Baby Charley's Trip to the Manila Ocean Park

Our family loves long weekends, and we make sure we make the best out of them. This long weekend, my roommate (my husband, btw) and I decided to bring Baby Charley to the Manila Ocean Park. We've been searching long on the fun and enjoyable places we could bring Baby Charley for a quick weekend trip in the Metro, and the Manila Ocean Park seems to be the perfect fit.

After our monthly check-up with our pretty pedia, Dra Pam Caedo of Makati Medical Center, for Baby Charley's 3rd PCV # 13 shot, we took a cab to the Manila Ocean Park. Fortunately, the queue wasn't that long this particular Saturday, and the guards of Makati Med have always been extra helpful to passengers with babies (they usually let us ride first! Yay!). 

She loved everything! 

Our ticket cost Php 430 each, and this included entrances to the Oceanarium, Fish Spa, Trails to Antarctica, Birds of Prey, and Shark and Rays Dry Encounter. In fact, this is a bit cheaper compared to their Super Splash sale online. It was Php 399 for three attractions only (Oceanarium, Jellies, and the Symphony Night Show). MOP  also have several packages available in their website. You can check them out here. Babies 2 ft and below and those who obviously can't walk get to enter the park for free. 

Oceanarium 

Honestly, this is the only attraction we wanted to visit since it'd be the only thing Baby Charley would enjoy. The first part of the Oceanarium featured freshwater fishes and crocodiles. The fishes weren't really colourful, but Charley enjoyed just looking at them swim! The exhibits were placed outside, and it was a little humid this afternoon, so we rushed to the second part of the Oceanarium. Too bad we missed the piranhas and the crocodiles upstairs.

The second part, the "Bahura" or reef, featured colourful (finally!) fishes that live in our coral reefs. The Bahura exhibit was a bit dark and we were afraid that Baby Charley would be afraid, or suddenly fall asleep, but she was having the time of her life looking at the various fishes in the illuminated tanks. Here you could find clownfish, eels, lionfish, and different yet absolutely colourful fishes. I could say that among the different parts of the Oceanarium, this is the part Baby Charley enjoyed most.

Afterwards, we headed to the "Laot" where there were exhibits of a sunken ship adorned with a school of large, as in huge, silver fish! Charley's eyes grew bigger at the sight of these fish circling the aquarium.

Soon, we headed to the "Karagatan", which included the main attraction, which is a 220 degree walkway tunnel! It's filled with huge rays and other fishes of different colours and sizes. Baby Charley was amazed with the rays and followed them around (sort of!).  I'm glad she didn't get scared at all.

Finally, the end of the tunnel featured the shark tank with different kinds of sharks. They were bigger than Baby Charley and still so majestic to look at.

Near the exit of the Oceanarium is the kid's learning/colouring area where kids get a colouring page for free. This was sponsored by Dong-A and Faber Castell, I think. 

I don't know if it's the weather, but it was so init inside the Oceanarium. Soon, Baby Charley got a little cranky already because she hated the heat, so we needed to go to the next attraction.

If you have been to the SEA Aquarium in Singapore, which is the largest one in Asia, I think, the MOP could be a disappointment. However, Baby Charley was so amazed with the different kinds of fishes, so it was okay na rin as a "teaser" before we bring Charley to the SEA Aquarium.

Trails to Antarctica
The next on the list was the "Trails to Antarctica", a penguin exhibit and an entrance to the Snow Village, a Christmas Village with -5 degrees temperature. We saw the penguin exhibit and even watched a family fed the penguins for Php300 with picture. Since the penguins are tropical penguins, they didn't have to stay in a room with a freezing temperature. Fortunately for us because Baby Charley saw them ate, dived, and swam! Since the Snow Village was too cold for Baby Charley, we didn't enter that one as well.

Someone enjoyed watching the swimming penguins! 

Birds of Prey 
For me, this is the attraction that I least like. There wasn't any guide to tell us what we're supposed to see or look at. So you can say, we needed to figure out where the birds were amidst the heat and the trash. When we finally saw the birds, it was such a depressing depressing sight! We couldn't bear to take pictures because we felt very very sad for them.

If you have been to the Jurong Bird Park in SG or even the aviary in Blu Roze (Lipa City), you could see how different the caged birds were treated. We didn't stay longer than 5 minutes because the scenario really depressed us! We didn't want Charley to remember this part of the trip. We were so affected, we even emailed MOP about it. We're still awaiting for their reply.

the only happy birds in the park

Sharks and Rays Dry Encounter
Afterwards, we headed to the Sharks and Rays Dry Encounter. We really had no idea what we could expect, but there were long queues and the staff looked a little disoriented. We followed the queue to have our wrist tags checked and peered in the crowds to see what was going on. Apparently, there was this large waist-deep tank and two (2) staff holding rays (forgot to ask if they were manta rays or stingrays). Guests could touch, but not poke, these rays. It was so hot at the park and the place was so crowded that we didn't get to see where the sharks were.

Souvenir shops and food stalls were all around the park. Finally, it was time to go home. Fortunately, it started raining when we got home, so we didn't have a hard time to get a cab.

In conclusion, the Manila Ocean Park is a very appropriate and fun place to bring toddlers. They will surely enjoy the Oceanarium and the Jelly Exhibit. The other attractions are indeed for older kids. However, I would recommend the Manila Ocean Park Administration to improve their Birds of Prey Attraction.

Souvenir Cart 

No Yaya, No Problem

Baby Charley is 8 months old, and my roommate (my husband, btw) and I have been married for 32 months, so that means we have been together for that long without a helper around. We both grew up with one, so it's a big adjustment for us, for me mostly, when my roommate decided that we're gonna try to live here in the big city with just us. Yikes!

Many are surprised that we seem to be pulling it off just fine. Nobody could have believed that I would survive that long since I have zero (0) domestic skills. But we're fine. We're fine. 

Living without a yaya around could pose a big problem for many household, and we understand them really well. We're just very fortunate because our schedules are tailor-fit for our family.

No yaya? No problem! 

First, we do all the chores ourselves while rearing a baby who's fuelled with millions of energies, so that could be a little tiring. Nope, a LOT tiring at times. Imagine coming home deadtired from work and the traffic, and you still have to wash the dishes and put the baby to sleep. Of course, we still have to clean the flat, fix the bed, cook, and wash the clothes. Therefore, to minimize our chores, my roommate and I just send our dirty clothes (minus the undies and baby Charley's dresses) to the laundry and simply buy our meals from our friendly neighborhood carinderia (except baby Charley's meals, of course!) 

Second, our couple time sometimes mean couple + Charley time. It's hard to go on a date with just us because we just can't leave baby Charley alone in the house because it's illegal...and it's not safe. and it's illegal. Even if we wanna watch a movie or hangout with friends, we have to schedule it really really well because no one will be left with Charley, and there's NO WAY I'm gonna make her bilin to the kapitbahay. To solve this, we sometimes use "lola time" to get away, I mean to have a break from baby Charley. Recently, we went on an afternoon date and watched the "Love Affair" with just us. And boy, it feels good! 

aaaww, we've seen this little seed grow! 

Third, we're usually affected with a curfew, baby Charley's curfew. Whenever we go out with friends, we have to explain to them that we gotta end whatever date we're having at 6pm because Charley has to sleep at 6pm. Otherwise, she's gonna be grumpy and would turn exorcist mode. If only, we have a yaya around, we could have stayed a little bit longer and a few drinks more. 

Fourth, sometimes we're just being lazy or sleepy to move that it would be nice to have someone to take care of Charley especially when she wakes up at 4:30 in the morning. There's no doubt that baby Charley is a morning person because no matter what time she goes to sleep the night before, she's gonna be awake at 4:30 or 5:30am, and she'll be in full energy until around 10am for her morning 30 minute power nap. Unfortunately, my roommate and I love to sleep...at least an hour longer. However, because we dont have a yaya, we have to wake up with her and put her out of her crib; otherwise, every one who lives in the 4th floor will be awake because Charley would be talking and screaming nonstop. 

Although our lives would have been so much easier with a help around, I think there are also a number of advantages of not having a yaya. 

We're happy with just us! 

First, we know everything about Charley. Besides her schedule, we also know what Charley likes and hates to eat, her favorite toy, her poop schedule, and basically all about her. This has proven to be very helpful especially when we had to bring her to the doctor when she got sick. Because we're the ones taking care of her, we could tell and explain in details everything that has happened to Charley. Oh, not to mention, I'm super OC pa, so our beautiful pedia, Dra Pam Caedo of Makati Med, got surprised when I gave a tabulation of Charley's temperature, poop, and actions we took for a 24 hour period. Should we have a yaya, we would be getting these pa from her, and mommies, we could not be sure if she could record data as OC as we could. 

Second, we're raising baby Charley the way we want to. Gosh, we have received a number of advices on how to raise a child, and some have doubted the way we're taking care of and raising baby Charley, but she's our kid so it's okay if she doesn't co-sleep with us, thank you very much. Also, we're instilling in her the values we want her to grow with; for example, the mano po and praying before meals and before going to sleep. We read her books, talk, and play with her, and we make sure she'll get zero or at least minimal screen time (from gadgets and TV's). I've heard many horror stories about kids raised by yayas who grow up not the way their parents want them to be and kids who are glued to TVs with their yayas because that would keep them quiet. I'm not saying all, but let's be realistic, there are some. 

Third, we're not afraid to let Charley be Charley. Our child is a very curious persistent individual. There are no cabinets and drawers left unchecked and anything new must be inspected then chewed. We also allow her to crawl and cruise her way around the flat. Sometimes, she would bump her head or fall while trying to walk, but they're just fine with us. Because of these, I could say that as a baby, she's confident and is not afraid to try on new things and explore her world. The other baby I know, who's raised by his yaya, hasn't even learnt to crawl or stand up on his own yet. His yaya is afraid that if he gets bukol, she'd be scolded. Sadly, that's a reality for some. 

there are dishes to be done, but selfie first! 

Fourth, we are baby Charley's comfort zones. Oh it feels so good as a parent if you know that your child would run to you because he/she feels safe to be with you. Baby Charley is like this to us, and I'm happy that right now, we're number 1 to her (okay, prolly I'm # 2 next to her daddy); some kids kasi would prefer their yayas over their parents and I have seen this personally with some of our girls in school. 

Fifth, we only have to deal with three different personalities everyday. A yaya is another personality in the household, and since it's just us, we would only be dealing with each other. At least, we don't have to make pakisama with another person. It's liberating actually to be ourselves all the time in the flat. 

Sixth, it's cheaper. Yaya's service is quite expensive, and I'm a bit of a kuripot. Imagine paying Php 3,500 to Php 5,000 (+ PAGIBIG, SSS, Philhealth, etc.) to a yaya whose job is to feed Charley, give her a bath, change her diaper, and put her to sleep. Our flat is a small, so she won't be having difficulty cleaning it. She won't be cooking or doing the laundry as well. Thus, I don't think it's practical or economical to hire someone to do the things we enjoy doing...except the poop part. 

Finally, we literally see baby Charley grow right before our very eyes! My roommate and I have been pretty hands-on with Charley ever since she's born, so we have seen how she's grown from a tiny infant who couldn't move much to an active likot toddler she is now. We were there when Charley first said a word, (opo) till now that she won't just stop talking gibberish. We saw when she first made dapa on her own, when she first started crawling and standing up and when she first tried to walk on her own. We're there when she lost a few lbs when she got diarrhea and when she gained them all again and a few more in just days! And these things are priceless. 

Life without a yaya isn't for anyone. Some families can't live without one, and they have their own reasons. I'm just very happy that right now, we're good without one. :)

Three Questions to Answer with your Spouse Now

Just recently, my roommate and I have come across this beautiful article from familyshare. It challenges couples to ask their spouses three questions and see what happens next in their marriage. It's like reflecting together as a couple since many couples don't have the time to pause from each other's busy lives to connect with each other.

However, answering these three questions has really made a difference, and I challenge other couples to also take the time and answer these as well...honestly...without anyone getting "pikon".



What in our marriage do we need to stop?
The answers here could be numerous - my excessive OCness in our home and his drinking with friends, but we realised, seriously we can live with those. But what really got to stop, and we completely agreed on this one, is bringing up the past. Sometimes kasi when it happens (I'm sort of guilty of this one), we tend to argue more.so instead of just trying to resolve what's happening in the present, it becomes another topic of argument. And we agreed, this has to stop since its not healthy anymore - its slowly killing our relationship.

More so because my roommate has the tendency to forget those things he doesn't want me to remember while I, on the other hand, remember everything.

It's a challenge, but yes, we should stop bringing up the past.

What in our marriage do we need to start? 
Since my issues before (ooops! not bringing up the past!) was discovering some things I was not suppose to discover, we now agree that we have to start telling the truth all the time...no matter how small, even if it hurts, even if the other would go WTF because of the other's irrational, thoughtless, spur of the moment decisions, we should always CHOOSE to tell the truth.

I told my roommate before that if he doesn't want me to find out something, make sure that the universe conspires with him - no matter what happens, he better make sure that I will never, ever, find out because if I do, even if it happens 50++ years ago, I would still get mad.

Which brings us to not bringing up the past and simply, just tell the truth. And we know, life will be much simpler.

What in our marriage do we need to continue? 
Here, the list goes endless. He likes that we continue to pray the rosary every night, that we find time to be together despite our busy schedules, and other teamhernandez traditions that we love. We also wish to continue loving each other despite our own limitations and weaknesses and putting God in the centre of our relationship and our family. I feel that we should also continue (and improve on) consulting each other before making decisions that will affect all of us. We're still perfecting this one, but I truly love how we understand when to laugh at a situation and when to truly sit down and be serious with it.


I can say that the good 15 minutes we took the time to answer these questions was very fruitful and fun, too, since we got to be talking about the things we didn't know how, or probably afraid, to talk about. We're happy that we have taken the challenge, and again, I wish to encourage other couples to do the same thing, too. Perhaps you would also discover more in your marriage and in your relationship with your spouse.ü

My First Ever Real Mother's Day

Today, we celebrate Mother's Day, and this one is particularly special to me because it's my first ever real mother's day -  today, our household celebrates a ME day!

My roommate (my husband, btw) and I have always prayed for a baby, and it's rather fortunate that we have the same understanding of wanting to conceive right after we got married. And we did! a honeymoon baby whom we wanted to name, "Hector" as in Hector, Prince of Troy.

Princess Watermelon, bed space invader 

Sadly, 5-6 weeks in my pregnancy, I started bleeding profusely, was rushed to the hospital, and found out that we had lost the baby. The pain of losing what could have been our first bundle of joy was so surreal that it had taken us several weeks before we could talk about it. Of course, we could not bring ourselves to celebrate Mother's Day that year because the feeling was, "I was...but not anymore."

With God's grace, almost exactly a year after, we conceived again. Imagine the joy and our anticipation when we saw those two clear lines (we repeated the test several times just to make sure), the baby's first heartbeat, and watch that little gummy bear grow and grow and grow each month. It was heaven!

That year, though, I told my roommate that no Mother's Day celeb was gonna happen because we simply didn't want to jinx anything. Yes, somehow, pregnancy had made me a bit superstitious.

And this year, on Baby Charley's 5th month, teamhernandez household celebrates our first ever real mother's day. I was jovial, no ecstatic with the thought that finally (!) I'm a mommy.

Exactly my thought! 

Unlike most mothers who probably celebrate this day "extra extra special", I simply shared meals with my roommate and screaming offspring whom we suspect has been starting to teethe already as she is extra grumpy recently, pray our nightly rosary, and watch movies in our Pro before going to bed.

And you know what, for me, it's perfect. We may not have dined in those fancy restos or have those lovely bouquets of tulips (although i really wanted those Pandora charms badly), but celebrating the day with my two most favourite persons in the world - my roommate (my loving husband, the pillar of my strength, and the one who will pay for my bail if I go to jail) and Baby Charley (our princess watermelon, bed space invader, and the answer to our prayers and all those novenas to St Gerard and St Marie Eugenie) - is how I pray the day would go.

Surely, I'll be celebrating more and more Mother's Day with these two crazy people, but nothing can ever be more special than our first year together...my first ever real mother's day!

Teamhernandez 

Fullybooked this April

April 2015 has been jam-packed with endless gatherings and activities for Baby Charley. As much as we wanted to say, “Yes” to every invitation, we could not, so we just prioritized where to go.

For example, Baby Joaqui’s (Baby Charley’s cousin) first birthday party fell on the same date as my boss’ wedding. Since, it is virtually impossible to attend both, Team Hernandez just decided that Baby Charley and her Dad would attend the Carnival party while I attend the formal wedding party. This way, we could accommodate both invitations. Unfortunately, we had to decline two birthday parties that fell on the same weekend.

Two days after, we’re invited to a small dinner for a simple celebration of the end of the school year. We went to Hossein’s Persian Kebab in Makati Ave for an awesome, awesome dinner. It was our first time to eat there, and we enjoyed all the food. Too bad we kinda miscalculated Baby Charley’s slight changes in her sleep pattern. We stayed a little late, so Baby Charley became a bratty teenager with all her mood swings. Yes, she would laugh and giggle then turn the place upside down with her wails. Next time, we have decided that a lunch would be friendlier to Baby Charley. So, we’re looking forward to a lunch out and swimming at Rockwell Club.

Then, that weekend, we went to Batangas for Baby Hailey’s (Baby Charley’s cousin) first birthday party. This time, we were able to attend together as a family, so you could say my roommate (my husband, btw) was pretty excited since he could hang out with the boys. Since the Princess party was from 11 am till mid afternoon, we prepared a lot of change of clothes and milk supplements for Baby Charley. Unfortunately, we needed to miss a Superhero party of my close friend’s daughter. We just agreed on a lunch out some time in May.

Two days after the birthday party, we dropped by my Mom’s house in De Joya for a simple 60^th birthday celebration. It was a family-only affair so we just had dinner, cake, and ice cream. On the same day, my brother had to go to my cousin’s house for an adult birthday party (read as: drinking party). My roommate politely declined the invitation since it’s just the three of us, and any help is necessary.

The following day, my mom, my brother, and his family then went to Bataan for a Baptismal party. Here, we gotta decline, too, since it was tooooooo far for Baby Charley. She’s just gonna drive everyone crazy during the travel time. Besides, do you honestly believe we can prepare the baby to leave at one in the morning? So, no, thank you.

This Saturday, my roommate and I have to weigh our options really really well since there are two important events that are gonna happen: 1)my Mom’s 60^th birthday celebration with the Sibulo Clan, and 2)a mini reunion plus pool party of roommate’s Lumanglas clan. We understand that we have to be present in both, and it could have been so much easier if it were just the two of us, but we need to include Baby Charley now in the plan. So far, no decisions yet.

Hopefully, my roommate and I could still squeeze a Team Hernandez bonding time with just the three of us before May starts. Should that happen, that’s gonna be the best among all of these!ü

Best Day Ever

*Update: We have weighed our options and decided to attend my Mom’s 60^th birthday celebration first. The plan was we would just go to the Lumanglas party early the next morning – it was an overnight event anyway. However, we were misinformed that it was, and instead, it was only until 12midnight of Saturday. Too bad we learnt it late; my roommate (my husband, btw) was too “tipsy” to drive and Baby Charley was too tired to be civilised. In fact, we had to leave my Mom’s party early (around 10:30pm) because Baby Charley could not sleep with all the noise in the house. 

Seriously, why do they have to be on the same weekend – the last weekend of April before I go back to work? Rawr.

Mini Vacations from Baby Charley

New mommies, you’ve got to admit, there were times you wish you were anywhere else but with your child. For someone whose independence and time for myself are a top priority, I need mini vacations from Baby Charley everyday. These are just 5 – 30 minute breaks from her so that I could recharge my energy or reset my mood.

Dates with my roommate

In fact, every time I come home from work, I would pause for 2 – 3 minutes by the doorstep. I would simply breathe and remind myself, “Hey, you’re at home now. Leave the tiredness here, the pressure from work, and the traffic stress coming here.” After this short meditation/mini vacation, I would be somewhat physically but very emotionally ready to face my loving roommate (my husband, btw) and Baby Charley.

Restroom breaks are such joy especially when Baby Charley is on exorcist-level. I would hand her to my roommate and use the “I gotta pee/poop/take a bath/check if I have period” excuse. It was a glorious 5-minute mini vacation.

Besides free food and Wi Fi, another thing I love about visiting relatives in Batangas is free yayas in persona of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They’re so excited to see Baby Charley (since we live in Makati) and couldn’t wait to hug, snuggle, and just terrorise her with love, which we very much appreciate of course. When that happens, my roommate and I can enjoy a cup of coffee and some (finally!) TV in peace.

escaping baby charley

Visiting Assumption College is also another joy for me because teachers and friends love to carry Baby Charley, too. Yes, when we’re surrounded with 10+ teachers who can’t wait to experience some Baby Charley cuteness, we could enjoy just sitting down and watching them adore her.

Of course, Baby Charley’s naptimes and afternoon power naps are excellent opportunities for mini vacations. Since her morning/noon nap usually lasts for 2 – 3 hours, my roommate and I use the opportunity to have some decent adult conversations, work on my blogs, and basically do whatever we’re supposed to do. Sometimes, I take the opportunity to catch some zzz’s, too. During her powernaps, however, we use the time to prepare for her 6pm habit and our dinner, too.

Finally, when Baby Charley is asleep by 7pm, I check some papers and prepare my lesson plans, read a book, sleep, while my roommate works on his reports, surfs the net, and just does whatever he needs to do.

New mommies, seriously, if you can find time to have your own mini vacations from your babies, please do so. It doesn’t make you less of a mother if you also find time for yourself.ü

Sugar, Spice, and Dinosaur Eyes

I used to play castles and princes with my two older brothers when I was a kid. Although the level of violence was not clearly discussed, and it really did not matter, I made one thing very clear - my brothers would play the knights or the princes, but I would not always be the princess whom they would (fine!) rescue from some random castle!

Yes, you could wear that pink ballerina hat with
your green monkey onesie

Often, I was the dragon that terrorised the castle! I would stomp my feet and fight with my brothers who used either the Nintendo guns or Leonardo's swords, and no matter how much they tried they could not kill me. Just so you know, I had secret potions that made me immortal. I was the hard-headed dragon who gave a lot of plot twists in the game.

Soon, my brothers grew tired of the game because 1) they were already in College, and I was still in Grade School, and 2) it was boring to have a dragon they couldn't kill.

Yeah, I know being the dragon is not the role girls would first pick in a role-playing game, but I grew up just fine. I grew up in the times when it's okay to be the princess and play with Barbie marrying a Cabbage Patch Kid, but there's also nothing wrong to be the dragon that could kill those stupid ducks in Duck Hunt. 

I remember telling my roommate (my husband, btw) that one of my life goals is to drive a bulldozer. I even had a matchbox bulldozer before. It was neatly placed next to my Polly Pockets and Bulbasaur. 

And this is something I wish Baby Charley to understand. 

Of course, you can have all the shoes you can afford

She should not limit herself to just having girl's stuff and doing just girl things. 

Being a girl does not mean having all things pink and yellow- from notebooks, to pens, to paper towels.

Being a girl does not mean being required to take summer ballet classes or getting the pink kinder joy or the Barbie McDonald's Happy Meal. 

Being a girl does not mean that life would be easy on her, and people would always understand her and her mood swings. Being a girl does not mean being the emotional one in the group or being a damsel in distress all the time.

She can, but it does not hurt if she could change the tires herself from time to time.

Being a girl means she could wear shirts with trains and dinosaurs or skirts with ribbons and stars. She could play soccer and basketball and climb trees and be pirates with her cousins. She could watch the Winx Club and the NBA finals. We could download Call of Duty and if she wants a "Jack and the Pirates in Neverland" birthday party theme instead of Tinkerbell, fine! She could be the big bad wolf when she goes Trick or Treating, or Princess Cinderella, or Olaf. 

and you can have wolverine and the gang
to fight against dengue mosquitoes! 

She could be anything she wants to be…because she is a girl. 

She can be confident and smart and strong just as any boy. She can express her opinions and tell people they’re wrong or apologise when she’s wrong. She can ask a man to drive for her to Katipunan or carry stuff for her. She can shout when she’s angry or punch walls if she wants to so that she could compose herself back and control her emotions again. She can be firm and compassionate at the same time.

More importantly, being a girl means working really hard to reach her dreams without stepping on anyone just to get them. She should be holding her head high for something she’s very proud of while keeping her feet firmly on the ground.

She can be all of these and more…Because. She. Is. A. Girl.

She should understand that girls aren’t just made of sugar, spice, and anything nice. Sometimes, girls are also made with dinosaur eyes.