24 Aug 2012
in Life in El Nido, MOMents Tags: El Nido, friendship, Lia, MOMents, mommyhood, Palawan, Simizu Island
Through all of Lia and I’s many ups, and a significant enough number of downs, is a blossoming friendship. More than being mother and daughter, we are best friends.
The other night, as I was slaving away, like I have been the past two weeks, she and I were staying up late, me with my two laptops, many text books, pens, notebooks, and many paperwork, and she with her portable dvd player and two books she has “borrowed” from God knows where, I suddenly hear her in a very serious, commanding tone, “Mama, hug me.”
Startled, unsure of what I actually heard, the tone being commanding, my forehead creased in lines, I asked, “What?”
“Hug me!”
Bewildered at where this was coming from, I went over to her, where she promptly put her arms around me and held me quietly and tightly for about a full minute. I glanced at what she was watching, wondering if this sudden need to hug me or be hugged by me came from what she was watching, and saw that she has been watching an episode from her favorite Little Einsteins show and that there was absolutely nothing there that could have prompted this overwhelming show of emotion.
She proceeded to flip her book with one hand, while another arm was around my shoulders and we we’re like that, for about five minutes.
Ah, my darling sweet little girl… You’re the love of my life.
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02 Aug 2012
in MOMents Tags: friends, friendship, kids, MOMents, mommyhood, parenthood
I keep saying this to all my no-kids friends, of which there are plentier than plenty, since I was almost the first of all my friends put together to get married: You will never know what it takes to be a parent until you become one.
“Your life will change when you have a kid” is an understatement. Though superficially, my life now seems not too different from the one I used to have pre-baby, that’s all it is, superficially.
The very first thing I learned when I had the baby was, it’s possible to love something so much that nothing else comes close, and you will do everything, anything to make your life and that thing you love so much, work. It’s even possible to forget all other loves you once had. That was how it was for me.
When I read this article, I cried, bitterly.
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17 Mar 2012
in MOMents Tags: Lia, MOMents, mommyhood, parenting
What Just Happened Moment One:
Our bags were packed, the grandma is already at home ready to take the babysitting duties for the next three days, and I’m saying goodbye to the little one.
Mama: “Lia, mama is leaving.”
Lia: “Mama, are you going to worp? (her K’s are P’s right now)”
Mama: “No, but mama is going far away.”
Lia: “I’m going with you.”
Mama: “No baby, you can’t go with Mama this time.”
Lia: “No? Mama, stay here….” (pulling me over to lay down on the bed with her)
Mama: “Mama has to go, but Mama will be back very soon. And Mama Helen will be here to take care of you.”
Lia to her grandma: “Mama Helen, I want teem (teem is milk).”
Lia then goes over to me, puts her face very close to mine, holds my face in both her hands, looks into my eyes and whispers: “Go mama, go. Take care. Have fun,” and kisses me.
Wow. What did just happen?
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04 Jun 2011
in Friends and their Interests, MOMents Tags: baby, bags, family, Manila Baby, mommyhood
I’m still a bag-person through and through I suppose. The huge ones. I’m actually known for my brown knee-high boots and my huge bags that I lug along no matter how heavy or big for my frame. Ssshhhhh! Walang pakialamanan. 
I’ve always had this turtle-ish kind of attitude with regards to my things. I can’t be separated from my laptop, and now I can’t be separated from my folders with all my work-related and personal files, and more importantly, I can’t be separated from my 2-year old daughter. Or is it the other way around? Lia can’t be separated from me, with her proverbial, “Waiiiit, waiiiiit, waiiiiiiiit! Mama, waiiiiit!”
This situation finds me with more than just my usual huge backpack, but also with another backpack or bag for Lia – and that’s me packing light. Some days I have my Crumpler camera bag and my Travel Essentials Medicine Organizer bag too.
Since I found out that the mommy bag H’s friends gave me during Lia’s christening is already tattered and needs to be replaced, I have been scouting for mommy bags. My search led me to this, Manila Baby‘s bags!
Manila Baby’s Lifesavers bag
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03 May 2011
in Family, MOMents Tags: family, full-time mom, MOMents, mommyhood
Actually, Lia did all the “cooking” in the stores. She loves cooking – and that’s a good thing, she can do all the cooking for her Papa and Mama, since her Mama absolutely has no interest in cooking.
With my super duper friend Summer, all the way from our U.P. Rep undergrad days (and she was even my wedding coordinator back in 2006), we went to Quaipo to source out kitchen supplies and ended up with a pressure cooker, a tabletop oven and some pans. Since I could not afford the coffeemaker with espresso machine, we got coffee press instead. I’ll have to come back for that huge rice cooker because we could not carry anymore stuff.
I even bought a lot of rice lights, candles and candleholders for our Johnoy Danao event this Saturday. That was really fun!
Upon coming back to U.P. and Summer’s house where H was supposed to pick us up, Summer let me borrow her chafing dishes – for the reunion events we have scheduled at Wharf Galley this month. And, as an advanced birthday gift, she also gave me an electric griller! 
I couldn’t have been any more happier!
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07 Apr 2011
in MOMents Tags: birthday, family, Lia, MOMents, mommyhood
It’s almost one in the morning. I sit here typing away on my laptop on the bed while my daughter sleeps next to me. We spent three hours just playing on the bed tonight before she went to sleep. Since we got here, that has never happened before.
When I am here in Bicol, I get so busy that I do not get to spend a lot of time with Lia. I do not even get to sleep a lot or eat a lot for that matter. Everything seems urgent, every little thing seems important, everyone needs attention – and there is only one little me. I’m not complaining, I’m just saying how different my life here is from the life I live as a plain housewife, full-time mom, part-time photographer, part-time traveler, part-time web designer and all around procrastinator in Manila.
Here I have no concept of day and time. I get home at odd hours, sleep at odd hours, wake up at odd hours, and I can’t tell whether it’s a weekend or a weekday.
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27 Jul 2010
in MOMents Tags: family, Lia, mommyhood, potty training
WARNING: This post is for and for mommies only. If you’re not a mom, stay away from this post. 
I don’t really talk much about my daughter in my blog. Or if I do, I try to keep it to a minimum; but this post is all about mommyhood and if you’re not a mom, you will not be able to relate. If you are going to be a mom, reading might give you some insights. As for all the others, you have been warned.
Today I am one very proud momma. Today, it seemed like I have toilet-trained Lia.
A month or so ago, I saw the following signs (This is a list I took from this site):
- Your child can pull his or her pants down and then up again.
Lia has actually been able to put clothes on and off herself for a long time now. When she is sleeping for the night or her naps, I have to check on her every so often to see if she still has her clothes on. You have to understand that my daughter sleeps on her own and by herself. We just put her in her crib every time she needs to sleep and she falls asleep on her own. We never have to carry or rock her to sleep. It’s always been that way after I stopped breastfeeding her at eight months (not by choice but due to my own health), it took forever to put her to sleep when I rocked her to sleep and she was too heavy for me to carry so I just ended giving her a bottle and she fell asleep on her own. After that, she could not fall asleep as long as someone was inside the room. We always had to close the door as a signal that it was sleeping time and not playtime and that she had to go to sleep. So now, every time she is asleep, no one is allowed to go inside the room until she wakes up and calls out.
Lia is now able to put clothes on that she even sometimes puts my own blouses on her. (Did you see that photo of her wearing my blouse on my birthday? She put that on herself.)
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03 Jul 2010
in Musings Tags: El Nido, family, mommyhood, musings
I thought the shoot call time was for 7pm so I scheduled my last Lab Fest documentation, which is for Set B, for Sunday instead of today. The call time was moved to 4am for tomorrow – and that afforded me the luxury of spending the entire day with my family at home. And ahhhhhh, it’s good to be home today.
It’s been such a tiring stressful week. Yesterday I went to CCP to document Sets C and A. I had to spend some time with Lia first so I left the house at 2pm. I had initially asked my husband to drive me all the way to CCP so I’d make it. I told him I’d just pay him P250, hahaha. It being a Friday, traffic was bad. On the way to Ortigas Avenue, we turned around and decided I was just going to take the LRT.
I completely missed Suor Clara and more than half of Sa Package Counter, that was how long it took me to get there. I even fell asleep on the LRT2. Good thing I already have acceptable photos of both plays so I didn’t have to stress myself out too much at what happened.
I already found out who Actor23 is and have finally arrived at a conclusion on how to best deal with the situation. I already talked to my boss about the controversial blog, which she has been completely unaware of until today, and I know now where I should stand.
I have three reasons to be happy today.
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27 Apr 2010
in Musings Tags: mommyhood, musings, travel
As evidenced by the absence of blog posts the past week, I have been out of town and been generally busy.
Three days after Ryan and I’s trip to Calaguas Island and Bagasbas Beach in Camarines Norte, Lia and I boarded the ITI plane to El Nido, Palawan – Lia’s first trip ever to El Nido and mine’s after two whole years.
In El Nido, I visited close friends all over town, old haunts, hung out at the beach, did island hopping, reconnected with the school which was my home back in 2005 and 2006, saw my old students and attended the graduation of my then-2nd grade advisory class from grade school. It has been 4 years since I last taught at Potter’s Place School and my, how my students have changed – both physically, emotionally and perhaps, psychologically.
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17 Apr 2010
in Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, MOMents Tags: beach, Calaguas, Caramoan, Lia, MOMents, mommyhood, travel
Right now I would be (or at least I hope so) in the island of Calaguas in Camarines Norte, having fun with friends and doing grown-up things, I suppose. No, I am not bloggin’ all the way from some remote island – this is a scheduled post.
I set this trip a few months ago thinking I would be able to bring Lia with me and not miss her a lot. I mean, not bring her with me to the island where we will be sleeping in tents, but I thought, maybe I could fly to Naga, leave Pili in the early morning of Saturday and get at the Vinzons port just in time for the arrival of the other beach bummers from Travel Factor and from then on, hook up with them to the island. The going back plan was leave Daet for Naga after lunch and be back to Pili in two to three hours. All things considered, I would only miss Lia for one night. But I had not factored in the event that I would have an actual job that has responsibilities and would not be able to fly out of the city whenever I wanted to.
Thus, the flying plan was scrapped and the bus plan came in. To be brutally truthful, I hate taking the bus. I cannot remember the last time I took a bus going to Bicol. I will not elaborate now as to why, but this much I will say, I never look forward to travelling overnight by bus. Just the thought of traveling by bus makes me think of not going..
.. but I guess (or at least I hope) I am now in the island and survived the bus trip. I am (probably) laughing and having so much fun with friends frolicking in the beach…
Only trouble is, I miss you, Lia love…
My dear little one,
I wish you are laughing here with us just like we did in Matukad Island in Caramoan.
And you are enjoying the sun on your face, the breeze blowing your hair, and the sand on your feet..
We will play in the sand and splash water all around us, and over our legs and even at our faces..
Manlawi sand bar, Caramoan
I promise to put as much sunscreen on you and all over you so that you do not get burned like you did here:
Manlawi sand bar, Caramoan
We can be castaways. You can stay naked all the time (isn’t that what you always want to be anyway?) and I will take care of you.
I miss you Lia and I wish you were here with us.
Love,
Mama
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