co-sleeping

now and again, i encounter scientific literature that goes against the grain, against instinct, if i may call parenting that. see, we’ve adapted the “attachment parenting” approach in bringing up jan: lots of physical contact and no cry-til-you-can’t-breathe-anymore and the you-have-to-learn-how-to-soothe-yourself disciplinary approach. together with attachment parenting naturally comes breast-feeding and co-sleeping; jan has been breastfed for more than a year, and is still with us on the matrimonial bed to date.

so being a breastfeeding advocate, i am confounded by a recent report saying that breastmilk cause more cavities than cow’s milk. i say, huh? and then there’s the new guideline from the American Academy of Pediatrics saying that infants should sleep in their cribs, not in their parents’ beds.

“The recommendations are very straightforward and clear: Babies should not be asleep in the same bed that their parents are sleeping in,” said James Kemp, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University and a world-recognized researcher on SIDS.

so will I follow the AAP recommendation? No way!

antonio's in tagaytay

tin just came back from a trip to manila, and guess what? she's got photos of antonio's in tagaytay. the resto looks breezy, and the food sumptuous. sounds like a good place for a stop-over on the way to the batangas beaches, or on the way back after a tagaytay sight-seeing. estimated at around P600-1000 a head (P250 for kids), it sounds steep for an average pinoy meal, but for bakasyonistas like us, that sounds just reasonable.

Antonio's is open on Tuesdays for dinner only and on Wednesdays to Sundays for lunch (11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.) and dinner (5:30-9:30 p.m.). Strictly by reservation only. Call +63 917 899-2866 or +63 917 819-1022.

here's the Inquirer feature on antonio's: Food Paradise in Tagaytay

choosing a kindergarten

when choosing a kiga, you’ll also have to decide beforehand what learning principles you abide by. most of the kiga here in germany are heavy on the learn-by-play principle. actually, it’s really mostly play at this stage anyway. that’s why i wrote teachers with quotation marks. they don’t really teach lessons per se. children are not even expected to know their alphabets before they enter the first grade. however, there are still specialized kigas employing the montessori and waldorf methods of learning. admittedly, i haven’t done a lot of research on these, but i think it doesn’t differ/matter much at this point, unless you’re set on putting your child in montessori/waldorf in primary school. which we are not. bu that doesn't make choosing the right kiga any simpler for us.

manila by foot

how well do you know manila? they say the best way to know a place is to go through it by foot. okay, the manila breeze may not exactly be good for your lungs, but if you want to really know manila, there's no other way. i know my hubby would be happy to know there are already walking tours being offered nowadays. he'd no longer have to go through escolta, quiapo, cubao, or bangkal, makati alone. and besides, i'm not exactly sure i'm qualified to play tourguide in manila, being a promdi myself and having nearly flunked philippine history. for the measly price of 400 to 500 pesos of per adult, we can have the time-featured carlos celdran for a tourguide instead. pretty good deal, i think.

wedding photos

jan scribbles

jan learns to write at 1 and a half! :)

cousins

dear jan,

today, we're nearly halfway through our philippine vacation. you have been enjoying yourself so much, revelling in the company of your pinoy relatives who dote on you hand and foot. we visited your cousins bea and jack last week and you enjoyed it immensely. they were also so eager to be with you each waking moment. i wish it will stay this way as you all grow up. i, myself, have drifted away from my own cousins and was never able to see them very often during my growing up years. i blame it on geography. it's always nice to go and visit them in pampanga or nueva ecija, yes, i wouldn't describe the relationships as close. i hope it will different for you. you will have far less cousins than i did (your dad having just one brother, and you having just 2 cousins on my side), so each one matters. bea is now 7 and she will have fond memories of our visit (and the last one in september 2003). i have faith that she will always be eager to see you again. as for jack, i'm not sure if he will remember more than you will. he's just 3 and i'm not sure how far back memory goes. should your (our) memory falter, i have taken photos and videos ;) ...

love,
mama