I now have new dishes to prepare for the Holidays courtesy of the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club!

Last November 15, I was able to attend the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club Holiday Special event at the Hemady Square Events Place in Quezon City. Yes, I was able to convince my husband to travel from our kingdom in the South all the way to the North! It’s a good thing that this event was all worth it. I was able to learn a lot about cooking, met some of my fellow mommy bloggers (Hello Mommy Mel!) and learned new dishes that I can add up to my menu.

Fly Ace Corporation, the company behind Doña Elena products, had a lot in store for all the guests who came in to participate at their Holiday Special. The event was well attended by members of the Cuisinera Club (which was really a lot), members of the media and several bloggers.

There were booth activities for guests to enjoy. Bob the Capers and Guess How Many Pasta is in the Jar are among them. Guests were also treated to samples of Carbonara, Penne in Tomato Sauce, Nachos and another dish that I forgot. I was able to taste the Penne. I have noticed that this pasta is firmer than what I usually eat. I will use this when I am ready to make my first baked zitti 🙂

Members of the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club and bloggers eagerly anticipated the raffle. Prizes include Doña Elena and Jolly products, cooking magazines, small kitchen appliances and a microwave oven as the grand prize.

Karen Saguiped, Fly Ace Corporation Product Manager for Noodles, Pasta, Condiments and Sauces gave us a background of the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club. For 7 years, it has inspired a growing community of kitchen-lovers to live a healthy lifestyle without compromising the quality and flavor of the food that they prepare and serve for their families. The Club holds cooking classes, nutrition talks and food tasting activities so members can know more about cooking  and exchange kitchen tips with each other. Karen also gave an overview of  the  Doña Elena Olive Oil, Anchovies, Olives, Capers, Capers, Sardines and Canned Tomatoes.

Rachelle Chang,  Fly Ace Corporation Product Assistant came in next and talked about the Doña Elena Al Dente Pasta, the only Artisan Quality pasta brand. I have discovered that this brand use bronze dies to craft their pasta leaving a rough surface to the pasta that helps it absorb the sauce better. Al Dente has Fettucine, Spaghetti, Penne Rigate, Fusilli and Lasagna. All these five variants are made from 100% Durum Wheat Semolina, has higher protein content and 100% GMO-free.

After the presentation of Doña Elena products, Professor Luchie Callanta, resident nutritionist of Doña Elena, gave an informative talk and debunked the myth that canned goods are rich in preservatives. She asserted that  Doña Elena canned products are picked and canned at their freshness thus preserving their good quality. She added that when you cook canned tomatoes, you actually release more of the lycopene.  I have also learned from her that a serving in the size of your fist is the right one and that the brain takes 20 minutes to tell you when you are full already. These are things that we must consider before we hit the buffet and enjoy a sumptuous feast at the holidays.

Chef Golda Laurel Liamzon, the jolly resident chef of Doña Elena taught everyone how to cook and prepare a full course meal that we can serve come Christmas and New Year’s Eve. She showed everyone how to make Salmon Caesar Salad, Doña Elena Lengua Estofado, Mediterranean Lasagna, and Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Cookies the Doña Elena way. For every recipe, she invited a member of the audience to take part in the cooking, making the demo more interactive and fun.

Mommy Mel volunteered for the first recipe, the Salmon Caesar Salad. I am not a fan of salmon, but when I watched how this salad was prepared, I am inclined to make one for my family and actually eat it 🙂 I was amazed at how Chef Golda showed us that we can make our own dressing using egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, mashed Doña Elena Flat Fillet Anchovies and Doña Elena Pure Olive Oil.

Here’s the finished product. The Caesar Salad topped with crispy salmon fillet, croutons and Parmesan cheese.

The best part of every live cooking demo is that everyone in the audience gets to have a taste of all the dishes that were prepared earlier 🙂 Except for the cookies, we were given sampling portions of the Caesar Salad, Lengua Estofado and the Mediterranean Lasagna. They may not look appealing in the photo below but I can guarantee that they all taste sooo good! I’d like to make all of them, except the Lengua, for Christmas. According to Chef Golda, the lengua takes several hours to prepare just to make it really tender. I am not patient enough to do that as it contributes to stress on the highest level 😀

I was able to take home these goodies from Doña Elena courtesy of MJ Cordova, Fly Ace Corporation PR and Digital Marketing Manager.  Thank you, Ms. MJ! 🙂 The Doña Elena Spanish Sardines were proudly bottled here in our country from the province of Dipolog. These sardines are rich in Calcium and Vitamin D. Each bottle contains more and bigger herring fish. Being a lover of Spanish sardines, I was so happy to try it out and it did not fail to satisfy my tummy! I am saving the Doña Elena Whole Peeled Tomatoes for my kitchen adventure.

To know more about this club and how to be a member, visit the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club on Facebook.

If you have been reading my blog, you would notice that I have been into a lot of kitchen adventures. It’s a mix of dishes which I was able to cook successfully and those that I need to improve on. Through all of my kitchen adventures, I aim to expand my cooking horizon (if there is such a thing) and make every meal that I whip out from my humble kitchen palatable and satisfying for my husband and our son.

Getting this invite from the Doña Elena Cuisinera Club was one of the happiest mail I have received 🙂

I am so excited to learn new recipes that I can add up to my holiday menu. The Doña Elena Cuisinera Club Holiday Special event will be filled with informative talks, food tasting, games and raffle plus a live cooking demo from Chef Golda Liamzon. This event is open for everyone but reservation is a must. See you on Saturday! 🙂

I’m a mom to a very active 21-month old toddler. Most of the time, he just wouldn’t want to lie down for a nappy change. He is almost always squirming whenever I put him down to change his diapers. It is as if to say, “Mom, I’m too busy to lie down!” How does Mommy cope? I change his diapers as quickly as I can and has to contend with his constant wiggling. The result? The diaper that I just put on him was either too tight or a bit lopsided. When it’s too tight, he gets rashes around the waist and on his inner areas. If his diaper is unevenly fit, he gets poopy leaks. Yikes! Certainly bad for both baby and Mommy!

As my little one gets older and becomes more mobile and eager to explore and do a lot of things, I need to keep up as he advances to a different and exciting stage. I have to trade his baby stuff with things that are more appropriate for his age and new needs. I am switching to a different type of diaper that will make nappy change become less of a struggle and more of a happy and comfortable experience.

I was on the look out for a toddler-appropriate diaper and I was more than happy to discover the Huggies Dry Pants. With Huggies Dry Pants, we can go on an easy palit anytime and anywhere. No more squirming and screaming. No more frustrating nappy changes. Changing time ay play time na! 🙂 I wouldn’t have to worry about re-adjusting the fit just to make sure that my sweetie pie is comfortable and that there will be no unwanted stains on his short pants. That’s because Huggies Dry Pants is so easy to use. I just have to help him slip it on and we’re done! As the jingle goes, “Easy palit! Just step, step up!” Aside from making nappy changes hassle-free, it also prepares him for when he is ready to use briefs. I can see that it will help us a lot in our potty training. Also, with dry pants, we can change into fresh diapies ( what we call diapers here at home) in a jiffy while in the car or some place where a changing table is not available. There are indeed a lot of benefits for using Huggies Dry Pants!

Here’s proof that Huggies Dry Pants is certified toddler-approved. Watch my little one do his thing with his dry pants on 🙂

This is it! Our cutie pie doing his thing for the #HuggiesPantsUp Dance Showdown! @huggiesphilippines @nuffnangph

A video posted by argevalencia (@argevalencia) on Oct 28, 2014 at 5:23pm PDT

Mommies, have I not convinced you yet? Maybe, this little fun contest will persuade you 🙂 Let’s all join the Huggies Dry Pants Dance Showdown that will let us win one year supply of Huggies Dry Pants (super awesome for me and my little one), an overnight hotel accommodation for 2 (perfect date night with The Husband), and spa gift certificates (for a wonderful girls-only bonding). Isn’t this exciting?!

It’s so easy to join!

1. Download the Step, Step Up jingle.

2. Take a video of your baby wearing Huggies Dry Pants and dancing to this catchy jingle.

3. Upload your baby’s video.

Visit Huggies PH on Facebook to submit your entry. Join now! 🙂

It’s been a dream of ours to travel as a family outside the country. We have included that in our Faith Goals for this year and we have prayed fervently and saved earnestly for our first ever out-of-the-country family vacation. Our initial plan was to go to Hongkong so we can bring our little one to Disneyland. We changed our minds and chose Japan instead. It was like hitting two birds with one stone because we still get to see Mickey Mouse, since there is Disneyland in Tokyo, plus we can visit my husband’s brothers at the same time! We got excited for every step that we have accomplished in preparing for this trip. From applying for Louiji’s passport to booking our flights and from obtaining Japanese visas and packing our bags, going over these tasks just makes us closer to the reality of our dream vacation.

The flight from Manila to Narita is four hours. We left PH at 5:25AM and landed in JP at 10:25AM. There is a one hour time difference between these countries. I couldn’t sleep during that flight but it’s a good thing that our little man fell asleep just before take off. I breastfed him as soon as we got settled in our seats not only to put him to sleep but also to save his ears from aching due to the change in air pressure. It’s a life-saving advice that I got from my fellow mom bloggers who traveled with their babies. We also did that when we were about to land.  Here’s the view from my window. I enjoy looking at the clouds as well as the terrain and bodies of water below and I can’t help but marvel at God’s creations!

At about an hour before we landed, Louiji woke up and was very active. For a while, my husband and I were able to entertain him with the snacks that we brought with us and our trusty iPad that has all of his favorite apps. Here he was playing with his all-time-favorite Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Road Rally. Notice that the seat beside my husband is vacant. The old Japanese man who was sitting beside him was kind enough to give up his seat and move to the row behind us. My husband actually asked if he could move a little so we can pass and transfer to the last row. It’s a good thing that we didn’t have to do that. There are indeed kind and very considerate passengers for those who are traveling with babies.

But, because it was really that time of the day when our son is very much awake and excited to play, he became fussy. He got frustrated because there’s not much space for him to move around. We tried to pacify him by giving him other stuff that he can play with (such as the empty water bottle and plastic cup) and by breastfeeding him. After a while, he would get bored and become fussy again. It’s a good thing that we landed not long after. We deplaned after most of the passengers have left. Our little boy was so happy to have walked again! He happily trotted on the aisles of the plane and he was tugging his Daddy’s hand while we were waiting for his stroller at the plane’s exit because he just couldn’t wait to explore the wide and open spaces of this new place.

There’s not much people in the arrival area which enabled us to take a quick snap of our first family photo in The Land of the Rising Sun. We looked tired and deprived of sleep but we were really happy to have finally made our dream come true!

We made a pit stop to the restroom to freshen up and for Louiji’s nappy change. I just couldn’t help but take pictures of the restroom. It is very mommy-and-baby-friendly. It is also very convenient for people with disabilities (PWD). It is squeaky clean and it smells good. Just look at the collage below. I just hope to we have restrooms like that in the Philippines that the public can use for free.

It’s a good thing that the Narita airport is equipped with walkalators. We were able to let our toddler walk on his own, which he has been doing since he learned to walk steadily, without worrying that he might wander off. He actually enjoyed walking running in that entire stretch.

From Narita, we have to take an hour  and a half train ride going to Yokohama, where my brother-in-law resides. Because not all Japanese can speak English, the instructions that we have received from the person manning the platform were unclear. We boarded the train that stopped in front of us. We settled on our seats with our baby in his stroller and our luggage in tow. I was giggling with excitement but my husband felt uneasy and he kept on looking around. It turns out that we boarded the wrong train! He told us to get ready because we are getting off on the next stop. I don’t know how we did it but we have managed to get off quickly, with our baby in the stroller and our heavy bags in tow, and were able to catch the right train that will take us to our destination.

Ooops! Wrong train!

Finally, we have reached Yokohama safe and sound. Our baby was able to take a nap during our train ride which put him in a good mood. My husband and I were able to survive on energy bars and candies that I packed so we could munch on something when we can’t have a decent meal just yet. Yokohama is a busy station with lots of people going to and from different directions. It is very clean and organized and there’s a tourist information center which is very helpful for first-time visitors like us and offers free wi-fi cards for foreigners. That station, actually all train stations in Japan, is very convenient for parents with kids on strollers and for PWDs. Just look at the buttons of their elevator. Below each Nihongo inscription are embossed clusters of dots which are designed for people with visual impairment. Even the floors and platforms in train stations are embossed to assist the blind as well.

When we got to my BIL’s place, we rested a bit then proceeded to Maruetsu, a grocery store within the area, to buy water and some of our food supplies. It was a big store and you can get everything that you need for the home. They even have a small stationery section. I have noticed that they have a system that is very different from what we have here in the Philippines. After customers have paid for their groceries at the cashier, they will be given plastic bags which are just enough to pack what they have bought. After which, they would need to move to another section where there are rolls of smaller plastic bags for when you need to pack goods separately.

We had a full day indeed and our family adventure was just about to begin. We were in Japan for 9 days and I still have a lot of stories and more pictures to share. That is why I decided to segment our Japan vacay story into several posts. If you are planning to or are going to Japan, I hope that you find this post helpful. Feel free to ask questions about our trip in the comments below 🙂

It’s a special day today! Louiji just turned 21 months old today! I have recorded a lot of new things pertaining to his growth and development. I have noted some funny and amusing observations, too. The one thing that stands out, which his Dad and I both noticed is that Louiji is beginning to express his independence that sometimes lead to tantrums. That is when we began to impose timeouts.

Here are moments that made me smile, feel very happy and so proud of our little one:

• Louiji can now eat a banana properly with minimal supervision! He holds it properly. I would peel the banana half way and hand it to him. He would take a bite then give the fruit back to me. After he has finished munching, he would then take the banana from me and take another bite. We would repeat this routine.

• Louiji finished a bowl of lomi, making me The Happiest Cook in the World! It was my first time to cook that dish and didn’t follow a recipe. I just prepared it and hoped that it will taste like my Mom’s lomi. That’s how adventurous I am in my kitchen! I was so glad that time that I did not fail to satisfy the palate of our picky eater.

• Louiji helped Mommy clean the center table! He saw me wiping the surface and when I paused to pick up something, he took the wash cloth and wiped the table as I did. Yesterday, he did the same thing when he saw me cleaning his mat. I’m happy to have a Little Helper 🙂

• Since we got back from our vacation trip in Japan, Louiji has become so fond of his two Mickey Mouse dolls. He would hug and bite on their noses and would tell Mommy to hug them, too. Last week while we were eating lunch, he took my hand and pointed at the direction of one of the Mickey dolls. He wanted me to pick that up and give it to him. When I did, he pushed the doll near our plate and spoon that I was using to feed him. He wanted me to offer a spoonful to Mickey before I feed him again. Silly little one!

• While Louiji was watching an episode of Barney where the kids were singing about the benefits of eating healthy foods, our baby pointed at his teeth and skin at the same time the kids did. At this time, he can identify his eyes and hair without fail. We are working on the rest of the body parts and I know that one of these days, he will be able to point at the correct part right away.

• Baby loves playing with marbles, those that belong to his older cousins. Glad that my niece let us borrowed their collection of marbles. Our little man would empty the bucket then he will put back the marbles one by one. He would do that repeatedly. My husband has read somewhere that kids his age are fond of that kind of game.

• Recently, Louiji asked me to put on the Avengers bucket on his head and then he played around the house with that thing on his head. I think he liked it the first time I did that to him and called him a soldier.

• Whenever Louiji would see his Enfapro activity book, he would bring it to me and turn it on the page where Move Your Body is on. He will then clap his hands and ask me to sing that song and do the actions as indicated.

• Louiji enjoys sitting on his car seat again not inside the car but in our living room 🙂 He uses it as a rocking chair while watching TV. He would sit on it and stand up right away to make the seat bounce a little.  But, I don’t let him do it when I or his Dad is not beside him.

• Louiji now knows how to clean up. Once, he picked up his toys and put them back inside the box. I just hope that he does it each time I tell him to do so.

• Louiji wants to eat on his own using his fingers. It’s a sign of independence and in a way an exercise of control of which and how much food he would take in at each meal.

• Whenever he wants me to do something for him, he would take my hand and nudge me toward an object. The same goes for whenever he wants me to accompany him somewhere. Whenever he wants to play basketball with Mommy, he would get his ball and come to me, take my hand and lead me to where his Little Tikes is.

• Louiji knows that socks are meant for the feet and that a cap is for the head. When he sees his own pair of socks, he would take them and place them on top of his feet. He would also take his cap or beanie and put it on his head.

• Brushing his teeth is still a battle. Louiji just wouldn’t let Mommy or Daddy brush his little teeth and his tiny tongue. But, he already knows that the toothbrush is meant for the mouth. One time, we let him hold it and then he imitated how we did it by dipping the brush on his tumbler of water and putting it on his mouth. He was not able to do that properly but it’s a start. We are using a fluoride-free tooth gel that was prescribed by his pedia.

• We bought Louiji a pair of slippers that he can wear at home. I’m so glad that he likes wearing it. His little feet are still getting used to his new footwear and he would walk carefully so as not to let them slip out. When they do, our little boy would come to me and ask me to put them back on.

• He’s got a new tooth. A new one has just sprang up on the lower right corner of his gums.

• Each time he asks me to read him the story of Little Red Riding Hood and we would get to the part where the wolf, dressed in Granny’s clothes, would snarl at the girl, Louiji would imitate the growling sound that I make for the beast. As soon as we get to the last part of the story where Red’s father arrived and made the wolf go away, he would pull me and hug me.

These are all the milestones and moments that I have recorded in my phone and those that I have remembered. I pray that there will be more in the months to come 🙂

May the Lord bless and protect you all the days of your life, Louiji!

Louiji turned 20 months old last September 14 and it felt really special because it coincided with our first ever out-of-the-country family vacation 🙂 These are two milestones that we are so blessed to have achieved. Our trip to Japan is one of our faith goals for 2014 and we have been praying for it for the longest time. On the other hand, Louiji’s monthsaries are events that we always look forward to each month.

As parents, we are very happy to have witnessed the following:

• Louiji knew when a book is upside down. One time, he flipped a book in its proper orientation before he gave it to me and asked me to read it to him.

• Louiji began to love dancing. Before, he would only dance while watching his favorite TV shows and movies and whenever we sing to him. Now, seeing an object that would remind him of those tunes will make him turn round and round and dance with his arms.

• Louiji loved eating Daddy’s pork belly and baguio beans recipe. My husband was so happy to see that all his efforts from slaving in the kitchen that day was highly appreciated by our little prince.

• Louiji ate his very first French toast. It’s that one breakfast recipe that I’m willing to cook and eat each morning.

• Whenever we go to the bathroom to wash his bum after he does a # 2, I would ask, “O Louiji, pano pwesto natin pag wash ng petpet?” He would get into position right away! That task used to be a struggle for both of us and it made my back hurt. So happy and proud that my toddler and I have finally gotten over that challenge!

• Our baby boy ate my first beef and brocolli! It was worth the hours of cooking the beef until it’s very tender for Louiji to eat.

• Louiji has fewer tantrums and he now knows how to obey Mommy! Praise God!!!

• Louiji’s anxiety towards other people has decreased significantly. He has become comfortable hugging and kissing our relatives from my husband’s side of the family and even our friends from church!

• Louiji was able to recognize little details on his books. In his “Nighty Night” book, he was able to notice that Cookie Monster had his hands together as if he was praying. Louiji pointed that out and imitated it. On his book, “We Love Greendale”, he pointed at the tiny cows. I then said, “The cow says mooo” repeatedly. After a while, he made the same sound! Also, in the book “I Am a Monster”, he imitated me when I acted out “I am strong” and he insisted that we do it again and again 🙂

• I forgot to note in the last couple of months that Louiji calls out to all animals that he would see whether alive, in pictures or as toys. He would stretch out his right hand and twist his thumb with his pointer and middle finger to call on that animal.

• Whenever I would sing the song “Here I am to Worship”, Louiji would automatically raise his hand when he hears the word “worship.”

• Louiji recognizes the photo of a duck in his photo album, points at it and makes sounds that sound like “duck, duck, duck” or a quacking sound. On the same page, he would point at the ball repeatedly and he would stretch out his arms as if he is about to catch a ball.

I am excited to see our little boy’s milestones for this month! I’m sure that God will surprise us in the best way with more progress in our son’s  learning and development 🙂

For this season of my Kitchen Adventures, I now bring you my own version of Beef and Broccoli!

The photo doesn’t look nice but this Beef and Broccoli really tastes good 😉

Judge not, peeps! Judge not the photo! I know that I still have a lot to learn when it comes to food photography. Time will come when my photos will look more appealing. For now, let’s settle with a decent-looking food photo 😉

The first time that I tasted this dish was at my parents’ house. I didn’t like it back then because I am not a fan of broccoli. The main reason why I included this dish in last week’s menu was because I wanted Louiji to be more acquainted with this veggie. I was so happy and proud that he liked it the first time he ate it at a cousin’s wedding. And so, when I have found a reasonably priced broccoli and beef at the supermarket, I thought of cooking it for my boys. I did not looked for a recipe nor asked my Dad for help (he was the one who cooked it at home). I just had a memory of what it tastes like and so that’s where I began. The following are the list of ingredients and the process by which I prepared and cooked my version of Beef and Broccoli.

Ingredients:

• ¼ kilo of beef, cut into bite-sized strips
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 3 pcs of calamansi
• Garlic, crushed
• Onions, minced
• Broccoli (small bundle), cut into smaller portions
• 2 tbsp butter
• A dash of pepper to taste
• 3 tbsp brown sugar*

Steps:

1. Marinate beef in soy sauce and calamansi for at least an hour.
2. Place the marinated beef with its marinade in a pot with just enough water to cover the meat. Braise it for 2 hours or until tender. You may braise the beef for less time if you will use a pressure cooker.
3. Add onions and garlic.
4. As soon as the beef is tender, remove the pot from heat.
5. Heat the wok. Add butter and saute broccoli.
6. Add in the braised beef and stir fry with the broccoli.
7. Add in ¼ cup of soy sauce** and ¼ cup of water.
8. Simmer for 5 minutes.
9. Add in brown sugar and simmer for a few more minutes.
10. Serve hot.

* I used 3 tbsp of brown sugar for this recipe because I find our broccoli a bit bitter. The result is that my dish tasted a bit like asado sauce. You may adjust the amount of sugar that you will add in depending on your taste preference.

** Again, this is about preferences. Add in the soy sauce gradually and taste what you’re cooking to adjust accordingly.

The end result? My husband was raving about my new recipe! This was a successful Kitchen Adventure! What made me happier was that our little one loved everything in it that he ate a lot. I was so glad that all of my efforts in preparing and cooking this dish paid off.

‘Til my next Kitchen Adventure! 🙂

Now that I have finished all my deliverables to the client, I can now concentrate on packing for our Japan trip.  I’m so excited!! I actually look forward to this part of the trip. Sorry if I sound weird. But, I know there are some people who are thrilled with filling their suitcase with everything that they need for the trip. I know because I have read about it while searching for tips and tricks on what and how to pack especially now that we will be traveling with our little one. I have actually curated pins from Pinterest and put them all under the board titled Travelling with Baby.

If you would go over my pins on that board, you would notice that I have made it into a hodgepodge of pins about packing tricks, tips on flying with a baby and what to bring for a day trip on Disney World. The last part was actually our main agenda for our Japan trip and an item on our Bucket List 🙂

Bye for now! Must go packing!

We just had the happiest news last Sunday. We are now eligible to travel to Japan!!! Wooohoooo!!! I was actually nervous and my hands were shaking a bit when I received our passports from the Japanese man at the travel agency. My husband, who was standing by the doorway at that time, said that he was waiting with bated breath for the outcome of our visa application. We both smiled widely when the Japanese showed me our passports and told me that all of us were granted with Japan visa! My husband and I were both giggling in excitement on our way out. Our Japan trip will really push through!

I’ve been doing a lot of preparations for our first ever out-of-the-country vacation. I’ve been saving up for this trip back when it was just a dream. I even made a washi savings jar to save up for our travel fund. The jar was labelled HK because the original plan was to go to Hongkong so we can take Louiji to Disneyland. Plans changed when my husband’s brother invited us to go visit him in Japan. We thought that since there is also a Disneyland in Tokyo, why not go there instead? That way, we get to fulfill our dream of having Louiji meet his favorite Disney character,  Mickey Mouse, and visit my brothers-in-law at the same time.

While we were still completing the requirements for the Japan visa, I have already started making a list of what to bring for the trip. To make it easier for me to identify what to pack, I have listed stuff according to categories, used colored papers and taped them on the wall. I’ve been adding items to these lists every time I remember something. Seeing the list everyday will not only remind me of what to bring but it also helps me to formulate some sort of a strategy in terms of packing and making our load lighter. I need to take that into consideration because after our 4-hour flight, we will be taking a 90-minute train ride to my BIL’s place. That wouldn’t be fun if we are lugging heavy suitcases and an equally tired toddler.

Since the Japanese people are very much into their own language and we were told that few of them can understand and speak English, I have decided we need to learn how to speak their language even in a very basic and conversational manner. It’s a good thing that I have found *Bravolol from  the App Store. This is one, incredible app! It has different categories for any type of conversation that you would like to have. Go download it for yourself so you would know how amazing that app is. I hope that by the time we are in the Land of the Rising Sun, I get to speak with the locals using what I’ve learned from the Greetings and Shopping sections of the app 🙂

Learn to speak the Japanese language with Bravolol

Sayoonara! I need to go back with the preps! 🙂

Learn Japanese Free – Phrases & Vocabulary for Travel, Study & Live in Japan – Bravolol Limited

Hooray for today! Our baby boy just turned 19 months old today. He is recovering from cough and colds, the virus that is so common these days that it has affected almost everyone in the family (including that of my parents). It’s a good thing that he didn’t get any fever and though his appetite is not as good as it was before he got sick, he still feeds voraciously on my breastmilk. I am super blessed that I can still breastfeed my baby at this time!

As always, I have recorded his breakthroughs from the days leading to his 19th month. They are as follows:

• This is a very notable breakthrough for Louiji. He usually felt uneasy with his grandparents from his father’s side. But, when my in-laws came and stayed at our house for a day and we were with them all the way to Tagaytay and back, he became more comfortable with his grandparents around. He didn’t cry that much. In fact, he smiled more. He even played peek-a-boo with his grandpa.

• Louiji didn’t cry when relatives at wedding of my husband’s cousin greeted him. He willingly took the hand of every lolo, lola, tito, and tita who came by to say hi. He even had high fives with some of them. What a sociable baby!

• At the same wedding, Louiji ate a lot of healthy foods but I also gave him a few pieces of nachos. He also had his first brocolli that day 🙂

• Louiji keeps on rocking the Lettersaurus as if he wants to put it to sleep.

• While we were having Facetime with his Ninong Dave, Louiji kissed the iPad when Ninong’s face appeared closer on screen to say goodbye.

• Louiji shakes his head and makes appropriate gestures (the ones that we have taught him) when I recite the contents of his favorite book titled, “Do Donkeys Dance?” He does these even in the absence of the book!

• Louiji was able to take away malunggay leaves from the stalk. According to Tanang, he was able to produce 5 whole leaves! Good practice for his fine motor skills!

I’m so happy with my son’s accomplishments in every aspect of his development. He is becoming more and more mobile and independent as he grows and my husband and I need to keep up with him and do more babyproofing in our home. I also pray that God will grant us more patience, grace and wisdom as we strive to be the best parents to our dear Louiji.