening to LSP crying for mami.  I looked at myself in the mirror and I felt so defeated.  No, I can't stand hearing LSP crying for me while I do nothing about it.  I ended up drinking a big glass of cold water and ran upstairs. 

The moment LSP saw me, she stopped crying in an instant.  She was seated in the bed with her papi trying cuddling her and trying to calm her down.  I went to bed and LSP immediately crawled towards me, quietly.  She threw herself on my chest and just gave me a hug.  She stayed like that for half a minute and it felt eternal for me.  My mommy guilt didn't take long to act and punch my stomach.  I offered her my milk and she happily succumb to it.  Her big round eyes was on me.  They sure were telling me something.  Something so tender that all the more I felt so guilty for getting angry.  Then her hand looked for my hand and held it like she missed me for so long.  I was readt to burst with tears.  I still feel so frustrated for not being able to do what I needed wanted to do more than that, I feel really bad for letting her cry even for those 3 minutes that I was brushing my teeth and gulping a glass of water.  The worst part of it is that I did it on purpose and with an angry note.  No, LSP didn't deserve it at all.  She didn't deserve the anger I felt nor she didn't deserve to left like that cold turkey when all she needed was to be held a little longer.  I know I failed as a mom for this instant but now I know better.  The household chores can wait and well, I can brush my teeth before putting LSP to bed next time.

Below is a quote I've read that will become a good reminder to me everytime I'd be in a similar situation:

What is best for the child is not always what is most convenient for the parent ~ Bonnie Bedford

and  this:

Remember, you are not managing an incovenience; You are raising a human being ~ Kittie Franz

Because I'm Already a Mom

I'm flipping.  Suddenly I have this urge to learn how to bake.  Must be because I'm already a mom? I dunno.  But I've never been big with baking.  I cook, yes but bake? I just always felt that it's beyond my powers.  The terms are overwhelming and I feel like this requires precision, skill and talent.  To which I fail in all three of them.  Cooking is different... coz I think I can always "invent" something or estimate the ingredients and it will still turn out good.  But with baking, if you miss an ingredient or do a mix instead of a fold then, your to-be-baked goods will be bound to doomsday.  Then there's skill and talent.  Mixing and folding are different and sometimes it feels like they are not just simple mixing and folding.  It has to be in a certain right way and my hands just feel like 2 left foot dancing samba and rhumba.  

Then again I do need to conquer that fear.  I just need to.  My mami-inside-voice is commanding me to.    And so I am going to try.  I will try to learn even just the basics of baking.  For Little Spanish Pinay.  So, I bought myself a cheap-o hand mixer to start with.  Our trusted Lidl has this offer this week and I took advantage of that.  15$ for a hand mixer.  Not bad I guess.  I'll probably start buying some baking tools little by little, i.e. everytime I see a good offer (sale, baby! remember, frugal?).  And then prolly, after some years, and I get the hang of baking and I can already bake something I can already proudly offer to people other than my husband and Little Spanish Pinay coz it actually tastes good then maybe just maybe I'd save up for a Kitchen Aide, eh?

In the meantime, my cheap-o hand mixer will do :)

And to prove than I am no good with baking, I'm showing a photo of puto I did.  It's not a baked product but the preparation and all is similar to baking.  And surprise, I failed.  Miserably.  

futile attempt to baking...

But this mami Spanish Pinay is not yet giving up.  I'm not throwing in the towel just yet coz this is just the start!

The Latest Craze in YouTube

is this twin baby boy talking to each other.  Already with about 15M views!  They are utterly cute!  They are definitely having quite an interesting funny and intense conversation there.  What's funnier is that when I was watching the video with Little Spanish Pinay, she seemed to be understanding the twin's conversation and laughed with them and responded back ta-ta-t-a ta-ta-ta-ta. LOL!

Here's the video. Enjoy!

2 More Weeks

... and Little Spanish Pinay will be officially one and belonging to toddler section!   I'm such a broken record with this toddlerhood thing, ain't I?  Well, women when converted to a mother becomes a broken record.  That is given.  It comes with natural human development.  Charles Darwin said that.  Ah, no?  I swear I thought he did!

Anyways... back to LSP turning one.  I've finished printing the invitations and in fact some of them have already been sent.  Here's the finish product:

not bad, eh?  I couldn't find better envelops but these are ok.

And the souvenirs... aren't bad themselves either... here are some shots of the finish product:

complete presentation

Name and date of birth

funny face of Little Spanish Pinay

We've also kind of chosen the venue and it's a really nice place with a good view of the beach...

O Castro Restaurant in Valdoviño

What about the cake?  I wanted a simple and small fondant cake but we couldn't find a place or a person that would be able to what we like... not even the restaurant.. so we might just settle with an individual cake that will the restaurant can prepare and then we'll find something so LSP can have a small cake where we can place a candle for her to blow.  So, the cake is still a question mark but I'm sure we'll be able to come up with something.

I am getting excited about the celebration although it's really going to be a very intimate and quiet.  I'm excited to gather the small family we have here in Spain and for LSP to devour a whole cake just for her.   And this day is going to mark the start of every wonderful year that we'll be looking forward with this cute little star in our lives.

Aunt For the Thrid Time

It's almost 3 weeks ago since I just became an aunt again for the thrid time! Congratulations to my sister and my brother in law for a very pretty long-legged baby girl!!  Hoooray!  Sister got 2 boys and a girl now.... so my parents got 2 pairs of grandchildren already :)

Hello baby Rhianna!

I am not sure if I wrote the name right.. lately I'm becoming such a dork with spelling.