Happy 2nd Birthday Maux!

Happy 3rd Birthday Vito and Carlos!

We went to MOA for Cosmic Kidz, and had lunch at Burgoo. I got their birthday cake from Red Ribbon. It was very very tiring, but fun. Next year, I will prepare in advance. Today went by so fast...





Thank you Lord for blessing us with Vito and Carlos :)

Just another day in the park...

Family day at Shangri La

We went to Shang to hear the 11am mass. We want to expose them to many people so they don't get scared and/or shy. The plan: church-hop every weekend :)



Can you see how much they've grown??



Tried the carousel, and they loved it!



Hindi obvious sa pic, coz this is how they pose for cam - serious mode, lol. :P



We also had snacks at Cerealicious Cafe. Yummm! :)

Babysitting

How do you get 3 toddlers to behave?



You give them crayons and a whole bunch of paper!



This will keep them busy for a while - like 10 mins, lol.



After that, you put on your best DVD and watch with them :)

Twins' favorite pastime

Swimming is the twins' favorite pastime. With today's hot hot weather, I can perfectly understand why! We don't even put warm water anymore...

They love to play in this inflatable pool, where they can be themselves, splashing all the way and throwing water at anyone who passes them.

Unfortunately, they do not like public pools and Vito does not like the beach. So, for their 3rd birthday, I am planning to host a swimming party for them. Oh my, that's just 33 days away! Perhaps, it will be a good idea to bring the inflatable pool, in case they decide not to swim in the swimming pool. :P

This kiddie pool has 3 rings which Keith likes to inflate by himself. He's the only one in the family who could inflate it using his own breath, amazing. Haha!

My bugoys I love

Trying out mommy shades in SM...

With caps and socks

Dont know what came over the two boys. Before sleeping, they went to their socks box and got a pair of socks and nagged me to wear it on them. Then they ran to their room and nagged their yaya to get Keith's caps. They went back to our room looking like this, hehe





Socks and caps styled by Vito and Carlos themselves :P

Wordless Wednesday

Vito and Carlos at 13 months

Vito and Carlos at 12 months

The twins have turned a year old and much have changed in the last 11 months. In terms of looks, they are now sporting semikal hairdos. They are more "talkative" and would sometimes shreak to get your attention. They are intelligent coz they pick-up tricks easily. Although they have not started to walk yet, they can now stand up and sit down without support, and they try to make little steps, too. They love to browse through picture books and photo albums. They dance when their favorite cartoon songs come out on TV. As early as now, we teach them how to share and we recite a prayer with them during bedtime.
















Vito weighs 9.5 kilos, and loves to eat Marie biscuits. You will be amazed with his antics, which include "align", "clap", "apir" and "where is the nose?". He crawls as fast as Schumacher. He has learned to cry without tears (drama) just to get your attention, hehe. Kuya Vito finally has teeth! :) Two big pearly whites sprouted on his upper gums when he was two weeks shy of his 1st birthday. He is still very energetic, very bungisngis and would sometimes bite you if he makes gigil. :)

Carlos weighs 11 kilos. He is picky with food and prefers the more expensive kind like yogurt, avocado and peaches in light syrup. He likes it when you feed him ulam from your hand.. pinoy na pinoy, hehe! He has also learned new tricks like "align", "clap", "apir" and "where is the nose?" He is very behaved and smiles a lot :)

They are a joy to our family esp to their grandparents. Their lolos and lolas want to spend as much time with them as they can :) It's true that babies are blessings. The twins have brought our family closer together. :)

Vito and Carlos at 11 months

The twins luuuv to eat taho and pandesal. They love to climb, crawl, reach things and open cabinet doors.

Vito's tricks include doing the rolling R, sticking out his tongue, doing the mcdo sign with his hands over his head, doing close-open and waving his hand to say ba-bye. He would slowly sit on the floor, if you stand him against the wall. He has mastered the art of crying a certain way (paawa effect) so you will be obliged to carry him.

Carlos' tricks include standing up against the wall, doing the kiss sound and doing close-open to say ba-bye. He loves avocado, peaches and Nestle yogurt fruit selection. During sleep time, dont pretend to be asleep because he will slap you in the face, put his finger inside your nose and poke you in the eyes to "wake" you up.

Vito and Carlos at 10 months

The twins love to play inside their inflatable swimming pool filled with colorful balls. We just put them here every afternoon to keep them entertained. They can stand against the wall. It's just a matter of weeks now til they make their first step. I guess we should dispose the walkers, so they will learn to walk on their own.

Carlos loves to eat pandesal, avocado, oatmeal and peaches. He loves nilagang baka, too. He has two additional teeth coming out, making his teeth six in all. He is asthmatic and gets cough & colds from time to time.

Vito loves to eat anything and everything! He is very affectionate and now knows how to kiss. He leans over to kiss me, his toys and Carlos (who quickly shoos him away). He is quick to learn the things you teach him; he is quick to imitate.

They have stranger anxiety and are masungit infront of new people. But later on they will lean over you to make pabuhat. They are more bungisngis now and a delight to be with!

Vito and Carlos at 9 months

Carlos has four teeth (two up, two down). He is now 9.8 kilos. He has grown thick hair and we comb it on one side and he looks like our National Hero, Gat Jose Rizal hehehe :P He is still very behaved, with simple wants in life. He loves crumpling paper or plastic candy wrappers. He enjoys eating sweet mango and papaya. He still gets choked drinking water. He sleeps well in an airconditioned room; still hates the blanket; still cries the loudest when his milk is bitin.


















Vito has no tooth, but munches bread and oranges as if he has a complete set of teeth. He weighs in at 8.5 kilos. He is very very energetic, very bungisngis at times, and shrieks when tickled in the armpits. He puts everything in his mouth and so his yaya watches him closely. He is still very attached to his pacifier. He enjoys watching the cartoons in Playhouse Disney Channel especially Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Little Einsteins and Higgly Town Heroes. (Carlos is a convert and now watches these shows too hehe)

Vito and Carlos at 8 months

As seen in the photo, the twins can now sit on their own. Aside from Enfapro and Cerelac, fruits are now part of their diet. Banana for Carlos, and Papaya for Vito (coz he's constipated). Vito loves to watch his favorite cartoons, while Carlos enjoys watching balita. They are both madaldal and hyper at play. They love to play with the remote control, our cellphones, PSP or any electronic device.

Vito and Carlos at 7 months

Our favorite word right now is "No.. no.. no". Eto na daw ang simula ng kakulitan stage. When they are together, Carlos would pull the pacifier from his kuya's mouth, just to tease him. They have different Cerelac flavors - Rice & Soya for Vito and Wheat, Banana & Milk for Carlos (he poops if not). Both can now reach one foot, and put it in their mouth. They both love it when you raise them up like a flying Superman or when you hoist them on your leg and go up down up down...

Vito is fast to glide on his walker and would immediately pull the plastic containers on the kitchen cabinet, and they would fall on the floor. He loves doing this. He now attempts to stand up, and would cry if you will not help him stand up. His favorite shows are JoJo's Circus, Higglytown Heroes, Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Rolie Polie Olie. He is very playful (a.k.a. malikot), and loves to be tickled on his tummy and neck. His yaya calls him "Vetu..." but I am quick to correct her, "It's Vito".

Carlos loves to play with his toys - the abacus and the colorful balls. He is very madaldal now and loves to make baby talk. Even while eating and drinking from his cup, he mumbles. Hahaha. He is very heavy now. He would reach for you if you reach out your hands to him. He is awake at day and sleeps straight through the night. He sleeps well if the aircon is on. He hates the blanket (like his dad). If you put a blanket on him while he is asleep, he would kick it and move away from it. He loves watching balita (as in.. si Mike Enriquez po!), and kiddie shows that have real people as hosts like Out of the Box, in Playhouse Disney Channel.

It's difficult now to get a good shot of the two. If maayos ung kuha ng isa, ung isa hindi - either nka-simangot or nka-talikod. As you have noticed, all our latest pics have blurry parts, its because they have moved while I took the shot... sori, VGA phone lang kse Hehehe! Because of that, I also have fewer pics uploaded. Also, dpat in the mood sila pareho in order to get a nice shot.

P.S. Thank you Lola Hermie (my grandma) for the matching outfit of the twins :)

Vito and Carlos at 6 months

They now have the same milk - regular Enfapro Milk Supplement (stage 2), and can consume about 6-8oz per feeding. They eat Cerelac twice a day, about 2 teaspoonfulls per feeding. They are now practicing how to walk, with some help from the walker and yaya. (Note: It is dangerous to leave your baby alone in the walker). They are more attentive now. They reciprocate by smiling or reaching out to you. They laugh when you make funny faces and when you open-close your hand. They giggle when you tickle their neck, armpits, tummy, hands and feet.

Carlos weighs 8.2 kilos (18.04 lbs), but seems much heavier than that when you carry him. I call him "heavy-gat" (as in he-bigat) or sometimes the "heavyweight champ!". He loves to say "ehh.. ehh.. ehh.." before he sleeps at night. I would imitate him, sing and use the "ehh" syllable for the entire song.

It seems that he can already recognize his name. If you say "Caaar..los", he will turn his head to see who is calling. His favorite position now is with his hands clasped together over his chest (as if praying, naks!). If he is not sleepy he will not sleep, no matter how hard you try to put him to sleep. But, when he is tired and sleepy, a few rocking movements will put him to sleep, and he will not wake up no matter how noisy you are. *:P

Carlos is an Explorer. He loves to reach out, roll over to reach or look at something. He is not afraid to get hurt and would roll over to touch something.

Vito weighs 7.4 kilos (16.28 lbs). He smiles easily, laughs and makes babbling sounds. He loves taking a bath, and cries when you take him out of the water. He enjoys toys that makes a sound and lights up. He has upgraded to the stage 2 version of his Pigeon pacifier, which is suitable for weaning babies. (Weaning is the process of introducing solid foods into your baby's diet in order to fulfil their growing nutritional needs.)

During playtime, he can spin, turn and roll over easily because he is magaan. He doesnt sleep in the afternoon and waits for me to come home. His face lights up when I ask him how his day was. I carry, cuddle, feed him for a few minutes and he falls asleep. He can pronounce "ma.. ma.." usually at night when he wants more milk.

Vito is an Observer, and would always look around him. You can leave him on the bed or in the crib and he would just gaze around or look at the crib mobile. When you carry him, he would look to his right, to his left, front and back.

Vito and Carlos at 5 months

They now giggle and make little baby talk. Their laughs are contagious. They love to suck their hands (not thumb). They love playing with their dad who is at home during the day. They now sleep through the night, with one or two feedings.

Vito's latest accessory is the bib because he is always salivating (tulo laway). He can now reach things in his play gym. If you give him something, he will reach it using his left hand. He can sit, and support himself by putting both hands on the bed.. (galing!). We gave him a teether, which he can hold using both hands, but he just licks it.

During bed time, he would make long garbled sounds as if singing himself to sleep. He is actually asking you to sing for him. Once you do, he will stop singing and fall asleep in an instant. :) He sleeps late when I'm not at home, and wakes up when I arrive.. (hihihi!).

Carlos is seen here playing with his lolo papa dong (not in photo). He can now roll over and move about. You cannot leave him unattended on the bed! Sometimes, he rolls over his kuya, but Vito will not mind. I am not surprised. Even inside my tummy, Carlos is the "malikot" one. I had one ultrasound check-up wherein my OB just finished taking the measurements of Vito and when she moved the probe to check on Carlos, he has already changed his position. *:P

During sleep time, he wants to be carried in an up-right position; he no longer likes the cradle position. Poor little Carlos, he seems to be a favorite of the mosquitos and other insects. No matter how much we keep our apartment spotless, there is always a new bite every day. As for his teether, he gets really irritated and throws a tantrum when he cannot tear it apart. So, no teether for him. *:P

Vito and Carlos at 4 months

A happy kuya Vito is seen in this photo. At four months and 3 weeks, he is now 6.2 kilos (13.64lbs). Gone are the days when he gets startled with the sound of a motorcycle. He is now more receptive when called or tickled. He sings and laughs and sometimes, screams. During feedings, he can hold his bottle using two hands. His favorite sleeping position is on his tummy, with a pacifier. His favorite channel is Playhouse Disney Channel. His favorite expression is "a-ca-ca!". Say that with a nodding head, and it will surely bring a smile on his face. Cry factors: when hungry, when sleepy



The ever-inquisitive Carlos is seen in this photo. At four months and 3 weeks, he is now 7.4 kilos (16.28lbs). He still screams when his milk is "bitin". He can inch his way on his tummy to reach his feeding bottle. He is now more receptive than previous months. He smiles and giggles. He can stand with support, (tight knees already). He loves his crib mobiles and these toys help him to sleep. He can now sleep through the night, whew! :) Guaranteed smile factor is the word "ohhh-kei!" being said with a nodding head. His ultimate cry factors are: when hungry, when bored, when ignored

What's in a Name?

Michael Vito A. Silvestre
We decided to name our first child Vito, which means "life" in Italian. We also named him after our favorite saint, St. Michael the Archangel. He is also a namesake of his Ninong Justin Mikhael Abraham.

Carlos Antonio A. Silvestre
We named our second child Carlos, which means "strong" in Spanish. We also named him after St. Anthony who is the patron saint of lost things (because I always misplace my stuff and St. Anthony helps me find them *:P). We also used the first syllable of his Ninang Karlynn Silvestre.