The Many Faces of an Angel

 

Nothing can prepare you for the first sight of your child.

 

You wonder for nine months how she will look like.  Will she take after her dad or will she take after you?  You devise ways in which to somehow manage and control her DNA, be it through food (eat lots of oranges and apples) or through “kasabihan” or “pamahiin” (stay away from dinuguan, do not watch horror films etc.), and pray to God that she will come out like the Philippines’ next supermodel.

 

But, as I have discovered, whatever your child looks like, an immense sort of awe, wonder and amazement will always engulf you.  Did this child come from me?  How did this happen? 

 

Immeasurable love for this little vulnerable package will consume you. 

 

You look at her sleepy peaceful face and think that an angel has literally descended from heaven. 

 

 

 

 

Her every smile becomes a smile for you.

 

 

 

Her every twist and cringe grips your heart.  

 

 

 

 

Her simple whimper becomes a loud cry for comfort. 

 

 

Your whole world has somehow evolved to solely focus on nothing but this little bundle of joy. Damn your career and that whirlwind of a social life you had. You would only want to protect her and at the same time wish for her everything that’s good in the world to see and experience. 

 

Motherhood indeed brings you full circle.  It suddenly explained all the times that your parents were strict with you.  It explained why, despite the coming-of-age argument, parents will still insist on being informed of your whereabouts. 

 

I look at this bundle in my arms and I am clutched with fear.  Will I be able to protect her from the evils of the world?  And in those times that I or her dad won’t be there, will she be able to handle the challenges of life on her own?  

 

I can only raise her with love, nurture her and leave the rest to God. 

 

Faith suddenly had more meaning.

 

 

 

A Peek-a-boo for Mommy

I had a dream a couple of days ago…

Just when I was on that plane between sleeping and getting up…

I saw my baby poke her head out of my tummy.

Not her entire body, but just her head. 

Her dark round eyes looked smilingly at me. Reassuringly.

She doesn’t have the chinky almond eyes of her father.  She takes after me!

Her brown smooth skin sparkled in the dark. That one unmistakably comes from both of us!

Her hair, dark and thin, will soon be lustrous I know.

I softly cradled her in my arms, mystified.

Right then, I knew she was telling me that she’s okay, that soon we will see each other.

The image was fading fast…

I woke up.

I wanted to go back to sleep…

to stay…but I no longer can.

The sweet image of my baby lingered.

I held on to it until it became what it was…

a sweet hazy dream…

a reassuring peek-a-boo for mommy.

Livin’ on a Lifeline

So, what does one do when she’s 36 weeks pregnant and about to pop at a moment’s notice?

One chooses to live on a lifeline…

And watch the Spandau Ballet Concert! 🙂

Those who spent their teenage years in the 80’s will agree with me that this is a concert that cannot be passed up! 

During those days, afternoon weekends were spent listening to Casey Casem’s Top 40 hits mostly monopolized by New Wave hits from Tears for Fears, Boy George, Wham and Duran Duran, while weekdays were enjoyed viewing the 1to 5 minute long music television video (MTV’s) wonders from the same artists.  It was the truly the British New Romatic Era!

Spandau Ballet was enjoying its peak then with hits such as True, Gold, Round and Round, Lifeline etc. Such was their popularity that they were always pitted against Duran Duran, another popular British band (that recently had its concert in the country but which I unfortunately missed (bedrest again, sigh! ) 

Spandau Ballet’s Tony Hadley against Duran Duran’s Simon Le Bon (who’s the better singer?) ; Martin and Gary Kemp against Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes and John Taylor (Who’s the sexiest?) ; Johnny Keeble  against  Roger Taylor (who’s the coolest on the drums?)  Teenage girls then drooled over their pictures, cover albums, and posters, and weaved dreams of meeting these guys.  And I was not any different. 

Years have passed and this dream hasn’t change.  I still think it will still be the coolest treat if I were able to see them in concert.

My husband seems to agree with me. 

At 6 o’clock p.m., he casually tells me to dress up as we’re going out. 

“Where?”, I asked and he flicks me two (2) tickets – patron seats!

I would have shrieked and jumped if I could!  I’ve always been thankful over finding Mr. P but, man, right then and there, I wanted to go down in prayer and supplication!  Ain’t he just the coolest!?! 🙂

As Tony Hadley walked out the stage for his opening number, I still couldn’t believe my luck!  We were seated about 9 rows away from the stage and, if I was not pregnant, I would have walked down the front of the stage to catch a picture! 

 

The past 20 years is easily discernible from Tony Hadley’s and John Keeble’s physique (Martin and Gary Kemp have chosen to pursue a career in acting), but they delivered as if they were in their prime!  They opened up with Highly Strung and this seemed to echo what the audience was feeling then – impatient and excited over their coming out!  Lifeline, Through the Barricades, Gold, True …Song after song they electrified the crowd! 

Tony Hadley showed that he was not averse to singing popular covers from other artists as he sang Mississippi Blues by Elvis Presley and Rio from Duran Duran (no rivalry here!).  The crowd found it new and refreshing!  But he truly brought the house down when he sang With or Without You by U2!  Security be damned, the people rushed to the front of the stage and danced for all their worth!

And I, in all my pregnant glory, just had to stand up, raise my arm in rhythm and sing along with the crowd!

It was truly an exhilarating experience!

After one encore, the concert ended at around 11 p.m.  It was way past my bedtime but I was not sleepy.  Over pizza and pasta, Mr. P and I basked in the afterglow of the concert. 

Baby Nina opted to make herself felt then.  I wouldn’t be amazed if she turns out to be a musician like her father.  She seemed to have enjoyed the concert as well! 🙂

Top 12 Best Babyshower Gifts

Babyshowers are given to the would-be mom to start her off with her baby needs. 

I never realized how big a help this is until my friend Blue Sneakers hosted one for me.  It was not only emotionally gratifying but educational to a first time mom such as myself as well.  To start with, I don’t know which items to buy Baby Nina for her first three (3) months in this world.  I don’t know the difference between a gauze diaper or a bird’s eye diaper.  I don’t know the advantage of having a tie-side onesie from a babyshirt.  I don’t know the difference between a manual breastpump from an electric pump, whether Medela is better than Avent.   And I am horrified by the thought that I have to think of myself as a milking cow for the next six (6) months!   

A roomful of women diminished (slightly) all these, with their comforting words, experience-gained knowledge and gifts…gifts…gifts!

So, here’s my Top 12 Pick of Best Babyshower Gifts, in random order, taken from “the loot” from that fun-filled day:

1.   The Crib

      It always pays to include some big items into the Baby Registry as you’ll never know if some kind-hearted generous soul has a mind to give you one, e.g. your parents or parents-in-law.  In my case, my mother-in-law surprised us with a white wooden crib, complete with cushion and beddings, a week before the baby shower.  My husband and I were both touched.  It also threw us into a gift-receiving mode all of a sudden!   We were excited over the arrival of more surprises!

     By the way, cribs can be either the traditional wooden kind or the plastic-steel kind.  Nowadays, both wooden and plastic-steel cribs usually are dual or triple purpose, transforming into a playpen and, in the case of a wooden crib,  can also stretch into a starter bed. 

 2.   The Beddings

 

 I received about 5 sets of beddings that day but this one’s my favorite!  It came from Blue Sneakers and it’s in a blue, yellow and cream giraffe theme.  (Somehow, I have this fixation over giraffes!)  That’s Mr. Giraffee on top.  Pull-out its tail and a lullaby suddenly plays!  It keeps Nina calm when she’s suddenly restless and playful in my tummy. 🙂

And here’s what I’ve just learned, beddings usually come with the fitted sheet, the comforter and bolster pillows.  Some even carry with it a side-guard that runs around the crib to protect your baby from those hard bumps.  Amazing!

3.  Diaper Depot

 

This one is so cool!  The package says “the complete diaper changing station”.  Its made of durable plastic that one can hang over the side of the crib.  I like it because its different from the frilly cloth-diaper depots one usually sees in the mall, plus it has so many storage levels that prevents clutter.  Trust Tita Glends to spot a good product!

4. Reusable Diapers

 

One can never go wrong with diapers as gifts.  But this one is reusable!  How cool is that!  Its a cotton diaper from Chino Pino, pre-folded and shaped, with velcro sides that no pins or clips are needed. Tita Teresa, a mother of four (4) kids, swears by this.  I agree, this is such a find that I bought an additional dozen for Nina. 🙂

5.  Baby Bottles

 Another great gift as it is a must-have:  baby bottles! Most mothers I’ve talked to swear by Avent because of its durability and anti-kolic feeding nipples.  A set such as this comes with two 4 oz. bottles, two 9 oz. bottles and extra feeding nipples.  I wished Tata Gi included the Avent sterilizer with the set. 😉

6. Bathtub

 

A baby bathtub is a necessity, not only for baby’s hygiene but mommy’s convenience as well.  Baby bathtubs come in different shapes, sizes and color.  But I like this one because it’s portable- it folds and snaps in the middle, perfect for storage and those family-outings.  Its in a reclining form, with rubber mat, that one doesn’t need to purchase a separate reclining bath seat for the baby.  There’s also space for shampoo, washtowel and soap on the other side.  Lola Inday was surely smart to get this for Nina.

By the way, I just discovered that there’s a new bath tub model out in the market these days.  It comes with a shower nozzle that’s attached to a round water container.  Pretty convenient but the price is quite steep – P 2,300.00.  

7.  Toiletries

What’s a bathtub without the toiletries!  Babies need their shampoo, soap, lotion, powder, diaper rash creams, colognes, etc.  And what better way to present and package this than in a cute wicker basket with pink baby bear to boot!  Tita Nikki surely knows how to tickle the kikay in Nina! 

8. Child Care Kit

 

Babies are truly such a different breed that they need a whole new set of grooming tools just for themselves.  Ibyang swears by Safety 1st as her lifeline to sanity in grooming her daughter Gia.  It also comes with a thermometer and a mucus-extraction tool.  I like this one for its hard case.  Makes me look like I know what I’m doing. Hehe!

9.   Baby Carrier

This is the next best thing to being gifted a stroller.  If mommy is young, athletic, and don’t have much pregnancy weight lagging around, a baby carrier is the way to go.  They say it strengthens the bond between mother and baby as opposed to having baby relegated in the stroller.  It also eases the pain from those tired arm muscles.  Just be carefull not to forget you have a bundle in front of you!

10.  Baby Bag

Mommy still needs to look stylish during those weekend jaunts.  Ate Rose got me this baby bag complete with a plastic changing pad and a baby wipes storage inside.  Its roomy and durable enough to keep those feeding bottles and diapers intact.  This comes in different colors and styles.  There’s even one designed especially for daddy!

11.  Baby Einstein Play Gym

 

It doesn’t have to be Baby Einstein, any play gym will do.  Anything that will stimulate baby’s auditory and locomotor skills is fine with me.  Lola Mel, Ibyang’s mom, was sweet enough to get Nina one which is portable and has a light and sound mechanism.  Can’t wait to see Nina’s eyes pop up and snatches one of those mobile figures!

12.  Baby Book

 

The book “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is one of my most cherished books as it literally guided me through every bump and jolt in each of those nine (9) months.  It is thus with much appreciation for Louella when I discovered she gifted me with this book “What to Expect the First Year”.   As I said before, the prospect of becoming a mother fills me with the same degree of trepidation as it does me with excitement.  This book, hopefully, dimishes that and answers most of the baby mystery for me. 

 

So, there it goes, my Top 12 Best Babyshower Gifts.   Practical, affordable and all given with thoughtful love to prepare me into becoming a perfect mom. 

I just hope I don’t disappoint them…least of all Baby Nina. 🙂

Cafe Juanita: Not as I remembered

It was Mr. P’s day off again…from me.

The first time I mentioned this to Blue Sneakers was to confirm that I was free to see her for afternoon coffee and dinner.   She asked that shouldn’t I spend time with Mr. P instead as it was his day off?  Answer: Nope, I will just cramp his style. 

A short note about Mr. P’s day off is thus in order:  It happens every Saturday.  A day totally devoted to himself, during which he wakes up at the crack of dawn to go to his beloved golf course.  The same ends at around 1 p.m., after which he heads to his hometown, outside Metro Manila, to play basketball with his childhood buddies.  It is usually capped with dinner with the guys or a body massage in his favorite spa.  He thereafter goes home rejuvenated (and I hope healthier) regaling me with the latest news on whoever.  This wasn’t a well-thought of arrangement, it just happened.  I give him this as I know that we both need some space to grow on our own despite our couplehood.  He in turn shows his appreciation by calling me “the coolest wife ever”.  😉

But as it is his day off, so it is mine. 

Ibyang jets me off to Cafe Juanita to treat a balikbayan friend. 

 Cafe Juanita is a privately run restaurant secluded in the heart of Pasig.  The first time I went there I was tickled by the fact that it was more of an antique shop rather than a restaurant, old knick knacks strewn everywhere, mirrors and chandeliers reminding us of our lolos and lolas houses, the emroidered doillies and hanging beads seeming to confirm that yes indeed we have just entered a different era.  Company that time was excellent that I honestly don’t remember much of the food. Or maybe the food was such a good complement to the company, I have nary a criticism? 

I thus grabbed on Ibyang’s invitation to remind myself.

The place has transformed.  It has maintained its antique ambiance but the owner has chosen to add a few red frills and boa feathers here and there, plus extended the place to the inner parts of the house.  Kischy to some maybe, but totally not my style or taste. The yellow light emanating from the chandelier reminded me of european brothels and I wouldn’t be amazed if a pipe-holding hippie were to come out from its inner sanctum.

Ibyang ordered the Two-way adobo, her friend had seafood pasta (and excuses herself for being less of an adventurer), while I ordered their much vaunted kare-kare.

I didn’t bother to try the seafood pasta.  I instantly dived into the two-way adobo, curious to see what’s the twoness all about.  Turns out that the adobo is served the normal style, the first way, boiled in vinegar, soy sauce and pepper.  But this one’s served a little sweeter, almost liked honey spareribs.  It is topped with  shredded portions of fried adobo, the second way, that lent the dish its european flair. Definitely good with rice!

The kare-kare though was such a disappointment I don’t know where to begin. In a bowl of peanut sauce, the peanut flavor one can hardly discern, floating were about 3 pieces of meat.  The pieces were cut so small that I can hardly tell whether its the shank, the pata, or the tuwalya.  Around it were about two to three pieces of green beans that were tied into a bow and about two to three pieces of cut eggplant.  I honestly didn’t know what to think!  Was a mistake made or was the chef merely trying to be funny!  It was such a fiasco of a dish, I was honestly ready to bolt out the door!

Good thing that it redeemed itself through the desserts.

 

The crepe samurai could do some work, I’ve tasted better.  But the toffee pudding served with vanilla ice cream was heavenly!  Served hot, sticky and just the right amount of sweetness, I could singlehandedly finish this off.  It was comfort food to the highest level.  Not shown here is the cassava cake that was so buttery that it just melts in your mouth!  Another winner in my book.

All in all, the experience was… an experience.  Cafe Juanita didn’t live up to its name and reputation in the entrees but properly redeemed itself in the dessert section.  If ever I would come back, you know in which portion of the meal that would be.  🙂

(Note: Pics lifted from the blog of wysgal.  Forgot my cam that time.)

It’s Baby Shower Time!

The day dawned on me bright and sunny.  Warm sunshine pierced through our window, the kind that tells you that its gonna be a beautiful day.

A smile crept up my face – it’s the day of the Baby Shower!  

About a month or two ago, Blue Sneakers told me that she’ll be hosting a baby shower for me.  I was overjoyed!  Dyahe but overjoyed!

Ibyang later joined the bandwagon and said she’ll take care of the invites and the games.  I couldn’t have asked for a better set of party planners and coordinators! Ang saya!

What followed was a flurry of activities that reminded me of the value of friendship and how blessed I am to be surrounded by good friends.

Blue Sneakers has been going through a crisis that has since evolved from being a mid-life crisis, a love crisis to a girly-girl crisis.  A corporate dragon lady, she keeps on telling me she’s out off her element on this one.  She’s been approaching the day with dread and trepidation but none was visible as she welcomed me on this gorgeous day!

 

Heaven & Eggs, Tomas Morato, was transformed! 

Theme was pastel hues of pink, blue, green and yellow.  The balloons and trimmings on the ceiling made for a good skylight!  The table centerpiece was a surprise – balloon pots filled with baby bottle, bear and candy shaped-cookies! Delectable food was elegantly lined up before the venue’s white and blue mural of the Eiffel Tower and the Tower of Pisa.

 

And the ultimate coup’ de grace’ – baby cupcakes that were all too adorable to eat! 

 

All due to the efforts of our grabegorgeous hostess!   

 

Ibyang, for her part, is likewise going through a love crisis but considered it therapy to put all her energy into designing the invitations, the placemat programme (which everyone took home and left me with no copy, buhuhu!), nametags, advise book and scrapbook. All hand-made by the way that she could easily put Martha Stewart into retirement!    

 

As the guests arrived, the party unfolded to one filled with fun and laughter.  

Ibyang was the ultimate Game Master as she introduced game after game that tickled our bones and challenged the creative part in us:  Guess who Baby Mom is, Guess Mommy’s Wishes, Guess How Big Mommy’s Tummy is, Guess the Gerber Flavor, Baby Bottle Drinking Contest, Baby T-shirt Making Contest and Baby Bingo. 

I have never seen a room filled with competitive women and endless chatter!  It was fun with a capital “F”!

Res ipsa loquitor, the pictures would just have to speak for themselves.

 

I have always loved parties.  I love the dressing up part, the eating and the merriment that comes with it. 

But, even more, I love the thought that comes into throwing it and the effort that comes into the preparation of every single detail.  It reminds me of how blessed I am to be surrounded by family and friends who love me and who are truly excited about the coming of the baby. 

This one is truly a labor of love…a story I would be eager to share my daughter one day. =-)

Changing Times …

Dinner with Nessa at Bellini’s, Cubao. 

It used to be this hole in the wall Italian restaurant (owned by a Filipina who married an Italian chef) located at the back of Marikina Shoe Expo in Cubao.  It has since expanded to include the unit next to it and a slot at busy Greenbelt Complex.

The Marikina Shoe Expo of our childhood seem to have changed and gone through a make-over.  Gone were the shoe shops known for its “pasadya” design, durable and cheap prices.  In its stead are open bars, a steak house, a palm reading nook and a few units offering art work and imported goods.  Times have truly changed…

And so have we.  Nessa is my oldest and dearest friend.  She’s among the first person I texted to share the news of my pregnancy.  She immediately called me after to say “Buntis na si Gilda…,” awe and disbelief in her voice.  I could even imagine her expression! 

She tells me that she’s going through a mid-life crisis.  I tell her I’m going through a crisis too – the gastronomic sort!  ;-p

We have shared so much fun and secrets together.  How we have changed and grown…but never apart.  Just as when I shared my childhood dreams with her so I am glad to be able to share my hopes and aspirations about motherhood with her. 

Times may have changed, but I’m glad some things haven’t.  😉