once you pop, you can't stop!

a family of cars

2011-10-30T23:47:00.001+01:00

karol will be having his name's day on the fourth of november. today, we had lunch at dedko's and he got his advance presents. he got an rc car from dedko, and his first ever lego set from tita lucia and tito peter.

at first he didn't want daddy to put batteries on his rc. he really didn't enjoy rc's that much before. he likes to "drive" (karol's own words) his cars on his own. that means pushing it around on the floor. he almost started crying when mommy tricked him into giving the car back to daddy. luckily, the car has flashing lights when activated and he was later on convinced to operate the rc. at last, he was fully enjoying the rc experience.

we only have duplos at home but karol likes playing lego when we visit babka. today he received his very own first lego set (which means we would have to graduate from duplo sooner than planned :D). anyways, as you may have guessed already, it's a set that comes with wheels. he wanted to open the box the moment he got it. naturally, mommy had to convince him not to. he agreed, but didn't let go of the box, not even when we went to cemetery and until we got home. he first had to take a nap. then, as promised the moment he woke up, we built 2 cars and a gasoline station.

one of the lego cars looked like a pick up truck. when i mentioned it to him, he had to run and get his car that looked like the lego car. incidentally, his old car is smaller, so then he explained to me that that one is a "baby car" and the lego is a "daddy car". i was surprised since he usually refers to bigger things as "mommy." apparently, cars are male. or, so i thought! because when i pointed this out to him, he immediately brought the rc and said that that is "mommy car." hihihi!!!

the family of cars

karol's first cinema experience

2011-10-30T23:15:00.001+01:00

last friday, mommy took karol for his first cinema experience... cars 2!!! it was a great experience for him; complete with popcorn. i think he ate more popcorn than me and alex combined. :D anyways, karol enjoyed it so much he even wanted to finish the ending credits. unfortunately, alex had to run to toilet. karol only budged when i told him he can watch it at home. good thing i downloaded the movie before hand.

this was taken after the movie. not so happy looking anymore. not even five minutes after the movie, he already picked a fight with alex. geesh! i hope he outgrows this crying stage soon... at least he let me take his picture. :D

Karol turns 3

2011-09-09T17:18:00.002+02:00

sorry for the late post. karol turned three, three weeks ago. we just had a simple celebration at home, day after we arrived from the tatras mountains.

hmmm.. how will i describe the three year old karol? he still loves cars and trucks, etc., etc.. and is so makulit. always says no or i don't want to anything and everything. cries about everything which doesn't agree with him. but is still super sweet.

what can i say, being the only boy and the middle child can be difficult. i think he's trying to make a statement. hopefully, this phase will end soon. although most of the time, you can eventually talk him into doing things even if he says no. and eventhough he just repeats what he hears from alex, he knows very well when to use them. he says the funniest things and the things he says makes a lot of sense when he's in a good mood.

anyways, after our tatras trip, i realized he's not into hiking :))) and that it takes him some time to get used to new things. poor karol was forced to hike and live in an unfamiliar hotel. he was so homesick. the moment we arrived home, he run to his room and played with his cars. surprisingly he wasn't cranky even if it was past his bed time. i guess he was just happy to be back home at last.

(6 days) before and after

2011-06-01T00:03:00.000+02:00

karol's haircut done by mommy :) most people say this new hairstyle suits him. but i still like his long hair better. when combed properly, he really looks more pogi :)

kinder karol (again)

2011-05-26T01:49:00.002+02:00

karol is very active and likes to ride his motorbike everywhere. he likes playing in the sand with all kinds of cars and trucks. in the playground, he is most of the time by himself in the sand box. otherwise, he is sitting quietly in a corner, waiting for an opportunity to borrow other children's toys (read: cars).

last week, karol went back to kindergarten. we transferred him to alex's old kindergarten, vcielka (little bee). he is the youngest pupil and he seems to be enjoying himself as evident in the photo. plus, his teachers report that he is a very good boy. :)

sadly, it's a different story at home... karol is 2 years and 9 months old, and definitely in his terrible two stage. unfortunately, he tries to say no to almost everything and screams like a girl when angry. our only consolation is if you pack a lot of patience, he is actually easy to reason with. also, thanks to the fact that he's very sweet. but i still wish he gets over this terrible two stage quickly.

additionally, i also hope that he gets potty trained before he turns three. :D yes, he still wears diapers but we're slowly getting there. already more than once, he made weewee and "brown weewee" (read: poop) successfully in the potty. but he doesn't ask all the time. most of the time though, he will tell us right after he pissed in his diaper.

oh well, that's our karol! :)

it's all about cars

2011-05-07T23:48:00.004+02:00

karol loves cars.

i don't know when karol started playing with cars. but i remember one of his very first cars was a gift from a kid in the playground. this boy has like thousands of them at home, that his dad decided to give karol one. unfortunately, we already lost it.

karol's collection has grown since then. he has all sorts of cars, trucks and everything wheels. he almost always never leaves home without one or two of them. however, no matter how many he has, he always ends up playing with other kids' cars; whether it be in playground or our friends' home.

one friend he remembers the most is kuya adrian. once in a while karol remembers him. sometimes, karol asks us if we are going to kuya adrian's house, and that kuya adrian has lots of cars.

in the morning, we told him that we will be going to the zoo. he got really excited and said, "yes! we will go to zoo's house. and we will play with zoom's* cars!"

karol loves cars!

*not a typo. karol is now mixing slovak and english. most of the time he adds the suffix -om to his words (e.g., autom (auto=car), bagrom (bager=digger)), sometimes even when it's not applicable :D

kinder karol

2011-01-24T15:16:00.000+01:00

a couple of months before the new year begun, i realized that karol can jump on two feet. i never really knew when he learned it. he is growing up so fast that he already started going to kindergarten at the beginning of the year.

he likes kindergarten so much. the first day he didn't even notice us leaving if we didn't call him to give us a kiss (which he didn't give in favor of trains).

the almost two and a half year old karol still likes toys with wheels (cars, trucks, trains, etc.) and i know i said he couldn't carry a tune, but he started singing more lately. he even goes as far as making his own lyrics by combining two different songs. some of his favorites:

"jingle bells! jingle bells! pussy's in the well"
"twinkle, twinkle spider..."

kuya karol is now more fascinated with andy than the first few weeks since andy came home. karol used to ignore andy's presence. lately however, he is eager to touch her and play with her :)

the two year old karol

2010-09-04T16:12:00.000+02:00

karol is now officially a boy and not a baby anymore. barely a week after his birthday, he moved to his very own bed. and a few days after, his clothes were also moved to his very own wardrobe. there's almost no trace of him ever being in the master's bed room at all. he moved out on us *sniff!* :D

big boy karol has become a funny little character. he loves to say pleasantries in his own funny little ways:
* "here you go!" (hee-yu-go)
* "thank you/thanks!" (tee-kyu/teenks)
* "you're welcome!" (yu-we-kam)
* "sorry!" (so-yee)
* "please!" (peease)
even in his impatience, he still screams please out of habit. then i ask him to be nice and he changes to his pleasant tone with an added trying-to-be-cute-smile.

likes to play:
* with cars, trucks and trains
* tickling games with mommy and daddy
* chasing games and all other games/toys with ate alex

enjoys swimming and loves eating corn a lot. he likes sweets too, specially cakes.

given all these, there's still a little bit of baby in him. he loves his baby bottle and drinks milk and everything liquid from it. drinks milk in the morning and before going to sleep at night. we cannot go anywhere without juice (doos) in a bottle. his favorite line is "ayaw, dink doos na peease!" (read: i want to drink juice now please!). additionally, he's not yet potty trained.

let's face it, diapers and bottles makes for great convenience to mommy and daddy. and let's just say it's our little way of keeping the little bit of baby in him. :D

statistics: 90cm high and weighs 12kg

three parties for karol

2010-09-02T23:58:00.001+02:00

as if to make up for his first birthday. karol had three celebrations this year :D

thanks for all the love and the gifts! :*

(a) dedko (digger & cake); (b) ate, mommy and daddy (train set)

(c) babka (digger); babicka (book);
tita naysa and tito noli (thomas train set)

(d) julinka (fork lift); (e) risko (thomas clock/shape sorter)

a week before two

2010-09-02T10:55:00.000+02:00

it's been almost two months since karol started sleeping in the children's room. we thought him safe inside the crib. boy! oh, boy! we thought wrong.

every morning, we got used to alex waking up karol (or vice versa). sometimes alex runs to our room. most times, we just hear them talking, playing and exchanging toys while karol was inside the crib. this particular morning, we heard not one but two sets of tiny footsteps approaching. :O

yes, karol has learned how to climb in and out of the crib!

this day he also enjoyed the freedom of swimming in a knee-deep pool by himself with just the help of arm floaters (watch the video).

how to eat cheerios

2010-08-11T14:31:00.001+02:00

karol is not eating so well lately. he cannot stay in his seat at all. then i discovered the way to do it is to keep him busy on the table by giving him a spoon and letting him eat by himself. the problem is, he always wants to use the spoon :D

step 1: pickup cheerios from bowl

step 2: put cheerios on spoon

step 3: put spoon inside mouth (oops! if it falls down then pick it up :)

future _____ (choose the best answer)

2010-06-14T16:30:00.001+02:00

when alex was smaller and younger, it was clear that she will be a singer. with karol, it is a bit tricky. his most probable career paths are:

(a) actor; he pretends to cry and tells everyone he's crying. or calls on someone with big eyes and open mouth saying he's scared :))

(b) dancer; unlike ate, this one has a bit of rhythm in his bones. although, much more unlike ate, he cannot carry a tune at all (but, he tries).

(c) voice talent; he likes to call animals more by their sounds than by their names. his favorite animal sounds are: elephant, cat, dog, frog, horse, sheep, etc. he also likes to imitate sounds that he hears around him (e.g., the windows bootup sound :D)

or,
(d) athlete; the almost two year old karol is really active with amazing motor skills and has a very strong built. he can grab a ball with just one big hand of his. very long reach fit for a boxer. strong legs that's already attempting to jump.

well, he's all these things and more. karol is really a charmer. you just have to see him for yourself and you'll know what i mean. :)

the pinwheel story

2010-06-10T13:12:00.000+02:00

ready... inhale! (big breath)

...and blow! (foooo!)

hmmm?!? what seems to be the problem. it didn't turn?!?

ok, take two!

wow! it's turning!

see i told you i can do it!

21 months

2010-06-09T19:46:00.000+02:00

in two and a half months, karol will be a full-pledged two-year-old boy. although sometimes, i already think he is. :D

* asks for milk the moment he wakes up. "ayaw miiiilk (milk)!" he still says "ayaw ___" if he wants something.
* the next order of business is "ayaw watch!" right after alex and daddy leaves for kindergarten. loves watching playhouse disney's little einsteins, mickey mouse clubhouse, handy manny, and junction jungle; and jim jam's thomas and his friends, and mio mao.

couch potatoes

* still likes to play with his cars and trucks

beware! no one can touch the aupark train when karol is driving

(notice the boy in the background)

* likes to scatter all the books and look for pictures of cars/trucks, balls, etc. and call out their names
* knows a lot of shapes (e.g., circle, oval, star, heart, triangle) and can put most of them in the shape sorter
* likes to eat cakes. he thinks all desserts are called "cupkeks" (cupcakes).
* talks more in full sentences. sometimes asks questions and answers them by himself. "whey (where) is cay (car)?" looks for it and then says, "ah, dey (there) ay (are)!"
* is a very good actor/comedian. he speaks with such animated expressions. does a fake cry when he doesn't get what he wants, comes to me and says "is caying (crying)" or says "whoa! biiiiiiiiig tuck (truck)!" in his big booming voice and wide eyes.

* alex's number one fan. does what ate does; follows alex everywhere.

made his own bed on the floor; exactly just like what ate did

* goes to sleep by himself. either he falls asleep while drinking milk in the crib or he finishes the milk and just lie with open eyes until he falls into dream land :)

we already moved his crib in the "kitty" (children's) room. alex was so happy with the move and said, "i will sleep with karol every time." we just decided one night to do it, after lola viela went back to PH. karol didn't mind the move at all. he slept quite well the first night. the following day at nap time, i told him to go to bed and he immediately went to his new room.

likes to pick flowers :D

caught in the act

2010-03-14T22:23:00.000+01:00

we had our first sunday lunch of the year with babka (matej's mom). as usual there was yummy dessert -- honey cake. just as everyone was getting ready to leave, karol sneaked away. he was the first one to get dressed as usual. then, when everyone was busy dressing, there he was eating alex's honey cake.

poor alex was crying. we had to cut her eating short, because she was too sleepy and we needed to go. we packed new slices of the cake for her. however, she didn't know it and still thought karol was eating her cake. :D

caught in the act

the one and a half year old karol

2010-03-14T15:04:00.000+01:00

updates on the one and a half year old karol. he weighs around 11kg (not gaining :-/, but eats a lot), and is 84cm tall.

his daily routine:
* wakes up around 6am and drinks his morning milk. most of the time goes back to sleep and wakes up around 7am.
* eats at least 5 times a day: breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. sometimes there are in betweens with cookies or some fruits.
* takes milk and nap after lunch. nap time is from 45 minutes to 2 hours.
* takes a bath before going to sleep.
* drinks milk and goes to sleep around 7pm

serious drummer (at residencia de allego)

other things:
* likes to play with cars (or anything that has wheels or is turning), ate's kitchen, drums, xylophone, books and balls.
* watches tv from time to time. his favorite channel is bebe tv.
* likes to practice new skills by doing it over and over again (like climbing, sitting on chair by himself).

climbing up and down the steps practice run

* repeats a chosen word over and over again before going to bed.
* doesn't want to be by himself even when watching tv
* likes to play chasing and peek-a-boo games with ate
* wants to eat what we are eating even if he has his own food. even if it's the same food, still wants to take from my plate.
* four molars are showing, and upper left incisor is on the way

talking karol

2010-03-11T10:33:00.000+01:00

karol's motor skills have been developing so fast that i didn't expect him to catch on his verbals so early. but, surprise! surprise! karol can, most of the time, communicate what he wants, with real words.

* favorite word is "ayaw" (filipino word meaning "i don't want")
* can say daddy, ata (ate, referring to big sister alex), mama/mame
* commands you to "come!" (pick him up), "watch!" (when he wants to watch tv), "sit!" (if he wants to sit somewhere with/without help)
* can sometimes put together words to make an intelligible phrase like "i don't want... outside" (he said this inside elevator knowing we are going out for walk, when he didn't even want to dress into his winter clothes)
* says "papa", "pasta" or "na na" (i figured it means in filipino "wala na," meaning no more food in his mouth) when he wants to eat
* says "uh-oh" when something falls (meaning him or his toys), sometimes even goes as far as to say "it fell down" (in baby gibberish, sorry i don't kow how to spell what he says)
* he can also say things which he likes or likes doing like: cook, star, book, sun, ball (boy), "choo-choo" (train), etc.

the car fanatic

* most favorite word is "car" (read: kay). really likes all sort of cars, toys or otherwise. sometimes it's the first word that comes out of his mouth when he wakes up in the morning. like, "is kay?" (read: where is car?) ;))
* likes it when i dress him in long sleeve shirt/sweater/jacket and says "is it?" (read:where is it?) referring to his hands
* lastly, he repeats everything that he hears

he has more words and phrases than i could write about. not to mention the pointing and other body language he uses to get us to do what he wants. he's simply amazing! and i'm the proud mame! :)

response to "karol, are you sleepy?" question

first haircut

2009-11-05T15:37:00.001+01:00

T minus 72 hours

the new look
@ 1 year, 1 month and 21 days

it's not halloween, but...

2009-11-05T15:28:00.000+01:00

up, up and away!

superman and tigger

almost 14

2009-10-20T14:52:00.000+02:00

at over 10 kg, weight is not the only thing that karol gained. he also learned new skills and talents :)

skills include:
* walking
* climbing on and going down from sofa
* shaking his head
* turning knobs on alex's kitchen
* clapping hands
* holds a big ball with one hand

talents:
* waving be bye and saying "baba" or "papa"
* holds head ("where's your head?")
* holds hand to ear, or at least close enough ("hello karol!")
* combs hair while holding comb
* tries to hold his ear ("where's your ear?")
* makes gigil ("are you strong?")

words:
* he's not much of a talker as alex was, but he is not quiet either. likes to say "pa-cha, pa-cha, pa-cha..." repeatedly as if he's talking about something.
* most of his words sound like "baba" (referring to different things)
* "tight" means light
* "bey" means bird, he says this while looking out the window even if there are no birds.
* "bawu" is flower.
* most other words are unintelligible at this point but he has his own versions for balloon, ball, fish, among other things.
* plays peek-a-boo, hides his face ("where's karol?")

hobbies:
* walking, walking and walking
* taking out toys from alex's oven
* pulling toys (car, stroller) while walking
* carrying pillows as big as him on his back while walking
* watching (baby einstein videos, bebe tv, etc.)
* playing drums and xylophone

on walking

2009-10-19T15:06:00.000+02:00

karol made his first steps before he turned 1. he started cruising along with the support of furnitures and familiar surroundings, until we found out that he didn't like to crawl on grass and made his own unsure steps (from previous post).

from thereon, he started walking around the living room. starting and stopping himself with help from people, furnitures, walls, etc. (see video). for a long time he was walking in even steps with one hand held but afraid of letting go.

then, at exactly 13 months and 2 days old, karol started walking without support or any promise of one. he forcibly let go of my hand and walked back and forth our hallway (video link).

now he is the unstoppable walking monster. walking around the apartment and everywhere we go. :)

one

2009-09-25T01:50:00.000+02:00

"I AM PROUD TO BE 1!!!"

statistics (@1 yr & 2 wks)
weight: 9.66 kg
height: 76 cm
head circ.: 46 cm
chest: 46 cm

the (pa-)cute birthday pose! karol in his crib right before we left for piestany, where the skrovina family was having the usual get together, plus karol's birthday celebration. it was a simple celebration.

karol and alex enjoyed the swimming pool with daddy before lunch.

and of course there was cake,

and gifts and picture-taking...

karol is walking

2009-08-21T12:26:00.000+02:00

the lazy walker is now walking!

he has been cruising our living room for a long time. holding on to our sofas. then after his 11th month, he started walking holding on with only one hand. and just 12 days before his birthday, he took his first 2 steps.

karol walking @ uncle svato's garden

during our visits to dunajska streda (swimming pools), we discovered that he doesn't fancy crawling on grass. our visit to uncle svato's garden surprised us. he didn't want to crawl, so then he decided to stand up and walk all by himself.

so now he can stand by himself without any support. today he was able to successfully take 6 steps before he fell on all fours. :D

way to go karol! such strong legs! :)

@ 11 months

2009-07-24T21:54:00.001+02:00

at last, a timely post :D

after almost a year, karol had at last established some sort of a routine:
* wakes up around 6am and starts his nonstop breastfeeding until he gets fully awake
(around 7am)
* plays with ate and lola helen until 9am (sometimes snacks on piskoty)
* eats breakfast (8-grain cereal or fruit puree)
* goes to playground (loves to swing), and sleeps before lunch (quite lucky if he gets more than 30 mins of nap)
* eats his lunch (which mommy cooked) or a favorite bottled food (which i think he prefers more, very picky eater)
* drinks 7oz (210mL) of formula
* playtime and naptime (again only for around 30mins)
* snacks or goes straight for dinner (depends on his mood and what time he went to sleep)
* bathes and drinks another bottle of formula (with daddy)
* goes to sleep (he now sleeps without being rocked/breastfed. but i still have to trick him into not standing or sitting up)
* sometimes wakes up during the night, but i just need to put him back down and he falls back to sleep.
* wakes up once to feed and stays on mommy and daddy's bed until the morning.

yes, he doesn't breastfeed so much anymore :( mommy is a bit sad. but he's a big boy now.

other updates:
* screams when he doesn't get his own way :D
* likes so much to play with ate alex's kitchen toys.
* loves to play ball, and can hold it with just one hand.
* still a lazy walker.
* has now 5 visible teeth, and one more looming around.

@ 9 and 10 months @

2009-07-24T21:49:00.000+02:00

there's only one word to describe karol at 9 months -- emotional! it was really funny how he pities himself, drooping eyes and lips, and all. screams when you take a toy a way from him or if you take him away from his target.

at 10 months, he is more active. travels around holding on to furnitures and sometimes even lets go and stands by himself for a short time. but he's a lazy walker, he prefers to crawl. it was a crazy month, what with 3 upper teeth sprouting at the same time. poor cookie! was a real cry baby.

@ 7 and 8 months @

2009-04-25T16:14:00.000+02:00

i know! i know! i'm late! oh well, better late than never and i have a reason...

over a week after karol turned 7 months, he had his very first airplane ride :) got that right! we went home to philippines for a well deserved vacation. he also got a taste of his first beach experience. where? of course, in boracay itself!

so you see, i was kinda busy :D anyway, here are some developments:

@7 months	@8 months

*breaths like darth vader	*makes scary sound like the character in exorcist
*learned how to do "baka-bakahan," where he swings back and forth on all fours	*started crawling slowly and keeps falling off the bed
*started with solid food but was never successful at swallowing	*now gabbles up and favors cerelac-type of food over mashed veggies

of course there are more. however, it's quite hard to keep up with all of them. right now he's sprouting 2 teeth (bottom). he also started pulling up by himself and threading alongside his playpen. kids these days, why do they grow up so fast. sigh! :)

6 months

2009-02-26T18:11:00.000+01:00

karol had a very eventful month. from rolling over to being sick and to being introduced to formula.

rolling over and other development
* just right after he turned 5 months, he started rolling over from back to tummy, but only on his left side.
* a couple of days after that, i played a game with him teaching him how to roll over from tummy to back. he started doing it by himself on the same day.
* in just a few more days, he became unstoppable. left side, right side, tummy or back. he rolls everywhere, and that's why he already fell from the bed :D
* sits with very little support. he doesn't fall forward when he doesn't try to grab things around him (which is like never) :D
* talks and opens mouth as if he's really saying something. much like a dubbed telenovela where the characters still open their mouths even after their lines were finished. (see video)
* used to try and rake the pictures on his gym. now beats everything with an open palm, and likes playing with the keyboard.
* explores and investigates things by tasting and sucking :))
* sucks his foot
* sleeps before 9pm when in a good mood. wakes up every 3-4 hours for feeding.
* birth mark (mole) appeared on the base of his left thumb. daddy found it and thought it was some dirt that didn't go away :)) (note: he also has a smaller-than-a-pea skin discoloration ("balat") on his tummy area.)

bcg shot complication
one bath time, daddy found an inflamed lymph node on his left shoulder. it quite big that it's visible to the naked eye, and another by palpation. well, at first we didn't know what they were until it was confirmed by ultrasound.

the surgical doctor told us that it might need to be surgically removed. of course we got scared. luckily, the other doctors thought otherwise. the nodes are getting smaller by themselves, although very slowly, without any medication. he still has them and we have to wait two more weeks to have it checked.

cough
unfortunately when we visited one of the hospitals there were many sick babies/kids. at least we suspected, that karol probably got some virus which caused him to cough and have a bit of phlegm.

based on research, all symptoms pointed to a croupy cough (or croup). we didn't go to doctor but just advised us to give him calcium chloride (i still don't know what for) and multivitamins. these plus humidification solved the problem. it lasted for over a week but he fought it. what a strong boy!

beba 2 h.a. (a.k.a. nan)
yesterday, we tried to introduce formula. his pedia advised to give one full meal in the morning to try it out. unfortunately, karol had a different take on it. he totally rejected it. it could be the taste, his state of sleepiness, hunger, or all of the above.

today, he's officially a mixed-fed baby. he took the formula without any problems at all, well except for the few times that he was distracted by the tv. twice he fed 60ml of formula, continued with breastmilk, and fell asleep as usual.

6 months, 3 days, and approximately 10 hours...

2009-02-26T13:46:00.000+01:00

...after karol was born, the inevitable happened -- the first fall.

he was having his afternoon nap on our bed as usual. i closed the bedroom door so that he would not be woken up by the ever loud and playful alex. but time passed...

alex was already sleeping at that time and i was planning the next week with hubby over skype. then, i suddenly heard a loud thudding sound. i immediately knew what happened. in an instant i blurted out "karol andrej!!!" while running to the bedroom. poor karol, on his tummy, right at the corner of our bed and my side table, crying.

he was crying so hard. so hard that when i picked him up he held his breath for a few seconds. it took a lot of "fooing" to get him to breath in again. he didn't cry very long, but i found a bump on the right side of his head. and later daddy found a small purplish bruise on his lower lip. oh, those poor big lips! :(

all things considered, it turned out ok. he was a bit fussy when i was putting ice on his bump. otherwise he was back to the normal, happy and playful baby in just a few minutes.

5 months: first solid food...

2009-01-28T18:01:00.000+01:00

some babies start to eat solid food at 4 months. alex started at 6 months. karol started with raisins just before his 5th month :))

it happened one time when alex was eating raisins. karol was playing on his tummy. i turned my back for a moment and then alex said, "mommy, karol is eating raisins!" lo and behold, i saw two very wet raisins on the mat. the ever lovable ate alex gave him of course... close call, whew!

wazzup
* very active. moves like a bug on it's back.
* reaches and grabs everything and anything, specially mommy's hair (ouch!)
* holds milk bottle on his own (with a little help :)
* sucks everything and anything, even mommy's pinky.
* more sociable than ever.
* loves to vocalize. high pitch. low pitch. choose your pick! purrs like a lion cub. gargles. makes "paulan" (razzing sound with saliva spray).

* idol si ate... laughs at alex and his eyes follow her wherever she goes.
* sometimes falls asleep by himself (even while on the play gym). but, most of the time sleeps only while comfort sucking.
* started sleeping earlier than 11pm. but, went back to waking up in the middle of the night. (so much for bragging about sleeping through the night.)

christmas at 4 months

2009-01-09T14:39:00.000+01:00

just a few days after he turned 3 months, karol started rolling over. he did it just a few times but probably didn't fancy it. instead, he spends most of his time on his side, feasting on his fists, and turning clockwise.

since it's the holiday season, we celebrated his fourth month a couple of days later, in time for christmas. as usual, ate alex was the one to blow the candles while karol is mesmerized with the flames.

"ate, i think that's my cake!"
(behind: tita lucia, babicka and babka)

he's a very sturdy boy. it's amazing how he can already sit almost unsupported, and pull to a standing position. he actually prefers to stand than to sit :D

karol's first christmas
sitting on his early christmas present

take nth time: "mommy, i'm tired! waaaaah!!!"

christmas day with dedino, babina and babina's sister

3 months

2008-12-06T00:45:00.000+01:00

we celebrated 3 months with a store (tesco) bought cake at babka's residence. tito pito and tita lucia were also there.

weight: 6.655 kg
height: 65 cm
head : 41 cm
chest : 43 cm

he's getting bigger and stronger

he can look as pitiful as a lost puppy...

or charm you with his laugh
(which is more like a grunt than a giggle)

november fourth: KAROL

2008-12-06T00:07:00.000+01:00

in slovakia, and some other european countries, it is very common to celebrate name's day. each day of the calendar is dedicated to one name, and the name KAROL happens to fall on the fourth of november (note: it's different from feast days of saints). it is celebrated almost the same way as one would celebrate his/her own birthday. hence, the cake. and of course, alex has to be the one to blow the candle. :D

2 months

2008-12-05T17:32:00.000+01:00

by 2 months, karol has advanced many of his boyish strengths:
* bears some weight on his legs
* holds head when upright
* lifts head when on tummy
* smiles and coos (warning: will make any girl swoon)

welcome to christendom!

2008-12-05T16:17:00.000+01:00

4th of october

before baptism

at 7 in the evening, karol was baptized at sv. ladislav. that's the church where we filipinos usually go to on sundays. the one in front of tesco. it's the only church with english mass, which is actually celebrated by an italian priest.

there's ninang (godmother) sonia ang ninong (godfather) svatko (hubby's cousin)

guests: skrovina and mraz family (with inay and tatay)

thanks everyone for coming and for the generous gifts :)

40 days

2008-10-01T15:24:00.000+02:00

today, karol made two visits to doctor. in the morning, he had ultrasound of his hips (it's a routine checkup done for slovak babies). everything seems to be normal, but we'll have to come back when he's between 8 and 9 months old for follow up.

around lunch time, we went for second visit to his pedia. as usual, she was so amazed with how perfect and how "pogi" he is (hihihi!). she even took him and bragged about him to the other pedia. :)

he's growing so well. here are his statistics:

weight: 5.09 kg
height: 60 cm
head : 39 cm
chest : 39.5 cm

5 weeks: out and about

2008-09-30T23:54:00.000+02:00

sunday, 28 september: my fist day out! i first went to church with mommy, daddy, ate alex, inay and tatay. then we strolled around the old town after lunch. we also went to the bratislava castle and to the war memorial at slavin.

it was quite a long day for me but i really loved it. i love the outdoors, fresh air and all. i was asleep the whole time. i only woke up just to feed.

the first month: ironies

2008-09-30T23:18:00.000+02:00

in four weeks time, karol has already developed some "hobbies":

* shoot poopoo while being changed
* make weewee while being changed
* sleep during feeding time
* root when it's time to sleep
* sleep all day
* stay up all night

how do i look?

2008-09-16T15:02:00.000+02:00

mommy's prediction from my 3d ultrasound was a bit off. well, she was right, i had caucassian nose. very much unlike ate alex's when she was born. hihihi!

it was thought that i would have thin lips like ate. however, i have much fuller lips than they expected. maybe i got it from mommy. they say, i could give angelina jolie a run for her money. :))

most other things i think i got from daddy. from my light brown hair to my big ears :D

my eyes which looked asian at first is starting to become deep set. but then, my eye lashes seem to be short and few.

then there's a very cute dimple by the left corner of my lips. it's mostly visible when i cry. sometimes a small dimple appear under the right corner of my lips when i feed. maybe i'll have more as i grow.

people say i could grow to be a very tall boy with my long feet and toes. well, everything still remains to be seen. everyday, i'm changing. even my eye lashes could grow as pretty as my ate alex's.

so keep coming back and see how i will look like as i grow up. :)

p.s. i had my first visit with doctor today. i didn't remember how tall i am, but i gained weight and am now 4.3 kg. my pedia and nurse also say my skin is great and that i'm doing fine.

p.s.2 here are my statistics from my first visit with doctor

weight: 4.3 kg
height: 57 cm
head : 38 cm
chest : 37 cm

karol andrej

2008-09-01T11:26:00.000+02:00

karol is a form of charles which has germanic, english, french and polish origin. it means "free man" or simply "man", and in polish means "strong"

andrej is a form of andreas which is of greek origin. it means "man, warrior"

--oo0oo--

many people are wondering why we chose these names. some even mistake him for a girl. the truth is, we also had a hard time choosing his name.

karol was one of the last names we thought of. at first the choices were derek/derrick (as in mcdreamy, grey's anatomy), ira (irish villain, 24) and aaron (loyal secret service agent, 24). yes, we were watching too many late night tv series i guess :))

still undecided, i kept searching. i have come upon the name karol before. i knew it was the late pope john paul the second's birth name. but it was also more commonly knownn as a girl's name in most parts of the world, including my own beloved country. so i didn't bring it up until the last trimester and daddy liked it at once.

by july, we already told most people that he would be called karol. then i had second thoughts about it afterwards. i couldn't think of a nice nick for karol.

up to the very last minute, i still wasn't sure. but when he was born, daddy asked, "so, is it karol?" i could only nod and say yes. i was so happy, he is so perfect, that it didn't matter how he will be called.

andrej is after st. andrew the scot, whose feast day falls on karol's birthday.

22.08.08

2008-08-30T15:46:00.000+02:00

meet karol andrej mraz! born a few minutes before 6:00 am (GMT+1), on 22nd of august 2008, or simply 22.08.08 :)

weight: 3.45 kg
height: 52 cm
apgar score: 10/10