Capelet Success ...To Be Continued

Can't wait to trim it with these berry colored pom poms!
Farley said it looks like a Jedi cape.
He wants me to buy brown fleece so that I can make Ewok capes.

I love the zig zag stitching.

This fleece capelet will be perfect for winter.

Hooray! I did it! I'm almost finished with this darling capelet. It turned out just the way I imagined it would. I know it's not quite finished yet but it actually looks like the pattern. I just have to put the finishing touches.

Bedside Bliss

I know this stack is tall. But Fiona's books are mixed in with my reading pleasure pile because I, too, love to hear a good story before bedtime. We enjoy reading the classic book Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. It's such a sweet story. It's the kind of story you want to be tucked into bed with. It's just so cozy feeling. She has her other favorites like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Owen and Myzee, and Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? But I noticed she always grabs for Goodnight Moon. Fiona even turns the pages of the book, one by one. She listens so attentively. Sometimes, I have to read it twice!

It Takes One To Know One

Today my mom and grandma came over to visit Fiona (and me, I guess). But I know, it's mostly Fiona. My mom eats, breathes, and lives for this girl. I never knew my mom could be so affectionate and playful. I guess that's the side that grand kids bring out because I've never seen it growing up. My mom's just so matter of fact.

Well, as we were talking, she was making sure I did things a "certain" way with Fiona. Just giving me old school Filipino advice. Of course, I nodded, and said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah mom. I got it. Don't worry." But I do understand why she's so overprotective. She's been through quite a bit, loosing two daughters already. Now there's just me.

I had another sister before me named Christine. She died when she was just baby. And I caught my mom saying how Fiona has Christine's complexion and some similar facial expressions. Weird, huh? It's amazing how she remembers the smallest details even though her short term memory is awful. Seriously, I learn something new everyday.

The visit was brief (about an hour and a half) and they darted off back home.
But as my mom was leaving, she whispered , "You're a good mother, anak." My eyes started to well up and you can imagine the rest. It was the most sincere compliment I've ever received from her.

Oilcloth, Oh Boy!

A stylish bib yet easy to clean.
Instead of using my usual ziplock bag to stuff all of Fiona's snacks and things, I found this wonderful, easy to wipe off oilcloth pouch at So Childish. It's the cutest children's boutique in San Diego.

It's Story Time

We were anxiously waiting for Arthur's arrival at Barnes & Nobles. Hooray for story time! Some kids were even wearing their pj's. It's a good thing we got there early. We had front row seats.

I can't believe Fiona was so attentive. My girl loves a good story.

Being her curious self, all she wanted was to touch Arthur's face.

Aww! Ruby's posing next to Arthur. Get a little closer, he won't bite!

Girls night out making masks.

Romper Room

Our living room space is now converted to Fiona's Romper Room. It was inevitable since we all have a LOVE for toys. We just bought these reissued classic toys from Fisher Price, the Teaching Clock and The Chatter Phone. Too cute! It really brings you back to the good ol' days when you would just play with your toys for hours. Fiona loves it as much as we do. And it gives us a chance to be kids again.

As for home decor, it's time to hide the little knick-knacks, trinkets, or anything that Fiona could put her mouth on. It's child-proof time! To what extent, I don't know. We'll just have to learn as we go. There's so many gadgets out there. Since she's crawling and getting around more, I ordered these foam alphabet mats from One Step Ahead. These mats have great texture and color.

After Hours

I just like this song.

The New Children's Museum

Fiona was definitely ready to check it out.
Fiona and Cayden on a playdate at the museum
(and time for the mamas to catch up)

It was so funny watching these two poke and pinch each other.

It was just their way of saying, "Hey Buddy!"

There was a special room for only 2 year olds and under. Loved it! It looked like an enchanted forest with logs as tunnels, textured trees, large sprouted mushrooms, hanging leaves, and fuzzy rocks. Cayden and Fiona enjoyed crawling and exploring all around.

My sweet girl sitting near a squirrel

Cayden's chillin' in a sunlit room near enormous bean bags and stuffed structures of different shapes and sizes.

This was a neat area where kids created clay creations on oilcloth covered tables and stools.

Painted mural with rock climbing

more rock climbing opportunities for the littler ones.

Hair Clips Part Two

Here's my little hair clip model!

These are addicting to make.

I just love this vintage button!

It's fun coming up with the different color combinations.

Hair Clips

Left over scraps of wool felt + random extra buttons attached to wardrobe = ?

Ta-da...HAIR CLIPS! For Fiona Tess and other special little girls in our lives.

The back side

This is my favorite one so far.

Unlock The Cuteness

This was definitely an impulse buy. But I couldn't resist the cuteness it would add to my keys. Plus, looking at it makes me happy.

The "Fifth"of July

Sifting sand through baby toes!

Can you spot Hotel Del in the distance?

More sun block, please!

Smilin' in the sun!

Like two peas in a pod!


Relaxing under the shade of an umbrella!

It was a perfect day for the beach. Not too crowded. Nice cool breeze. And wonderful company. Ninang Gail thought of everything. She managed to surprise us with a huge bag of goodies filled with fried chicken goodness, potato salad, mangoes, cherries, juice, and whatever else was in there. It was Fiona's first time touching sand. The look on her face was priceless! Days like these make me want to have picnics more often.

Grandma's 85th Birthday Breakfast

Meet the proudest grandma & grandpa!The Domalanta Bunch!

Just the grand-daughters!

Grandma Emeliana with Joshua and Derrick

We decided to have breakfast at The Family House of Pancakes! What a first! We almost always stay home and make pancit and bitsu-bitsu ( my grandma's specialty). But it was nice to switch it up for a change. What mattered most was that we were all together as a family.

Nine Marvelous Months

Practicing her "turn-a-round pose"
One tooth is breaking in!

Hanging out with Auntie Abigail at the mall

We always look forward to Fiona's doctor visits which have been every three months. It's nice to check on her progress. But we're more afraid of the shots than she is, I think. The needle was huge! It's about the size of a pinky finger. This time around, she took it like a champ. Hooray for our brave little girl! The nurse even put a Looney Tunes bandaid to cover the boo boo.

She weighed in about 18 pounds and measured 28 and half inches tall. Wow. She's growing like a weed, this girl. The doctor wonders where she gets her height from especially since she has "shorty parents".

I'm proud to say Fiona's able to do many marvelous things this month. She's sitting up ( much more stable this time), crawling commando style with her own twist to it, standing up and grabbing anything to lean on ( no steps yet), and adding more food to her palette such chicken, turkey, tinola ( a Filipino dish), Yo Baby ( just a taster to see if she has any allergic reactions to milk and she doesn't), and watermelon. She loves melons, especially cantaloupe. She also makes this funny face to make others laugh. She crinkles her nose and squints her eyes as if she's just bitten into a lemon. It's a hilarious sight. One more neat thing, Fiona bobs her head to music. She's got a rhythm of her own.