Of Nappies and Potties

Two years of exclusive cloth diapering for Ava.

While it has not come to a close yet, I felt the huge change that came with our potty training. From 6-8 diapers a day, we are now down to one. Looking back, using cloth is one of those decision that we are glad we pursued. It may not be a lot, but it's nice to know that in our own little ways, our little fambam is helping the environment. It's definitely a good feeling.

Ergo Sport or Tula Toddler?

27 months of babywearing and still counting.

As a matter of fact, we just recently got a Toddler Tula because Ava already outgrew our much-loved Ergo Sport.

Finally, after much thought, we have come down to our final stash of baby carriers. And I will save that topic for another post. Let me first share with you the differences I have observed between a Toddler Tula and an Ergo Sport. These are definitely noteworthy.

For reference, Ava is 27 months old, approximately weighs 30lbs. with a height of 90cm.

Availability

Ergo carriers are available in stores like SM's Baby Company as well as Rustan's, making it more convenient to buy. Tula carriers, on the other hand is not yet available in the local market except for online shops or mommy groups that buys, sells or trades Tula carriers. The only trusted seller I know is CEO Emporium* which I highly recommend because Candy (owner) is very accommodating especially to an eager Mama like me. ;)

Price

An Ergo Sport costs 115USD (5,000Php+) while the Toddler Tula is 169USD (7,500Php+).

A Family-Friendly Hong Kong Itinerary

I thought of just picking up where I left off and share our travel itinerary during our Hong Kong trip.

This itinerary worked great for us. Mr. T and I love exploring so we really don't mind the commute, long walks and those stuff. Please also take note that I am a breastfeeding Mama (27 months and still counting) and Mr. T and I are both all out for babywearing. Those two things were big factors I guess because we were able to move around easily.

The beginning of our travel was a bit different though since I went ahead while Mr. T and Ava just followed two days later. But Mr. T just winged it and both husband and daughter arrived safely in Hong Kong. Lol.

Your hotel location is the best basis you can use in planning your itinerary. We stayed at Casa Deluxe along Nathan Road, just less than a five-minute walk from the Yau Ma Tei station. The MTR system of Hong Kong is very efficient so this was a big plus for us.

Day 1 | October 30

Arrived Hong Kong

Travel to Hotel

Lunch at Din Tai Fung

Walk around Avenue of Stars

Explored the Night Market

Our first day was pretty relaxed as we took a leisurely walk along Nathan Road, passing by Kowloon Park before we went to the Mira Mall for a sumptuous lunch at Din Tai Fung. We then walked some more and proceeded at the Avenue of Stars while we munched on some grilled squid and enjoyed people watching and sunset viewing. We stayed there until a little after dark before we went to the Ladies' Night Market where we saw the ongoing Occupy Central rally. If I were to ask, you can opt to skip this night market if you don't have plans shopping there. While it's true that there are a lot of stuff to see, it's just not kid-friendly. You can find other shops in less-crowded areas like Nathan or at Citygate Mall. After an hour of walking around, we decided to grab a quick takeout dinner and took the train back to the hotel.

Holiday Hangover

Looks like there's a trend going on here. I don't think I can manage this whole blogging thing and the holiday season ever. So let me put it out there to make myself feel less guilty. November and December means no updates here. Lol. Blaming it on the whole holiday feels. Hah!

Like everybody else, we got busy with work, making sure that everything's set and fine before everybody goes off for the long holiday. Dinners with family and friends, not your usual get togethers if you have parents and friends who came home from overseas. We wanted as much time as we can have with them.

And of course, we made sure that we will enjoy the longest vacation of the year with our darling daughter. This is probably the best one yet, now that she's bigger, she enjoyed Christmas more. Gift-giving, playing with our friends' tots, cousins and more. We had a quick family getaway with the in-laws in Tagaytay, where she enjoyed running around barefoot (Taal Vista lobby included. :P). Right after our Tagaytay trip, we then had a quiet double celebration of my 30th birthday and our 3rd wedding anniversary. We enjoyed it the most because it was her first time to swim in a real swimming pool. It was a delight watching her, she was fearless but still cautious. Then New Year, all those fireworks made her a little scared but she handled it very well. Holidays are always the busiest but definitely the most wonderful time of the year, don't you think?

Next thing we knew, it was time to go back to work. But with our hearts filled with so much joy, I think we have enough to get us through till the next. ;)

So I may or may not post some backlogs but there will be posts coming again. I'm excited again.

Happy New Year! :)

2 Years of Breastfeeding and Beyond

Nursing never has and never will look just one way for every mother and child.

Listen to your child, listen to yourself.

Accept what is.

Don’t read into things too much.

Go with your instincts.

Feel the love.

- Excerpt from To the Mom of a Nursing Toddler by Nurse Me Mama

I came across this article about a week after Ava turned two. It summed up all of my thoughts about our breastfeeding journey which I have been feeling highly emotional about lately. In our trip two weeks ago, I was scheduled to go ahead for two days and two nights, that meant being away from Ava (at night) for the very first time after her birth. Since we are still breastfeeding, I was initially worried about how Mr. T would manage to make her sleep through the night, or if two consecutive days and nights will make her wean. Am I ready? Is she ready? That would be a relief right? No, I'm not ready, what will I do if she doesn't like to dede (breastfeed) anymore?

Guess both of us weren't ready because the first activity she did in Hong Kong was breastfeed. Happy Mama and a happy tot together again.

So cheers to two years of breastfeeding, and cheers to who-knows-how-much-longer. Pats on our backs are in order. One for me and one for Mr. T. Achievement unlocked! :)

Travelling Tips for Your First Family Trip

We recently had our very first family trip to Hong Kong to celebrate Ava's birthday. Mr. T and I thought about it after Ava's first birthday and we both agreed that we are going to Disneyland for her second. Seeing our little darling's progress, we knew exploring Hong Kong will be worth it already. While our trip had its kinks, we still think it was a huge success. Looking at our photos and videos afterwards made us realize more how much Ava really enjoyed it.

For first-time parents who are travelling with their little tot for the first time, I am sharing some of the things we did that made this trip really, really awesome.

1. Research Well.

There are a lot of readily available guides and articles online that you can find over the internet. Read as much as you can to help you decided which places you'd want to go. I always find Lonely Planet's Guide to Hong Kong helpful every time I visit because of its comprehensive guides and suggestions.

2. Plan Your Itinerary.

Make an itinerary that's feasible for your family instead of trying to squeeze everything just so you can visit as many places as you want. Remember that toddlers can be a little impatient, moody and cranky. Putting a lot of activities in your itinerary without considering these things can result to a meltdown for the whole family.

Part of planning your itinerary is becoming familiar to the area where you're staying at. Check where the nearest MTR stations are, bus routes and other transportation services. Going around Hong Kong is fairly easy, you can always go old school and use tourist maps which are conveniently available in the airport and probably in your hotel's reception desk. But with today's digital age, there are a lot of apps readily available for your smart phones and tablets. The apps that helped us the most is Google Maps and the MTR Tourist. Most establishments in Hong Kong offer free wi-fi services already but for those times that we could not connect, Google Maps' offline map services came in handy. The MTR Tourist app is also a pretty neat app because you can easily see your train route just by plotting your place of origin and your destination.

3. Prepare Your Documents.

Obtaining a passport is a lot easier now compared to before. You can simply set up an appointment through the DFA's official website and choose the schedule that's convenient for you. Most countries require a passport that is valid for at least six months beyond the date of departure, check if all passports are within the six months validity. Better be safe than be surprised during airport check-in right?

In applying for your baby's passport, for 1 year and below, setting up an appointment is not necessary since you can go straight to DFA and you'll be directed to the priority lane. But it's still more convenient to set up an appointment so you can have the application form filled out and printed already.

4. Pack Light and Pack Smart.

Having a baby or a toddler in tow often times indicate packing the whole house (if possible) just to make sure that you have everything you need. This is really not necessary. Identify the basic things that you really need to bring and check if it will be more convenient if you just buy once you reach your destination. As your baby grows older, the smaller your baby bag becomes.

Check the weather so you can bring the appropriate clothes. Since Hong Kong's weather is really not far from the Philippines' we still brought clothes that we normally wear. We just packed a couple of extra sets just in case the weather gets colder.

5. Prepare Your Gears.

And by that I meant, strollers, baby carriers and other baby essentials. While your toddler is already eager to explore and walk rather than be carried, there will still be a lot of carrying that will happen. Mr. T and I both love babywearing so it wasn't really something new to us. Train rides and strolls with a lot of people were more manageable with babywearing compared to pushing a stroller. For leisure walks and when Ava naps in the middle of our itinerary, the stroller did it's job. I would recommend choosing a very handy and lightweight stroller. Earlier this year, we got a Maclaren Volo in preparation for this trip. It's perfect for travel because of it's size, weight and design. Practice using your gears first should you decide to purchase new ones specifically for your upcoming trip.

6. Enjoy.

Don't forget that there's really no perfect trip, especially for a family who's travelling for the first time. There will always be glitches along the way and how you will react to it will make or break your trip. So it's best to opt for the more positive approach for an equally positive result.

These are the things that I think made this trip awesome. Of course I'm sure there are a lot more but I'm still trying to recall. On my next post, I will add more to these as I share our four-day itinerary.

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.