#PopeInPH: Farewell Pope Francis! Arrivederci!

The lucky boy He blessed on his last motorcade in his 5-day Philippine visit.

Pope Francis arrives in Villamor Air Base for his flight back to Rome.

I am typing this post as I'm watching the Philippine Airlines plane (carrying Pope Francis back to Rome) getting ready to fly. It has such been an honor to have this very loving man visit our country for 5 days. And more than that, I am so awed by the discipline that the Filipino people have shown while waiting / watching the Pope in the places he visited. Good leaders do awesome things, great leaders inspire others. Pope Francis definitely is in the latter category! Thank you for inspiring the Filipino people Lolo Kiko. The lessons you have imparted will always be in my heart.

Pope Francis going to the PAL airplane that will carry him back to Vatican.

Goodbye Pope Francis! My words aren't enough to express the gratitude and admiration I have for you. I have dreamt of you mid-October 2014 and through you, the Lord has calmed my worrying heart about our family problems. Through you, the Lord let me feel his wonderful love. In that dream I have never felt so much peace and love. Thank you Pope Francis for being God's instrument in this cruel world. Mercy and compassion. Nurture and protect the family. To think, to feel, to do. Words I will try to live by this year, and the rest of my life. Viva il Papa!

#PopeInPH ~ Pope Francis arrives in the Philippines!

Touchdown! The Papal plane has just landed in the Philippines, and Pope Francis is preparing to walk down from the plane in Villamor Airbase. Of course, the crowd couldn't help but cheer loudly "We love you!" :) President Aquino and 12 members of his cabinet are expected to greet him before his motorcade towards Taft Avenue. The official Papal residence is the Apostolic Nunciature in Taft. Here's the motorcade itinerary:

Source: http://www.gov.ph/2015/01/14/presentation-press-briefing-of-the-interior-secretary-on-the-papal-visit

You can view Pope Francis' entire 5-day itinerary here:

http://pacifictimes.org/papalvisit/the-papal-visit-itinerary/

https://ph.news.yahoo.com/papal-itinerary--where-you-can-see-pope-francis-034226609.html

http://www.rappler.com/specials/pope-francis-ph/75019-pope-francis-philippines-schedule-itinerary

My screengrab of Pope Francis' arrival in the Philippines :) That's the President of the Philippines next to him.

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If you have access to television, you can tune in to any local channel and you'll see the live coverage of Pope Francis' first visit to the Philippines. No TV? The Philippine government has a live feed in YouTube, yay! You can view it below:

And if you love social media, you use the following hashtags to express support of the Pope's much-awaited visit:

#PopeFrancisPH

#PopeInPH

#ShowThePope

#DearPopeFrancis

#PapalVisitPH

#PopeFrancis

That's it pansit! Enough blogging and more Pope Francis-watching, haha!

I don't have New Year resolutions..

..because I'm a rebel at heart! LOL, kidding! :p Actually, it's because I suck at keeping / doing my resolutions. So what's the point of making it when I can't follow through right? Thankfully, I found an easier "system" to make myself better at each new year. A system that has been very effective for me for the past two years. The system is called One Word. Or if you follow Ali Edwards, One Little Word. And yes, you literally only need one word to make it work. Sounds very simple right? Because it is! :) So what's my one word for 2015? It is cherish.

You can go over our Davao homeschooling blog for the full detail on why I chose this lovely word for 2015. I also discussed there my 2013 and 2014 one-words, which were simplify and commitment, respectively. The post is around 1,050 words (OA much, lol) but it's worth the read if you need a bit of inspiration on making 2015 the best year ever for you :) And before I end this post, which is my 299th by the way, I wanna greet all of you a happy and prosperous new year! Cheers everyone! Let's make 2015 awesome!

Happy Holidays!!

How are you guys coping up with Christmas 2014? It seems that this holiday season has been steadily becoming a stressful event as the years go by. Too much traffic, too much commercialism, too much everything. Do you feel that way too?! Thankfully Labsie and I have kids so there's still that bit Christmas magic in the air :) This year, we started the Advent calendar with simple Bible readings to explain the real meaning of Christmas to them. Hopefully, when they are all grown up, they wouldn't buy into all that holiday commercialism crap. And before I even go more Scrooge-y, here's our lovely holiday greetings! Haha! Pic taken from our wedding anniversary this year. I love it so much!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone! :)

Where's our kids you ask? They're on another holiday card, the one with our entire family of four in a reasonably nice pose. Haha! You know how it is when you take family pictures, one kid (or two) is bound to ruin the entire photo ;-) I will update this post when our family Christmas card is up on our new blog. Yes, I still have not introduced our new blog here but I already did in our Davao wedding blog so go over there and find out about it! :)

UPDATE: Here's our family Christmas card. Check out the kids, haha!

hello, world! (a long overdue update)

Long time no see old dear blog. My last post was January 2013; how did that happen?! And it wasn't a happy post at that! Well, I won't let 2014 pass without an update. And THIS will be a happy update! :) To get you up to speed with my life, you can follow me over at Google+ and Instagram. I may have stopped blogging, but I never stopped writing or preserving memories via photos.

When I started this blog in 2007, it was a purely mobile blog. That is, I posted a daily photo with a brief caption through my super trusty Sony Ericsson k800 phone. It took great photos at 5mp and is able to connect to the internet that's why I'm able to blog. What I did back in 2007 is what I'm doing now in Instagram~ posting a daily photo to preserve our memories.

With that, this blog has become redundant. Also, I'm not just "Melissa Solito" anymore. Time for a new blog persona I guess. So, I'm closing this blog full of memories with a heavy heart. I won't take it offline though as I have good stuff posted here (mostly travel) that will be helpful to Google searchers :) I will probably do one or two updates before closing this completely.

So where's the "happy" part of this update? Here it is: I'm actually blogging again!! No, I don't mean this post, haha! I have made a new blog, a more appropriate one for the stage of my life that I'm in right now. Yes, motherhood. And being a wife. And finding myself amidst all of the responsibilities that those two "labels" entail. Where's the new blog? I'll update you when it's ready! ;-)

the scariest moment of my life! :(

And it happened two hours ago (7:40pm GMT+8). Our family of 4 had just finished dinner in the basement area of SM Megamall and was waiting for our bill. I was facing the entrance of Mannang / Mann Hann restaurant when I noticed that a lot of people were running toward the stores. I thought there was a celebrity but the running was frantic, and the security guards were also running (to the direction of the incident). I told hubby to look; the restaurant staff and the other customers noticed the commotion too. We got up to get our credit card from the counter so we can go out of the mall before something bad happens.

But then suddenly a waiter pulled down the metal door of the restaurant and we were in lockdown (pic at right). The diners were in panic mode, and we moved to the back of the resto, near the kitchen and waited for some news of what's happening. That moment I hated Globe / Blackberry coz I had no internet connection (on top of my postpaid plan, I had to subscribe to a BB internet plan which will raise my phone bill 100% and I couldn't afford it). I felt so helpless coz I cannot get any info! What if the people were running because there's a fire and we were trapped inside the restaurant?! You can't make the right survival choices without information :(

Happy Lemon in Davao!!

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After 48 years, I'm finally here in the newly opened (just 2weeks+ old) Happy Lemon in The Peak - Gaisano Mall of Davao. I've been craving for their Rock Salt & Cheese green tea since I heard of it last December 2010 as I'm sucker for sweet-salty foods ;-) Yeah, 2 years have passed before I finally had a chance to taste their signature drink. No, I'm not a loser, just a patient fan from faraway Davao :p

So how was their Green Tea with Rock Salt and Cheese? IT WAS freakin' WORTH THE WAIT!! The (not so) sweet-salty combo was a riot in my mouth, and I was in gustatory heaven! The foam (see the drink on right in the pic above) was to die for, hehe! ^__^ Anyway, the drink on the left was hubby's order- Deluxe Milk Tea with Grass Jelly. It's also good, comparable to the yummiest milk tea we had in Taipei, just a tad heavy on the green tea taste.Ü

www.happy-lemon.com

hubby's crab omelette is LOVE!

He may not cook a lot, but when he does, Labsie's dishes are often uber scrumptious! ^_^ For our breakfast this morning, hubby cooked the crab omelette pictured above. It was bursting with crabmeat (painstakingly picked from 2 steamed crabs), buttery, a lil bit cheesy (mozarella) and oh-so fluffy! Just how a perfect omelette should be.. :-) Thank you Labsie / hubby / Daddy for the awesome breakfast! Tomorrow again? Heehee!Ü

bye Pearl Farm Beach Resort!

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The photo above was taken yesterday morning at the beach front near the resort's famous Parola Bar. While my hubby and our toddler were making sand castles in front of my lounging chair, I was breastfeeding baby Ema til she fell asleep. And then I took a lot of pics of us relaxing by the ocean.Ü

The last time I spent the night in Pearl Farm Beach Resort was in 2004. I was with my family then (and now) but I didn't have kids yet so I was able to fully experience the resort's world-class service and amenities (unlike now). I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't bring kids to expensive resorts or else you won't get your money's worth! LOL!

Anyway, today's our last day here in Pearl Farm. Kinda sad coz it's been a relaxing mini-vacay for me. Even with 2 kids in tow, I managed to turn off my 'Mommy mode' and turn on 'Tourist mode' :) I've taken loads of photos, explored the resort at day and night times, appreciated the awesome views from our Samal Suite room, and had candlelight dinner by the beach. What more can I ask for? ^__^

ate Euna's here! ^__^

After 5 months, the cousins are together again. And no one's happier than Iya who super adores her older cousin :) We're all looking forward to a laughter-filled week from watching these 2 toddlers play.Ü

Iya's current love

Yep, our toddler has fallen in love with Nemo ^_^ It all started with a pillow (the one in the pic above) she found in my bro's room early this year. When she knew all the characters in the pillow, we let her watch the movie. As expected, Iya loved Finding Nemo :) What we didn't expect was her uber attachment to it, such that she always asked us to buy 'Nemo toys'.

Unfortunately, Finding Nemo is an old film and thus, its hard to find toys or any merchandise related to it. Even in Uyanguren or Divisoria! :( At the height of her Nemo obsession, Iya found a Nemo + Marlin (daddy) balloon for sale in church grounds one fine Sunday morn. That was her first Nemo 'toy'. Few days later, my mom found a beach pail with Nemo characters in JS. Iya was ecstatic to say the least! :)

But her 2 Nemo 'toys' weren't enough. She kept bugging us, so much that hubby promised to buy her Nemo stuff for Christmas :p Last week, my father in law called that he bought a Nemo stuffed toy in Iloilo's Robinsons mall and Iya got it this Sunday. She never let go of it ever since, hehe! So yeah, one stuffed toy traveled from Iloilo to Davao to make one toddler very happy ^__^

And just the other day, Iya spotted a Nemo coloring book in SM (in front Jollibee). That's what she's holding in the pic above :) So now, our lil girl has 5 'toys' in her Nemo collection. We still have to look for more to give this Christmas, and we have to find Dory (the forgetful blue tang) coz Iya has been asking for her. If you know where to buy Nemo stuff, kindly let me know! And to Iya's godparents, aunties & uncles, you know what to buy her for Christmas ;-)

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-pic above taken today at 6pm-

EMA is 2 months!

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Actually I'm 2 days early in posting this but I'm quite excited that our lil baby Ema is turning 2 months so here we are :-) The past 2 months with her has been a breeze compared to our time with Iya at the same age. Ema isn't a crybaby, sleeps through the night (we co-sleep & breastfeed) and very sociable. Her first social smile (around 4 weeks old) was for her big sister Iya, and she started cooing at us when she was 6 weeks old. Ema is such a joy to be with, I tell you! But I guess all babies are :-) Happy second month baby Ema Isabel! Daddy, Mommy and ate Iya love you sooo much!Ü

If you want to see more pics of my family and my kids, go to my Google+ page at http://gplus.to/melissasolito :-) See you there!

Happy 2nd Bday Iya!

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Two years ago today, at 9.47pm, I gave birth to our firstborn. Labsie and I were not ready to become parents but our baby girl charmed us totally that we promised to only give her the best. Even if it meant sacrificing some of our personal needs. Yes, the adage is true- having kids WILL change your life ;-)

To our beloved Iya Elycia, now a loving big sister, our warmest birthday wishes! Mommy and Daddy may scold you sometimes but it is for your own good. We only want that you grow up to be a beautiful person, inside and out :-) Mommy and Daddy love you so much Iya! You are one of the most precious gifts that the Lord gave us.. Happy second birthday to you!Ü

Ema Isabel is here! :)

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After 4 nights of false labor contractions, I finally went into true labor last March 4 and gave birth to our second baby at 10:02pm via normal delivery :-) Ema Isabel weighed 2.7kg and measured 47cm in length, just a bit heavier than her Ate Iya who was very happy to finally see her.Ü

It's been 36hrs since Ema came to us, and though it's been very hectic having a newborn AND a toddler in a hospital room, Labsie and I are coping quite well. Iya is very attached to us and refused to go home with my parents, and so we're stuck with 2 babies. Oh well, what won't kill us will just make us stronger, right? Hehe!Ü

Leap Day Zen

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I'm currently zoning out here in Abreeza (430pm), trying to find inner peace on the very special date of Feb29 :-) 'Me time' moments like this are very rare and I'm glad 2012's extra day is turning out supah fine for me!

Our 'leap day' started early with my 39th week OB checkup at 9am- I'm still in early labor, gahh! The waiting continues.. Up next was my last session of prenatal yoga. Will surely miss Alex of The Pod and our mommy talks!Ü

Lunch was sushi buffet for only P250 at Teriyaki Boy. I was very, very full :-P Before lunch was over, our toddler fell asleep on my chest! Was forced to stay in the resto til she woke up 1hour later o_O

Hubby had career matters and left us after lunch (he's still not back now, 3hrs+ later!). Thank god my MIL was around and she watched our toddler play in Wonderland and Abreeza's atrium playground :-) And so here I am alone, pondering about my life and mobile blogging our Leap Day 2012!Ü

P.S. Pic above is our after-yoga tea in The Pod. Perfect, calming end after an hour of stretching!

Lucho's Baptism!

Another KADA celebration with all the kids present! A very rare moment :) From left: hubby, Iya & 38wks+ pregnant me :: BFF Chin & baby Ysha :: Mems, Charo & ate Lianne :: HS lovers Amats & Pidja with the newly christened baby :: BFF Jinky & Madz, the proud parents of the now-Christian baby Lucho! :) Here's to more joyous Kada celebrations!

early Valentines date :)

La Boutique is a small French restaurant in Plaza del Carmen, Obrero, Davao City. It is beside The Pod where I attend my prenatal yoga class.Ü Yesterday, hubby and our toddler Iya had their first date there :) I was having my yoga class next door while they were eating delectable French food in the resto. I was a bit scared leaving them alone (never left them before except in playhouse!) but I figured it's about time father & daughter had a date :) Great timing too as it was just before Valentines Day, i.e. they escaped the VDay horde.

Anyway, hubby & Iya ate seafood pasta, strawberry sorbet and the in-house bread + pesto appetizer. The pasta was super delish!! They saved some for me which I devoured after my yoga class ^__^ We'll definitely be back and try other dishes! Hopefully it will just be me and hubby on a kid-less date. Hehe!Ü Have an awesome Valentines Day everyone! Remember, celebrate love every day, and not just on VDay!

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Prenatal Yoga :)

Hello from The POD! Davao's only store where you can go barefoot while shopping :) Alex Hao's store also doubles as a Lamaze / Prenatal Yoga studio. Two years ago, hubby and I attended Alex's Lamaze class in Brokenshire Hospital. Now she has her own lovely, relaxing place :) Just finished my first session of yoga here and we're just sipping yummy tea + trading horror stories about labor, hehe!

♥ 27 weeks today ♥

In some pregnancy books, 27-28 weeks is the start of the seventh month. And the 7th month is the start of the third trimester. WOW! This second pregnancy of ours is sure is going fast :) Our EDD is early March 2012, 3 more months to go!

http://babyblues2010.blogspot.com/2009/11/pregnancy-breakdown.html

stretch marks galore! :p

It's not our second baby's fault actually. When I was pregnant with Iya, I got stretch marks in my belly around the 35th week. The picture at left was from my 31st week where I boasted I didn't have any stretch marks. As you can see my belly is smooth and oh-so clear :) A friend commented she thought she didn't have stretch marks in her first pregnancy too, that is until she gave birth and finally saw the marks on her flat baby-less belly. One month after her comment, I saw my first stretch marks, gahh!! Thank god the marks were small and stayed like that til I gave birth to Iya :) The marks eventually faded without any post-partum interventions (i.e. cream or lotions) on my part. Sad to say, the stretch marks came back with a vengeance now, in my second pregnancy.. *sigh*

What's more, unlike in my first pregnancy, I wasn't active in stretch marks prevention this time around. Before, I started my anti-stretch mark regimen after the first trimester. I rubbed on natural lotion on my belly every single night. My sister-in-law even suggested to use olive oil which she used and my mom swears my SIL has no stretch marks in her belly at all! I found that encouraging but I never got around to using olive oil as it is too icky for me :p Anyway, this time around, I haven't put any anti-stretch mark cream or lotion in my belly since the second pregnancy began. Hopefully, I can find the best stretch mark cream before I go into my third trimester (I'm on the 6th month now) and apply it on my belly like crazy til I give birth! Maybe I'll even give olive oil a try :p Hopefully it will discourage any new marks to appear (on belly, arms, breasts and thighs) and will help remove the old. Will probably write an update on this stretch marks affair after I give birth. Maybe even post before/after photos if my belly doesn't look too horrifying! Hehe!