Ola! How was your weekend?

Mine was rather long (three-day weekend for me, woot!), action packed, heartwarming, and much love-filled. :) We are in the middle of  a yaya-less week, something that intimidated me a few weeks ago. I absolutely love taking care of and being with our little darling and I'd pick a sweaty and messy day with him over my own tidy space in the corporate world anytime, but I got worried a bit about the no-yaya part since my triahlon is just a week away (GASP!). I was, uhm, hoping to crunch in some last minute mileage. Panic training? Hee hee.

Well, I did get to squeeze in a couple of swim sessions, a short and sweet bike trainer sesh in the comforts of our bedroom, as well as a nighttime run in our neighborhood. But more than that -- a lot more than that -- I feel much accomplished this weekend as regards my Momma-ing! Yay, a heaping bowl of Thirdy time over the "long weekend!" Hurray!

Little guy, you and Momma are so going to be buddies for life (whether you like it or not when you're all grown up already!) :D

Save for a few hours spent training, we (three) were inseparable for three days. We had a couple of non-negotiable appointments for Thirdy and a few errands and social time with friends and family, and Thirdy was the perfect lakwatsa buddy!

Not without his own demands, though. His terms were: we had to take him to see the fountain (oh fountain, my fountain! he can be bribed with fountains), he had to see some Christmas lights, he had to set foot on the mall, eat bread on the mall, and so on and so forth. Very minor demands next to the sheer joy of his company and we were more than willing to oblige and indulge our little boss. :)

Here are snippets of our fun-filled and busy weekend:  

Friday night out.

Never mind the photobomber. Ain't I looking every inch the tanned, strong triathlete Momma now? :P :P

Agree, baby.

I swear it was a lot more gleeful than those faces. LOL.

So much fun, I'm almost dreading Monday! But then again I needed all the positivity to face yet another busy week. :)

Okay, folks, I've kept it under wraps, but time for the big reveal: I'm officially a celebrity and I am hosting a game show soon! OMG I'm so thrilled, I've been absolutely totally dreaming of doing this job! It's not work, it's play people, all play!

Woot, mein a trisuit again!

ERR. BLUFF. I was indeed a sport junkie TV show host, but only in my dreams. *glassy eyed and zoning out again* Okay, back to Earth. I know I can do anything, but what are the chances of me being anything near a sports show host, not even a double or a minor role's sidekick? Hah, I know, I'm also rolling my eyes.

 This high na high post is brought to you by sports plus TV plus adrenaline pumping event last weekend.

Gameplan TV interviewed a few first time triathlete hopefuls for Tri United 4, myself included. They also shoot us while walking on wires and playing with fire while running and biking, both solo and with the group. We were in Nuvali from sun up 'til noon, and although the celeb experience for half the day was rather tiring, it was very inspiring to be up close with the hosts and the other novice triathlete wannabes.

Gameplan TV hosts Ton, Juls, and Amanda with the interviewees.

Those are the three hosts with myself and my teammates Macky and Alvin.

It was good to know I was not alone racing for the first time. But while we may be on the same boat, it's noteworthy to point out that others are just way stronger and faster in that boat. :) So yes, it was quite a pressure-trigger experience too! For one, no excuse now not to show up on the race (haha, just a very hazy and fleeting scenario playing in my head). And two, what is more nakaka-pressure than claiming in front of the camera that you are in it, that you can do it, and that you are going to give it your best shot? :P

Whew, in retrospect, I'm thankful there was none of that fist-pumping adrenaline-crazed moment claiming I will be the best version of me running that race. *tongue in cheek* But whatever, my Gameplan, is to go out there come race day, yes, give it my best shot, dig deep, dig deeper, cry in pain -- and the best part -- enjoy and savor every moment of it! Sounds like a plan! :)

Momma and Thirdy with his Yayay (his nanny), while strolling in our quiet street one evening:

Thirdy: Dog! Dog! Momma, dog! Punta dun!
Momma: Okay baby, punta tayo sa dog.
       [getting closer and closer to the dog, maltese-ish looking]
Thirdy: GIGIL!!! Ihhhh! Gigil!
       [making that gigil face and gesture we are all familiar with]
 
Oh my goodness! I almost tripped while laughing my heart out!

Warning: Please read at your own risk. There's an overdose of Mommy pride in here. :)

The Thirdytales! Let me share with you some happy snippets of the momster life starring the cutest, smartest, most talkative, and funniest baby. I used to post them on my private Facebook only, but I guess it's worth sharing them here as well. Let me delight you with wonderful tales of this baby that never ceases to amaze us with how much he knew already for someone so young and tender. :)

But first things first. Thirdy is very advanced in his speech, language, and communication (perhaps, even his EQ). I know parents love to say that, but please do hear out the facts, this little guy really is something else. :)

For a one-year old, he's got over hundreds of words in his vocabulary. For reference, when babies hit their first year, they should know at least 10 words. Thirdy was talking and familiar with no less than 40 words by his first birthday (actually, more. I was starting to list them down before he turned one but I stopped even before his birthday because everyday there's at least one new addition to that list.). By his first birthday, he was already putting together two words to express himself more clearly. Our pediatrician said this usually begins by a year and a half. She recognizes Thirdy's advanced speech and language, and encourages us tremendously.

And oh, I'm talking about words that he not only fully grasps the meaning, but words that he clearly enunciates and articulates. He speaks clearly, he can say full words, he can clearly pronounce the letters r and s. And did I mention he started addressing me (and only me) Momma on his 7th month? I know, geez, even we at home sometimes find it hard to believe.

Now this little guy is talking to us and ordering us around with so many verbs he's already very familiar with (like give, buksan, ipasok, ibalik, takpan, hawakan, labas, ipatong, buhatin, cooking, luto, washing, punas, silip, abangan, bili, etc. etc.) and makes more descriptive 'stories' by using adjectives such as malaki, malayo, dalawa. Yes, he already knows the difference between one and two objects.

It seems like he knows and can clearly pronounce every little thing we have at home, both proper and common nouns. From high chair to 'Vicks' to keys and wallets and IDs and paper and 'Mustela.' Ask him what his meal was and he'll tell you what he ate. He is able to distinguish lugaw vs. bread vs. camote vs. mango vs. banana vs. kiwi vs. dragonfruit, and so on.

At one year old, he is practically telling stories already! I kid you not. He puts together a number of cohesive words, weaves them together, and paints a complete picture of the story he is trying to tell. Complete with who, what, where, how! He knows each and every one's names at home -- the names behin Dad, Momma, Yayay, Ate, Lala, Lolo, and so on. He knows where he lives and where his parents work.

And here's another thing -- he translates certain words from Filipino to English to... hear this out: Bicol! We don't speak to him in Bicol, but he is very perceptive (and receptive) and is such a keen observant that when people around him talk (including talking in the vernacular language), he just quietly takes it all in and understands what they mean. Then he would use those words in the correct context. Yes, even if he has only heard it for the first time. Brilliant, isn't it?

"Momma, picture" said the little guy here, so off I snap away. Then he said "smiiiiile." When he saw that I'm done taking photos, he said: "patingin, Momma." Oh, you one year old, you.

So you see, he is not just madaldal, he really is very smart and intuitive. And he's starting to show a rather pilyo sense of humor. Conversations with him range from the heartwarming to insightful to amusing to funny and to downright hilarious. Makes us wonder if he really is an adult pretending to be a baby.

Often, I am so amazed by his stunning abilities to take it all in, learn, communicate what he knows, and express himself that I feel like crying and jumping in joy and squishing him all at the same time. Oftentimes too, this one-year old's insights make us laugh out hard and loud. His being know-it-all paired with that wide-eyed innocence often induce "aawww I wanna hug you" moments while also cracking us up.

I wish to preserve such fleeting, unfolding stories through blog posts; and on the sidelines, try to sprinkle some Thirdywonder magic dust to you, too.

Aren't you excited for some #Thirdytales coming up? :) I am! I know you are, too! :)

Hello everyone! My first triathlon is inching closer and closer. It's less than a month away. Gasp! I know I'll never be prepared enough, but really, I'm getting more antsy as the days seem to speed by.

While I do get some pool time, a little bike time, and so-so run time, I didn't realize the full gravity of what I signed up for until our triathlon simulation with our teammates last weekend.

For this newbie swimmer (actually, I feel like a newbie everything), the swim leg turned out to be the toughest. I do jump in the pool and swim laps as much as I can. And on Saturdays, I still attend swim coaching at the Aqualogic, simply the best swim school in town for the most suave freestyle technique in the world! And recently, I just broke a new personal best by swimming a kilometer at a time. See, a kilometer? A kilometer swim, hah! Boy, ain't I a rockstar motherswimmer? *tongue in cheek*

But lo, came swim simulation time, and all sanity, technique, poise, and training miles logged flew out of the window pool. It's so hard to try to stay calm, swim, and not drown while jostling and fighting for space and trying to stay in zen with 8 other guys (all competent swimmers, I'll say) in the pool. I almost literally forgot how to swim! :( And we are talking about just 8 guys here. How much more come race day? I'll be fighting tooth and nail for pool space with very able-bodied triathletes.

Felt like a party before the ack-oh-so-painful (for me) swim. Hah, we did an entire triathlon simulation for three hours and this is the only photo captured by the husband. :P

  You see, the problem is not exactly the distance. I can go the distance. But going the distance while someone is kicking your face and hitting your shoulders swimming in front of you, a few others by your side, maybe a couple or two inadvertently swimming over you, plus the many others generating a washing machine-esque turbulence around you -- that's the real challenge.

Whew, just thinking about it makes my heart race so fast again. I guess I just gotta do what I got to do, log in the miles, get as much pool time as I can, and swim laps with minimal rest.

That, or I got to devise my own way on how to grow some fins and gills.
Hmm. Gills and fins, anyone? :)

You know how you ignore one thing that has kept on bothering you, and the longer you don't act on it, the harder you find it to go back on track?

Le sigh.

That's my blogging story the past few weeks. And the longer I ignore the elephant in the room, the bigger and bigger it gets, until I cannot dodge it any longer, lest the elephant throws me out of my own room.

What gives? I will not bore you with how neck deep I've been in work. But one of these days, I will fill you in on the immensely astonishing milestones of my little guy. I am in awe and my heart bursts with pride every single day as my little one blooms and flourishes right before our very eyes. It's all happening so fast and we are convinced this little guy is a grown up pretending to be my baby. Very, veeery smart and perceptive. An old soul? Perhaps.

And then something to fill up my string of activities, as if I have all the time in the world to kill -- drum rolls -- I signed up for a triathlon. GASP. Gasp and yay for swim- bike- run! Barely two months to go and I haven't even started biking again. Be scared, momster. Be very scared.

But I got it all together! And I'm going to do it! Even if it means I finish off the swim leg doing backstroke (eek!), last to put back my bike in transition and hop and crawl to the finish line.

Now I gotta go slid back next to my peacefully slumbering baby and enjoy maybe an hour more of tranquility before I try to sleep. I chucked off my initial plans to swim (and then plan B to bike tonight) and might as well make the most out of my down time.

I guess I'm also finally saying hi to and kicking this elephant in the room. I am not letting September go by without doing so. :)

Catch you next time soon, folks!

Signing in now with an additional year to boot!

Yep, I recently celebrated my birthday, stretched through a three-day staycation weekend (where else but in Solaire again!) with my two boys and with the both sides of my now hyphenated surname. A long weekend of pigging out and superior gastronomic adventures, of lounging around, swimming, strengthening ties, making new memories with our little star, thanksgiving and just letting be. Ang happy lang!

It's been an awesome year, an immnsely blessed one for me and my family. Indeed, other than my aspirations to be a long-distance triathlete and to be an educator-entrepreneur-philanthropist, I got everything I want and need right here with me. I thank the Great Architect up there for all His favors and blessings. Life may not be perfect, but it's kinda charmed, it's fab, and it's oh so full of love!

As one of my favorite songs goes, "We toast to the future and we drink to the past, It might not be easy but these are the best days of my life." Cheers to the fantastic year that was, gratitude for the enormous blessings to me and my family, and a toast to even better things coming up!

Here are snippets of my birthday weekend. :)

Half of my birthday date. Oh baby, why so handsome?

Can we get started with the staycation already?

Mmmm.

Home away from home.

Corner room again, yay.

Birthday swim..

..with my two hot dates. :)

Always love sunsets by the pool.

Ohh wagyu, glorious, juicy wagyu!

With la familia.

More than just a birthday toast, indeed!