Maddie Moments: Her First Trip to the Philippines

I didn't let my 3-month Maternity Leave end without going home to the Philippines. I remember telling Jhay that I needed it to re-charge just before I go back to work so my very understanding husband obliged (even if it meant leaving him behind because he can't take a leave that long).

Of course I had to take Maddie with me primarily because she is breastfed and also so that our families in the Philippines can finally meet her!

Her first passport! And look at that tiny face! ^_^

She just passed the 1 week mark in there!

See you after 9 days, Daddy! We'll miss you! :-*

(L) While waiting to board. (R) Maddie's first plane tickets!

Maddie cried only for a little while during take-off and slept in for the rest of the 3.5hr journey. Unfortunately I was too nervous about her waking up mid-flight so I failed to take a picture of her first plane ride. Boo!

Meeting her Lolo for the first time. Maddie is the first baby girl in Jhay's family so she's everyone's darling! That's Maddie's cousin, TJ (remember this post? :D)

With my side of the family. I preferred to have her call my sisters Aunt instead of the Filipino equivalent Tita because I find it more cute! Haha!

The next day, we went with the kids to a nearby clubhouse to swim.

Maddie, anak, I'm so sorry that you are wearing pajamas on your very first dip in a pool!
Bad mommy!

I wasn't prepared because I really had no plans of letting her swim. You know, paranoid that she might catch a cold or something. But my mom was insistent as it is a scorching summer day and this will help her freshen up.

Just as mom said, she was able to take her morning nap immediately after the swim :)

Maddie also got the chance to meet her Isda Ninangs (if you already forgot why we call ourselves Isda, here's a refresher :D). She only slept as we ate and when she woke up, she's still very well-behaved. No crying at all! Good job, little one!

The food at Rack's is so good! The fall-off-the-bone ribs are a given as it is the house specialty but their mashed potato is also worth a mention! I'm making a mental note to eat there again when I go to Manila.

They still can't believe that they are carrying Maddie already because the last time we were together, she's still in my tummy. One of my friends, Jejo, thinks she's too fragile so she doesn't want to hold her on her own. Haha.

Maddie's outfit of the day:

Top, bottoms and Minnie Mouse boots from Mothercare :)

Another agenda that we had in this homecoming is this...

April 28, 2014 | Maddie got pierced! Another milestone! :D

Can't help but notice her chubby cheeks, though. Hihi. Sarap kurutin!

The earrings that I got for her are the usual hypoallergenic ones that you get from the pediatrician. It's her birth stone, Amethyst. Getting her pierced put an end to people mistaking Maddie for a boy because of her naturally spiked hair (guess she also got it from Daddy!) Hahaha.

Maddie also had her first photo shoot in the Philippines but that's for another post :)

Thank you to our family and friends who welcomed Maddie with so much love! You made her first travel fun and full of happy memories!

Third row middle photo was taken before we flew back to Singapore.

Till we meet again, Aunties, Uncles, Lolos and Lolas! Kisses! ❤

Day 35 - 40

Because I'll be very busy in the coming days, indulge me as I squeeze 6 days in one post :)

Day 35 - A picture of your hometown

I've been living here since birth but I don't have a real picture of my hometown. Haha. This will do. :-)

Thanks Google Maps! ^^,

Day 36 - A picture of your favorite toy when you were younger

Polly Pocket. I have a Country House, a Pizza Parlor, a Ski Chalet, a heart-shaped small house and the one in the photo below - a Mansion! I'm pretty sure you can tell which is my favorite! Haha. I and Ate Pants play with these all the time. With our Polly Pockets combined, we get our very own village! Geez, I miss being a kid! :-)

Credits here and here.

Day 37 - A picture taken at school

On our last day as students of our beloved Pamantasan.

Day 38 - A picture of your favorite drink

When I'm too tired or too sad, I buy myself a grande Java Chip and the world is a better place again. Haha.

Day 39 - A picture of your favorite food

No other than home-cooked Pork Sinigang. I am sooooo bringing packs of Sinigang Mix to SG ;P

Me: *drools*

Day 40 - A picture of your friends

Lucky to have these people in my life!

Happy to be almost halfway through the challenge,

Of Pajamas and Priceless Girlfriend Moments

Warning: Picture-heavy post.
 
Since we became part of the working class, my girlfriends and I make it a point to celebrate each of our birthdays -- complete with gifts, good food and a sinful cake with a candle on top. Well of course we also celebrate back when we're still in college but because we already have our own moolah, we can afford to up a notch in terms of how we do it now. The past birthdays we celebrated laughing our hearts out at a comedy bar, beating each other at bowling, acting like little kids at a theme park and getting up close and personal with our marine friends at the ocean park (and why haven't I blogged about all of those?!). But there's one thing we've wanted to do for the longest time but haven't gotten the chance to do so -- PAJAMA PARTY!!!

Thanks to Nhix's birthday-slash-promotion treat, we were finally able to fulfill that dream last weekend. Awesome way to start the month, eh? ;D

photo credit

After scouring the net for hotels and finding out that it's way out of our budget (plus they're strict with the number of guests per room), we thought of looking for condos for rent instead. The problem with the idea, though, is that most of the units has a 3-day minimum. We were actually losing hope until I chanced upon Jedidiah Rentals. I texted the property manager, Grace, and lucky for us they allow overnight stays! We were already decided to settle for it without even scrutinizing the place because it's cheap at Php1800 + electricity charge but seeing the photos made us want to drag the days to October 1 already. Here lemme show you some...

3 towers of residential condominium units developed by DMCI. Hello, Mommy Fleur! :)

Dansalan Gardens is located at Boni Ave., Mandaluyong City.

Weeeee! Huge pool for the school of fish! ^_^

Comfy couch + LCD TV + DVD player = movie marathon!

The inviting bed's a threat to our plan of staying up all night!

Photos from Jedidiah Rentals' site

Seriously, PhP1800 only? I don't want to sound like a home TV shopping voice over but... What an offer! :D

The day came. After shopping for gifts for Nhix and buying some groceries for our little party, we went straight to our home for the night. When we got there, we had to wait awhile for Ms. Grace's assistant to take us to the unit. Building security is impressive, by the way :) As soon as the door opened, we tried our darn hardest not to squeal in delight!

Actual photos from my cam

2 couches to fit all 5 of us

The entertainment set, with cable TV even.

The kitchen may be small but it has everything you'll ever need.

The 4-burner electric stove with exhaust and lighting system was a hit to Noreen.

The dining table which for us became the gadget table because...

Beside it is the phone and modem.
It kept us connected to the outside world :)

The bed is really comfortable and have you noticed the lamp at the corner?
Turning it on made the room even more cozy.

The huge wooden cabinet has enough hangers, a flat iron and a comforter, too. Have I already said that the unit has everything you'll ever need? :P

And the best thing about it is that the entire place is spotlessly clean, including the comfort room! The fixtures are of high-quality, as well.

But what really got us are the little details...

This wall clock is too cute I just had to take a picture.

They have dinnerware narin and pots and pans and knives and this classy glass collection.

And yes, the plates are Ikea pa!

This reaaaallly caught our fancy -- a fish ice tray! It's meant for us! :D

We continued to admire the place while taking some rest. It's great for a couple starting out but we had other plans -- what if we just live together?! Imagine coming home to your friends and beginning to tell the day's adventure as soon as you step in and having the entire night just for girl talk? That'll be crazy, but super fun!

We love it that the furniture are strategically located for self-timer shots!

After about two hours of daydreaming about us living under one roof, Jejo arrived. You know what that means... time for dinner! :D

Noreen cooked our favorite Pork Sinigang so it was one hearty meal.
But before that, there's picture taking of course!

Our tummies were full but we just can't say no to this. They loved it because it's not too
sweet but since I'm a sucrophile, I still prefer Red Ribbon or Conti's :P

Nhix brought cupcakes from Cake R' Us. Too pretty to eat, aren't they?

Happy birthday, labs! :D

Post-dinner, it's pajama party proper! Fine, they're not all pajamas but those would do, okay? ;-)

We laid our sleepwear on the bed with our gifts for Nhix. Wedding ang peg! Haha.

Then we had the obligatory continuous shots...

Then Nhix opened her gifts...

A wallet from Jaq, a bag that I want for myself from me and Noreen and an Ipanema sandals from Jejo.

And finally, it's time for some real and unadulterated girl bonding...

We hid under the sheets and talked about family, love, work and everything in between. It was a no-holds-barred conversation -- something that we haven't done in a while because we're busy juggling our career and personal lives. We made the most of the privacy by watching porn (kidding! :P) sharing a thing or two about our relationships (boyfriends, beware! hahaha) and pouring out our frustrations and secrets and future plans and dreams. Imagine you and your 4 closest friends in one cozy room talking about things that under normal circumstances only your diary would know. Isn't that great? I say priceless.

A movie and some episodes of Vampire Diaries followed. Before we know it, the sun is starting to show up and it's time for the most important meal of the day.

Our breakfast.

Thanks Noreen, for taking care of our tummies! :)

Once again, we had our fill. To religiously follow the sched that we created, we watched Hip Hop Abs, a workout video for those who wanna lose weight. You're supposed to follow the routine but as I've said we just, well, watched. Hahaha. Then we changed into our swimming attire because we're hitting the waters next!

First shot. We're trying so hard not to appear cold but in reality, we're freezing! The wind was extra strong that morning, thanks to Typhoon Quiel.

Let's play a game, shall we? Pagandahan ng underwater shot. Hahahaha.

Mine is boring, I know!

I love Jaq's pose. I tried to do that but it was hard. Hers is effortless.
Oh by the way, drop by her blog! :)

Nhix's is... kinda revealing. Haha.

Noreen is just so happy. Agree? :P

Where's Jejo, you ask? She's there... taking our pictures. She's not very comfortable submerging herself in the water, that's why. She's still a winner, I think, for being an awesome photographer. Hahaha.

Now let's offer a brief moment of silence for D10, Jaq's underwater camera. It succumbed after that swimming session and needless to say, my friend is devastated she even wrote D10 a letter. Include them in your prayers, please?

We went back to our unit and started packing up. Much as we wanted to stay longer, we had other activities after that. As always, it was one awesome weekend with my ladies and we could only wish for more of this. And to close this uber long post, let me share with you one quote I truly believe in because of our friendship:

"A best friend is a sister that destiny forgot to give you."

Thanks destiny for being so generous to give me 5 (yes, Ep, that includes you) :D