SM Baby and Company Grand Fair

I was browsing the net on Wednesday when I stumbled upon a post in GT regarding the Grand Fair of SM Baby and Company in Megatrade hall. Hubby and were really planning to go to the mall last weekend because we wanted to get a playgym for Zoe. We originally wanted to go to Rustan's since they have more selections of Lamaze, Fisher Price, and the likes there but if you're a shopaholic like me, the word SALE just triggers a frenzy.

We went on a Sunday which was the last day of the fair. I really wanted to go on a Saturday but it was Zoe's 3rd Penta vaccine shot and I wanted her to rest properly after it. Besides, I was also from the GY shift on Friday and was really sleepy after our hospital visit.

I didnt get to take pictures inside the fair because we left our camera in a hurry (frenzy right?) and I doubted I would get to take pictures properly since I knew there were still going to be a lot of people. True enough, the place was packed on the last day of the fair. After the registration, one of the staff gave me a map of the fair which was helpful especially for pregnant ladies. I didnt need much help since I was on a full shopping mode. Some of the brands that were there were:

- Avent
- Pigeon
- Johnson and Johnson
- Cetaphil
- Lactacyd
- Ai Non
- Disney Babies
- Graco
- Chicco
- Lamaze, Fisher Price, Baby Einstein, Playgro, Bright Starts
- Maclaren
- Indigo
- Curash
- Huggies

We strolled over to the Huggies stall and was appalled to see that they were offering such a nice discount for Huggies Dry Comfort. Appalled because I already bought 2 packs of large HDC from the grocery the day before which cost me P380/pack. In their stall, they had 2 packs of large HDC (38 counts each) for only P610! Damn, did my heart hurt. Anyway, so we went looking for Zoe's playgym which was the purpose of the visit there. We saw Tiny Love, Bright Starts, Baby Einstein, Chicco, Lamaze, Playgro, and Fisher Price. I was hoping to see Lamaze Space Symphony playgym or Fisher Price Rain Forest playgym like these:

 

However, there were none of those and the only available ones were these:




Lamaze 4 in 1 playgym (4000)




Playgro Tunnel Gym (1850)



Fisher Price 3 in 1 gym (1900)




We eventually bought the Playgro Tunnel gym due to its vibrant colors and tunnel feature which we can use to play hide and seek with Zoe. Here are some of her pics with the playgym at home:

So there. We also looked at a couple of high chairs but didn't find any good deals so we'd stick to the Graco or Chicco chairs that we saw at Landmark. And by the way, I also got my Mom card from SM baby and company (for a minimum purchase of 500) and a bag of freebies (for a minimum purchase of 1000). All in all, I think we got a pretty good deal. Can't wait til the next baby fair.

Zoe's milestone: First roll over

Zoe turned over for the first time on January 21, a day before her 4th month. Her daddy missed it by a couple of minutes. Sorry, just cant help but unleash the stage mother in me :)

Meeting Pia and Tin from GT

We've been chatting through GT for the longest time and last Sunday, Tin, Pia, and I finally got to meet each other at Greenbelt 5.

Pia bought Mustela stuff from SG for Tin and I which was a real life saver since Mustela costs thousands here and is only available in Rustan's. In my case, I bought 2 bottles of Hydra Bebe lotion since Rustan's is currently out of stock and isnt sure when they'd replenish. Mind you, it only cost me 1500 for the 2 bottles which retails for 1k plus per bottle in Rustan's. Sweet! Thanks again Pia! Next meet up will be lunch/dinner and playdate for Zoe, Kyle, and Kenzo :)

Lesson learned: Avoid Fixers!

It's a bit too late for this entry but I'd still write it anyway. Last December 28 and 29, I processed my non-pro driver's license with the help of a fixer. Before I get boos and crumpled papers thrown at me, yes I know it was a bad thing and let me tell you I got my karma on both days.

So I got my student permit back in February 2010 when I enrolled at a driving school. The same week of my lessons, Dan and I found out that I was pregnant so our attention was diverted to the little miracle growing inside my tummy. In short, I procrastinated in getting my non-pro license to the very last week of my Maternity Leave.

Since I was pressed for time, we tried to seek several options in expediting the license. Dan knew a fixer at LTO who does the registration of him and his brother's cars. He quoted a price of P2800 and I was immediately appalled because I knew that getting one in a legal and proper way wont cost me P1500. But hubby said that this man promised a faster way with no exams and no driving test so even if my heart was bleeding to let go of P2800, I regrettably did so. 

December 28, we picked Manny the fixer at BF in Ortigas extension. He asked me where I got my student permit and I told him it was at LTO Marikina. He immediately said that we could only get my license at LTO San Juan or Pasay since LTO in Binangonan will not accept it. Fine. And so we went to LTO Pasay where we even saw Hubert Webb (but that's not the point right..). When we got there, the freaking branch was offline the entire day. So I wasted P300 on gas and P300 on food that day for nothing. The following day we went back to LTO Pasay and it was still offline. So Manny the fixer decided to proceed to San Juan where he told me I would still take the exam but he would give me a reviewer. When we got there, the office was online and there were a lot of people. I was under the impression that since I already had my medical exam at LTO Pasay that it would be accepted in San Juan but it wasnt so I paid another hundred. Then this son of a gun of a fixer approached me and told me to add another P200 because there was another guy there that he needed to pay.I was really irritated but I kept my cool. So at that time, I was already running on the following expenses:

- 2800 fixer fee

- 600 gas and food for day 1

- 100 medical exam take two

- 200 additional for damn fixer

- 600 gas and food for day 2

Total: P4300

Why did it ever come to this amount??? The driving school where I took my lessons charges P1800 for non-pro driver's license and they will take their car which will save me gas money. The worst part of this experience was IT NEVER EXPEDITED ANYTHING. I was at LTO for 11 freaking hours to the point that Zoe had no milk left because I only pumped 4 bottles for her at home. 

So yes, in the end I got my driver's license but there's no justice to my P4300. I could have bought so many stuff for Zoe already. I was sleepless for a number of days just thinking why I wasted so much money on something that could have just cost me P2000 max. So lesson learned, I would AVOID and ABHOR fixers at government offices because they will extort the life out of anyone for something that can easily be done.

Song for Zoe

I have loved Zoe from the moment I got pregnant. The song 'Swept Away' by Christopher Cross best captures how I feel for my first born.

I never had anything happen so fast
I took one look and I shattered like glass
I guess I let it show 'cause your smile told me you knew
That you're everything I ever wanted at once
There's no holding this heart when it knows what it wants
And I never wanted anything more than to know you

I was swept away
No one in the world but you and I
Gotta find a way to make you feel the way that I do
I was swept away
Without a warning
Like night when the morning begins the day
I was swept away

And so it begins
This journey of love
The summer wind carries us to places all our own
The words of a look
The language of touch
The way that you want me means so much
And I never wanted anything more than to love you

Seeing my tomorrows in your eyes
I was swept away

I hope I wake up soon
I'm a victim of that crazy moon

The very first time you said my name
I knew it would never sound the same
Something about me is changed forever

Zoeholic

At 3 months, Zoe likes being talked to all the time. She squeals, laughs, and responds (with baby talk of course) whenever we talk to her. Here are some of my favorite pictures of her:

High Chair

At the onset of my pregnancy, I was already thinking of what baby gears and stuff to get. I immediately thought of 2 things that I wouldn't get for Zoe and those are 1.) walker and 2.) high chair. My rationale was simple at the time; my 2 nephews didn't use them so Zoe would probably get through her baby and toddler years without them.

Recently though, I realized I may need the high chair after all. As early as possible, I would like to teach proper table manners to Zoe which my 2 nephews sadly don't have. Russell and Addie are very rowdy at the dining table (if you could get them to eat there because most of the time they..) or they prefer to have their food served wherever they want like at the living room, in front of the PC, at the garage etc. This is a big NO NO for me. Also, this may help us to avoid playing the 'who's gonna carry Zoe' game during meal times especially now that we are in search for another yaya.

So with that said, we'll be off to the malls this weekend in search for Zoe's high chair (and yes, I haven't changed my opinion about walkers).