First graduation

My firstborn is now a graduate! Congratulations! :))

Oh, well, he graduated from the Day Care Laboratory based at the University of the Philippines Los Banos. See how happy he was on this day.

My firstborn has really grown, I can't deny that. And someday, he'll be a man. When that day comes, would he still be as sweet as he is now? Would he still cuddle up to me? Would he still kiss me every so often? Hmm, dapat lang! ;)


At home in LB
Graduation Day
March 19, 2009

meet doctor bugs

mother, mother, i am sick
call the doctor very quick!

good day! i am doctor bugs
what's bugging you, guys?
tell me, tell me huzz
and i'll have you off the buzz! ;)

PS: isn't he cute with those big blue round eyeglasses? ;)


February 2008
At home in Laguna

my kuya luke

Isn't it sweet to see them this way?

Luke is now a kuya, and my heart leaps with joy to see that Kuya Luke is very eager to take care of his li'l sis, Lois.

Lois was born a few days before Christmas, and the way things are going on in our modest home is a bit new and different for our kuya. But smart as he is, he didn't have a hard time adjusting to the new set up. Of course, he can not do away with the jelly thing, but only at the first instance he saw me feeding Lois on my breast. After explaining to him how things will be from that time on, he accepted it with his whole heart.

I can see and feel his brotherly love for his li'l sis. He is so sweet to his sister and always kisses her (and we always have to remind him to kiss on her feet ONLY). He also likes to pat her to sleep (although she is already asleep), and he knows which burp pad is for Lois, and which one is his.

I hope that as siblings, they would stay as sweet to each other even when they grow up. ;)


At home in Laguna
January 2008

reminiscing Tokyo

(Click on the image for a larger view)
I was browsing some old photos for my scrapbooking project (yup, mami is into it lately! oh, digital that is...) when I stumbled upon these cute photos of Luke while playing with a stray feather he found on the wide grounds of Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo, Japan.

Taken last December 2006, these photos make me want to go back to this nice place and feel the cool breeze all over. Oh, how I wish there's a winter in the Philippines, even just for one whole day...

cooling down at Tagaytay

It's already ber-month, but the heat is not yet over. So, we made a short but enjoyable road trip to Tagaytay City last weekend. The weather was perfect when we left Laguna, but while we were enjoying the cool breeze at Picnic Grove, the downpour left us running for safe shelter (but mami can't run, huh!). Then, we drove to Taal Vista Hotel, and there we had a more enjoyable time with nature despite some showers. Luke, most especially, had a good time walking up and down the greeny-and-slopy lawn of the hotel.

Look how happy we were ...





P.S. Layout design via Adobe Photoshop CS3 (and oh, I spent long hours for these, eh!)

the smile that makes me smile

i really love to look at my son's pictures. i'd spend the whole day scanning the picture folders of my laptop in search for the best shots that i intend to share with you. then i chanced upon this photoshop-designed photo of Luke that makes me smile as i remember the time when this pic was taken. he was about 1yr 4mos in this pic -- more than a year ago -- but i could still feel the fantastic shivers of being behind the camera as my son brings out his irresistible smile.

smile with me, folks! ;)



Sometime in June 2006
Kameari, Katsushika-ku
Tokyo, Japan

Life in the farm

So, Luke has a farm? Nope, he is just visiting the farm his grandpa is tilling since time immemorial. Spending a day in the farm at Dadi's beloved hometown in Lucban, Quezon surely means happy time, playing all around, making the entire farm a delightful playground, and with the luxury of being toured around via the carabao-pulled improvised transpo locally called "paragos".

With Luke are his cousins, and Tatay Rufino, and the ever loyal draft animal that helps Tatay do all the farm chores. ;)


Lucban, Quezon
Sometime in May 2007

When Luke is not playing ...

He enjoys killing the time sitting anywhere around the house...





and on and in the car. ;)





At home in Laguna, Philippines
Sometime in July 2007

getting sick is terribly worrisome

Luke had his fair share of fever and flu and colds before, but getting sick for almost a week is something unusual and sressful.

It's his first to have fever of over 40, and I was almost in panic not knowing what to do but to call his pedia for advice (thanks for the celfone tech, and to his kind pedia who hasn't changed number since the last time we consulted with her some years ago). I tried to calm myself down as I give him sponge bath to lower his temp. When it lowered to 39 after 30 minutes, my panic level also lowered.

But it doesn't stop there. After a day of being cheerrful, he got feverish again, and a series of blood tests showed a lowering platelet count, a sign of dengue fever. To avert his condition before it gets really serious, he was admitted to the hospital for IV of ampicillin. Because of his hard and sticky cough that somehow contributes to his high fever, the doctor also suspected of acute bronchitis.

I'm telling you, staying at the hospital is totally uncomfortable and even risky (especially for a pregnant woman like me). Among other things, I feared that I'd get other diseases or illnesses from other in-patients. But what can I do? My son needs to stay there for proper medication and continued medical supervision.

It's his first to be hospitalized. And I'm afraid that he's getting traumatized with all these. Every time a nurse or a uniformed staff entered our room, he started crying for fear that they'll hurt him again with their needles. Even the simple act of getting his temp became a tedious and hard task.

Good thing we stayed in the hospital for only three nights. I think I'd go crazy longer than that. All of us got bored waiting for time to pass by, and Dadi got tired of doing errands amidst his busy class schedule.

Now, we're at home, and my son is busy sleeping (so I get to blog). Medications still continue until he gets completely recovered.

Get well soon, Luke! So we can play ... and write ... and watch Pooh! ;)


Laguna, Philippines
Bad days are over!

How's life in Pinas?

No nice and wide parks and playgrounds. No toys to freely play with inside the malls. No traces of fast-running trains. No yummy donuts.

But we have all day to stroll around wide but rough roads enjoying the afternoon wind. The sight of tall and dried grasses may not be as delightful as what we have seen in Japan, but this little boy is superbly happy with his simple life here. Well, isn't it obvious? ;)


At home in Laguna, Philippines
Sometime in April 2007

Yummy donuts

Back in Japan, we enjoy munching on fresh and sweet donuts that come in different flavors, appearance and shapes. Pair these with hot milk tea, and our tummies are beyond satisfaction.

Oh, how we miss these donuts! Anyone from Japan care to send us some over here? ;)



Mister Donuts
Kameari, Katsushika-ku, Japan
Sometime in March 2007

Ratsky and me

In this photo, Luke is telling everyone that he has found a new buddy. His name is Ratsky -- simply because he is a rat! ;)

Luke is somehow trying to scare you, probably saying proudly that you should be good to him, otherwise, his friend Ratsky will devour your stuff. ;)

PS: I would like to thank my good students for giving us Ratsky. ;)


At home in Kameari
March 31, 2007

On Dadi's grad day

So Dadi has finished his studies in Toudai. On his graduation day, get a glimpse of what Luke did the entire day.




The University of Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan
March 22, 2007

Luke's 2nd b-day party

Luke turned 2 last February 26th. Unlike his first birthday, which was rather grand, his 2nd birthday went by with a simple home party graced by a few of our friends. The party was kinda unplanned and we only invited some of our friends two days before the party.

More than the party, we are very happy for our son on his 2nd year. He is growing so fast that sometimes I miss his "younger" days. It was only as if yesterday when I gave birth to him, now he's already running and learning to talk. And he knows how to say NO.

Now that we are going back home, many things will be new to him. New adjustments, new things. He'll have meltdowns for sure, because of all these, but I promise myself to be there by his side to guide him through.


At home in Kameari
Luke's 2nd b-day party
February 2007

Big and still drinking from the bottle

Luke is now 2 years old, and still hasn't ditched the bottle in drinking his milk. For some kids his age, the milk bottle has long been thrown away, but for Luke, it is still pretty much part of his daily routine, drinking milk for about 6-8 times in 24 hours -- including at night time.

When will he stop drinking from the bottle? That I can not tell. We will not force him to, rather, let him voluntarily shun away from it. He alone knows when he is ready, and we'll just wait for that time to come.

However, my ordeal of cleaning and sterilizing his bottles has been dragging me to death (note: take this as an overstatement). Yeah, I'm really tired of doing that for the last two years. Imagine -- 2 long years of patiently cleaning a dozen of bottles and keeping them microbe-free. Whew, that's quite a long journey eh!


At home in Kameari
Sometime in March 2007

Wrestling with Pooh-san

It is a common knowledge (at least to most of our friends) that we love Pooh-san and his friends. Our love for him is so much that we have a vast collection of anything Pooh-ish. And that includes Pooh-san in varying sizes and in different attire.

In this photo, Luke is happily wrestling with the biggest Pooh-san we have here in Japan (you bet we have another big one back home), and the rest are scattered around our room.

This is a common sight in our house, so just imagine how I manage to put all things in order after every playtime. And please don't ask if I ever get tired of doing so... ya know my answer. ;)


At home in Kameari
Sometime in January 2007

Pretending ...

to look scary ... or angry ... or funny???

At home in Kameari
December 2006

Visiting Dadi's campus

Sometime in January, Dadi brought Luke with him when he needed to attend a meeting. After the official work, Luke enjoyed strolling around the big campus, with no disturbances from other people, which is common on a regular school day.

Enjoy his photos:




The University of Tokyo
Yayoi, Bunkyu-ku, Japan
January 2007

Back from a long hiatus

Oh, our dear friends, we're back!

Back from where? Please don't ask ... ;)

Let's just put it this way ... Mami's hands are tied these days that blogging has somehow been put aside. But that doesn't mean that our daily life is not as exciting as before. In fact, as Luke turns 2 (yeah, he's now 2!), there are more flashy things that we love to tell you about. So, allow us to go back where we had last posted. We'll try to fast track the posts so it won't sound historically (ya know what I mean).

So, hold on there, and hope you'll enjoy the upcoming posts. ;)

At the Kyoto Station

This is our last picture taken at the Kyoto Sky Gardens, a few minutes just before we entered the shinkansen tracks back to Tokyo.

Luke looked wittingly cute in this photo, probably musing about our exciting 10-day vacation from upnorth in Hokkaido down in the west in Kansai. And now, we're back in the east.

We shall never forget our grand escapade. Amazing. Exciting. Appetizing. Freezing. Simply memorable. Till next time. ;)


Kyoto Sky Gardens
JR Kyoto Station
January 4th, 2007