Birthday Celeb/ Play-Date at Zoofari and Cake Galerie

Three weeks ago (late post alert!), Yuri and I went out of our comfort zone to attend my inaanak Andrei's second birthday.

Gee. Where did the time go? Parang kahapon lang when I visited them at the hospital when he was born. Now he's as loud and makulit as Yuri!

I said we went out of our comfort zone because of two reasons. First, it's our first lakad with just the two of us, and second, we ventured again to the southern side of the city. So far!

But we had a great time. First, George and I spent an hour with the two little men at Zoofari.

PART 1 - ZOOFARI

I have been to the main branch of Zoofari at Bacaca, which is nearer our home, but this was the first time I've been to Zoofari at SM Ecoland. Since we were at the former for a blogger event, I had no idea what to do inside. Haha.

(So you have to get registered at the counter and have your and your child's photos taken. Then they will hand you a stub containing the time you entered the playgym. I'm reminded of my internet cafe days in college.)

While Andrei was too excited to play (he already ran inside when we were struggling at the counter), Yuri had another crying episode. He always does that when he's in a new place. He also didn't have a nap, which didn't help.

He only calmed down when I pointed out to him a line of trucks and tractors. Thank you God!

While the other children zoomed in and out of the playgym, Yuri generally just stayed within his comfort zone, that area with the trucks and tractors. I was just thankful I didn't need to chase anyone around.

Speaking of comfort zone, Andrei started inside his, too, for the rest of the hour: the ball pit. Despite George's persistent invitation, Yuri just wouldn't go inside the pit. Sensory issues! :D

(Come to think of it, I've never been attracted to ball pits, too, and generally all places with no flat, stable surfaces. Is sensory issue a genetic thing?)

I only have a couple of (dark) photos because I left my camera in my bag, which we left to the care of George's hubby. Sayang!

The funny thing about playgyms is that you cant help but observe how other children behave. All I can say is buti nalang Yuri and Andrei are good boys! (Medyo naughty lang haha)

After the play session, we went to a nearby cake place owned by the friend of our old officemate.

PART 2 - CAKE GALERIE

If you live in Davao, particularly the southern part, and are looking for a private place to relax, drink coffee, and have a slice of cake (and eat it, too!), you should try Cake Galerie.

Since it's owned nga by a friend of our officemate, it's no longer unfamiliar to us. But since it's far from where I live, I've only been there a total of once, back in 2011.

So it was nice to be back! The place is still as charming as I remember, and the pastries are even better!

The thing about Cake Galerie is that it feels like a cake shop and a friend's house at the same time. I think it's perfect for very intimate gatherings (only a few people though!) and dates. Look at these photos to see why:

Yuri was still in my tummy! :D

By the way, I'm not paid to say all of these! I just really like the place.

PART 3 - BFFs!

The most pleasant discovery of the day was how Yuri and Andrei got along so well. I'm amazed because toddlers don't usually interact like this. You see, toddlers usually just play alongside each other, not with each other.

But the two boys played and horsed around (and had PDA) as if they knew each other for years. (Is that even a correct metaphor for 2-year old toddlers?!)

When in fact, this is the first time they have ever seen each other!

I'm just glad that Yuri found another friend (potentially best friend - chos!) because we're not going outside the house lately as I'm always painfully busy. It's already dark when I finish working so we no longer go out anymore. Poor Yuri!

But we did schedule anther playdate with George and Andrei. I miss that boy already! I'm looking forward to seeing the two boys' antics again. :D

PS: Thanks, Ninang George, for the choc-lits!