Free Play*

It's always nice to find a park that's pretty accessible to home. Well it's still a good 20-min ride but who minds when the kids get to enjoy so much green grass as these:

It's located in the midst of a business district which we found unbelievable at first. The photos above were taken at the Washington Sycip Park in Legaspi Village after our Sunday Market trip. There's also a nearby park with a playground that's heaven for the kids.

* "Free play is when kids get to play on their own, they have free time to do what they want to do, and can create their own fantasy world, choose their own friends and exercise their own bodies."

http://m.inquirer.net/lifestyle/?id=73810

Breastfeeding at 28 Months

Since Inigo started talking, his words for breastfeeding have evolved. At around 18 months, he'd say "De-dey" really clearly and loudly whenever he wants to nurse. At 24 months though, it changed to a short "Puh". Now 28 months, he's reverted back to Dede (without the "ey" in the end) followed by, "other one' when he's done with one boob and wants to finish off with the other one as well.

Here's his schedule for nursing this time:

Morning, upon waking up - around 10-30 mins (depending on how busy I am) There are times when he'd nurse back to sleep but there are times when he'd stay awake nursing until he's ready to get up and start the day. After the nursing session, I usually offer him water and light breakfast (usually fruits and cereals)

Noon -- after his bath and when he's gotten tired and sleepy

Noon or mid-afternoon, mid-nap - As I work, sometimes he'd wake up from his nap and ask to nurse again. I'm happy when he goes back to sleep because I'm able to go back to work again

We have lunch after he wakes up from his nap.

Late afternoon -- before dinner but just a short feed that lasts less than 5 mins.

At night when he's about to sleep (usually a long feed accompanied by a painful bite).

I know this schedule is quite frequent for a toddler at 28 months and realize we're nowhere near weaning.  I would like our weaning experience to be as natural and gentle as possible with my baby's needs taken to account primarily. The main reason that I'm working from home is to breastfeed my baby as long as he wants, or at least until he no longer needs the comfort of my breasts whenever he's hurt or feeling weak.

Here are some more active weaning techniques.I like the idea of a weaning party when my nursling weans. 

Nursing I. at 22 months. Cebu, Philippines.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

When I learned that Multiply is being shut down, I took my old photos for posterity's sake.

October 2007. The night he proposed to me. This was taken after the Madz concert in CCP. We had Peach Martini at the bar of G Hotel.

 February 2008. With our friends, Herbert and Pog, we did an ocular inspection of Sonya's Garden.

We have the sweetest friends. They gave me a bouquet of flowers for being engaged.

Probably taken in 2006.  With my MA classmates. I never got to finish my MA. I probably won't.

One of our many out-of-town dates with friends. This was in Anawangin, Zambales.

A picnic at the UP Sunken Garden with more friends. 

Oh, Iñigo

Yesterday, my two-year old (and three months) boy left me in awe once more after counting (with some coaching) from 1 to 20. At this point he is also able to say the names of six shapes, circle, triangle, square, rectangle, star, and cross. At mornings, I'd usually hear him pointing to stuff in the room and asking himself, What shape is the teewee (TV)? Then answering "Rectangle!" What shape is the electric fan? "Circle!" What shape is the clock? "Circle!" He can also recognize colors on his toys and saying the colors out loud, red, green, blue, yellow, pink, purple, orange, etc.

Interestingly, my husband and I never really pressured him in learning those things. We make him watch educational DVDs (we don't have cable) and even us would watch with him. From time to time, we'll tell him what's on the screen or just repeat what the narrator says. His books are also full of things to learn from. He likes choosing what book to read himself. I'm just glad he's turning out okay and I'm happy that he's so interested in learning and studying. I guess this work-at-home set-up is for the best!

Ten years ago

I hate this picture of me, but at the same time, I love it. I love that my eyes are closed and the wind is blowing strands of hair on my face. This was taken exactly ten years ago by my friend, H. We were on a trip to Chiang Mai together, a province in the northern part of Thailand. I was so young then and adventurous that I took a teaching job for about 9 months, away from my friends and family. H. was just visiting that December of 2002 and so I met him in Bangkok with his friends and we all went to a week long vacation to the cold province of  Chiang Mai. I had lots of fond memories of the trip including good and cheap food, seeing elephants up close, trekking, flying a humongous paper lantern at night, shopping, and learning and practicing the Thai language.

The next year, I went back home, fell in love with the guy I wanted to get married with and gave him this photo of me with the words of the Chilean poet written at the back:

"Laugh at the night

at the day, at the moon,

Laugh at the twisted

Streets of the island

Laugh at this clumsy

girl who loves you,

But when I open 

my eyes and close them,

When my steps go,

When my steps return

deny me bread, air,

light, spring,

but never your laughter

for I would die."

Pablo Neruda

Ginisang Patola with Misua

Before my mood for documenting my cuisine specialties expires, let me tell you about a recent favorite dish of my son. He likes soup generally, which I mix with vegetables and rice for more nutrition. He doesn't mind the vegetables but his appetite for rice is quite sporadic. Everyday, I would plead him to eat carbohydrates, be it bread, noodles, or rice, because I'm always worried he's not getting enough of this, just look at his thin built. Anyway, here's a recipe that he loves so much.

Ingredients:

Patola, sliced in quarters

Garlic, chopped 

Onions, chopped

Misua (Egg noodles)

salt & pepper to taste

2-3 cups of water

1. Saute garlic and onions

2. Add in patola

3. Add some water then put a little salt and pepper to taste

4. Add the misua

5. Simmer for a few minutes until noodles are cooked.

6. Let cool a little before serving.

For dinner, he finished this bowl and asked for another serving of about the same amount as this. Yahoo!

Yummy Tom Yum Goong in an Instant

I've been up since before 4am to catch up on some backlogs that have accumulated last week, maybe the week before, when I. got sick. He had flu for days, it was awful and very tiring time for the three of us. But I'm not about to blog about such unfortunate events, besides, I'm not in the mood for ranting. I want to write about my favorite Thai dish recipe, Tom Yum Goong.

Ingredients:

100 to 200 grams of shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 to 3 cups of coconut milk
3 tablespoons of Tom Yum paste (I use the Thai Heritage brand)
Mushrooms (Straw mushroom is ideal but oyster or button is ok, too)
String Beans
Eggplant
salt
lemon

This is so easy to make and yummy in the tummy (if you're a fan of Thai dishes)! Because of the Tom Yum paste, you are spared from a number of steps, plus you don't have to chop certain ingredients like onions, tomatoes, ginger, and lemongrass!

First, pour the coconut milk (you can use a canned one, if preferred) in the pan. Put three tablespoons of tom yum paste then dissolve it a little. Set the fire to medium heat to dissolve the paste some more. Let it simmer. Add the shrimp (you can also use chicken breast fillet, sliced in small pieces, and it's equally yum!). Add a little water if you like it soup-ier. Add salt to taste. Make sure the meat is cooked before adding mushrooms, eggplant, and string beans. Don't overcook the veggies. Squeeze half lemon or to taste.

While I'm trying to figure out how to copy my photos from Instagram, here's a photo from Satay.com. Happy eating!