updates @ 15-month-mark

i can't believe it's been over a month since i last posted an update on pistoy! it seems like a lot has happened already, and now i don't know where to begin. =P

samuel bilibid
i think it was around pistoy's 15th month when he started really walking without holding on to anything. on the days leading to that milestone, he pushes around a walker thingy, and he was going really fast i was worried his steps won't catch up and he'll fall on his face. =P but he started to control it, and when he can maneuver it, that's when he started just taking steps without holding on to anything. mama and papa were getting impatient that he's not walking on his own yet... and now, a few weeks later, they can't stop pistoy from walking around endlessly. we started calling him "samuel", for "samuel bilibid". the guy who spat on Jesus' face when He was carrying the cross. Supposedly, Jesus cursed him that he is to wander around aimlessly for the rest of his life. so there. pistoy is like that, wandering around aimlessly, endlessly. he can make a dozen laps around the house in 30 minutes.

mama and papa had to teach him how to hold on to the walls when he's stepping down. meron kasing low step sa sala at sa kitchen, and he has no problems stepping up. yung pababa ang mahirap. he learned that fast, pinakita lang ni mama once, and he's doing it! =)

farm animals
pistoy also started imitating animal sounds na tinuturo sa kanya. he knows sheep (ba!), cow (mmmm!), dog (aw, aw! - askal version), cat (maw, maw!), duck (kak, kak!). he tries (bless hi heart) the horse's neighing sound, and the rooster's crowing. but it just sounded like he's choking. hehe!

bookworm
pistoy also likes books at this point. we cleared out a part of the tv stand where we used to put the dvds, and he uses that as his bookcase. hehe! he would "read" all his books every day. at times, he would just flip the pages on his own, sometimes he would hand the book to someone to read it to him. his favorites are the Colors, the rattle book, little lamb, little lady bug, pat the bunny, the belly button book (i forgot the title), and good night moon. one time, we were at marshalls, i handed him a Baby Einstein board book set. he stared at it, and then hummed the last part of the Baby Einstein video intro! (hm-hm!) it's hard to explain without the actual video or sound byte. maybe one of these days i can dub it. hehe!

before going to bed, pistoy and daddy je reads the pat the bunny, the belly button book, and good night moon.we're still not giving him the regular books, napupunit pa rin nya eh. but he's good with the board books, hindi na nya kinakagat. =B

experiences

at this point, i think pistoy's mind is like a sponge. i'd like to give him as much experience as he can possibly have. we went to the beach (have to go back there, para di na sya matakot sa tubig), went to the strawberry festival (which is like a perya), went strawberry picking (he enjoyed squishing the strawberries!), we take him to the park a lot, to the grocery and other stores.

we plan on bringing him to the aquarium, to the zoo, to a petting zoo, and at least go back to the beach. i wanted to take him to Key West, but mama said he's too young to travel that far, so we're postponing that for when my parents and my brother are here together. sort of like a family field trip. hehe!

i want to buy him more books, more move-your-butt-and-be-active type of toys. he's got his basketball court, but he plays only for a few minutes then quits. =P maybe when he gets a little older, he'll be more interested. we still haven't opened his baseball set.

i want to buy him an easel... he's starting to get interested in crayons, when he's not trying to eat it. =P i want to let him try the finger painting thing (we have the non-toxic ones at home), but i'm afraid he'd still try to eat it, thinking it's puree food. hehe!

eating
speaking of food, i wish pistoy would eat more rice and veggies, and drink more water. he's big on snacks, but you have to really "work" to get him to eat rice. fruits, no problem at all, mahilig sya sa prutas. veggies, only when pureed or chopped really fine. we haven't given him meat yet. only very little strands of it, like pag sa sarsa or sabaw. i better give him more fish too.

eggs, we have to revisit giving him just the yolk. parang may konting allergic reaction sya sa itlog eh. we gave him some eggs and rice from the katsudon dish, and he threw up after a few minutes. tapos namula yung baba at pisngi nya where the eggs got contact. *sigh* parang andaming bawal sa anak ko ah. we also confirmed that he really has some allergy sa milk protein. nung binigyan namin sya ng regular milk, namula din skin nya where the milk got contact, at nag-throw up din sya. so ngayon, nasa Enfagrow Soy Toddler kami na formula.

as for water, he would take sips, pero hindi sya humihingi. i told mama and papa to try to give him water every hour, para masanay syang umiinom kahit hindi naman kumakain. one time tuloy constipated sya for a week halos! nagmo-move naman sya everyday, pero parang kambing, bilog-bilog na matigas. he loooves prunes, so thank God, may panlaban naman kami don kung sakaling ma-constipate ulet.

hmmm, ano pa bang update sayo pistoy? hehe! we're seriously considering getting him a prepaid college fund. i'm still researching on the pros and cons, and we still have to sort our budget if we can afford it. lately magastos kami eh. everytime na umuuwi kaming pinas, napapalaki ang expenses namin. hehe! aside from the usual expenses, we're anticipating na tataas ang mortgage namin pag lumipat kami ng bahay. we are actively looking for a house, para naman mas ok na neighborhood ang kalakihan ni pistoy. school zoning.... that's a different issue, and a completely different blog entry. =P

God help us! =)