I actually got the first two folds of  fabric in Davao two months ago. I was planning to make a receiving blanket out of it but was too dumb not to include satin fabric for the edges so it was sitting on the box until I finally decided to make them cloth diapers.

If you ask me how did I make Donald agree on an unplanned trip to the nearest city and spend moolah for these stuffs? I said nothing because I know he would really go with me because he wanted pizza. I know he’s been dying to have it and he wasn’t able to have a bite when we were in Davao last week. So right after we get off the bus and had a short ride to the mall, we headed straight to Greenwhich since we are all starving and he was already drooling. While waiting for HIS order, we asked him to get us something from Jollibee. I honestly would say I could live without seeing pizza but I’d die without palabok and sundae. Ella had spaghetti, burger and french fries and Donald had this…..

…….all to himself and he also finished my palabok (because they have larger serving there than in any other branch) and had some of Ella’s fries. He must have been really starving because after just a few moments…..his plate looks as though it was ran over by a tornado.

Before he could order for another pizza, we quickly exited the place and went upstairs to the PlayRoom where Ella spent almost three hours playing while we find the materials I needed. It was a nice play area since they have this huge slide and some computers. She gets bored easily in Wonderland because she feels too old for the toys that they have. I now know why she would rather buy “projects” than play when we went to Davao last week.

After getting all the stuffs I needed and was about to pay, I remember that I should get charts for Ella about the animals and their young, addition and subtraction. We were at the third floor and the baby stuffs are on the lower level so after paying for it (since it was not allowed to bring the stuffs from the third level to the second level) I asked Donald if we could check on some baby stuffs. We passed by the kid’s clothes and we saw a mannequin wearing plaid pants. I think it was the last pair since we couldn’t find it on the racks. Donald was giving me a hint that he wanted to buy it for Ella. He also checked on the shirts that looks as though it was already used. He wanted to get one for Ella since last year but each time were at the mall in Davao that only sells that kind of shirt, the lines are too long and he was too impatient to wait in line. I checked on the price of both and I had second thoughts on buying those because I just planned to buy materials and nothing else but if he insists, then I couldn’t do anything about it. While he was checking on the shirts, I told him I will be just right at the baby’s corner. I wanted to see if they have bolster pillow cases that would match the comforter and pillow I bought last time but there was none. Donald followed me there and spent a fair amount of time blocking my sight each time we pass by some Winnie-the-Pooh stuffs. Before heading to get Ella, I decided to check on the toys to see if they sell wooden abacus. We bought the plastic one in Davao and I am not happy with it. I am glad they have it although they are not the same kind like what I am seeing when I was still small Donald helped me pick one and he chose the wooden stuff (not the kind that looks like real abacus) that has blocks of numbers and math signs. It also has 100 pieces of sticks in red, blue, yellow and green. I hope this will help Ella learn math because we have a big issue especially the subtraction. I teach her to make draw sticks on her paper and put a line across the number of sticks that should be subtracted. She could make the exact number of sticks asked but she would get screwed up on the subtracting part because she counts ahead. She is really a sanguine like her Dad! Her mouth is faster than her hands.

In the toy section, Donald saw a toy guitar and I could tell that he really wanted it for Ella. I checked on the price and was hoping he would put it back because it was double the price of the shirt and pants which I won’t dare buying at that moment. But instead, he asked if there are other stocks that he could choose from. The ones on display have cartoon stickers all over the front. He wanted a plain one that looks like a real guitar. After a few moments watching him check on it, I was thinking that if he really want it then we could buy it anyway it’s for Ella. So I was there waiting for him to pick one but I was surprised he did not saying the sound isn’t so good. I suggested to check if they have small guitars on the sporting goods section (because I can feel he really wanted to get one for his unica hija) and he agreed. There we found one. A “real” (baby) guitar that even I cannot resist. It is more expensive though but it has a good quality and since Donald promised to teach her to play, I gave it a go.

When we went to get Ella, she asked what we got for her. We said none but she saw the box of the guitar and was asking all the way down what was it. Donald said it was a stand for the laptop. Can’t he think of anything better and anything that one can believe than a stand for the laptop? (Remember that we fooled him last December that my sister Crislyn was carrying a box of a tripod for the camera when in truth it’s his guitar?) I was laughing because I couldn’t imagine a laptop with a stand. Can you?

So we took a bus home and arrived at 7:30pm. Ella knew Daddy has a surprise for her and she waited for 2 hours until we got home to see what was it. When Donald opened the box, she could not believe she now have a baby guitar. She sat and started strumming it with broken chords, singing “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles.

Aside from arts, she loves music too and she knows the songs of Carpenters and The Beatles more than some nursery songs.

Here’s the father and daughter guitars. Wish them good luck.