Another Fun Day in Class

Since he started taking baby steps on his own, Henri is now more confident and active in class :) He actively participates in all the activities and socializes with his peers. He also knows how to make "pa-cute" to his teacher! hahaha! :) Keep it up!

Exercising

Listening to Teacher

I want to learn how to do this!

One of his many PA-CUTE faces

Peek-a-Boo!!!

Mama look at me :)

Henri : Yaya why are you holding my head?!?

Greeting Amanda a Happy Birthday

Last Saturday, we rushed to the Darmawan residence in Corinthians to greet Amanda a Happy Birthday. It was a swimming party but we got there so late because we came from a photoshoot with Tita Tanya. All the kids were already dressed and out of the pool..in fact, everyone was saying goodbye already! Boo! :( But we stayed and bonded with the Darmawans. Amanda shared her cake with us and actually blew her birthday candle again! :)

With Tita Magic

Amanda enjoying her cake :)

Argh! Blurry pic :(

The Birthday girl and Henri both in RED!

First time to see Tita Mics! :)

Happy Birthday Amanda! Sorry we missed the "swimming" part! Let's play again soon, ok?

First Birthday Party Preparations

And the countdown to Henri's 1st Birthday begins...

I love love love planning for parties so I wanted to be really involved with your 1st birthday celebration. I want everything (from the invites, decors, food, cake, giveaways, etc) to have a personal touch! :) 

THEME

Your Dada and I decided that your party's theme would be FARM ANIMALS! You will be dressed as a cow (Grandma got you a costume already!) and maybe have a costume change after the pictorials. We want everyone to come in as a farm animal or their best denim "farmer" outfit! Best costume gets a special price! 

VENUE

We initially wanted to have the party in Batangas to make it really authentic (with all the animals there!) but figured that people might not want to travel all the way there on a Sunday with their babies. Thus, we decided to have it in Valle instead. We didn't choose a huge venue (clubhouse or hotel) because we want the ambiance to be laid-back, homey and intimate :) Plus Ninang Addie and I want to be able to decorate it the way we want with no restrictions whatsoever!

INVITATIONS

First up are your special handmade invitations (yup! I cut each and every barn-shaped construction paper myself, designed the inner invite and printed out small pictures of you that i placed on top part). Tedious as it may seem, I actually had fun doing it. 

Barnyard Invitations ready for delivery...

Well, that's all I will spill for now because I don't want to spoil the surprise for everyone who will attend!

Henri's FIRST STEPS

Yesterday was a indeed a momentous day for our little boy. Henri took his FIRST ever steps on his own. He started with just 3 small steps then was able to do up to eight steps! Woohoo! I was so proud that I even announced it in facebook and made it my status message. Talk about being a stage mother! Hahaha! I can't believe he's starting to walk already. I really feel like he's growing up way too fast for me. This is to document this milestone :) I'm so glad we caught some of it on tape. I have 4 other clips but this is the only one that loaded successfully. 

This was right after he took the 8 steps...too bad I missed it!

Henri Visits Baby Liam

My kabarkada Marina gave birth last week to a beautiful baby boy... Liam Marcus. We wanted to see the new addition to the Vea family so we visited them at their cozy yet chic condo at the Fort. Marina looked great (it's as if she didn't give birth!).  And their little Liam is outright adorable. First glance, I think he looks like Marina more than Miguel but based on experience, babies faces change per month so we have to wait and see! Henri was delighted to meet Liam. He got a bit jealous though when he saw me touching Liam. Aww...

Hello cutie! :)

Henri : Hi Liam! I'm Kuya Henri...

Henri and Liam's First Meeting

Congratulations again Tita Marina and Tito Miguel! Liam is absolutely precious :) Welcome to the club! Cheers to the growing Bfb family! 

5B's : B ubble B ath B onding with the B oys during the B lack-out!

To beat the heat during the Nationwide Black-out because of the storm, Lolo decided it would be best to get a suite in Crowne Plaza so Henri could get a goodnight's sleep. Tsk tsk! Super spoiled baby! While we were there, the boys decided to do a bubble bath playtime session with baby Henri. He super enjoyed the bubbles and didn't want to get out of the water! 

Bleh! you tried to "eat" the bubbles and obviously didn't like it! Look at your maisim face! haha!

Dada tripping on you!

Ultimate Boy Bonding :) 

As of last night, power went back on... which means 'Business As Usual'! Back to Reality guys :)

Gymboree L3 Play Class

Last Tuesday, we (Ninang Addie, Ninong Hip and I) brought baby Henri to his preview class in Gymboree Shangri-La. We wanted to check if this branch would be better than the first one we tried. We were there 30 minutes before class so Henri could warm up and play first. Compared to the last time, Henri was more active and playful. He absolutely loved playing with the plastic balls and going up and down and slide. Phew! It was a real workout for Mommy! :)

L3 Play Class : Encourages two-way coordination and Balance. The child learns how to interact with his/her peers

Excited to go inside the play area...

Dada was able to follow halfway through the class

Wuh oh! You didn't like this activity...you cried after you slid down the parachute! :(

Favorite Part : Bubbles For Henri...

Peek-a-Boo with Gymbo/Jimbo

With your two new classmates : Mattie and Noelle! See you next week!

Gymboree Shangri-La

Level 4 Unit 424

Edsa corner Shaw Blvd.

Mandaluyong, Metro Manila

910-7529 (PLAY)

0922 84 49626 (GYMBO) 

Becoming Stage Mommy and Stage Daddy

We just came from your first VTR (well technically it's his 2nd because his first one was when Dada and I were in China and Tita Monica brought you to the agency). I think your stage Dad was more excited than you when we got that text from your agency regarding a VTR schedule! And I have to admit, I was too. We pulled out a really cute outfit for you to make sure you'll look your cutest (Your yellow striped Tommy H polo, beige cargo shorts and Zara mocassins). 

We were there on time because we wanted to be professional! haha! When we entered the agency lounge, Dada and I looked at each other and grinned. I could immediately sense what he was thinking..."We've got some serious competition here boy!" There were more than 10 babies lined up, all with their parents and yayas. I'm not talking about regular babies but really uber cute ones! A lot were mestizos and mestizas with their foreigner mom/dad beside them. Gulp! In as much as we felt the pressure, you were very calm...in fact, you were asleep when we got there!

When you were about to be called, we woke you up gently and got you ready.

One thing we love about you is that you are always in a good mood even if you're "bagong-gising" (barely just awakened from sleep). So it wasn't a problem putting you in the right mood for the shoot. We gave you a little snack before we went into the studio.

When we got in the main studio, the photographer instructed us to take off all pieces of clothing and leave you with just your diapers (So much for the cute outfit we put on!).  We undressed you and put you in front of the camera. It was all black and a bit intimidating inside the studio so you became naturally more clingy to Dada. You didn't want to sit alone in the middle so he stayed with you. 

The photographer made all sorts of weird sounds to try to get you to smile but I think his voice scared you more instead of making you feel more comfortable. It was challenging but we gained success and brought out some cute facial expressions in the end. 

Lesson Learned:  Being a baby model is not easy at all... not just for you but especially for stage parents like Mama and Dada! Too much pressure! Hahaha :)