New Toy

When Jet tinkered with his co-worker's iPad, he instantly loved it and thought that Tonicci would too! It's the coolest gadget, he said! Ashley, his co-worker's daughter is addicted to all the aps featured for kids.

As much a we would love to own one, we can't afford it - so instead we got Tonicci a V-tech reader for his birthday, which is incidentally shaped like an iPad (albeit smaller). It's his first ever interactive toy that has color-rich graphics and can actually run software. We didn't know whether he'd like it, much less learn how to use it and navigate through all the options. Apparently we underestimated him and it turns out that Tonicci is indeed part of a generation of tech-savvy toddlers!

School Event

The whole school gathered last Wednesday for the annual Christmas lunch held at the school gym. Since the daycare class wasn't able to attend (it's very hard for the teachers to manage 13-15 toddlers in a crowded setting), we sat with the Parenting center group that we join thrice a week. It was a  potluck lunch so Tonicci and I brought lasagna.

I wasn't able to take a picture of the whole school since my camera was focused on Tonicci the whole time. The highlight was when Santa made his appearance.

Tonicci is 3 years old!

Last Monday, Tonicci celebrated his third birthday. We went to the Parenting Centre we frequent to blow his cake and then we rushed off to Chuck E. Cheese with his friend Adele.

At one point, Jet was emotional that his son was so happy even if it was just a simple celebration. I guess it really takes so little to gratify a child.

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First day of snow

Last Monday there was finally some snowfall here in Toronto. After his gymnastics class, I took pictures of Tonicci with some of his buddies. Unfortunately, we were in a rush so we didn't have the time to play in the snow.

The snow hasn't fallen since Monday and we're hoping that it will come down again soon since the city looks more beautiful when it's covered in white.

Classes

The fall-winter season can be somewhat challenging when it comes to keeping the city kids active and stimulated. Most of our typical attractions are normally closed and obviously, it would be too cold to go to the park when November comes around.

To keep Tonicci occuppied, we enrolled him in 3 classes: sports pack, gymnastics and swimming. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take pictures of him in his sports pack class but I was able to snap some action photos of him in swimming and gymnastics.

Breakfast with Santa

Last weekend, Tonicci attended one of the most special Christmas traditions for kids in Toronto - Breakfast with Santa at the Casa Loma. It's an old castle located in midtown Toronto.

Tonicci was so excited that he was probably up by 4 AM! Breakfast wasn't until 8:30 - so next year,we should probably just make it a surprise on the day itself instead of getting him all worked up for it the night before.

Tonicci was REALLY happy to finally meet Santa this year. Of course, he couldn't help himself and blurted out "I want Percy!" the moment it was his turn to interact and take a photo. (Percy is a toy train on his Christmas 'wish list'). The event was held in a banquet room where the small audience of kids had Santa all to themselves.

"It's yummy, mommy!"

Yesterday, Tonicci and I baked a chocolate cake. He was a really good helper- he cracked the eggs, measured the ingredients and stirred the mixture. While the cake was cooking in the oven, Tonicci was already licking the leftover cake mix- I guess he couldn't wait to try it!



Mesmerized

Last Saturday, we went to Nathan Phillips Square to watch the Annual Lighting of the Christmas Tree and Fireworks display. Tonicci enjoyed the whole event! He especially loved watching the people ice skate on the outdoor rink.

Here are some of the highlights of the evening:

The concert stage

Ice skating rink

View of the christmas tree lighting from afar (we couldn't pass through the crowd)

Killing time at the Sheraton nearby

Beautiful Christmas tree with Swarovski crystals

Daycare

Last July, Tonicci started attending daycare twice a week.The first month was very hard for him- he would often say, "I don't want to go to school anymore" and he would cry a lot whenever we'd drop him off.

After a month, he started to adjust to his new environment. Now, we're happy to say that he looks forward  to school and seeing his friends. Daycare really did him good- as he's now more independent, sociable, conversant and has a broader vocabulary!

We are not allowed to take pictures of him inside the classroom so instead, Jet took pictures one cold morning while walking to school.

Benett's Birthday Party

Tonicci and I went to the birthday party of his classmate from daycare, who just turned 3. It was a nice experience for him to see his friends outside of school. It was a very simple party, but the kids really didn't mind at all.

Christmas Tree

Last year, Tonicci was too young to help us put up our christmas tree.This year, we asked him to participate and hopefully make it a family tradition.

He was really excited to help! Of course, with him pitching in, it was more messy and he even broke a christmas ball! However, we know that the experience will make him more excited and look forward to the holidays.

Since we live in a small condo, we opted for a small tree

Finished product- our simple tree

Crib to Car Bed

One of the signs that your child is growing up is when they transition from the crib to an actual bed. In the case of Tonicci, we felt the need to buy him a bed when he kept on waking up at night and Jet had to bring him over to join us. I thought that he was probably not comfortable in his crib anymore. Who would be? The crib he slept in was actually a fold-up play pen!

At Walmart, we found a Lightning Mcqueen car bed which Tonicci fell in love with. While Jet was assembling it, Tonicci was so excited that he would even assist his dad so that he could finally see the finished product. After what seemed like hours of putting it together, Tonicci tested it and he was very happy. It was priceless! Imagine being so excited about a new bed?!

The first night he slept on it, he didn't even wake up at all- as he slept through the night! It was a first for us after so many months of interrupted sleep. On occasion, Tonicci still sometimes transfers to our bed. Maybe because he had a bad dream, or simply because he misses his mommy and daddy. Often we would be surprised to wake up finding him already beside us! We can't complain though, because it's always nice to snuggle up with him.



On his playpen/crib, when he was still a baby

His new bed

Buffalo, New York

We decided to do our christmas shopping for friends and relatives in Buffalo, New York- where the sales tax is lower. It was a tolerable 1 1/2 hour car ride from Toronto.

We rarely go to malls with Tonicci- since he gets really bored, but fortunately we survived this shopping experience, notwithstanding the crowd at the outlet mall. It wasn't a sightseeing trip so we only have a few pictures of him.



At the hotel room

Entertaining himself