Forced Weaning

P is currently 30 months old and I've been thinking of weaning him after he turned two years old. He only latches before sleeping and when he's fussy in the car. Every time I tell him he can't latch, he kicks up a fuss so I end up feeding him.

When my operation was scheduled, I once again tried to wean him but I could not bear his crying. Besides, he became extra clingy after my ovarian cyst was discovered, as if he knew that something was wrong. I was not about to push him away then, figuratively speaking.

So we ended up forced weaning cold turkey. I spent 2 nights in the hospital. My sister was the one who slept beside him and she said ge tried to pull up her shirt while half-asleep. Hahaha. When I got home, he tried to come near me for me to carry him and I would show him my bandages. He'd say, "Funny, Mommy." At night, we kept pillows between us especially on my stomach area, and he'd try to cuddle. However, he never specifically asked for "dede mommy".

I guess that's that, we're weaned. Now I have to wean him from the bottle and maybe potty train him.

Last Day of Summer School

Since P has been crying every session of his summer school, I decided to go with him on his last day. Due to perpetual mommy guilt, I brought a cake for the teachers who had to endure his crying two days a week, haha.

Predictably, he started crying as soon as we arrived. He clung to me until we got to the play area. He was still crying until he realized that there was space for him to run around.

During the free play, he was identifying letters, shapes and numbers which apparently surprised the teacher aide that he knew these. Of course, he spent the previous sessions wailing.

Then they were ushered inside the class room for singing and activities. He did not want to sit down and preferred to roam around. Ayayay. They did a couple of crafts wherein he surprisingly participated in. Teacher had to tell me, "Mommy, ngayon lang po nag-participate si P." Wahaha. 

Yun lang, he painted the table and not the paper. And he did not want to wear the hat he decorated. :))

And then, the two hours was over. He was given a certificate and pictures for posterity, When I looked inside his envelope, his work sheets were untouched, haha. Oh well. I guess it is too early for him to be in a structured environment as he was the youngest at two (2) years old. Again, this confirms my plan to enroll him in a couple of years.

P Goes to Summer School

We enrolled P in summer school for the month of May. We wanted him to have more interaction with other kids. I was thinking tuloy, when I was younger, our parents' problem was that we wanted to play all the time that we sometimes go home at dinner time already. Now, as parents, our problem is that our kids seem to have no one to play with outside. Also, his cousin was supposed to enroll in Filipino tutorial classes at the same schedule but the same did not push through. Unfortunately, we have paid a P3,000.00 non-refundable deposit.

We enrolled in a small progressive school near our place. They meet twice a week for 2 hours. I was a bit surprised when I saw the requirements – birth certificate, immunization and baby book records, and a long list of clothes and wipes and shoes to bring to school. Akala ko summer school lang?

I went with P on his first day, only one companion was allowed inside. They started with songs, then free play, recess, then an activity. P was the youngest in the group and he showed no interest in participating. Waaa. In the subsequent sessions, he went with his dad and ate, but they were not allowed inside so he kept on crying daw. It was only during the last class that his ate was allowed inside. He still would not participate but at least he did not cry much.

We have 3 more sessions to go. I'm just sad that there's no Gymboree Trinoma, that would have been the best place for him to learn to play with others. And I concede that he is really too young for a structured school set-up, seems like I am right in my plan to enroll him when he's 4 years already - plus I have time to save up!

P Can Spell His Name!

I started teaching him last night at bedtime and he did it today. Hooray! Granted that his first name is only 3 letters so it's not much of a stretch, but still! *happy dance*

His daddy also took him swimming in the neighborhood pool yesterday and they told me he cried. Well, it was because he imitated his dad who dove under and thus gulped some water. Boys will be boys. Now we're thinking of enrolling him in swimming lessons, among our many many other plans!

P's Moments This Week

I have a bad case of Mommy brain since I had P, which I really hate. The Mommy Brain part okay, because I used to be really good at remembering things.

Anyhoo, a few updates this week:

• P has been tagging along when Daddy brings me to the train station. After a couple of days, he has started to willingly offer his cheek for me to kiss as soon we turn right on EDSA and see the train. 

• Last night (March 8), I was reading his book "Tree" to him and I noticed that he'd say the last word of every sentence ahead of me. I'm surprised because this book is more complicated than his other books. Whoa. Which is making me re-think if I should enroll him in pre-pre-school. Based on my computation, we should enroll him in K1 on 2019 pa. I don't want to put him in school too early eh. Maybe we should reconsider Gymboree even if he hated the first class haha.

• He can say "agi", "andi" and "ney" which are Pangasinan and Ilocano words. He can say "ayaw" for "no" or "hindi". His "n" comes out as "m", so he says "wet lam" for "wait lang" and "en dem" for "and then". Haha.

 

P's Moments last February

P is becoming more and more talkative lately. Like any mommy, I was a bit worried when he is not as talkative or bibo like other toddlers but then I attributed it to his being a boy, because boys are generally not talkative, right? He likes to sing though, as in he sometimes sings in his sleep, or as soon as he wakes up.

Here are some of his notable moments last month:

• Last week-end, we went home for my Dad's birthday. P used to shy away from his grandparents because he rarely sees them. Now, he's more sociable. My parents want to be called "Momsy" and "Popsy". Note: none of P's grandparents want to be called "lolo" and "lola", H's parents are "Papa" and "Mama". Anobeh. Anyhoo, this week-end, P called my dad
  "Pa-see" and my mom "Mam-es". Kyot.
• He preferred his "Pa-see". He would grab Pa-see's hand and drag him to the sala then back to the rocking chair in the bedroom. And they would make a pit stop in the bookself in the aisle.
• P knows how to kiss and "nose-to-nose".
• P can already say most of our names.
• P can sing "Versace on the Floor" because his ates always listen to it. Waaa.
• P likes ice cream and popcorn. He can demand for juice, water and "Ka-ki" for Chuckie.
• P recognizes the Jollibee and McDo signs.
• P likes to color his hands and the high chair.
• He can recognize letters and numbers.

P Eats like a Viking

Hubby celebrated his birthday last Monday and we had dinner at Vikings. Hubby's meal was free due to the birthday promo while P still qualified for the free child meal. Hence, we only paid for my meal. It was sulit though because P ate cheese fries, popcorn, mac and cheese, quite a serving of pancit canton and two scoops of ice cream! All washed down with a glass of Four Seasons juice! He indeed ate like a Viking! :)

To see more of Vikings promos, click here


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First Times at Gymboree

Last January 22 was P's first time at Gymboree for gym play. As soon as we set him down, he made a beeline for the balls and the basketball hoop. He had the time of his life shooting balls, going down the slide and diving on the big mattress, but he basically ignored the rest. Haha.

On February 4, we took him to his first preview class. He was placed in Level 5. When we arrived, he immediately played with the balls. And when the class started, he basically bawled his head off. He did not want to participate! At one point, they were instructed to look for cars on the floor, he promptly took the car another kid was holding and played with it. He did not want to give it back. When the box of maracas was brought out, he wanted to open the box immediately. He only calmed down during the bubbles time. He again cried at the end - he did not like the parachute. I apologized to the teacher and she told me it was normal for first-timers. Haha. I don't want to put him in school yet but I want more socializing activities for P. Hmmm...

P Update: Saying Our Names

Whoa, I can't believe that February is half-over. I've been such a bad mommy blogger, well, make that a bad blogger. I intended to use this blog to document stuff so I won't forget, but I forget to update. How ironic.

Anyhoo, P just learned to say our names. I remember it was February 5, he and I were downstairs walking when we saw his daddy up on the terrace. I called his Daddy by name and he repeated it. Glad I caught that on video. Then I started teaching him my name but he has a hard time saying it. Hubby suggested that we teach him my second name which is what I'm called by my family but it came out as "Ke-ke" - not nice to hear. Eventually, he's been saying my first name. He has also said the names of his aunts. However, I have no video of him saying my name because as soon as I switch on the phone camera, he clams up! Loko-loko!

23 Months Old

Yesterday, P turned 23 months old! One month until the terrible two's, eeep! Although I feel like he's been transitioning to his terrible two's as early as last month. We went abroad for around two weeks sans yaya thus we were together 24/7. The good thing about the trip was that he was without a TV for a long time and he became more talkative and yakked gibberish all the time. The bad thing is that we discovered he can now throw tantrums, throw things when he's on a tantrum and even hit people! So far, he has hit me and the yayas and it's been a struggle to control my temper. Admittedly, I've yelled at him a couple of times and he cries and then we make up. He has not hit his Daddy as it seems like he is more afraid of him.

He had the time of his life during our trip as he had more space to run around in. He has taken to singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” all the time, with the tune and some discernible words. He also sings the alphabet song and “The Wheels on the Bus”.

Last week, after much insisting from my mother, I started teaching him to eat using utensils. I have been putting off this task because the thought of the mess alone is stressing me out. But we have two househelpers right now who are sisters, might as well take advantage of the plenty of manpower. So, when he was spoonfed, he is a voracious eater. We call him “Boy Buffet”. But when we introduced the spoon and fork to him, he has used them to play with his food. So much so that after a few minutes, I tell the ate to spoon-feed him already. I figured the utensils are still a novelty? Ay, caramba! One week-end or holiday I will sit with him and we won't get up until he starts and finishes eating by himself.

Also, I am still breastfeeding him at night because he still demands for it. He is so heavy though and likes to nurse while on top of me so, poor mommy. I plan to wean him after he turns two. Yikes. And then maybe potty-training time? Double yikes.