The Arrival of Lance Raymond

Dear Family & Friends,

After almost 3 months after giving birth to Lance, I have finally found the time to write …

Let me start with September … After the Linggo ng Wika last August, the month of September was supposed to be “field trip” time for Chloe. However, since I was scheduled for a repeat cesarean section with Lance on September 20 (too close for comfort with Chloe’s school field trip), we decided not to let her join because she said that she wanted to be present when Lance arrives in the nursery.

I gave birth to a baby boy whom we named Lance Raymond last September 20, 2006 at the MPI-Medical Center Muntinlupa. A repeat cesarean section was performed as well as bilateral tubal ligation plus mass excision at 1:47pm and the operation was finished around 4+ in the afternoon. Of course, Dra. Loida Ponio, my OB-GYNE, was the one who performed the operation again and the pedia who received our baby … Dra. Teresa Reyes (same with Chloe back in Perpetual, Las Piñas).

24 hours after giving birth, I was already able to walk. Since Lance was being monitored for his hyperbilirubinemia (result of ABO incompatibility … am a type O while Lance is type A) and was being given antibiotics for infection (his urinalysis showed high pus cells), I was the one who visited him at the nursery every 2-3 hours to breastfeed him. His blood culture test showed that he was negative for those deadly bacteria like strep pneumonia and the like which was why his pedia allowed us to take him home on the 3rd day. However, he went home with a heplock where I injected his antibiotic to finish 7 days.

5 days after giving birth, Typhoon Milenyo passed and left Metro Manila devastated. Southern Tagalog was the worst struck. We had no electricity, water, cable and phone for almost a week. It was so hard … Good thing I was able to breastfeed because there was no way for us to clean and sterilize bottles. Click here to view pictures of how typhoon Milenyo caused destruction to our place.

October 22, 2006 … Lance was christened at the Parish of St. Peregrine. He has 2 pairs of godparents … the godfathers are Anthony Galon & Joffrey Marfil and the godmothers are Lanalou Rebosa and Michelle Garcia. Click here to view pictures of his Christening.

At present, things are back to normal … Mon has gone back to work, Chloe resumed school again, I have adjusted to our new routine and Lance is now 2 months and 4 weeks. Click here to view his 2 month old pictures.

Linggo ng Wika 2006

Wise Kids School of Muntinlupa (WKS) celebrated Linggo ng Wika last week. The pre-schoolers had their Pista at WKS last August 23, 2006 (Wednesday) at the Annex Building. The kids brought a small bilao with assorted Filipino food for identification and tasting. They were all dressed in Filipino costume as well. Click here to view pictures from PISTA SA WKS

Come August 25, 2006 (Friday), the kids performed at the Wise Kids School auditorium for their Linggo ng Wika presentation. The pre-schoolers' time slot was from 9:30-10:30 am. As usual, the parents were more excited and the auditorium was packed!

After the presentation, Mon, my Dad, Chloe and I had lunch at Pizza Hut as a reward for Chloe's successful performance. Click here to view the pictures from LINGGO NG WIKA

Click here to view ASSORTED PICTURES FROM JULY-AUGUST 2006

31

Today, I turned 31 ... My birthday this year is meaningful because I'm going to be a mom again ... 5 years after giving birth to a beautiful daughter, I get to experience what it was like again ... this time around, we're having a baby boy :)

Being pregnant again after 5 years made me feel like it was my first ... not a bad thing but a good thing ... the excitement that Mon and I felt when we found out that I was pregnant with Chloe then was how we felt now with Lance. This time, Mon and I are more confident with ourselves because we've travelled through this road before and now know what to expect and how to prepare.

My family and I stayed at home today ... Chloe had school and the weather was bad ... had been raining almost all day. Wasn't really planning on doing anything today because we have been saving up for my delivery next month.

But because parents will be parents ... my Dad called to tell me that he was coming over and he's going to sponsor the day's celebration. He said that he was able to set aside a little something so we can order some goodies to eat ;9

Lunch, we had pizza delivered and for dinner we had Maxx's deliver kare-kare, chicken sisig and half regular fried chicken.

It was all good ... I think tomorrow Mon's going to do some marketing and cook for me ... He was supposed to do this today but was not feeling well.

We'll see tomorrow ... wink wink!

Nutrition Day 2006

Nutrition Day was celebrated this year by Chloe's class by making an egg sandwich and avocado cream. The children were assigned to bring the different ingredients and assist in making the said food. They had fun and enjoyed eating it afterwards.

Click here to view the pictures ...

We're Having A BABY BOY!

Finally, a new blog about my pregnancy … I know the last entry was when I found out that I was positive and now, am on my 3rd trimester, specifically on my 8th month.

A lot has transpired since then … Let me start with my 1st trimester … I entered this pregnancy with hypertension which made me a high-risk case (plus add the fact that I have a history of pre-eclampsia with my 1st pregnancy during the last trimester). Because of this, my OB-GYNE prescribed Aspilet (aspirin) as well as Aldomet (methyldopa). This trimester was different from my previous pregnancy because I felt nauseus and was always tired and sleepy. Back when I was pregnant with Chloe, I did not undergo this stage of “paglilihi”. However, I had some “spotting” then which was why I had to take Duphaston 3x a day. This time around, my OB did not wait for this to recur so she told me to take Duphaston once daily from the beginning.

Speaking of “paglilihi”, this has been the reason why I have been kept away from the computer for some time now. I could not stand being in front of the monitor for long periods of time … I get headaches from this.

When I was about to enter my 2nd trimester, Aldomet was out of stock for months everywhere. I was shifted to Apresoline (hydralazine) which is safe to take during the 2nd trimester onwards. Unfortunately, I was not “hiyang” with the said medication … I had migraine-like headaches, tingling and numbness in my wrists, my blood pressure would rise to 140/90, and I felt sick (like having the flu). I reported this to my OB and she advised me to discontinue taking the medication. She told me to continue with the aspilet and try modifying my diet. Since then, I went on a fish, chicken, veggies and fruits diet. Miraculously, my blood pressure normalized. Even without taking any medication, my blood pressure would range from 110/70 to 130/80 (even until now). This was a good sign … I was happy because it gave me hope … hope of being able to breastfeed after giving birth.

After giving birth to Chloe, my blood pressure did not normalize the way my OB hoped it would so after a few weeks of observation, I had no choice but to take antihypertensives. I had to stop breastfeeding because of this.

This time around, I am determined to keep my blood pressure normal and let this baby reach full term.

When I was about to enter my 5th month, we had an ultrasound to find out the baby’s gender. Unfortunately, it was still too early to say plus the baby’s position made it harder for the sonographer to see. At this point, he said it seems like a girl but he told us to come back next month.

The following month, exactly 6months, we went back and it was confirmed … WE’RE HAVING A BABY BOY! Of course, Mon was so happy and excited to learn about this wonderful news … Now, we have a pair ... 1 girl and 1 boy. The sonographer (Dr. Dy of San Pedro Polyclinic, San Pedro, Laguna), was kind enough not to charge us anymore and even gave us another print out with a picture of the baby’s gender.

Knowing the baby’s gender now, we finalized a name for him … LANCE was the name Mon and I agreed on. We haven’t thought of a second name for him yet at this point …

On my 7th month, I was already big but I felt even better … I could still bring and fetch Chloe to school … doing some household chores was still okay too. However, when I was nearing my 8th month, things changed … I still prepare Chloe for school but Mon has taken over with bringing and fetching her from school. My household chores are now limited as well … Braxton-hicks contractions were more frequent when I do too much which is why I need to go easy on myself at this point.

During my last prenatal check-up, all my lab test results went fine except for my urinalysis. CBC showed all normal … Hepatitis B was negative … OGCT was also normal. My urinalysis showed I had UTI … I was surprised because I did not have any symptoms of UTI … did not feel anything different. MY OB told me that this was a normal occurrence with pregnant women and so she prescribed Ceporex (cefalexin) 500mg 3x a day for 1 week. I am to get a urinalysis after completing the medication and bring it on my next check-up scheduled on the 19th of Aug 2006.

My check-ups are now scheduled every 2 weeks and by September, it’s going to be on a weekly basis.

Since this was going to be a scheduled cesarean section, I was hoping I could give birth on the 8th of September which is Mama Mary’s birthday and since it falls on a Friday, at least Chloe does not have classes the following day. However, my OB said that unless I was already dilated then it would be best that I wait till I reach 38 weeks which is around the 16th of September onwards.

Enough said, will keep you posted on more details after my next pre-natal check up ...

Kindergarten at Wise Kids School of Muntinlupa

After Chloe’s 5th birthday last June 1st, she entered this school year (2006-2007) as a Senior Casa student (Kindergarten as they called it during my time). Enrolled in the same school as last year, Wise Kids School of Muntinlupa, had more to offer … They surprised us parents with a NEW Annex Building exclusive for their pre-schoolers …

December of last year, the school asked the assistance of the parents so that they could improve the school’s facilities and system. An early reservation fee of Php 1,500 for the following school year meant being given the old tuition fee rate plus 25% discount on books. It was a good incentive so we grabbed the offer. Besides, we were happy with the school and had faith that they will continuously try to improve the system and its facilities.

Summer came by and an improvement in the school facilities were imagined as painting of the school or addition or fixing of tables and chairs … nothing aggressive. However, come the Parent Orientation Day, we were surprised to hear that a New Building has sprung for the pre-schoolers! That made my day :) I was very happy to hear about this and was very excited to see the new building.

The first day of school came, this time, excitement came not from attending classes for the first time but from seeing what the new building had in store for us. It was located across the old building and was a corner lot with a single detached house that was newly renovated to fit a pre-schooler’s needs. It was spacious … high ceilings … well-ventilated with lots of windows where fresh air passed through … surrounded by plants and trees … new tables and chairs, white boards and black boards, airconditioned rooms, bigger wash area and separate bathrooms for girls and boys. These mentioned were the things I observed to be great improvements of the school.

The good news does not end here … these were just physical improvements. System-wise, I am proud to say that the school knows how to “listen”. We parents have made comments and suggestions from last year’s experiences and are now very appreciative to see that the school has taken these into consideration.

Did I mention that the school is not Catholic? Yup, they are NON-SECTARIAN and are being run by Christians. Since I am a Catholic, I have been discouraged from the start by others that it is not good to enroll my daughter in such a school because they teach differently from those of the Catholic practices. On the other hand, I have heard very good feedback from other parents whose children are enrolled there. I decided to give the school a chance …

So far, upto this point in time, I am still satisfied with what I see and one of the plus factors I like about this school is that the administration are very easy to talk to. They truly listen and are action-oriented …

On a different note, Senior Casa is different from Junior Casa. Chloe as a Junior Casa student last year served as a preparation … it was an introduction to the alphabet … its letters and sounds … of numbers from 1-50 … of colors and shapes … of values … and more.

This year, Senior Casa is a follow-up from what the children have learned from the previous year. This time around, the alphabet is mastered with familiarity of the letters, its sound, how it is written, of beginning, medial and last letter sounds of words … ordering of letters … sounding …

Math … numbers 1-100 are now being mastered … the children need to be able to count from 1-100 … know how to identify and write these numbers … know what number comes before and what comes after … know what number is greater than or less than or equal to.

Science … Chloe’s favorite subject … teaches about parts of the body, how to take care of your body, difference of boys and girls, etc …

Values … teaches about the Bible … stories from the Book … what values are learned from these stories and how it is applicable in our daily lives.

Chloe belongs to the afternoon class this year which is from 2-5pm. Last year she belonged to the noon time class (11am-2pm). The afternoon class last year was abolished because there were not enough students to make the quota.

The afternoon class is more beneficial for us. First, there are only 6-7 students per class compared to the 15-18 students per class of the morning and noon time classes. Second, Chloe is not pressured when going to school … she gets to eat breakfast and lunch at home. Third, preparing Chloe for school is also easier for me because I am no longer always in a hurry. Fourth, when she comes home, it is no longer hot because she leaves school by 5pm. Lastly, since we are expecting a baby this year, her new schedule will give me enough time to take care both children without any pressure.

Click here to view our June 2006 photos ...

Chloe's 5th Birthday

Chloe turned 5 years old this year. We celebrated it on her birthday itself, 01 June 2006. Chloe had been planning her birthday for months now. She knew exactly what she wanted for her birthday. She told us that she wanted a Barbie Elina Mermaidia doll as a gift from us. Also, she wanted a birthday cake, spaghetti, fried chicken and pizza. Of course we said yes to what she wanted but we did not plan on having guests over. It would just be the three (or almost 4 including the baby inside my tummy) of us.

Three days before her big day, we went to Goldilock’s, Festival Mall to order her cake. She wanted a Barbie birthday cake. Since Goldilock’s did not have such a theme, I decided on just ordering an ordinary mocha chiffon with marshmallow icing cake. My mom sent me some small fairy & mermaid Barbie dolls which I had in mind as decoration for the cake. We told Chloe that the cake will be ready on her birthday on Thursday.

As we headed home, she told us that she wanted her cousins to come and greet her on her birthday. This changed our plan … we said that we will invite her cousins over but we can not promise her that everybody will be able to come. We explained that her birthday falls on Thursday which was a weekday and her “titos” amd “titas” might have work that day and they may not be able to bring her cousins over.

That night, I started calling my parent-in-laws as well as Mon’s siblings. I told them that we will be celebrating Chloe’s 5th birthday on Thursday, 01 June 2006. Surprisingly, everyone said that they will be able to come. That was great news! I knew then that this was going to be a great birthday party because Chloe will surely enjoy herself with her cousins.

As added fun, we told everyone to bring extra clothes and swimming attire for the kids as we plan on setting up the big inflatable kiddie pool if the weather was nice.

The morning of June 1st, I went to Goldilock’s, Festival Mall to pick up Chloe’s birthday cake and to meet my Dad (aka Lolo Noel). Mon stayed home because he was going to start cooking and Chloe on the other hand was still asleep when I left.

When we (my Dad and I) arrived home, it was lunch time and we ordered pizza from Yellow Cab for lunch. Chloe was excited! She saw the gifts from us and from her Lolo Noel … I told her that we had to eat lunch first, then she had to take a bath and get dressed. She did and when she was done, she happily posed for the camera while we took pictures and videos of her blowing her cake and opening her gifts from Lolo Noel and from Mon and I.

While waiting for her guests to arrive, Chloe played with her gifts with her Lolo Noel. Mon had finished cooking and was setting up the pool now.

At around 4pm, the guests started arriving … the kids immediately saw the pool and you can see that their eyes were glowing! We told them that they had to eat first before they can start swimming. The kids happily obliged and once finished, they asked if they could get changed into their swimming attires.

Chloe and Yianel changed into their bathing suits while Evan, Jerard and Shane changed into their bathing shorts.

You could see the kids having lots of fun splashing inside the pool! It was humid but the sky was clear … Bathing in the pool was very refreshing and you could see that the adults were envious of the kids … Hehehe!

Jerard and Shane came out earlier as they were the smaller kids and had to be dried and changed before they catch a cold. The bigger kids (Yianel, Evan & Chloe), however stayed longer till around 6pm.

After swimming, the kids were bathed and changed into dry clothes. They played inside the house while the adults were scattered all over. Some were having conversations in the living room, others were eating again in the dining room and the others were looking at our aviary and fish pond at the back.

We served cake while I downloaded the pictures and video clips from my camera to our computer. Everyone was happy …

At around 9pm, it was time for everyone to go home … We were not able to give them “take home” as the food was all consumed. The kids were tired but enjoyed themselves …

Chloe was happiest and could not wait to open the other gifts that were given to her by her cousins.

Click here to view the pictures from her birthday.

A prenatal check-up, a birthday & a koi village ...

Yesterday morning, Mon and Chloe accompanied me to Medical Center Muntinlupa for my monthly pre-natal check-up. My OB-GYNE (Dra. Loida Ponio), was so delighted to see that my blood pressure was 110/80 and gained only 4 lbs from the previous month. After having given her the result of my pelvic ultrasound, she said that my EDC coincides with the date of the ultrasound result. It's confirmed that I am due around the 30th of September this year. However, she said that I shall be scheduled for a cesarean section earlier than the said date. She advised for me to continue taking my aspilet, my calcium and my iron supplements and of course, to continue with my fish, chicken, low salt and low fat diet.

Since it was lunch time when we were finished, we decided to eat at the hospital's canteen where they served delicious and nutritious food at an affordable price.

Afterwards, off we went to Manila to visit my mother-in-law for her 62nd birthday celebration. On the way, it was raining hard so we called Mommy Virgie and asked if it was also pouring at their side since we might have to pass through flooded streets on the way. She said, on the contrary, the sun was shining brightly and was hot. So, we proceeded and decided to take the SKY WAY. It was a good decision ... since it was a weekday, we got to Manila in 1 1/2 hours. The Sky Way saved us at least 30 mins of travel time.

The weather the past few days have been terrible! After the recent typhoon, it has been sun & rain & sun & rain ... Sometimes even if the sun isn't shining, the weather is humid.

It was hot and humid when we arrived in Manila. It was already 3:30 pm and was "merienda" time. We were the first ones to arrive and since we were already hungry, we had some spaghetti that my father-in-law prepared. We were surprised yet happy to see that Philip (Gigette's eldest son) was able to come together with her Lola Cherry. The brothers, Philip and Evan were already playing when we arrived and we could see how much they missed each other and how fond they are of each other. Chloe, on the other hand was not happy about it ... it was her first time to see Philip again after a couple of years and she does not recognize him as one of her cousins. At first, she did not want to play with him and was jealous of the attention that Evan was giving him. We explained to her that Philip and Evan are brothers and he is also one of her cousins. Eventually, Philip was the one who made Chloe become at ease with him with his funny antics. He made her laugh and before we knew it, they were laughing, playing and having fun.

After a few hours, Bobby, Lani and Yianel arrived with the birthday cake for Mommy Virgie. They also brought with them "pansit malabon" and "fresh lumpia" (all from Goldilock's). It was early evening so we all decided to have dinner. Aside from the food that they brought, Mommy Virgie prepared "rellenong bangus" while Daddy Nesty cooked some "nilagang baka" and "fried chicken".

Jun, Sharon and Jover arrived after we had dinner since they came from Jun's office and he still had to do some finishing up with work. Unfortunately, when they arrived, Lola Cherry and Philip had gone home. We were almost complete ... we were crossing our fingers that Richard would be able to make it. He called from the office and he said that he was going to try to come but a second call confirmed that he was not going to make it. Well, there's always next time ...

The kids had a great time! It was only during these special occassions do they get the chance to see and be in each other's company. At last, after having rested from having dinner. We posed with the birthday celebrant and the cake was sliced and distributed as dessert.

We were full ... and it was almost 9pm ... it was time to say our goodbyes and go home. Until the next celebration / gathering / reunion ... Click here to view the pictures from the birthday celebration.

On the way home, we gave Jun, Sharon and Jover a ride since San Pedro, Laguna was only 5 mins away from our place. But before we headed straight back, we decided to see if the Koi Village in Magallanes was still open that time. Luckily, when we passed it still was ... Mon and Jun have been taking care of different kinds of fish since they were kids and even now, they still do and koi is one variety they really like. Mon had been at the Koi Village a couple of times before and had bought some of our pet koi from there. On the other hand, it was all our first time ...

The Koi Village had koi of different sizes and colors ... they were beautiful! Some of the ponds contained really large koi and could be compared to the size of a small child and some of which were off limits to kids because the water was already deep and could be dangerous if one accidentally falls into it.

You can feed the koi by buying some food from them at only P20. Jover really had a good time feeding them! Chloe was a bit hesitant at first but eventually asked for some so she could also feed the koi. We did not stay long as it was already past 9pm when we arrived. They close at 9pm but they were kind to accomodate us and allow us to take pictures. Click here to view the pictures from the Koi Village.

Mother's Day 2006

This year, I go through pregnancy the second time around which I think makes this Mother's Day more special. As usual, we woke up late yesterday (14 May, 2006 - Sunday) ... Mon, Chloe and I prepared to go out to celebrate Mother's Day. We had a late lunch at Serye (Festival Mall, Filinvest, Alabang). The mall was packed with people! And to think, a typhoon just passed Metro Manila yesterday. It was hard to get a parking space but we managed to get one near Shopwise Supermarket. We had chicken barbeque and java rice at Serye. Their meal was sumptuos yet affordable. We were satisfied because the serving was enough to fill you up. Afterwards, we tried getting a cake at Goldilock's and Red Ribbon as "pasalubong" for Mon's mom. But as expected, both bakeshops were jampacked so we just decided to head to Manila and just try dropping by at Goldilock's near my in-law's place. Luckily, there were a few people inside when we got to Goldilock's, Dimasalang. I was trying to look for a white/marshmallow icing chiffon cake but all they had available were butter icing cakes (eww! nakaka-high blood!) so I decided to just get a large "crema de fruta".

We arrived at my in-law's at around 6 pm and Mon's parents ordered dinner for us. We had "beef bulalo", "beef mechado", "inihaw na bangus", "sinigang sa miso tambakol" and spaghetti for the kids. Sayang kasi hindi kami kumpleto. It was only Bobby, Yianel, and Us who were able to visit Mommy Virgie. We had a good time naman and we were full. Hopefully, everyone will be present this Thursday (May 18) when we celebrate Mommy Virgie's 62nd birthday ...

Click here to view pictures from this year's Mother's Day.

Chloe at 4 yrs & 10 mos

I just posted Chloe's pictures this April 2006. She's 4 yrs & 10 mos during that month. Click here to view the pictures.

Chloe at 4 yrs & 9 mos

I just posted Chloe's pictures this March 2006. She's 4 yrs and 9 mos during that month. Click here to view the pictures.

Reunion w/ Mon's HS Best Buddies

After more than 10 years, Mon reunites with his old time best buddies from high school last February 11, 2006. Click here to view the pictures from their get together ...

It's POSITIVE!

Yup, it's positive! Am 6 weeks pregnant and estimated to be due around the 30th of September this year.

This is such a wonderful surprise for me and my family ... I have been off the pill for about 6 months now ever since a small mass was detected just beneath my umbilicus 7 months ago. My OB-GYNE suspected it might be caused by endometriosis since it becomes painful when my menstrual period is near and espescially when I have my menstrual period. We had an ultrasound and the sonographer said it was a benign mass and could be removed through surgery the next time I gave birth via cesarean section. However, during that time, Mon and I felt that we were not ready financially for another baby.

My OB-GYNE suggested I stop taking my pills and observe the following month. She said, I should expect a heavier menstrual flow the following month and if endometriosis is the one causing the pain then I should expect more pain by then. Miraculously, the following month, my menstrual period did become heavier but the pain was gone. Mon and I decided that maybe it was time I put my pills to rest.

The following months, my menstrual cycle ranged between 5-6 weeks but always came during those times. This month (February), however, I was expecting my menstruation to come on or before the 4th of February. I bought the pregnancy test a day before the 4th ... I was planning to perform the test on the morning of the 4th so that I can use my first morning urine.

Funny though, because the night before ... I dreamt that the pregnancy test I was going to perform the next day was going to be positive. And it was ...

It came to me as a beautiful surprise. My OB-GYNE told us before that if the mass I had was caused by endometriosis, it might become difficult for us to conceive another child. I was worried and confused then because I wanted to have another child except that we were not financially ready then.

But this time, I told Mon that God is really good! I got pregnant at a time that Mon was recently given a salary increase and we knew that another baby would be more than welcome ...

When Mon and I got married, it took us almost a year before I got pregnant with Chloe. Everytime my menstrual period was delayed, it was always a negative pregnancy test. I guess you could say that this was the first pregnancy test I performed that was immediately positive.

Morning of February 4th, I called my mom to break her the news ... she was so happy! I also called my Dad, texted my sister ... Mon called his parents and texted his siblings ... they were all happy for us.

Good thing, my OB-GYNE had her clinic that day at MCM, Muntinlupa. We called the hospital and scheduled for an appointment with her.

I showed her my (+) pregnancy test ... she smiled and was happy for us ... Dra. Loida Ponio has been my OB-GYNE since Mon and I got married 7 years ago. She was so happy to see Chloe again ... she said what a beautiful girl Chloe was and it was just right that we gave her another sibling.

My anti-hypertensive med (Norvasc 5mg) was shifted to Aldomet (250 mg) and was given Aspilet (80 mg). I was also given Folart as my folic acid supplement and Duphaston to make sure I don't experience any spotting the way I had during my first trimester when I was pregnant with Chloe. I was to get a urinalysis to be brought on my next pre-natal check up on March 4.

This is all for now ... till the next check-up ...

An AXTI Get Together ...

Mon and his officemates before from AXTI Internet (aka Axcess Technologies, Inc.) had a small get together at Mike Peralta's apartment in BF Homes, Parañaque last January 22, 2006. Click here to view the pictures ... (c/o Miss Inna Cabral)

Chloe at 4 yrs & 7 months

I just finished posting Chloe's January 2006 photos. She's 4 yrs and 7 months during that month. You may view her pictures by clicking here.

Trip to Avilon Zoo and more ...

AVILON ZOO ... Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) ... Mc James Factory ... Philippine Science Centrum ... and the Guinness Book of World Record's Largest Shoes (Riverbank Center). These were the places we visited last Thursday, January 26, 2006 for Chloe's first school field trip.

Things to bring for the field trip was prepared the day before. Chloe woke up early last Thursday ... at 5:30 am, I didn't hear any complaints or whatsoever from her when I woke her up. I simply said, "Chloe, it's time to wake up ... today is the day we are going to the zoo ..."

And without batting an eyelash, she opened her eyes, smiled and said, "Okay mom, wake up na si Chloe ... pero bakit wala pang sun?"

I explained that it was too early and the sun hasn't woken up yet. But after a few minutes, the sun will wake up soon. Of course, I was crossing my fingers when I said that. The weather had been cloudy with light rainshowers since Monday and that morning was not different.

Before we left the house, I gave Chloe Bonamine chewable tablets for kids. This medicine has been proven effective to prevent Chloe from having motion sickness and from vomiting during trips wherein we have to take the bus.

Assembly time was between 6-6:30 am at Wise Kids School. Chloe and I were inside the tourist bus by 6:15 am. Mon was not able to come with us as much as he would like to because work was scheduled for him that day. He was, however, able to accompany us to school and see us get seated inside the bus.

At 6:30 am, there was less than half of us inside the bus. And thus, we had to wait for a few more minutes. We left the school at 7 am. The bus driver said it was going to take between an hour and a half or 2 hours to get to Avilon Zoo, Montalban, Rizal depending on the traffic situation.

Teacher Sharon led a short prayer before we left the school for a safe and successful field trip. Then, our tour guide ("Ate Jack") started by introducing herself and our bus driver ("Kuya Tito"). Bus rules and guidelines were discussed followed by a series of games to keep the kids awake and pre-occupied. We sang children's songs ... played a naming game of animals, fruits and veggies ... When we reached EDSA, Ate Jack gave more informative details about the roads we passed ... a little background and history plus some trivial information as well.

The trip was a smooth and easy one with light to moderate traffic. Chloe and I were seated in the front row. I paid for the tickets early so that we can choose where we want to be seated. The tourist bus was very comfortable ... there were two seats on each side ... aircondition was good ... and KUDOS to Kuya Tito's driving! He was a smooth and careful driver and I am very thankful for that.

As we reached the town of Montalban, we got more excited! In a few minutes, we were going to see the much talked about zoo in Rizal. The road to Avilon zoo was a bit narrow with only 2 lanes. As we continued our slow but careful journey, we could already see the zoo proper from the bus.

Ate Jack briefed us on some rules and regulations of the zoo:

(1) tour lasts approximately 2 hours;
(2) only bottled water is allowed during the tour ... however, there are designated areas where you can eat;
(3) cameras and videocameras are allowed ... however, there are certain areas where taking of pictures is prohibited like the "primates area". In the "reptiles area", taking pictures is allowed as long as flash is not used;
(4) tapping of glass is also prohibited

I first heard about Avilon Zoo when it was aired in Korina Sanchez's show, BALITANG K a few years back. From that moment on, I have been telling my husband, Mon, that it would be nice if we could go there for a visit too. We were able to visit Manila Zoo, January 2005, and Chloe and I had a wonderful time then.

We arrived at Avilon Zoo around 9 am. There were already other tourist buses that were parked and lots of students from other schools were lined up. We went to the restrooms first just to make sure Chloe doesn't ask us to go there in the middle of the tour.

Before the tour started, we were able to shoot a few pictures near the pavilion area (where you can buy food and buy souvenir items). Afterwhich, we all formed a line (parents on the left, children on the right).

The tour started with the crocodiles area ... The crocodiles we saw came in different sizes and shades. Funny though, a capybara (largest rodent) is what you will see upon entering the crocodiles area.

Next were the birds ... I think almost 75% of the animals inside the zoo were birds. Thus the name, "AVILON" which means "land of the birds". There were different varieties, colors, sizes and shapes. There are too many to mention but all were worth seeing!

The lions and lionesses area was surrounded by water with arapaimas in it. You can feed these fish chopped chicken which you can buy for P10. When you throw these chopped parts into the water, it seemed like there was an explosion everytime it landed on the water because the arapaimas would move and make splashes.

We saw more animals but I can no longer remember all their names ... there were just too many to mention. You will see more of these animals in the photo album whose link I will give later on ...

Chloe enjoyed the primates are the most. We were amazed to see the smallest monkeys ... they were soo cute! No pictures were taken during this part of the tour because this was one of the areas were taking pictures was prohibited.

There were also areas inside the zoo where you can have your picture taken with some of the animals for a certain amount. Some of these animals were owls, eagles, snakes, horse ... etc ...

Last stop was the reptiles area ... mostly snakes, with some turtles, tarantulas and the like. The snakes came in different sizes and colors ... some, you wouldn't even notice right away because their color seemed to blend in with the environment.

All in all, I would say that visiting AVILON ZOO was worth the trip. Touring the 7.5 hectare area was surely tiring but you won't feel it when you're there because of all the wonderful animals you will see.

When we finished the tour, it was lunch time ... We ate our packed lunches inside the bus where it was cold and comfortable. The pavilion area was packed and the rain was pouring hard then. I wish we could have stayed longer and the pacing was slower ... but, what can we do ... it was a group tour and there were still other places to visit.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR PICTURES FROM AVILON ZOO. You may want to visit this website (http://www.geocities.com/avilon_zoo) where you can read more useful information and see other photogalleries of the animals.

P.S. Updated phone number of Avilon Zoo is (632) 948-9866; 941-8393; Entrance Fee is Php 208.00

Trip to Marikina City and more ...

After Avilon Zoo, second on our itinerary was MRF or Materials Recovery Facility located in Brgy. Parang, Marikina. On our way there, almost all the kids and most of the parents were asleep ... we were so tired from trekking Avilon Zoo plus the fact that we all woke up early that day.

Not everyone was able to go down to look at the place because most were asleep. Not us, Chloe woke up in time to see the beautiful vegetable garden and fruit tree orchards. It was raining a little bit which is why Chloe wore her raincoat and I brought my umbrella. Click here to view the pictures taken at MRF.

Third on our itinerary was the Doll Museum ... still in Marikina City. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures inside. All the same, we enjoyed viewing the dolls that looked like Filipino barbie dolls all dressed up in Filipino clothes and depicted the Filipinos' way of life, culture and traditions. Each enclosed glass showed our national costumes, filipino games like sunka, patintero, etc ... Traditions like the harana, bayanihan, senakulo and the like were also depictedin each glass box.

Fourth on our itinerary was Mc James Factory ... again, still in Marikina city ... all products (shoes, slippers, bags, etc...) made by this factory are hand made. Click here to view pictures of how shoes are hand made.

Fifth on our itinerary was Philippine Science Centrum beside Riverbank Center, Marikina. The kids enjoyed going to this place next to Avilon Zoo. It was an educational visit as well as fun filled. I think you will agree with me when you see the pictures by clicking here.

And last but not the least, the Guinness Book of World Record's Largest Shoe inside one of the stores in Riverbank Center, Marikina was our last stop. Click here to view the pictures ... It was already 6:30 pm when we left Marikina. Luckily, there was no traffic going home. We were already inside Villa Carolina Subd. 1 before 8 pm.

Home Sweet Home ... It was so nice to finally rest ... Chloe and I were so tired, we were sleeping like a baby before 9 pm.

And this concludes my blog for the day ...