Zac's first "bukol"

Bukol is lump in English. He accidentally bumped his head on his wooden 5 in 1 cube toy. He was standing in front of his toy when he decided to sit down and boom! He hit his forehead when he bowed down on the corner of his toy. He cried so loud that I worried so much. Good thing that his daddy was home. I woke his daddy and showed him the "bukol". He told me to get ice pack and don't let  him sleep for an hour or two in case there is a concussion. Zac went ok 5 minutes after the accident.

Zac's new favorite snacks

Zac first birthday bash!

Thank You to all who attended Zac' Birthday! You made him very special. Thanks to all the love and gifts.

Zac learning to talk

Zac likes to talk the "baby language". He also like saying "mama", "dada", "papa", "tata" and "yaya". This time, he repeats whatever I say. I so love him.

My new collection: Christmas Ornaments

When I was pregnant to Zac, I bought a Pregnant Christmas Tree Ornament. I told myself that buying that ornament was perfect since I was due Christmas Day. On my baby shower, I got another Christmas tree ornament. It was a Precious Moment Ornament (hmm, it ryhmes lol!). While we were shopping at the store, I saw an ornament that says "Baby's 1st Christmas". I held it and looked at it. While I was looking at it, I felt like that ornament was meant for Zac, so, I put it straight in the shopping cart. When I was putting up the ornament I just bought, I thought " Why not make it a tradition for me to buy Zac an ornament every Christmas" then I smiled.

Zac building blocks at 11 months

Zac likes to knock down the tower of blocks I always build for him. For him, that was fun, so what I do is to build tower again and again so he has something to knock down. Last night, I came up with an idea of teaching him how to build his own tower so I don't have to do it myself hehe. To my surprise, he got my instruction right away. I only instructed him once. And so I grabbed my camera right away and asked him to do again on what he just did.

Midnight Sale

"Mommy, daddy and I had Midnight sale in this big store and there were lots of people grabbing stuff to put in their carts. I can't believe how fast they shop and seemed like they were all in a hurry to be in line to the cashier. I got tired and thirsty after an hour of shopping with mommy and daddy so mommy gave me my milk. Daddy said they bought lots of presents for me, for my birthday and for Christmas. Yey! I can't wait on those days so I can have my presents".

Zac's fourth ultrasound and its result for his Hydronephrosis

We all woke up early morning yesterday for Zac's 9:30AM kidney ultrasound at Riley Children's Hospital. We were called right away after we were registered and the ultrasound probably lasted for only 10- 15 minutes. Zac was very cooperative and he didn't gave the sonographer a hard time. They checked for the size and the amount of fluid found in his kidney, took a picture of them and submitted them to his Urologist. i guess another reason why Zac didn't give a fist is because of the TV his watching hehe.

We were called again for the result, but before the urologist came, a nurse took a sample of Zac's urine. She made Zac lay down in the bed and sticked a plastic bag on his private organ and hope that he will pee. i gave Zac a bottle of milk because I am sure that drinking milk will make him pee and he did pee after 5 minutes of drinking. My husband called the nurse and the nurse took the urine sample. Another doctor went in  the room and check Zac's belly if there is any lump but good thing that he found nothing. At last the urologist came, he brought the cd and ran it in the computer. He showed to us the previous pictures of Zac's kidney and the latest one. He showed us the comparison and told us that his right kidney is NEGATIVE to hydronephrosis and his left kidney has still the same amount of fluid found on his last ultrasound (June 2010).

We saw on the pictures there were no changes in his left kidney. The good thing about it is that at least it didn't get worse. His urologist categorized Zac's hydronep in stage 2 (There are 4 stages of hydronep and 4 is the worst). He said again the same thing, that he don't need to go under any medication because his condition is MODERATE and 80% of this resolve by itself. For now all we can do is to monitor him and regular ultrasound for his kidney. His Urologist wants to see him again after 9 months.

Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)

My friend's son was diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) at a very young age of 9 months. I would like to share you guys the website that my friend created to give information about the said blood disorder.

Feel free to visit the website and share it to your friends. Thank you!

Pacman VS Margarito Live Streaming

Link 1
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Link 6 
Link 7

Zac walking at 10 months old

Zac is taking steps more and more everyday and yesterday, he walked approximately 10 feet. Hubby called me and said "Look! He walked on his own!He was here leaning on the couch, turned around and just walked!". So I grabbed the camera right away and this is what I caught on cam.

Where is Zachary?

I was in the living room doing something on the computer while Zac was playing with his toys. I noticed that I didn't hear any noise (which he normally does) while he was playing so I knew that he was up to something. I looked for him and when I found him, I grabbed the cam and took a pic of him. Can you find him in this picture?

For those curious on what he was doing back there, he was playing with his grandpa's books. Zac loves books and everytime he sees his grandpa's book collection, he always get into it. We hide those books all the way at the back of the recliner so that he won't mess with them but he still found them hehe. Zac has his own books but for some reason, he also likes his grandpa's books.

One step at a time

November 1st is the first time that Zac took 3 steps without me holding him, My dad-in-law, husband of my sister-in-law and I were the witnesses. We were all glad when we saw him bravely taking few step at a time. The number of his steps is progressing everyday. Today, he walked 2 feet on his own, I would say it took him 12 to 15 steps to walk 2 feet. I am really happy about the progress that's going on with Zac. I love you son!

My first halloween

"I went trick-or-treating with my mom today. Oh! It was so fun! I dressed up a puppy but at first I wasn't comfortable wearing it. After few minutes, I felt warm wearing it outside the house so I kinda like it at the end of the night. Me and my mommy knocked on our neighbors house and mommy said the magic word "trick-or-treat" and they gave us bunch of candies. I also met my Kyle and Clayton. They are my mom's friend's sons. Kyle dressed up Buzz Lightning and Clayton was a lion. They both looked so cool! My cousins came to our house too and they were all dressed up with costumes. I love Halloween! I can't wait to dress up again next year".

Why the gate mommy?

"When I get tired of playing with my toys on the floor in the living room, I crawl going to my grandpa or my mommy and daddy's room. I like saying hello to my grandpa every now and then while he is watching his show in his room that is why I always go to his room. Grandpa said that he don't mind me visiting him in his room except that he is scared for me that I might get into his stuff (meds,tools etc.) which are dangerous for me. When grandpa's room is closed, I go to mommy and daddy's room to spend time with my daddy when he is off from work. But the thing is, they (mommy, daddy and grandpa) doesn't want me to go in their rooms without them knowing. They said that there are lots of stuff in their room that aren't safe for babies like me. When mommy hears me crawling going to grandpa's room, she immediately chase me and pick me up and bring me back to the living room where she said I am suppose to stay so she could watch me play. This morning, mommy put this gate for me so I could not just go to their rooms without  anybody's knowledge. She said she will take the gate off on the right time".

Halloween Costume

My mommy bought me a Halloween Costume and a candy bag. We can't find the costume that I want in the stores and that fit me so mommy just decided to buy online instead. Here is a video that mommy took when he got my costume from the package. You will notice that I can't wait to open it on the video. Halloween is getting closer and I can't wait to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood with my costume on and carrying my Frankenstein candy bag :)

I can now wave "bye-bye"

We were all so happy here inside the house seeing how Zac wave "bye-bye". He look so adorable! The only problem is, he will only do it whenever he wants to OR if no one is looking at him. So I sat the camera infront of him, turned it on, then I pretended that I wasn't looking at him so that he will wave and I'll be able to caught ot on camera. We are so proud of him. The videos below were taken today. Here are his videos.

My Hooter shirt

It was 80F today and it was kinda warm outside so my mommy let me wore this comfy tops. She said she bought this in a restaurant when we went to Florida last September. She took this picture of mine right after we get back inside our home.

"I met a mascot"

Yesterday, my mommy together with my grandpa went to the chilli cook-off. There were lots of people that I don't know in that place. My mommy and grandpa bought some tickets in exchange of the food they called "chilli". My mommy didn't give me some of her food because she said that that is not good for me. We went several booths for her to eat chilli, I think he had 5 cups of it. In that place, I also heard of a girl's voice singing on the stage, and near the stage, there was a mascot. The mascot looks friendly to everybody specially to kids. So my mommy brought me to him and took a picture of me with him. Mommy thought that I'd be scared of him but the truth is, I even touched him. I like him and I think he likes me too.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Happy Birthday Daddy! Thank you for working hard so you could buy me milk, food and cookies. Thank you for playing with me at night even though you are tired from work. Thank you for changing my diaper whenever my butt smell funny. Thank you for tickling me, I like it a lot:D I love you and you are the best daddy in the whole wide world.

7 month old Zac

Zac's Milestone

(7 month old)

Gross Motor

• roll both ways (front to back, back to front)
• sit on his own
• support his whole weight on his legs
• control his upper body and arms 

Fine Motor

• hold and shake a hand toy
• move an object from hand to hand
• use his hands to explore an object    

Social / Language

• reach for a person he know
• smile at himself in a mirror
• respond when other people express emotion
• copy speech sounds    

Cognitive

• track a moving object, and find one that is partially hidden
• explore with hands and mouth
• struggle to get objects that are out of reach
• look from one object to another watch a falling object
     

Zac finger eating

We decided to give Zac some Gerber cookies when he was almost 9 months old. The size of the cookies are too big for Zac that he will get choked so I cut them into small pieces using my fingers. When I laid the small pieces of cookies on his highchair tray, Zac looked at them like he was saying "Them looks yummy! But what are these mom?". So what I did was, I showed Zac how to finger eat. I picked a piece of the cookie and put it in my mouth and munched it. He looked at me and I felt like he had the feeling of wanting to do what I just did but seemed like he wasn't sure of how start doing it. So this time, I took his hand, made his fingers get a piece of cookie and put the cookie in his mouth. We did it twice, and on the third time, he did it by all by himself. And of course, I am a proud momma lol!

Now, Zac is get so excited everytime I say the word "cookie".Here is a video of Zac finger eating his cookie.

So weird

Awhile ago, I was busy and I want Zac to sleep so I could do the chores that I have to do, but after few minutes of him sleeping, I missed him. I wanted to wake him up and play with him because I was missing his laugh, our playtime, his smile and his whining. Weird eh?

Zac's first toothbrush and toothpaste

I mentioned to my dad-in-law that I have to buy a finger toothbrush for Zac and toothpaste because he has 6 teeth now ( 4 upper teeth and 2 bottom teeth ). When he got home from the store, he told me that he bought baby toothbrush and toothpaste for Zac. The flavor of the toothpaste he bought was strawberry banana which is not good for Zac because he is allergic to banana. So, dad went back to CVS to return the item he bought and buy different kind of flavor. This time he bought mixed fruits flavor which doesn't contain banana hehe. Oh! I am getting so excited! I wonder if Zac will like brushing his teeth hehe. We will see later :D

Zac went to Apple Farm

We went to the Apple Farm today with my friends and Zac was all happy. I can't believe how happy he was. Seemed like he can understand that we were in an apple farm lol! He also actually tried to pick apples in the tree. But for some reason, he didn't like pumpkins in the pumpkin patch hehe.

Building tower

Zac and I were playing and having fun. I built tower on his forehead with shapes and it seemed like he enjoyed it :D

9 month Well-Baby Visit

Today is Zac's 9 month Well-Baby visit. He weighs 21 lbs and 11 ounces, his height is 31.5 inches nd his head measures 18 inches. His pediatrician told us that his weight is in the 75th percentile and his height is in the 99th percentile. She also said that he is doing good and he is a tall baby. I told her that there is really a big possibility that he will be a tall man because his dad stands 6'2" and his grandpa is 6'5". The pediatrician also asked me things that he can do now and she was glad about his progress.

She asked me on when will his next visit to the urologist be and I told her that it'll be on November. They gave him 3 shots today and yes, he cried. He had Hepatitis B, Polio, Pneumococcal, DTP and Hib shots.

Zac is really fussy today and we understand why, it is because of the shots. 

Choose safe toys

I had to make dinner last night so I left Zac in his crib playing with his toys. After cooking, I went back to Zac and I noticed that his wooden toy duck's wing was detached. I got worried so I picked up Zac and went in our room and talked to my hubby. I showed him the toy and asked him to look for the missing wooden screw in his crib because I am afraid that the baby will stick it in his mouth if he found it. Thank God we found it! Lesson learned, NEVER buy toys that has small detachable parts. So, for Zac's safety, I threw that toy and I promised myself to double check the toys that we will buy in the future.

More toys for Zac!

My aunt in London who is basically Zac's grandma gave Zac money before we left Florida. So wWhat hubby and I did about the money is spend it in buying lotsa toys for Zac :D We bought educational toys that we think would teach Zac some things and enjoy at the same time. We bought 3 leap frog toys that teaches alphabet, numbers and shapes. We also bought this toy car where he could ride in and the same time you can convert this toy car into a walker which will help Zac learn how to walk.
Zac can stand now but he doesn't have the courage to take a step.

Zac seems happy with his new toys and we are glad to see that he enjoys playing them. Now what we need to buy is MORE rechargeable batteries.

"I'm gonna get ya!"

Zac is sooo cute and funny as well. He runs everytime I say "I'm gonna get ya!" (while my hands are getting ready to tickle him). He run as fast as he can while screaming LOL! I think he actually scream for help. Another funny thing about him is that his face acts like he is so scared while I am chasing him then smile right away if there is no place for him to run anymore. He use to just smile if I say that I'll get him but three days ago, I don't know how he figured out that he is suppose to run or else he will get tickled to death lol!

I am going to post the video of him running whle I am chasing him. He is so cute because he runs like a penguin lol!

Zac joined a contest

This is the first time that Zac joined a contest. He did all of these to be able to qualify in the contest:

• Blog about my 1st giveaway contest for Adiestree Blog's ( Enjoy Life To The Fullest ) 2nd anniversary.
• Follow my blogs : Our World, Enjoy Life To The Fullest and My Space
  
• Leave a comment on " 2nd Anniversary Giveaway Contest" saying that you are joining the contest.
• Add me to your blog.
  
• Click EC Drop.

His mom's friend is celebrating their 2nd Wedding Anniversary so she is throwing her first ever blog contest. Wanna join in the contest? Click here.

Leechon Manok Style

Zac has new position in sleeping. For some reason, his new position reminds me of "lechon manok" (roasted chicken) LOL!

Zac balancing himself

This video was taken today, just few minutes ago. We were thinking that sooner or later he will start walking already. OMG! my baby is a big boy now! I am so happy!

Zac and Hooter shirt and bib

When hubby and I together with my cousin and her bf went to Hooters, we bought Zac a shirt and a bib in that restaurant. I find it cute so I was really happy for him to have stuff from Hooters LOL!

Zac clapping his hands

After we shopped at the flea market here in Fort Lauderdale, we went to Burger King to eat lunch. After we eat, we everybody played with Zac and we taught him how to clap his hands. We were all so happy because he knows how to clap his hands now. Actually he knew how to clap his hands before but its just his hands won't coordinate, one hand will go above the other. This time, he did it perfectly.

Zac in Florida

Yesterday was the first time that Zac touched the sand of ocean. He was very anxious at first and his reaction was kinda funny. When his feet touched the sand, he looked to the sand and wondering what is he stepping on lol! He actually liked it and specially when the water in the ocean touched his feet.

Zac eating chocolate cake icing

It very obvious that Zac loves chocolate. He won't stop saying "mmmmmmm" after every bite of chocolate. I gave him chocolate cake icing and this is what his reaction.

Happy Birthday Lolo and Lola!

August is his lolo and lola's birthday month so I decided to bake a cake for them and take a picture of it with Zac. Lolo means grandfather in Tagalog (language in the Philippines) and lola means grandmother. His lolo's birthday is actually today and his lola's birthday is on the 29th.

I was afraid at first because Zac might grab the cake infront of him so what I did was I put his arms under the tray of his high chair and took a quick shot hehe.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOLO AND LOLA!

Zac and his first Glass Festival

Yesterday was the first time Zac watched the Glass Festival Parade. People in the parade gave away candies to the watchers, some just threw candies at them. There was this woman who gave Zac a ring pop. He was so excited to have it and his reaction was funny. One of the guy also gave him a hand clapper and oh my! he held that hand clapper the whole time we watched the parade. Another funny reaction of Zac is when the firetruck came and he heard the loud siren lol! He pouted which is a sign that he will start to cry hehe. I so love every bits of you Zac :)

Zac and his great grandma

Zac just turned 8 months today woohooo!!! He is really growing so fast and oh my! he is getting heavier everyday too.

Today is also his great grandma's 86th birthday. We all went to the nursing home where she lives to visit her and greet her Happy Birthday. I wish her to live longer and good health. I am also happy for Zac that he was able to have a pic with his great grandma. I am sure that when he grow up, he will have a picture to how to his future kids on what his great grandma look like hehe.

Zac playing with his lips and tongue

I caught Zac discovering how to make sound using his tongue and lips lol! It was funny caz when I saw him the first time doing this, I grabbed the cam to film it but then he stopped after seeing me holding the cam. I grabbed the cam when he did it the second time but then he stopped again after seeing the cam on. On the third time, I snuck up on him while he was playing with his lips and tongue. Here is the video of him lol!

6 month old Zac

Ok! I am trying to catch up in posting Zac's milestone hehe.

Zac's Milestone
(6 month old)

• Keep head level when pulled to sitting position
• Reach for and grabs objects and toys
• Sit without support
• Get upset if you take a toy away
• Pull up to standing position from sitting
• Work at getting a toy that is out of reach
• Pick up small objects with fingers
• Babble and combine two syllable sounds
• He likes to wiggle
• He discovered that letting go of something is as much fun as picking it up
• Pass object from one hand to the other

Zac and his Curtains

We have been looking around in different stores looking for the right curtain for Zac's nursery room. Yes, he has his own room now. I actually don't know if I am happy about this because he has his own room now and I'll be able to sleep in bed with my husband again or I'll be sad because I already got use to sleeping in bed with Zac laying next to me.
I think I am the one who has anxiety separation and not my son :( Anyway, we bought a futon for his room so there is a couch to sit in during day time and a bed to lay in in case I have to watch him at night. We painted his room baby blue because I think that that is the perfect color for his room. His crib bedding is color blue too.

Zac's grandpa bought him a "Cars Game Rug" two days ago. It is an interactive game rug where he bought at Kmart. We were thinking of what theme will be Zac's room but since his grandpa already bought "Cars" item then I thought "Why not Cars?".

We scouted on 4 different stores yesterday looking for curtains for kids and we didn't find the one we are looking for. Today, we went to Walmart to look for curtain and we finally found Cars Window Panel. This made me happy because at long last the search is over lol!

Renal Ultrasound result

Ok, this post should be posted before the VCUG result but I just got the Renal Ultrasound result that is why this is late. This is the result of the kidney ultrasound:

INDICATIONS: Congenital Hydronephrosis

COMPARISON: 1/18/10

REPORT: Renal ultrasound was performed. The kidneys appear to be a of normal size. The right kidney measures 6.4 cm in length and the left kidney measures 6.6 cm. There is moderate left sided pelvocaliectasis has developed since 1/18/10. There is no evidence of right sided hydronephrosis. No renal masses are identified. Renal cortical echogenicity is normal.

A single of the urinary bladder was obtained which was unremarkable. The patient did immediately void and we were unable to asses for bilateral ureteral jets which can be an indicator of ureteral patency.

IMPRESSION: Moderate sided pelvocaliectasis which has developed since the prior study. Normal apperance of the right kidney. We were unable to asses for ureteral jets as described. One might consider a follow up intravenous pyelogram if there is a need to further evaluate a possible left sided obstruction.

So that was the result. You can't actually notice that Zac has a kidney problem because he acts like a normal kid. Yes, it says it was congenital which means he inherited it. I didn't had any kidney problem and so in my family so I asked my hubby, and according to him, kidney problem runs in his family. From his mom, to him and his two sisters. I just hope that his kidney problem will get solved so that he will be done with this ordeal.

I love him so much that sometimes it scare me on what will happen next.

Zac and the VCUG

Zac had his VCUG last July 22nd at Riley's Hospital. I think I will just let Wikipedia explain what VCUG means:

In urology, a voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), also micturating cystourethrogram (MCUG), is a technique for watching a person's urethra and urinary bladder while the person urinates (voids). The technique consists of catheterizing the person in order to fill the bladder with a radiopaque liquid (a "contrast" or "contrast agent", typically cystografin). Under fluoroscopy (real time x-rays) the radiologist watches the contrast enter the bladder and looks at the anatomy of the patient. If the contrast moves into the ureters and back into the kidneys, the radiologist makes the diagnosis of vesicoureteral reflux, and gives the degree of severity a score. The exam ends when the person voids on the table while the radiologist is watching under fluoroscopy. Consumption of fluid promotes exertion of contrast media after the procedure. It is important to watch the contrast during voiding, because this is when the bladder has the most pressure, and it is most likely this is when reflux will occur.

Kidney Reflux (vesicoureteral reflux) is diagnosed with an ultrasound and VCUG. Children who have chronic Urinary Tract Infections are given this test to determine the level of damage to the kidney.

Yes, they inserted catheter to Zac which made me almost cry. I held his arms and hubby held his legs because he was trying to fight while they were putting the catheter on. He cried in pain which made me and hubby upset. But we can't do anything because he needs to have this test to check his bladder :(

After waiting for almost an hour for the Urologist. He finally came and talked to me (hubby was outside the hospital getting coffee) in the room. He gave us a good news that Zac's bladder is clear, which means there was no reflux and his bladder is normal. But he wants to see the ultrasound pictures (which I already requested in the hospital today) of his kidneys to see on why his left kidney is enlarged. He said that according to the ultrasound impression of the radiologist. According to the urologist, there "might" be a blockage in the ureter which causes the enlargement of his left kidney. And again, his urologist said that as of now, we don't have to do anything because his hydronephrosis is in moderate condition which there is a possibility that it might resolve by itself when he gets a little bit bigger.

Tomorrow, I have to go to the hospital to sign up a release form for them to forward the ultrasound pics in CD to his urologist.

I am really praying hard that it will resolve by itself and I know that God is with us in this journey.

NOTE: The pic above is Zac wearing laboratory gown. That pic was taken before the VCUG.

5 month old

This post is looongg way over due but I still want to post this so I can have a reference in the future hehe

Zac's Milestone
(5 months old)

PHYSICAL AND MOTOR SKILLS

• Likes to grab anything he can reach.
• When lying on his back, he’ll lift his head and shoulders.
• If you place him on his stomach, he’ll extend his arms and legs and arch his back.
• He likes to explore everything he picks up and mouths it afterward.
• He weigh 16 lbs and his height is 26 inches.
• He likes to grab his toes and play with them and put them in his mouth.
• He develop the habit of releasing the object on purpose due to expression of interest or desire on other nearby objects.
• He can do the "close open" thingy.
• He can walk fast with the use of his walker.
• 
  

SENSORY AND COGNITIVE SKILLS

• Can recognize his own name - there are times that he will look whenever we call him by his name and sometimes he just ignore us (maybe because his attention is focused to something else).
• He pays attention to very small objects.
• He gets attention by babbling.
• He turns towards the source of a sound or voice.
• He can locate the source of the voice.
  

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

• He is very attentive and agile to concentrate on the person, who is speaking to him.
• He watches the mouth movements and facial expressions of the person talking to him.
• He loves to play peek-a-boo.
• He cries every time I leave the room or he is alone in the room.
• He likes giving smile to the people he loves and he likes getting close to them by going to them with the use of his walker.
• He spontaneously smiles.
• He mimics sounds and gestures.

Zac and the banana

Zac threw up again today after two hours of eating banana. This is third time it happened to him. The first time was like a month ago. I fed him banana that time and he threw up 6 times in two hours. We got afraid and we thought that he might had food poisoned so we called his doctor and they made an appointment for him right away. His Pediatrician wasn't available that time so he was seen by a different doctor.

He told me not to give him any food (even milk) til 8PM that night except for Pedialyte. Everything went ok that night. We don't really know on whats wrong with him, we thought his tummy was just upset that day. He likes banana and he has been eating banana for a month already and nothing bad happened to him til that day. The next day, I gave him the banana that was left over from yesterday. He threw up again. We were thinking that there is just something wrong with that banana jar that is why his tummy got upset. I got afraid so didn't gave him banana til then.

This afternoon, I took a chance of giving him banana because its been a month now since the last time he had it. He threw up again and it was big time. Now we are thinking that he is NOW allergic to banana. From now on I will NOT going to give him banana anymore.

Right now, Zac is asleep. Resting. He got tired from throwing up several times. I feel so bad. I wish I didn't give him banana :(

Zac and the highchair seat cover

Hubby and I were glad that we bought this Fisher Price Highchair seat cover. We bought this not for Zac's highchair at home but for the highchair in the restaurants. Zac likes to chew and mouth almost everything that he can reach so we decided to buy this seat cover so he can use this whenever we eat in restaurants.

Kids like licking, biting things and we are afraid that Zac would bite the highchair in restaurants. We don't want our baby to get some disease or virus from other babies who sat in highchairs so with the use of this highchair seat cover, at least we are a bit at ease that our son would be safer. We just don't want our baby to get sick :)

This seat cover is really handy too because it has its own bag and it is not heavy at all plus Zac enjoy having it because it has some toys and mirror where he could look at his own reflection hehe.

Zac and the highchair

Hubby ang I decided to buy Zac a highchair because it is dangerous for him to sit on his bouncy chair while I am feeding him. He likes to bend over to reach his toes which scares us because he might tumble down from the table down to the floor with his bouncy chair.

He eats solid food now so I think that it is really much appropriate if he would have his own chair. He eats stage two foods now. He eats meat now only if it is mixed with some other food (like veggies or fruit). He don't like pure meat because it is grainy. Meat on stage 2 foods are much smoother in texture because it is mixed with fruit or veggies that's why Zac eats meat now.

Zac likes to stare with us eating adult food. I know that that is just normal with babies and I can't wait for him to get a lil bit bigger so he could start munchin what we can munch. I love you Zac :)

Tagalog Storybook

My sister told me that he sent something for Zac. She didn't tell me what it was because she said she want it to be a surprise. Yesterday, I woke up and I wanted to tell hubby that I want to buy storybook for Zac so I can read it to him every night before he go to bed but I forgot to tell it to him because he was hurrying going to work.

Around 10:30AM, i checked our mail and I saw mails. Actually those mails are for my husband but they both came from my sister. I opened the big mail because I knew that that is the gift that my sister was talking about. I was surprised that it was a Tagalog Storybook. I was like "OH my! I was just thinking of buying some books and now Zac has one!" :D

I really like the storybook she sent because it has English translation plus I love the story "Si Pagong at si Matsing" (The turtle and the monkey). That story was one of my favorite when I was a kid and now I am glad that I can pass that story to my son.

Thank you my sister.

Zac can sit!!

I am sooo happy today! Zac was sitting on my lap and I noticed that he wasn't leaning on my chest which he usually does. He was actually sitting without leaning on. I put him on the floor and he made me wow! because he can finally sit!!

Zac and the "close, open" Part 2

At last! I caught him on cam doing the "close, open"! He was actually kinda grumpy in this video because he wants to be out of his high-chair but I won't let him out because I want him to take a video of him doing the "close, open" in his high-chair hehe.

Zac and the "close, open"

When Zac and I came home from the HS graduation of his cousin, I sat him down in the couch to take a picture of him wearing formal outfit. Suddenly, he started doing the "close, open" hand thingy :D ("close, open" is a Filipino thingy. You sing "close, open" over and over again while you open and close your hand/s).

I was calling his attention to get a pic of him but he didn't look at me. Instead, he looked at his right hand and did the "close, open". I caught it on camera while I was taking a picture of him for his birthday greeting for my sister. We are so happy and proud of him. This is another milestone for him :) We love you Zac! :D

2 Vaccination Shots

Zac had his 2nd shots last two days ago. He had Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, HiB and Polio shots. He weighs 18.11 pounds, 27 inches tall and has head circumference of 17 at the age of 5 months and half.

I don't like the nurse who gave him shots because it bled right after she injected those shots. Shots are suppose to be injected in the muscle and not in the vein.

He has an appointment for another Renal Ultrasound two weeks from now. The hospital called me yesterday and said that his schedule is today. I asked her to reschedule his appointment because his Urologist wants it to be done when he turns 6 months old and right now he is only 5 months and two weeks old. I asked her to reschedule it because I am afraid that his urologist would ask to redo the ultrasound because he isn't 6 months old yet. So just to make sure, I scheduled him on the 17th of this month which he would turn exactly 6 months old.

I really wish that everything is ok now in his kidneys.

Zac and the Walker

Zac always wants me to make him stand or sit but my arms are getting tired of doing it over and over everyday because he is getting heavier everyday. So I decided to assemble the walker that was given to him on his baby shower.

Before I assembled the walker I read the specifications first to see if Zac can use it already. It says:

Only use this walker if your child meets the following requirements:

• Can support body weight with legs
• Weight is between 15 and 26 lbs
• Height is less than 32 inches
• Stop using this product when your child can stand unaided or walk unassisted

My estimated weight of Zac is between 18 -19 lbs and I am sure that he is more than 27 inches in height so I happily assembled the walker with the help of my dad-in-law. We were so excited for him.

We were actually surprised because it seems like he already knew how to take steps right after we put him in his walker. He is becoming faster now in walking and what so funny is he always follow me now wherever I go. We can see in him that he is so happy with his walker because he can wheel around and go where he wants to go and follow whoever he wants to follow.

I love seeing my son happy and as much as possible I want to give him all what he needs and what he wants (but not to the point that he will become a brat). I am also happy that he took another milestone. I am so proud of him.

Free sippy cup!

I want to share this to all moms, soon-to-be-moms and to those people who likes freebies like me :D I signed up in this website not knowing that they will really send me free sippy cup. This is the pic of the sippy cup I got. Sign up and enjoy the freebie :D

2009 most popular baby names

I got curious on what are the most popular baby names last 2009 so I researched it. This is what came up on my research.

Female names

1. Isabella
2. Emma
3. Olivia
4. Sophia
5. Ava
6. Emily
7. Madison
8. Abigail
9. Chloe
10. Mia

Male names
1. Jacob
2. Ethan
3. Michael
4. Alexander
5. William
6. Joshua
7. Daniel
8. Jayden
9. Noah
10. Anthony

Peek-A-Boo

I love playing with Zac. I love hearing him laughing and seeing him smiling. As of now, he loves playing peek-a-boo. In the video below, he was busy playing with his toys so he don't pay attention to my peek-a-boo lol! I wish I could take a good video of him laughing while I play peek-a-boo with him.

Zac's buddy

My Pinay friend who lives few blocks away from our house called and told me that her 9 month old son has low iron level. She was worried because his son is already taking iron supplement and when his iron was checked, it was only 5 point something. She told me that a 9 month old baby's iron level should be at least 11-12. I was scared for his son too because he needs to be seen by a doctor in Riley's Hospital. It is a well-known children hospital here and the kids that are being sent there are mostly in bad shape.

So I came to research about baby's with low iron level. According to my research online, breastfed babies has a tendency to have low iron because breastmilk does not contain enough iron. Premature babies has tendency to have low iron too because iron stores build in the last few months of pregnancy. Infants whose mother were of poor nutritional status during pregnancy or who have diabetes are prone of having low iron level.

Where can babies get iron? There are variety of food where babies can get iron. Some of these foods are: iron-filled formula milk, iron-fortified cereals, meat, sweet potatoes, prune juice, winter squash and broccoli.

I don't like seeing ANY babies who are suffering from any illness. I know God will help her baby and will always be there. I am praying for him. Jeez! Why is it I feel like I am so worried and concerned for him?

Zac trying to hold his own bottle

Zac has been trying to hold his own milk bottle since he turned 4 months old. I noticed this past few days that he really wants to hold it now on its own. He don't want me holding it for him. I just let him hold it even though I always end up picking his bottle on the floor because I know that he will learn how to hold it soon. Of course I will always still be there guiding him and teaching him I how to hold it right.

I am so happy and so proud of every accomplishment that he is achieving.

My frst Mother's Day!

Today is my first Mother's Day. I didn't know that it is this wonderful to be greeted Happy Mother's Day by hubby, relatives and friends. Awhile ago, we went to JCP to shop and I was greeted Happy Mother's Day by a stranger. It made me smile.

I love you Zac. You are the reason why I am a mommy now. Without you I won't be able to feel how wonderful motherhood is. You are an answered prayer.

4 months old

I am late again in posting Zac's milestone :D But hey! I'll try to catch up :D

Zac's Milestone
(4 months old)

PHYSICAL AND MOTOR SKILLS

• Double the birth weight
• Rooting and sucking reflexes are well-developed
• Have almost no head lag while in a sitting position
• Be able to sit up straight if propped
• Raise head 90 degrees when placed on stomach
• Be able to roll from front to back
• Bring hands together over mid-chest
• Try to reach objects with hands (may commonly overshoot)
• Hold and let go of an object
• Play with rattle when it's placed in the hands, but won't be able to pick it up if dropped
• Be able to grasp rattle with both hands
• Be able to place objects in mouth
• Sleep 9 to 10 hours at night with two naps (total of 14 - 16 hours per day)

SENSORY AND COGNITIVE SKILLS

• Have well-established close vision
• Increase eye contact with parents and others
• Have beginning hand-eye coordination
• Be able to babble and coo
• Be able to laugh out loud
• Anticipate feeding when able to see a bottle
• Demand attention by fussing
• Recognize parent voice or touch
• Watches hands intently
• Turn head to locate sounds

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

• Smiles in response to a friendly face or voice
• Can entertain self by playing with fingers, hands and toes
• Enjoys familiar routines, such as being bathed and having diaper changed
• Delights in play that involves gentle tickling, laughing and jiggling
• Spends much less time crying
• Recognizes and reaches out to familiar faces and objects; reacts by waving arms and squealing with excitement
• Stops crying when parent or caregiver comes near
• Enjoys being held and cuddles at times other than feeding and bedtime
• Reacts differently to adult voices, may frown or look anxious if voices are loud, angry or unfamiliar

My Birthday!

It was my birthday last 27th. I was so happy because this time I celebrated my birthday with our son.

I can still clearly remember my birthday last year. It was special. It was 2PM when Hubby and I decided to take pregnancy test. We went to CVS to buy EPT (Emergency Pregnancy Test). When we got home, I took the test and my hubby is the one who checked the result. We were both jumping out of joy! It was positive. It was truly a gift on my birthday. It was the best birthday gift I ever had.

We were so thankful to God because our prayer was finally answered. This year, my birthday is extra special because of Zac.

Zac and the Wash Pod

Hubby bought this Wash Pod in the store. At first I thought it was a waste of money since he already has a bath tub and Zac will out grown this wash pod couple of months from now. I changed my mind after seeing him all happy and giggling playing with water in the wash pod. He actually looks so cute in it because it looks like he is in a bucket or a big water dipper LOL!

Zac loves bath time. He will stop whining once I put him in the tub. I always give him a bath before sleeping every night, I started doing that a couple of weeks ago. He seems to sleep pretty good after bath time. I always make sure that his bath accessories are all ready, the bathroom is warm (heater is on) and the water is not too cold and not to hot for him. I am glad that Zac loves bath time, actually there are times that when I say "bath time" he gives big smile. It seems like he understand that word already.

Here is a pic of Zac enjoying bath time in his wash pod.

Zac and the 1st food

Yay! Hubby and I were so excited to see on what will be his facial reaction in eating baby foods. Hubby bought some baby foods and of course it should be 1st food since he is just a beginner in eating food. Hubby bought different kinds of fruits and veggies flavor. There's banana, peach, apple, pears, prunes, squash, carrots, peas and green beans.

He is 4 months and 3 days old now, supported sitter and he opens his mouth every time he sees the spoon coming close to his mouth. I know that those are some of the signs that he is already ready for solid food. We started giving him banana flavor and he loved it. At first he made funny face because that taste is new to him. He kinda like sucking the food in his mouth LOL! Yeah he did it because he use to drink milk and not use to eating food yet.

Hubby and I were so wondering on what was he thinking when he was licking the banana. Maybe this was his thought "What is this thing in my mouth?" or maybe "Is this the new flavor of milk now?" or maybe "I am starting to like the taste of this thing in my mouth" hehe. But there is one thing for sure, he looovees the banana flavor. He kept on kicking and yelling that seems like he was asking for more, more, and more please.

He ate 1 pack of Banana Puree today. I fed half of it lunch time and half dinner time. Tomorrow, I am going to start on giving him fruit puree (apple) for lunch and vegetable puree (carrots) for dinner and of course he will still drink milk for breakfast and in between meals. I hope he will like vegetables as they are good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. I know, not all kids like vegetables that is why I hope that he will be like me that is not a picky eater hehe. I love vegetables and I will encourage and teach him to love vegetables too.

Zac and the Swing

Zac is starting to love the swing that we bought for him. It has 6 different levels of speed and it also plays different baby music with volume control. It also has some toys for him to look and play with. Swing is very helpful to me. I can just put Zac on it and continue doing my chores. It also makes his fussiness stopped although he is not fussy most of the time.

Vaccination Shots

I think the most hardest thing for a parent is to see her kid crying. Yeah, Zac cried today because of the multiple vaccines he had.

He was in the good mood this morning when I woke him up. He was in the mood of playing and talking til he got his shots. Me and my hubby held his arms and legs so that the nurse can give him his shots. I don't like seeing him crying in pain but we don't have any choice because those shots that was administered to him are beneficial.

He had his second shot of Hepa B (he got the first one a day after he was born) and first shots of Polio, Pneumococcal and DTP (Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertusis) and Hib.

Hepatitis B is a virus which you can get from contact with blood or body fluid of an infected person. This virus can lead to liver damage or even death.

Polio is a virus that can lead to paralysis of arm or leg.

Pneumococcal is a bacteria that can lead to meningitis (infection of the brain and spinal cord coverings), blood infections, ear infections, pneumonia, deafness, brain damage and death.

Diptheria is a bacteria that lead to breathing problems, heart failure and death.
Tetanus (lockjaw) is a bacteria that can lead to stiffness of the jaw.
Pertusis (whooping cough) is a bacteria that can lead to pneumonia, seizures (jerking and staring spells), brain damage and death.

Hib (Haemophilus influenza type b) is a bacteria that can lead meningitis, pneumonia; infections of the blood, joints, bones and covering of the heart; brain damage; deafness and death.

He snoozed after few minutes he had those shots actually he is still snoozing til now. I just hope that he won't have fever because of those shots. They say that it is normal for babies to have fever after having shots. They advised us to give him Tylenol for babies in case fever occur.

I am glad that he had them now even though it was a heartbreaking thing seeing him crying.

Zac and the pacifier

He doesn't like pacifier since he was born. I kept on putting it in his mouth every time but he spits it out. I kept on doing it once in a while but I totally gave up after 2 months he was born.

The other day, when he was fuzzy and I can't understand on what he wants, I gave him pacifier and he sucked it for 2 minutes. I was shocked. I didn't expect that he will do that. After he spit it out, I shove it back to his mouth and sucking it made him fall asleep. I did it again last night and it worked! He fell asleep while sucking it.

What made me realize to pursue giving him pacifier is because I noticed that he keeps on sucking his fists. I know that thumb sucking is just normal to babies but I am afraid that he might suck germs from his hands. I kept on wiping his hands though to make sure that they are clean. One time I did everything and he was still crying. What made him stop crying is the pacifier and it made him fall asleep again! What I am glad about is that he don't wake up and cry when his pacifier falls out of his mouth while sleeping. He has lots of pacifiers from the baby shower but the pacifier that I am giving him is the NUK brand which has a good nipple shape.

I know that babies are the happiest when they are sucking on something so I always make sure that his pacifier is always clean before I give it to him. I don't give pacifier to replace bottle feeding. I really think that that is totally wrong. If he cries and he don't want milk and I notice that he is fist sucking or he is grabbing something and putting it to his mouth then that is the only time I give his pacifier. I don't want him to be pacifier dependent so I don't give it to him all the time.

2nd Monthly Visit

I know that Zac is already a bit delayed on his shots. We had problems with his insurance so it took us more weeks before we were able to get pediatrician appointment.

Today has come and it is his 2nd monthly check up. He is 3 months and 3 weeks old now and weighs 15.15 lbs with the height of 26 inches and head circumference of 16 inches. His pediatrician said that he had grown fast. He is now on his 80th percentile. She was actually surprised when I told her that he drinks 50 ounces of milk a day but it went down to 40 ounces because he doesn't feel good this past few days. His temperature was 99.7 when she checked it. She canceled all the shots that he is suppose to have today because of his slight fever. She told us that if his body temperature is still the same on Monday then we need to see her again but if not , we can just go anytime there next week for his shots.

He did nothing but to sleep from 9A til now (7P). He only drank 7 ounces of milk. He usually wakes up and chugs milk but he is so different today. The pediatrician said that he doesn't have ear infection which we thought he has because he keeps on pulling and scratching his left ear. They also checked if he has RSV but good thing that the result is negative.

I am really praying and hoping that his fever will be gone soon, soon, soon!

First Easter Sunday

I was disappointed when I read on the newspaper Saturday night that they canceled the traditional Easter Egg Hunt at the park. Their reason is it will rain according to the weather forecast. Yesterday morning, the first thing I did was to check the weather outside and guess what? It was 80F!! I was really upset because yesterday was Zac's first Easter Egg Hunt. So what did I do? I came up with an idea of having Easter Egg Hunt in our yard with Zac and his cousins :D

I got hungry at 2PM so I went to the pantry to check on what to cook. I saw Carrot Cake Mix. I told myself "Hmm, bunnies eat carrots and today is Easter Sunday so why not make Carrot Cake?" LOL! So I made Carrot Cake even though I know that I don't have enough icing (I forgot to buy more in the store :p) While putting the white icing on the cake, I remembered that there was still some cake decor letters left from my nephews's birthday cakes (yeah! they have the same birthdate). I decided to use them and of course, since some of the letters were used in my nephews's cakes, there were letters missing already. Instead of having "HAPPY EASTER ZAC" I put "HAPPY EAZTER Z4C' LOL! Here is the outcome of the cake I baked :D

After I baked the cake, I painted Easter eggs and started to hide them in the yard for the Egg Hunting. My nephews was happy because they found the eggs and they got Easter chocolates and some money. I also put bunny ears on Zac and took a pic of him. Here is his picture.


I learned something today. I learned that "Sometimes parents got to do what they got to do for their kids". We don't want Zac to miss his first Easter Egg Hunt so me and his daddy made this not to happen. I know that right now he don't care on what Easter Egg Hunt means but I hope someday, when he can able to understand and read this, I hope that he will appreciate what we did for him. We love you Zac - Daddy & Mommy