April at Adela's

"And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ" (Philippians 1:9-10)



April was Naomi's third month at Adela's World of the Children Daycare and she is growing by leaps and bounds! Our princess baby is now a super cruiser. She just picks herself up and grabs a hold of whatever can keep her steady and inches along on her little feet. There have been a few times that I've seen her stand and balance without any support. At those times, Mimi hasn't stepped forward, but maybe she has at school. She sure seems brave enough to stand on top of this chair:



One of the funnest features that I would enjoy if I was a kid going to school at Adela's is the tub of bouncing balls =) I remember Naomi and I went to Adela's to let her know that we had chosen her home to bring Mimi. She was apprehensive about letting me put her down even though I wasn't going anywhere. She would start to cry and hold onto my neck. But then Adela put Max in the tub of balls and Mimi, looked intrigued. I placed her in there and she didn't cry. I wouldn't say she was excited or even happy, but she was silent. That was in January... Now look at her!

From April at Adela's

Richie is the one who always picks her up and he tells me that Friday is "Party Day!" That's usually when most (if not all) of the kids are there at Adela's. When he gets her at the end of the day, there are more toys... and more noise! Up until a few days ago, there were only 5 kids total, but there's a new boy named Troy who joined the club. I think Mimi is still the only full-timer.



I've been told that when Adela or her daughter/helper Leslie speaks to Naomi in Spanish, she responds accordingly. She probably knows a lot at school, but at home, we ask her to aplaude/clap and give a besito/little kiss. Now when Richie or I say goodbye, she waves and gives a flying kiss =) Also, if I'm on the phone and then say bye, she'll say "bye", too when I hang up.

Here's another funny story to show Ganda's smart and playful personality. Adela told me that one day, Naomi went up to Max and gestured to kiss him..this usually means opening her mouth and leaning forward. So Max moves his head closer to Mimi's. As Naomi leans in to kiss Max on the forehead, she also sneakily grabs the toy that Max is holding in his hand. SWOOPED!! Both Adela and Leslie looked at each other, "Did you see that?!" and started laughing! Then Naomi just smiles, too and crawls away... with her steal in hand! Max didn't know what hit him.... poor boy didn't have a chance against Ganda's slick move!



After that story, Richie suggested that I have a little talk with our daughter. With Daddy nearby, I told Naomi, quite seriously I might add, that she was NOT allowed to kiss boys. Even if he was just her friend. And especially NOT to get her way. She might be young, but she is very sharp and appeared to understand. As I held her in my lap, at first she wouldn't look me in the eye and tried to squirm away. I'm not in the mood for a lecture, Ma! As I gently persisted, she finally looked at me bashfully and then buried her head in my neck. She didn't shed a tear, but her actions spoke louder than words. Mommy, I didn't mean any harm, but now I know and I'm sorry. Oh my, what a Precious child!

Well, it won't be for a while, but when Naomi does become a big sister, she's going to be just a wonderful little helper and a second mommy to her sibling. Adela said that everyday, Mimi goes to this one section of the shelves and plays with the dolls. It's like her own little space where she gently touches the parts of their faces and even feeds them a bottle. TOO CUTE and SO SWEET!



I still can't believe that she's going to be one in a matter of days. If I could freeze her at this stage for a little while, I would. Alas, I just have to cherish each moment and tuck away the memories of each passing day. Luckily I have this blog to look back on and I know when Naomi is old enough to appreciate it, she'll be amazed at how much she's grown!

Children's Fairyland

You will show me the path of life: in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures for ever more. (Psalm 16:11)

From Fairyland

A few weeks ago, we had a playdate at Children's Fairyland near Lake Merritt in Oakland. We went with our dear friends the Francisco's. Melissa and Chris are parents to Cathleya, a super intelligent 2 and a half year old, and they are expecting a son in July =)



Richie and I wanted to check out Fairyland as a possible birthday location for Naomi and I also wanted to take my god-daughter somewhere specifically for her to have fun since Melissa and I usually meet up for lunch at a restaurant. Fairyland has been around for 60 years and, supposedly, was Walt Disney's inspiration to create a children's amusement park. It's no Disneyland, but it's quite charming. Very young children will think this place is huge and it's totally catered to them.



Naomi was all smiles and was enjoying the sites and sounds. She's probably have more fun when she's 2 years old and can roam around and explore on her own two feet. Somewhere on Yelp! a reviewer said that "you should bring your kids to Fairyland before bringing them to Disneyland." Well... consider it done! Fairyland was fun, but it's no Disneyland. We probably won't go back to Fairyland until she's old enough to say she'd like to go when asked, but.... next month, Disneyland, here we come!!

Kumusta Kaibigan!

Wealth makes many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbor. (Proverbs 19:4)

HELLO FRIEND! Naomi's newest happiness comes from waving hello =) She used to only wave to Mama and Papa, but now she likes to wave back to those lovely people who smile and wave at her. Mimi waves both from side to side and more recently, she'd been closing and opening her hand. It's too cute!

Her best buddies are the kids at school. Since the weather has been nice, they have been spending some time playing in the backyard. Here's a darling photo of Mimi sitting on a tricycle... eyes wide open! "Look at what I got!"

From Out and About

Naomi had a fun playdate last Friday with her new friend Malaya Kaelah. Naomi and I met Malaya and her mommy Hidhe at a cafe called Sadie Dey's. It's a fun place where kids can explore and play while the adults do whatever it is that we do at cafes =) Some parents were on their computers, while others like me and Hidhe were catching up with each others lives. Malaya just turned 1 year old but she's been walking since she was 9 mos! Little Mimi was loving the freedom to crawl around and discover what the big kids were doing. Mimi had grilled cheese and Malaya shared her peanut butter & banana sandwich, too. We'll definitely go back to Sadie Dey's again =)



Hidhe and Malaya only live a few blocks away so when the play cafe closed shop, we headed over to their place. This was when the girls really got to hang out. Also, Malaya is proof that "Your Baby Can Read!" I know you've seen the commercials! She's been watching the programs since she was a month old and watching her in action was amazing! Not only does she read the word out loud, but she does the action, too. Like sniff for "smell" or smile for "happy". The true test of whether it's memorized or not came when Hidhe wrote "mimi" on the board and Malaya said it! Well sorta... she read it with the short 'i' sound - which totally makes sense. Then Hidhe tried another word that Malaya has never seen: "apat" (four in tagalog)... and she said it perfectly! WOW! I'm a believer!

When it was time to go home, Malaya got gigil on Naomi =) Gigil is kind of a difficult Tagalog word to translate. The best definition I saw online to explain 'gigil' was this: "the irresistible urge to pinch someone because the person is well liked/loved". That pretty much sums up how Malaya must have been feeling towards Mimi. It was so adorable because Malaya hugged Mimi several times but with absolute gigil! The expression on her face was like she was squeezing Mimi so hard with joy! Malaya was even shaking a little bit, but her hug was still very gently and not suffocating at all =) Naomi was just looking at her like, "what is this little girl doing?" No worries baby Ganda. Malaya knows a sweetie when she meets one ;)



Both girls seem to have the same gentle temperament and I have a wonderful feeling that they will be getting to know each other a lot better for a loooong time. Same goes for my new friendship with Hidhe. Another fabulous mommy for me to bond with and another buddy for Mimi-Girl, too! Praise God for good friends and the faith we share in Him!