Having a baby is almost like having a doll, although I can’t really be certain because I haven’t experienced playing with a doll before. What I mean is that babies amazingly feel like toys that can be dressed up or accessorized. I know because andrea and I both find it entertaining to let mateo try on different apparels - polo shirts, pants,  head gears, shoes, everything.

In fact, sometimes, when we pass by such stores in the mall, we’d playfully drag him inside and let him wear a cap , a pair of shoes or sometimes even some bling bling. He would then proudly step up to the mirror and admire himself while parrading around - a very self-confident baby, that’s for sure.

I’m just not sure how long he’d let andrea and i do that to him because I’m sure he’d eventually learn to refuse. But until then, we’re going to have our little doll try on more things for as long as we could.

With December looming just around the corner, andrea and I can’t help but think about our meager budget for the holiday season. You see, aside from Christmas, we have our wedding anniversary and Mateo’s birthday to think about. Because we’d like to prepare for these as well, we can’t allocate as much as we want to for holiday shopping .

First, because Mateo is already old enough to appreciate a birthday party, we’re considering giving him a really good one this January. His last birthday (which technically was also his first) was really more for us than for him because very few kids shared in the fun. Almost all of his guests during his birthday party were adults or at least 10 times older than he is.

Second, because we didn’t get to celebrate andrea’s birthday last October 25, I’d like to treat her to something special on our anniversary - perhaps to a romantic date or to a feast of delectable cheesecake from Uno. Either way, this would mean thinning the budget for holiday shopping even more.

I know this holiday season is supposed to be a season of happiness, but sometimes I can’t help but think it’s one of the most problematic times of the year - at least in terms of budgeting. That’s why we’re hoping for promos to get us through the spending. Hahaha!