The Birthday Surprise

Our celebration from Ava's second birthday turned out really well which gave me a list of different topics I can blog about from that trip. While I am still organizing my posts, I will jump right up to Mr. T's celebration which happened the following week.

This year, Mr. T turned 30. :)))

We don't really celebrate our birthdays with big parties but I thought this year should be special. I was originally thinking of having a joint celebration for Mr. T and Ava but given our trip already, I don't think it will be practical to spend more. Plus, I really wanted this celebration made special for Mr. T. :)

So two months before our trip, right before everything went chaotic, I decided to go for a simple birthday surprise with our family and friends. I sent messages to our different groups, his former and current officemates included.

I have everything all set in my mind already - Mr. T will arrive at the venue thinking he was just there to pick me up from a meeting, but he will be greeted with a Happy Birthday song by our family and friends. But Saturday's horrible traffic made some unexpected twist in what's supposed to be a perfect surprise. Mr. T arrived at the venue unexpected and unannounced. But it was a fun get together with everyone nonetheless.

The Balik Bukid Experience

I've been wanting to visit Sta. Elena Fun Farms ever since I've read about it in My Mom-Friday's post. They also have the Balik Bukid fair which happens twice a year, one during summer and one in the last quarter of the year.On their first year, we were busy with the wedding preps and I didn't know about them then, the following year, we were busy with parenthood. But finally this year, it happened! Just right on time for Mother's Day! :)))

Since it was our first time, I would like to share with you some of our learnings so you can enjoy your Balik Bukid experience more.

1. It is best to choose the right time you want to go to the fair. Check the schedule posted on their Facebook Page to see what activities will interest you. The fair starts at 8:00am and ends till 6:00pm. If you're coming with babies and toddlers, I suggest going early morning, or late afternoon. Otherwise, lunch time could be a little uncomfortable especially if you're going on a hot summer day.
2. Don't forget to bring stuff that will protect you from the sun. Hats, umbrellas, abanikos, sunscreen, etc. There are available stuff on site as well, but it's still best to bring your own so you won't need to buy and spend extra.
3. Think about having a picnic! Because that's one of the best things you can do during the fair. Bring blankets, pillows, etc. You can just choose a spot and setup and enjoy munching some food you got from the participating stalls or just enjoy an afternoon nap. We're definitely doing this next time.

Here are some of the photos during our visit. We particularly enjoyed watching Ava interact with the animals. She was so ecstatic. Just look at that face. :)

Our Darling Daughter's Birth Story

As our toddler turns 18 months old today, I would like to finally share the story of her birth.

October 30, 2012 | Wednesday. It was two weeks before my due date. I was sitting outside my OB's clinic after my office, waiting for Cholo and for my turn to be checked. Ava, like the impatient baby that she is, was kicking and somersaulting like an olympic gold medalist inside my tummy. I was not complaining because any movement was always a good indication for us during that time. Cholo arrived around 7pm and not too long after, it was our turn to be checked. During the ultrasound, our OB told me that she can't seem to scan any movements, apparently Ava fell asleep right before we went inside. She instructed me to turn to my left side so we can wake Ava up. Still scanning, our OB told me that she's gonna send me to the ER if she didn't see any movements so we can have a stress test. A few minutes later, Ava twitched. What a good girl! :) My cervix was also checked via IE, I was already 1cm dilated. But we were allowed to go home since I was not experiencing any contractions yet.

After our checkup, while having our dinner, Mr. T and I were even talking about the possibility of Ava being born on November 1. And we thought we were just kidding. I still have a little blood discharge when we got home, thinking it was from my IE earlier, I went about my nightly routine and prepared to rest for the night. My discharge, though small in amount, seemed to be more than just an effect of my IE so we decided to message our OB. She immediately instructed us to proceed to the ER to be checked. So I took a bath (because if this was really it, who knows when's the next time I'd be able to get a full bath. :P), got our stuff ready and went straight to the ER. When we got to the hospital, the residents immediately checked on my cervix. I was admitted at around 11pm, 3cm dilated. It was a long night.

Hey! Still Here :)

I think it's time to state the fact that I am a negligent blogger. Or maybe a seasonal blogger instead, so as not to be too harsh on myself. :P Yes, I am still keeping (or at least trying to) my blog updated so I'm just gonna move on and jump on to what's current instead of holding off till I can complete my backlogs which will just make everything pile up all together. So yeah. Let's move on. Maybe I'll just post about them when I get the chance. :)

Let me just do a quick roundup instead of blogging about each event one by one. Last I posted was all about my little belle's Little Miss Audrey stint. It was then followed by her series of birthday celebrations, then the holiday season and the start of her toddler year. Yes, this little person right here took over our lives. But we're not complaining. Just loving every minute of it.