Ryken's 1st Chinese Costume

This terno was bought by his Ninang K and Ninong Oliver in Beijing last January.

welcome to the temple, hehehe..

Ryken seemed to like it. :)

his "pout your lips" pose

Ni hao ma. :D

Toddler Passport Application at DFA Aseana on a Saturday

Just wanted to share my experience in applying for my then 19-month-old son's passport last March 26, 2011 at DFA Aseana. Siya lang ang kinuhanan ko since yung passports naming mag-asawa will expire in 2013 pa.

I scheduled the appointment online last January. Since I usually wake up late on a Saturday, I got the latest schedule which is 11:30am. We almost did not make it, hehe. We arrived DFA at 11:50am and parked at the vacant lot just across the office. The guard allowed both me and hubby to enter even if si Ryken lang ang may appointment. We went first to the appointment verification counter then to the waiting area for document verification. Pagpasok nga namin sa loob, saktong sinarado na ang gate. :)

Wow, ang daming tao!! We were 2nd to the last in line. All the while I thought we can pay for the regular processing worth Php950.00. Yun pala, if your appointment is on a Saturday, you will pay Php1,200.00 dahil special schedule na raw yun at considered overtime for the employees. Ngek! Nalaman ko kasi yun nung malapit na kami sa unahan ng line. Kung nalaman ko lang agad, sana pala umakyat na kami sa 2nd floor since I am a government employee and I can use the courtesy lane. Hindi naman kasi kami nagmamadaling kumuha ng passport. Though mabilis namang gumalaw ang pila dahil maraming counters ang bukas.

The officer at the document verification window got Ryken's application and orig birth certificate, a xerox copy of our marriage certificate, and the photocopy of my passport. I signed the Affidavit of Consent to Travel sa application kasi so it was the copy of my passport that they attached to the form. I prepared all the supporting documents, orig with xerox copies, kaya kita agad ng officer and he just returned to me the copies na hindi na kailangan.

Love-Hate Relationship with Water

Ryken likes bathing in a pail or batya.

He's not fond of the beach or the swimming pool.

His first beach encounter was in Puerto Galera at 6 1/2 months old.

His next beach experience was in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte at 7 1/2 months old.

He never liked it.

Bye-Bye, Ate Male (Marie)

Last May 14, Ryken's yaya, Ate Angie, and her daughter, Anamarie, left for their home in Mansalay, Oriental Mindoro.  It's just a vacation for our yaya but for Marie, she has decided to stay there again after spending a year with us. She was my mom's companion in Tandang Sora since we now live in Meycauayan.  My mom enrolled her in a public high school near our place and she went there as a 2nd year student for SY 2010-2011.  It proved difficult for her because she had to adjust to the teaching style here and the additional expenses, too, which were very different from her school in Mindoro.  I always assisted her with her assignments and projects.  She contributed a lot to the preparations for Ryken's 1st birthday celebration.  She was a big help to my mom, and she took good care of my pet dog, Batsing.

Ryken fondly calls her "Ate Male" and he considers her as his playmate.  Marie loves kids and I really saw how affectionate she was with Ryken.

We will surely miss you, Ate Male! Take care and see you again. :)

Floor Doodles

Ryken loves music and art.  He dances to any tune, sings a few songs (Twinkle, Twinkle, Happy Birthday, and the theme songs of the teleserye Mutya, Mara Clara, and Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin), writes on his Tito Ninong Jolo's Kinder notebook with his jumbo pencil, and colors his coloring books with also jumbo crayons.  I probably influenced him into liking music since I love to sing.  He also knows the "I love you forever" song from the Love You Forever book by Robert Munsch, which I always sing to him at bedtime (I made my own tune).

One night, we colored his coloring books while watching a Kapamilya teleserye. I was glued to the TV screen and when I looked at Ryken again, here's what surprised us:



Oh no! Doodle on the living room tiles! (that's Ryken's yaya beside him, who was also glued to the TV that time, hehe..)

  

And it's bloody red!
Next time, I should pay more attention to my child than on the teleserye, hehe..