11th and 12th Day of Christmas

2 - 3 January 2012

The last two days of this series was spent at home with my family.

I told you before about her fake smile, right? Here it is

Those were scarves that a friend gave to us. One for me and one for Joema. Look who's using Mommy's?

After this short vacation of mine and when I went back to work, Miya started having separation anxieties. The day I went back to work, she didn't want to be put down on her crib and play on her own. This lasted for almost a week that her yaya can't do any other chores. Plus she also makes habol when we leave for work after this Christmas break. Before this, she usually gets distracted when we bring her down to us and she bids us bye-bye. After this break, when she and her yaya goes back to our unit she cries and always looks for us. it's better now although  she still cries when we put her down on her own. It's so hard to leave in the morning and we always have to hurry to go home because she cries when it's late than our usual coming home time (which is about 7-ish) and we're not yet home.  The difficulties of being a working mom. Haaaay!

9th and 10th Day of Christmas - New Year's Eve and Day

Joema had work on New Year's Eve so it was a pretty quiet day for us. I did another pasta dish for our dinner, this time with shrimp. This one's yummy!

Pasta for two!

2011 has been my most blessed year to date, because of her.

We must have done something good to be worthy of her

Miya and I slept early. I didn't want her to still be awake during the fireworks and have a hard time getting her to sleep afterwards. Plus I don't know how she'll take all that noise. So we were out before 12 midnight. Only Joema was awake to usher in the new year. He woke me up with a kiss and a "Happy New Year!" and then I went back to sleep haha!

The following day, we didn't really have any plans. Both sets of grandparents were not available so we trooped on to the nearest mall to have lunch. Shangri-la was closed so we went to Greenbelt and had lunch at Big Buddha.

We were there early, we were the only diners when we arrived.

Our New Year's feast

After lunch, we wandered around Greenbelt.

She really loves the water

I love this photo - looked like we're not in Manila.

In the afternoon, Lolo and Lola came to visit their apo. They brought her slippers.

Look at those colorful slippers

They say how you spend New Year's day is how you'll spend the rest of the year so here's wishing the rest of the year will be filled with more family bonding times!

8th day of Christmas – Miya’s 11 month Birthday

We celebrate Miya’s birthday monthly if you can call it that. Every 30^th of the month, we go out and buy cake and have a small celebration for our first born. I am so grateful to have her in my life. I always feel blessed everytime I see her. She is the living proof that God loves me, I think.

Anyways, on the 30^th of December we celebrated the little girl’s monthly birthday one last time before her 1^st birthday. Here are some photos.

Happy 11th month Birthday, Anak!  We love you!

Sometimes, I can't call her a baby anymore because she's so big already - little girl na!

Mommy loves you!

Miya dancing with Daddy! She glees every single time!

6th and 7th Day of Christmas - Migs Christmas Party

28-29 December 2011

This was a much awaited trip for me. I so wanted to just relax and unwind during the holiday season. I actually thought of brining our yaya with me but I finally decided on not bringing her as this was also a much needed bonding time with my daughter and hubby. Just us three – well, with our friends, too. It was after all our Christmas Party and Welcome-Back-Home to one of our dear friends.

We all met up in Makati in the morning of the 27^th. We arrived in Pansol just in time for lunch. Miya did not want to nap during the entire trip. I’m amazed at how energetic she was still when we arrived there.

Practice walking

 Truth be told, I never would have made it overnight without the help of my friends and their yayas in taking care of Miya. Good thing she’s a cutie (ehem ehem0, everyone was just willing to take care of her.

Tita Jiral took care of her when Mommy needed a break

More of our short vacation after the cut.

4th and 5th Day of Christmas

Monday, 26 December, was spent at home while the next day we went to my friend Reyna's house for Miya's photoshoot. But before going there I taught her how to smile, so now when we say "Smile" she gives us this silly smile that looks so awkward. I haven't had the chance to take a picture of it but it's so funny. It's like she's trying to fool you with her smile.

Here are photos from the shoot.

Sneaked in a shot with mommy

She was not able to take her usual afternoon nap so we slept when we got home around 4pm. After waking up, she was full of energy again.

Standing on her own while eating spaghetti

the next day we were scheduled to go to Pansol with our friends so I had to pack. But because the little girl was so likot and kulit, we had to put her inside the bag for her to behave.

Hahaha just kidding! But really we put her there to make her behave but we didn't keep here there. And FYI, it didn't work haha.

3rd Day of Christmas - Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, we went to my side of the family to Antipolo. We first went to my Tita's house because it's our family's tradition to eat breakfast there or they're leftover Noche Buena. Their Noche Buena is always bongga because my Tito is a chef. You know what they're food was - pasta in olive oil with parsley and sausage! So I had to ask my Tito how he cooked it. Aside from getting the good brand of olive oil from him, I found out I need to sautee more garlic than what I used in my own recipe heehee.

Miya received another round of gifts. Thank you!

The cousins with my Tita and the three grandkids.

The cousins with my Tita and the 3 grandkids

Then we went to my parents house and took a nap (so please excuse our bagong-gising-and-pambahay look) before having lunch. But before lunch, it's gift opening time again.

My parents went all out for their granddaughter. They don't have expensive gifts but they gave her quite a few which was so exciting because we got to open a bunch of gifts for Miya. So note for next Christmas - buy more not so expensive gifts for Miya instead of buying just one expensive gift.

Ninong Jay's gifts - dress and bonnet (getting ready for HK!)

She kept on looking at the tags we were joking that she's isnpecting if the gifts were expensive or not, fake or not haha!

Wiht Lolo and Lola

With the doting grandparents

With Ninong Jay

This is one of her tricks - when we ask her to show her tongue she puts her tongue out. Sometimes she does this with us just saying "Show me!" or "Patingin!" without waiting to tell her what we want to see. She also does this when she's eating and we want her to show if she's done chewing her food.

That's her pa-cute smile or as her yaya calls it "beautiful eyes" haha!

Christmas was twice happier, twice merrier because of her!0

2nd Day of Christmas - Christmas Eve

24 December

On Christmas Eve, we went to Bocaue. Miya was able to spend time with her cousins on Joema's side of the family.

On the way to Bocaue

On the way to Bocaue

With Tita Itchee, Ate Kyla and Ate Sam

With Tita Rachel

Before it got dark we went back home. I wanted us to spend Christmas Eve just us without our extended families. This way we can start our own Christmas traditions. We tried hearing the Christmas Eve mass but we were a bit late (mass was at 8pm, we were late for a few minutes and the people were already outside the church).

We didn't bring a car going to church because we figured there will be lots of people and we planned to go to city hall and go around the tiangge after mass so we rode the tricycle instead. It was Miya's first ride and she was so amazed hehe.

Since it's a bit hard to have a baby standing outside a church, we decided to not finish Mass (I know that's bad, don't imitate us!). We went instead to city hall to take pictures. Miya was mesmerized with all the Christmas lights.

Then we went to the food stalls and bought bibingka and pizza haha not a good combo but still!

When we got home, I cooked our Christmas dinner. I don't want to call it Noche Buena because it's not a feast hehe. I cooked pasta in olive oil with olives, mushroom, capers and feta cheese. Only it was not a success. I think it was because of the olive oil I used, i dind't like th taste of it. Although Joema was happy with the pasta hehe.

Then it was it was gift openign time.

Miya loved all her gifts!

12 Days of Christmas - First Day

I was able to spend 12 consecutive days with my baby little girl. This all started on 23 December. I brought Miya and yaya to the office hehe. See, my workstation is in a room (I don't want to say that I have a room because I'm sharing it with someone plus I don't really deserve to be in a room, it just so happens that this was the only available station) and my colleague who(m) I share the room with  was already on leave. So I figured, I can bring Miya with me and let them stay in the room. Plus with yaya being around she can take care of Miya while I work which is what really happened because Miya was still able to take her morning and afternoon nap.

At my workstation

My colleague C enamored with Miya

In the afternoon around 4pm, I brought her to my old department where they have a tradition of bringing all the kids on the last day before Christmas and everyone gets their aguinaldo. This year I finally have a kid to join in on the festivities.

She's making pa-cute to another colleague

Eating her biscuits

Next year, she'll be running around the office.