marcelo urbano-paras

I can walk!!

2009-02-02T23:47:54Z

Hey everyone! Check me out! A few weeks ago, I finally got the hang of this walking thing! Ever since I turned one year old on January 2, 2008, I kept getting closer and closer to walking on my own - one step here, two steps there but never a full on walk. With the help of Mommy, Daddy, Grandma Liza, and Grandma Judy, I got better and better until finally on January 11, 2008, I let loose and started strutting my stuff. These pictures Daddy took of me marked the first time I officially started to walk for an extended length without any assistance. As you can tell I was pretty excited but I think Mommy and Daddy were even more excited than me. I've gotten better and better since then but I still have to work on it a little more. But the days of mostly crawling around are behind me. Yippee!!

My 1st Birthday!!

2009-01-26T23:26:00Z

Can you believe it's been one year since I was born!! I celebrated my first birthday earlier this month on January 2, 2008. It was a small party with Mommy and Daddy, my grandparents, Tito JR, Tita Lorrie, cousin Miles, mama Beth, Tita Donna, Tito Donovan, Tito Renee...and Tita Ruby stopped by for a little while, too. You can see more pictures from my first birthday at Daddy's Flickr account here. Enjoy!

At Home With Mommy and Daddy

2008-07-20T00:14:12Z

I had a great time yesterday hanging out all day at home with Mommy and Daddy! All of us are so busy these days with my parents working full-time and getting me ready for daycare 3 days a week. When I'm at daycare I have fun playing with my friends, teachers, and all the toys but that doesn't beat spending quality time with Mommy and Daddy. I was really happy to spend all day at home just hanging out with my parents. We had a chance to play with each other, take naps together, eat together and just talk. I was able to show Mommy and Daddy how well I can sit up on my own now and for good measure, I even rolled over from my tummy to my back for the very first time!! In fact, I had so much fun that I was dead tired when bedtime rolled around. Mommy was reading a book to me and I couldn't even make it past the 3rd page. I rolled over, closed my eyes, and conked out almost immediately. That was another first for me and my parents were surprised and happy how fast I went to sleep. Hopefully we'll have more days like this!!

Happy First Father's Day, Daddy!

2008-06-15T00:00:00Z

This is a picture of me and daddy in the hospital when I was born. Since daddy is always the photographer, this is one of the few pics that he is in with me, so I thought I’d share it today in honor of daddy’s first father’s day. When I first came into the world, I saw daddy first. Mommy says that is the reason why I love looking at him all the time – which I do – and it is also why I have a special bond with him. Daddy was with me in the recovery room while we waited for mommy to get put back together again (I was a C-section baby). While we waited in the room, daddy held me and kept me warm while I took in the world with my big eyes. I loved that first quality time I had with daddy. Since it took mommy an entire day to recover from her surgery, it was daddy who first took care of me, too. He was such a trooper taking care of me AND mommy that first night. He changed every diaper and woke up numerous times in the middle of the night to comfort me when I cried. And he didn’t even get mad when I pee’d all over the place that first night. I was actually aiming for him, but I missed (shucks!). Instead, I got my entire sleeping area wet, so daddy had to call the nurse for back up. Sorry daddy! Also, when I was a newborn, I instantly felt comforted in Daddy’s arms. Especially when I was sleepy and tired, it was only in daddy’s arms that I could fall asleep in an instant. As you can see, Daddy is a pretty cool guy, so it was really hard for me to think of a gift for him for today. But mommy reminded me that the best gift is quality time (plus it’s free! – which works well for me cause I don’t have an allowance yet). So I thought of this place (the lake in our central park)… http://www.flickr.com/photos/bparas/2504215985/ where mommy and daddy spent quality time walking, talking and taking this picture the day before I was born. It was their way of celebrating their last day as a couple and welcoming the transition into parenthood. Ironically, they took this walk at the end of day as the sun went down. So I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if I could spend the same quality time with daddy (and mommy, too) as the sun rose? So…Daddy, After you read this, mommy and me want to invite you to take a nice stroll around our favorite park this morning and have a nice picnic for breakfast overlooking the lake. And, Daddy… thank you, for “loveing” me and for working so hard to take care of me. HAPPY 1ST FATHER’S DAY!!!! I LOVE YOU!! '

First Day of Daycare!

2008-06-01T00:11:58Z

Today is a special day for a couple of reasons. First of all, can you believe it's my 5 month birthday! Mommy and daddy can't believe it either. A lot has happened over the past 5 months and most recently, I've learned to roll over my right side and I can almost sit up on my own! Mommy and daddy have to help me a little with sitting up because if I lean too much in any direction, I end up hitting my head on the floor! DOH!! I also have the tendency to lean too far forward when sitting down which causes me to push on my tummy too much and then I end up spitting up my milk. GROSS!!! But the other cool thing today is that I'll be going to my first day of daycare at Country Kids near my house. Mommy and Daddy both have to go back to full time work starting this month so Daddy can't stay with me on Mondays anymore and Mommy won't be able to play with me on Tuesday and Thursdays. But the cool thing is that I'll still be able to see my grandmas on Wednesdays and Fridays. Mommy and daddy are really sad about me going to daycare especially mommy since I've spent the most time with her since I was born. I'll miss them both. But I told them that I'm also excited to hang out with Ms. Lisa at Country Kids and to meet my new friends. The daycare is really neat with a really big backyard and lots of trees to look at and grass to play in. There's even chickens in the backyard - neato!! So I posted these pictures of me and Mommy that Daddy took so that when Mommy feels sad today, she can visit my blog and hopefully it makes her feel better. So don't worry Mommy, I'll be fine and I'm sure I'll have lots of fun meeting my new playmates. I can't wait to see you at the end of the day so that I can tell you all about my first day at daycare. I love you!

Yaaaayyy!!!!! You did it!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-21T23:55:45Z

...that's what mommy and daddy kept screaming when I ROLLED OVER for the FIRST TIME TODAY (they were so loud!). I really dunno what all the commotion was about. I'm still not too cool with lying on my tummy, but it was pretty cool to finally be able to roll over on my own. And by the looks on Mommy, Daddy and Grandma Judy's faces (and their screams), I guess it was a pretty big deal. I'm just happy when they smile cause I like smiling, too. It's fun. :) Mommy & Daddy have been helping me practice rolling over since I was a couple of months old. They started out by pulling my hand to guide my roll. Over the last couple of weeks, I gradually learned how to roll over from my back to my side on my own. Then, finally, after a few tries tonight, I was able to roll over completely on my stomach. Mommy dangled my burp cloth in front of me to help guide me while daddy took my video. Grandma Judy was eating dinner in the kitchen, but I'm glad she was here to witness me roll over a few more times after my first. Today was actually me and Grandma Judy's weekly play date. Mommy called Grandma Liza & Grandpa Nanding and Tito JR, Tita Lorrie and cousin Miles right away to share the news. And as she spoke with each of them, I continued to roll over a few more times on my own. I definitely have the hang of rolling towards my left. Now, I just need to practice rolling towards my right. But that's not all I can do... I also like standing (with mommy & daddy's help) and bending over to pick up my toys. Mommy and Daddy always smile and laugh when they watch me do this. I think I overheard them say that I look like a cute little man, especially with my chubby belly in the way. (ummm...what's a 'man'?) I can also grab my toys with better precision (ooh big word) and focus. Believe you me, this is MUCH better than when I was younger - I kept wanting to grab at my toys, but missed everytime. That was not fun.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-18T23:01:46Z

Last weekend was mommy's first Mother's Day and also both my grandmas' first Mother's Day with me. Me, mommy, daddy, Grandma Judy, Grandpa Bert, Grandma Lisa, Grandpa Fernando, Tita Lorrie, Tito JR, and cousin Miles had a brunch at a local hotel here in nearby Newark. It was lots of fun and lots of food - too bad I'm still stuck on this all milk diet!! I can't wait until I can eat solid foods. As a Mother's Day gift to my grandmothers, I gave them a triptych portrait of me that my daddy took. And mommy had a great idea of taking my footprints and presenting them along with the pictures. Daddy and I thought it was a great idea so with the help of mommy and daddy, they used water-based, black ink to make these cool little footprints of my chubby feet. I was careful to place my feet below my pictures and to not move my feet around once I made contact with the paper. I must say that it turned out pretty well considering it was my first time ever doing this. Not bad, heh? The next thing I gotta try is to make handprints so maybe I can do that for my next gift!

Hanging out with Dad

2008-05-05T22:55:24Z

Today was a great day since I got to hang out with my dad the whole day. Mommy was at work so my dad stayed with me today. We haven't had too many chances to spend some quality time together for an entire day so hanging out with him was definitely fun. When mommy kissed me goodbye this morning (she had a hard time leaving me and dad in the bed), I knew it was just me and dad and with my dad staying up late the previous night, I decided to keep on sleeping with him since I was still tired. I finally woke him up around 8am because I was getting really hungry. After breakfast, we had our 'coffee-talk' and then I took my routine morning dump which my dad always hates judging by his over-the-top reaction to wiping my poo and all. Frankly, I think he's overreacting but as long as my butt gets cleaned, I can't complain too much. The rest of the day was pretty much routine - napping, feeding, changing, playing, cooing. But we did get out of the house so that my dad could eat lunch at In-N-Out. It was a nice day so my dad ate outside in the nice weather while I admired the blue sky and the green tree that gave us some nice shade. It was definitely nice to get of the house and get some fresh air. When mommy came home, I told her all about what dad and I did. Although mommy was sad she was at work today, she said she was really happy that me and dad had quality 'father-son' time. It was really fun hanging out with daddy today and I'm looking forward to the other Mondays this month that I'll be spending with him. You can also check out my dad's blog at www.bimparas.com

I found my thumb....and other adventures

2008-04-21T00:00:00Z

I can't believe 2 months have gone by since my last post. I definitely have lots to share this time. As of today, I am 15 weeks and 4 days old (that's roughly 3.5 months...wow!). Life's been pretty cool now that I'm a little older and getting used to the world. Just today I went to my second kiddy b-day party. My Cal cousin Max turned 6 so we celebrated at his house. Since I'm one of the newest (and littlest) kids on the block (along with my other Cal cousins Brendan - 1 mo & Kal - 6 mos), I can't yet play with the rest of my cousins who were running around everywhere. Mommy and daddy had to carry me around to help me be with them. I just had fun sucking on my fingers (yum!) while getting carried around. It was also cool to hang out with cousins Isabelle and Giselle, who kept me company for a little while. The first kiddy b-day party I went to was for Cal cousin Alyria's 2nd b-day earlier this month. Cousin Alyria is super smart. She knows how to pronounce my name really well and remembered my name when she saw my picture. Alyria also has the coolest room with monkeys and other animals painted on the wall. I loved looking at them while mommy and daddy changed my diapers on Alyria's changing pad. At the party, I also finally got a chance to meet more of my Cal tita's and tito's. They're all cool. I hung out with Tita Silda for a while and chatted with her. I love her, too. Aside from all the parties I've been going to, I've been doing lots of growing since my last post. I'm almost 12 lbs. and am almost 22 inches. I've gained lots more weight since I'm now exclusively on formula...and boy can I eat! I had to stop breastfeeding with mommy since she wasn't making enough milk. But that's ok because I LOVE my new Born Free bottles which are Bisphenol-A free and which keep me from getting too gassy. Since I've gained more weight and eating more, I'm also able to sleep through the night, which mommy and daddy are super happy about. I'm glad that both of them can get a little more sleep than before because pretty soon, mommy will go back to work. I'll try my best to give my mommy and daddy a good night sleep. So with that, I better end this entry and get some sleep. But before I go, to see more photos of me, check out daddy's links below: - Dad's Flickr personal photography account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bparas - Dad's Flickr account for friends & family: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bparas_ff - Dad's photography journal: http://www.bimparas.com Good night!!

DOH! Sorry, Been Busy

2008-02-18T23:49:57Z

Oh oh, I can't believe I've already fallen into the bad habit of being a blog slacker!! Sorry everyone but the last 7 weeks have been a bit crazy with me, mommy, and daddy. Today I am 7 weeks and 4 days old and a lot has happened since my first entry. I've lost a lot of my 'baby' fat but I've gained at least a pound and grew a couple of inches. As of my last weigh-in, I am now 7 lb 4 oz and around 20 inches tall!!! Lately feeding has been challenging because I get a lot of gas - those darn burps and spit-ups keep getting in the way! But me, mommy, and daddy are doing our best. Daddy has been back at work for nearly a month now. He has a hard time saying goodbye to me every morning but at night when he comes home, he greets me with the biggest smile and a loud, 'Hey Buddy! How ya doin?!' Then we spend our quality time watching Battlestar Galactica or a Warriors game. It's also our way of giving mommy a break. With daddy back at work, mommy's pretty sleep deprived since she takes care of me alone during the daytime and she's the one feeding me in the wee hours of the morning while daddy gets his sleep for work. But me and mommy have our fun while daddy's away. She talks and sings to me all her made-up silly songs about me. And when the weather has been good, we even go outside the house to take walks around my neighborhood while I'm strapped on mommy in my Ergo Carrier - thanks Tita Emmy, Tito Sherwin, and cousin Eli. It's also mommy's way of getting her exercise. Mommy and I also play with my toys, do tummy-time, and read stories from my 'Filipino Children's Favorite Stories' book which is a gift from mommy's coworker - thanks Tita Madlyne. I've also had the chance to spend some time getting to know my other family members especially Grandma Judy, Grandma Lisa, Grandpa Nanding, and Grandpa Bert who visit us often. I also get to play with cousin Miles and Tita Lorrie and Tito JR. Cousin Miles is especially nice to me. He likes to tickle me, poke at my hands and feet, and kiss me on my forehead. I can't wait 'til I'm big enough so that I can keep up with him around the house. Okay, I have to go now... It's 1:30am and I'm getting hungry.... mommy and daddy are gonna hate me since I'm gonna wail for my food now. In the meantime, you can check out more photos of me at daddy's Flickr account at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bparas_ff and daddy's photo blog at: http://www.bimparas.com He finally got around to uploading all the pictures he's taken of me, mommy, and everyone that's seen me. In my next several entries, I'll be sure to feature some photos and stories from the previous seven weeks to make up for lost time. 'Til next time!