My Best Friend

"A son is a son until he gets a wife,

but a daughter is a daughter all her life."

I was 18 weeks pregnant and was eating gelato with my Kaelana when her daddy snapped this photo.

Sugar and Spice?

My daughter, Kaelana, is growing taller, brighter and more beautiful every day. Family, friends and even random strangers comment about how well-behaved she is, how socially adaptable, how friendly, how mature for her age, how NOT annoying (you know how some kids are; they push the cute envelope too far for far too long but hey, I'm not here to judge), how emotionally sensitive and how long and thick her eye lashes are. I smile proudly but deep inside, I still worry if we're raising her right, and if our parenting skills are good enough. The pretty eyes are genetic so that's something I just thank Mother Nature for.

Because of how polite, amiable and sunny Kaelana is, I also get comments from people how lucky I am to be raising a daughter and not a son. They say boys are a handful - that girls are generally easier to handle and  that Cyrus and I do not have to worry too much because Kaelana is pretty much the poster child for well-adjusted kids.

I beg to differ. Raising a daughter is not a walk in the park. And you know what, I worry most about her teenage years. The words rebellion, angst, heartbreak, body image and peer pressure come to mind. I went through the same things with my own mother. They say things have a way of coming back to haunt you, but for my daughter, I hope, with prayers and guidance, she won't have to go through very painful, life-altering (in a negative way) circumstances.

I pray fervently that Kaelana will not be a victim to nor a perpetrator of what I call "girl crimes": exclusion, vile gossip, and unnecessary drama (yes, I believe some drama is necessary). I will teach her to avoid toxic people and to walk away from situations that will make her compromise her values. I will teach her to say no. Most of all, I will teach her that what's most important is that she is happy with herself and her decisions. I hope she will  remember that I will always be there for her.

Little Girl

My princess stays at my parents' for most of the week. We recently lost her nanny - the one she had since November because she chose to work in a garment factory. We were able to secure a new one - this one much older and more experienced with taking care of children - but we still chose to have her spend most of her time at her grandparents'. After all, her bestest friend, her cousin and my nephew, Matt, is also at my parents' and her joy knows no bounds when they play together. They play tag, fly kites, make art and basically just make a colossal, happy mess at the house of their grandparents who spoil them silly.

In November, this little girl will be an only child no more. She will be a big sister. You know what they say about having children - about how your heart is walking around in another person's body? Well, there will be two little people carrying my heart soon.

13 weeks pregnant

Youth

There are things I did in my teens that I will strongly caution my daughter against doing and trying herself.

Things like getting into cars with the designated driver friend having had two bottles of beer. Or things like spending the night with two friends sleeping in a parked car on a dark street because we got locked out of my friend's dorm - What if we got mugged??? Or, just for fun, lying down on the pavement of a street in the middle of the night and scrambling to the sidewalk at the first sign of oncoming headlights. Or, because it sounded cool at the time, jumping into the pool with all our clothes on with no visibility and no idea how deep the water was.

No, I didn't do drugs, I didn't smoke, I wasn't promiscuous, I didn't associate with shady characters and I hand sanitized religiously.

Still. That was 14 years ago. Things are different now.

I want my daughter to grow up without experiencing any of the bad stuff. I don't want her regretting things. I DO want her to live her life to the fullest but I don't want her broken or scarred or hurt in any way possible.

I'm turning 31 this year. My daughter will turn eight in August.

I have roughly ten more years to arm her with the values and convictions to enable her to go through her memorable teen years carefree-ly and not carelessly.

Lucid

There is a flood of introspection that comes with tending to a sick child. My little girl was febrile last Saturday night. The bouts were sporadic. And while I wasn't really THAT wrought with worry - because she didn't lose her appetite nor all of her energy - , my heart was heavy like lead while giving her her sponge baths. I monitored her temperature, gave her her medication, read to her... All these things I did while wishing it was me who was sick instead of her.

Thankfully, she is absolutely in the pink of health right now, and it seemed that all she needed was a dose of Mama TLC. Oh, her dad was there, too. The Husband is as doting on her, if not more so. Kaelana is an only child. We can't help but fawn and fuss over her ALL THE TIME.

We shut out the world when Kaelana is sick. We always make it an opportunity to pull together and regroup. We make sure that our attention is focused and not diverted. We zero in on getting her good health back. Our little family of three withdraws into our cocoon to nurse her back to a bouncing ball of energy.

Thankfully, the extra dose of affection worked. She is now back to her bright-eyed, bushy-tailed self. And I can't be any more grateful.

Here are some photos of her that I found. She was a few weeks shy of turning a year old. Enjoy your Saturday!

little teeth

pretty eyes

tickled pink

crawler

sweetie

curious

grinning

inchworm

Have a happy weekend, friends!

Christened

Our little girl was christened three months after she was born. She was baptized at the Sacred Heart Church's Chapel of the Transfiguration.

The chapel was being renovated at that time.

Now, the baptistry is in an an entirely different space.

She didn't cry when the water was poured on her tiny head.

Kaelana had quite a number of godmothers 

and only one godfather, who wasn't even present, which is all right.

Her white christening eyelet and lace gown is from Rustan's.

I was wearing a halter neck Esprit striped dress because I was already mixed feeding her - part breast milk and part formula. I had gone back to work a week or two before.

The lunch reception was at Mooon Cafe. We had a buffet set up. Those are our good friends, Kaelana's godmother, Karen (and her husband, Mark) and Pam. Karen and Pam are my friends from high school in STC and were bridesmaids at my wedding.

My parents and sister are in the picture, together with our friends, 

Kaelana's godmother, Chiqui, and Coleen and Mahmet.

We love our friends! We're lucky they're always there for us.

Happy memories!

So Far...

I may have rung in the new year with a fractured wrist, but that didn't stop me from holding my head high, praying fervently that all will turn out positively, and taking each day as it comes. I'm happy to realize that 2013 has been treating me well thus far.

Even my friends tell me I look happier. I'm not one to put my own self on a pedestal of righteousness and positiveness but most definitely, my thoughts are kinder now, my words gentler, and my demeanor, more pleasant.

I'm not saying that things are 100 % perfect for me. I am not the zen master. I still get frazzled over my work deliverables, I worry about how the little girl feels the pressure to be absolutely faultless with the things going on in school (I don't want to talk about it, really. I know this is something my daughter can overcome with our guidance and with God's grace but in a nutshell, she's being hard on herself because I swear to the heavens, she has such a type A personality, and she really has her plate full in school) and I have my share of the occasional estrogen-filled dramas perfect for daytime soap.

BUT... I always remind myself to take a deep breath - or ten deep breaths - and a step back.

I think that it helps immensely to immerse yourself in nothing but good vibes. It helps to believe in the infinite supply of wonderful and amazing things out there that are yours IF YOU CLAIM THEM.

It looks like 2013's water snake took a chill pill, and know what? I'm glad it did.

Heaven Sent

I am a godmother to exactly two boys - Lucas Matteo, my brother's son, and Justin, my dad's cousin's son- and now, six girls - Jaelyn, Ananda Celine or Andi, Atianna Xariah or Tingky, Sage Charlotte Erzulie or Charlie, Marile, and Luisa Isabel or Wyssa.

Every time a good friend or a relative asks me to be godmother to their child, I take the role seriously. My own little girl, Kaelana, is tremendously loved by her own godparents, and by loving my godchildren - even those I see rarely - I feel that all is right in the world.

Wyssa's baptism was last week, and we were happy to welcome another little one into the Christian fold.

Here's me and Mahmet, one of Wyssa's godfathers. He's The Husband's good friend and is a newlywed. He was also one of the groomsmen at our wedding.

And here's Wyssa, our darling. That's me with Wyssa's parents, our friends, Blue and Chiqui. Chiqui is Kaelana's godmother. That's Mahmet's wife, our friend, Coleen. Look at Wyssa yawning! Her christening gown is vintage, a family heirloom.

I'm wearing this year's it color: emerald.

OOTD: mini dress bought from my friend, black tights (I use Burlington) from the department store, Charles and Keith black and gray pumps #sonotfashionblogger

photos grabbed from Coleen's Facebook

Babies are truly heaven sent. Are you a godparent too? 

First Day in Play Group

I actually missed this precious milestone because I had to work. I felt bad at first, but The Husband was able to document it pretty well, so it's all good. We had signed up the little girl for summer play school in Woodridge School at two and a half years old.

getting ready!

Look at her lashes!

OOTD: set top and skirt from Gingersnaps and Snoopy sandals

#likeafashionblogger

going to school

cutiepie

early bird and she chose a seat in front

name tag

her class

her seat mates

raising her hand

exercising their hands for coloring

school tour: going to the library

holding up their art work

putting her things away

throwing her trash

lining up for a song

She was the youngest and smallest!

singing

Yay! Good job!

Snack time! And yes, Yakult is a staple in our home.

my love

a star on her first day!

my happy beauty

daddy's little miss

Ah, awesome memories.

This post is brought to you by the fact that Kaelana is on the honor roll for the third grading quarter. I just got her report card last Saturday. 

Sinulog 2013

I'm gonna be honest. We're not big on Sinulog. The Husband also isn't, just like my family. My mom, though, gets into the whole nine days of novena before the feast day of the Holy Child (Sto. Niño), and is pretty devout in her faith, in general. I've been living in Cebu all my life, and I've only seen the Sinulog fluvial procession once. I remember only seeing bits and pieces of it because it was crowded, and I was a six-year-old perched on my dad's shoulders. I've also been to the actual street procession/parade less than five times in all my life, and to add to that, three years ago, I almost got hit and run over by a jeepney that had lost its brakes. (Remind me to tell you that story next time, okay?)

I don't hate Sinulog. I know I don't because I still get pretty excited about it every year. When you're Cebuano, I think there's that feeling of pride and pleasure that goes with having your city play host to something so deeply traditional and beautifully cultural. Let's admit it: Sinulog is a religious, cultural, social and touristy mix tape. Millions flock to my city for this event. Most are devotees and pilgrims. The rest are tourists, celebrities, travelers, photographers, artists, journalists, or just curious cats. The streets of my beloved city are so full, and the atmosphere is joyously carefree and religiously frantic.

Sinulog 2006

I even took the little girl to Sinulog five years ago.

So what makes me skip joining in the Sinulog festivities 90% of the time? Well, for one, I get claustrophic when the mardi gras throngs become this thick. That means, people step on your feet, you get shoved and squeezed, you can get lost and yes, you will get dirty. I also feel that we, Cebuanos, should come up with ways to make our annual celebration more environment-friendly. Honestly, can you imagine the massive garbage problem our city faces in the wake of the Sinulog? Lastly, the Sinulog should be a collaborative effort to make things better for everyone involved. This means, cab drivers not taking advantage of people, police providing better security and such. The Sinulog is a beautiful feast and the way we celebrate it should reflect that.

Pit Senyor, everyone!

DPE

I graduated from the University of the Philippines-Diliman in 2003. I studied BA Speech Communication. I had landed a great job - a job I keep up to this day. I was happy, but was I content? Well, three years after, I longed to be in a classroom setting once again. Because I was feeling antsy and I wanted to learn something new, I went back to school. I enrolled in my high school alma mater again. I went back to STC to get a Diploma in Professional Education (DPE). Yes, I wanted to be a teacher. I still do. I was working as a corporate trainer in a BPO. A career as a professional teacher in the academe sounded- still sounds - like a perfectly natural and perfectly wonderful route to follow.

I had to take 18 units of education subjects to get the diploma. I hear it's now 36. To qualify, you have to be a graduate of any four- or five-year college course. I took nine units in the second semester of 2007 and the next 9 units in the summer of 2008. I graduated from DPE after that. It felt great to graduate again!

my then-three-year-old

floral dress from her godmother, Snoopy sandals

#likeafashionblogger

stage

my mom and dad, and a snacking Kaelana

me, graduating

my class - that's me, third from the right, standing

Yay! We made it!

my family

This is for them!

my staunchest supporter, my greatest cheerleader

I couldn't have done it without him!

I am planning going to go back to school in June. I want to get a Diploma in Teaching Special Education (DTSpEd) so this post is brought you by Kiss Motivating Herself 101.

I can't wait!!!

What about you? What are you planning on achieving this year?