Chocolate cupcake

My first chocolate cupcake made from scratch and not from the "mix in a box."

I am even more fulfilled that I made the frosting and actually decorated it.  Of course my piping wasn't the same for the cupcakes.  But I was happy.

Beat That

Denden and I have been busy the past few nights.  Playing with the Logos Quiz on the iPad   It was just him playing and I was just watching.  Because I know he's good at these.  He knows everything.  We call him our Mr. Google.  We turn to him if we didn't know the meaning of a word.

Some of the logos that I know, of course he knew.  But most logos, I didn't know and of course, he knew.  I admit, I'm pretty amazed.  He didn't want to cheat and he took his time looking at each picture, skipping if didn't know right away. He won't use hints and even if I tell him to search it already, he wouldn't give up.

Then he came across this one picture.  He didn't know what was it and he asked if I knew.  I was surprised that he didn't.  I took the Ipad from him and typed the answer.  (Look on the lower part of the picture.)  Haha!  This time, it was him who was amazed.  Beat that! 

Ornithophobia

Yes, I am afraid of birds. Any type as long as it has a beak and, or feathers.  I am not sure exactly how it started but it's not just me, my two sisters are also scared of them.  I think it was a chicken or a turkey that we had in our house when we were children.  

Anyway, I went out of our yard today and  I saw this.  Denden thinks it's an egret.  A migratory bird that comes here during the cold season.   I immediately ran inside the house and made sure our doors and windows are closed.  I peeked through our window but I think it's dead already, Gab must have played with it.  I waited for Denden to come home and take care of it.  Before I can finally go out of the house again.

Euen's Eighth Month

Since the twelfth fell on a Friday, we decided to celebrate Euen's eighth month with Angkong and Ahma. And so, we packed the high chair and brought it with us.  I made strawberry cheesecake.

She just gained 0.2 lbs. this month.  The pediatrician said it's nothing to worry about.  I could just increase the her solids. So aside from her lunch and dinner meals, I've given her snacks in the mornings and afternoons.  She's drinking an average of 4 ounces of water a day.  Of course, I'm still breastfeeding 7-8 times a day.

It has just been a month but the baby had many milestones. She has tEEth now. Yes, two on the lower front. Though unable to crawl, she can stand up from sitting position holding on the the rails of her crib. And she's making tiny little assisted steps.  And recently, she's learned how to close and open her hand.

Unfortunately, Ahma had to be some place so we missed her.  But Lola auntie, Lolo uncle, Uncle Jeng-jeng and Tita Desy were there to sing her a birthday song.  Happy eight months little darling Euen!

Folding Plastic

I had been told that I am an O.C. a couple of times: obssessive-compulsive in some ways.   The way our room is cleaned, how our stove top should be washed after dinner, how clothes are folded before being kept in the closet.  One classic example is folding plastic bags into small triangles before storing them.  I like to do these especially after grocery shopping.  That way, it doesn't look cluttered and it saves space.

I just like to think that I am just organized and I like things in order.  I want my surroundings clean.  Well, not just clean, it has to be cleaned in my own-systematic way.  That will assure me that it is indeed clean. Haha.

With a baby soon to dominate the floors of our house,  there's no harm being a little O.C., right?

Euen's Seventh Month

At seven months, she's 16.6 lbs., laughs and giggles with her papa,  invents various facial expressions, eats almost anything that we eat, loves to practice standing up, assisted, of course, and talks more and more.

I let her try any food except for sweets and oily foods.  Whenever we are eating, we find something to give her so that she'll feel she's dining with us.  She's learned to drink more water now.

A day after her seventh month, her first tooth came out! Luckily, she didn't have any fever.  If she hadn't bitten her dad, we wouldn't have noticed the tooth. Yey!

Grinder

This is my new helper when it comes to making the baby's food: Munchkin's baby food grinder.

For the next stage in eating solids, I needed more texture and  less the "smoothness."  There's no need to add water and it makes the baby food bite-sized and chewable.  She won't just swallow like when her food passed through the blender.

Recently, I let the baby try green leafy veggies: malunggay, pechay.  I just chop them in small pieces.  She's becoming a fan of fish as well: tilapia, milk fish, dory and salmon.  She looks forward to desert: raisins, pineapple and dragonfruit.  I am slowly adding real rice in her food also.

She looks forward to eating! And even if we're out, we bring her food so that she'll be able to eat with us.