Sophia's birth story
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Sophia, her first night at home. She fell asleep on top of me.
I wanted to remember this exact moment. It was the first time my baby fell asleep on my chest. We had just come home from the hospital. Just me, Patrick and Sophia - no yaya, no lola, no sibling, no cousins. I had no idea how to take care of a baby. She was the first newborn I had held. That night I did everything instinctively. And I didn't sleep. Not because she cried. She didn't really. But because I couldn't stop staring at her. So on day 2, Patrick got me a nurse to go on duty overnight. I had to recover my strength, I needed sleep. The nurse was there to make sure my baby would not stop breathing. (First-time parents are freakishly paranoid.)
Today my precious Sophia is 8 years old. I cannot believe how fast time is flying. I can still remember the details of the day I gave birth to her. The waiting, the excitement. And the best thing - her first look at me. Her scent. I wanted to smell her and breathe her. That whole moment is frozen in my memory. I can still remember the scent. I said the same thing when she turned six.
Sophia didn't want a party anymore. Good, because she had her relatively-big one last year. She just wanted to invite five of her closest friends to go swimming and play bowling at the club. It was so much fun, even I had fun. The girls really enjoyed every single minute. We even almost had a Manny Pacquiao encounter. One of his kids had a party at the ballroom in the same place. But of course we only found out when it was too late. He had already gone. Sigh.
There are only two famous people Sophia wants two meet. Manny Pacquiao who she calls "the greatest boxer that ever lived" and Taylor Swift. (No, we still don't have tickets to the concert. And I am devastated but not more than she is. Please ANYBODY, help me get Taylor Swift tickets. I need 3 or 4).
Listening to Taylor Swift while sending her dad a postcard. (On vacation in Canada).
She loves Taylor Swift so much she pretended to be like her - running through the meadows in Ontario. This is actually somebody's front yard overrun by weeds.
Last night the girls asked me to tell them story of the day they were born. I used to ask my dad the same thing when I was a kid. I loved hearing the story of the day I was born. I always felt so loved. So bida. Every kid must feel that way. Lily's story was funny. My water broke in the middle of the night and Patrick rushed me to the hospital. Sophia's birth was a bit more of an epic production.
I was due third week of February 2003. That time was the height of F's popularity. Cher Calvin announced she'd accepted a TV offer in the US. The show had to handle both my maternity break and Cher's departure... at the same time. So the whole team worked around the schedule that I could give birth the third week of February - give or take one or two weeks. Maila Cuevas, our researcher, organized a baby shower for me on February 6. It was going to be fancy - at the Mandarin Oriental, hosted by Sophia's godmothers, Angel and Cher. On February 4, we had a shoot-slash-party at the rooftop of Cher's condo. We shot F spiels there, the despedida episode of Cher. I remember having so much fun that time. Lots of friends, food, and in terms of fashion I was even wearing a black halter top made by Randy Ortiz. I was 36 weeks pregnant. I felt so good. Cher looked at me in the monitor and said I was absolutely glowing. I felt awesome.
Then in between shoots, I started getting cramps. I thought I was just hungry or maybe tired. But it turned out to be pre-labour pains. I went to the hospital that night and the doctor confirmed that it was starting. But she also said that it could take a few more days. So she advised me to go home and continue what I was doing. The next day I continued shooting for F. Patrick stayed with me the whole time as we were already on alert mode. There was a scheduled interview about female viagra of all things! During the interview I would pause while I was having contractions. I'm sure if we dig deep we would find the tapes in the ABSCBN archives, of me having contractions on cam. So that was it. After the viagra interview we went straight to the hospital and I gave birth the next day, February 6.
We were not prepared to give birth that early. Production-wise, things were still left hanging. The entire F team had to come to my house when Sophia was just 5 days old just so Angel and I could shoot F. It was a bit traumatic, but I still did it. Who goes on cam 5 days after giving birth? After that, I had a whole month break. And the baby shower that never happened turned into a really sweet hospital visit. Both Angel and Cher came to the hospital to deliver Sophia's gifts. That's when it dawned on me that the reason Maila kept asking me crazy questions while I was having contractions was because of the baby shower she worked so hard for. I love Maila. She still works with me in Urban Zone now.
I spent hours just staring at her. I wanted to memorize every pore and peach fuzz on her face.
First-borns are lucky. They get undivided attention. She's the only baby I could stare longingly at for hours. With Lily and Stella, there was just no time except when everyone else was already asleep. Sophia got the best of me and she continues to do so. But she is also the one who gets the most pressure from me, I think. With the eldest, every experience is new. So we tend to pour in a lot of resources just to get through each experience. And we end up expecting a lot back. By the time the younger kids go through the same, we think we're already experts. I know because I'm also the first-born girl.
Eight years old is big. She's becoming her own person now. And I love the person she's turning out to be. So she's a bit shy at school. But so was I. Socially she is more than fine. She can hold her own in any different setting. Besides, making friends is really not easy; even I find it difficult up to now. Especially if there are 40 girls in your class. I know she will find her place in that school in time. I still stare at her in awe. Not just by how she looks, but by how she does things her way. I think she is amazing and she will do amazing things when she grows up.
Sophia, MOMA New York 2005
In the meantime, I want to continue knowing her as the little girl who marvels at every new thing she sees. This girl who is always curious about the bend in the road and where it leads. The one who asks 100 questions everyday. The kid who loves all animals. The one who loves decorating our house. The one who loves dreaming and imagining. My girl who likes to learn and master things on her own before going public with it. The one who's courageous and not afraid to try.
Happy 8th birthday Little One. Don't grow up too fast.
.
Sophia, her first night at home. She fell asleep on top of me.
I wanted to remember this exact moment. It was the first time my baby fell asleep on my chest. We had just come home from the hospital. Just me, Patrick and Sophia - no yaya, no lola, no sibling, no cousins. I had no idea how to take care of a baby. She was the first newborn I had held. That night I did everything instinctively. And I didn't sleep. Not because she cried. She didn't really. But because I couldn't stop staring at her. So on day 2, Patrick got me a nurse to go on duty overnight. I had to recover my strength, I needed sleep. The nurse was there to make sure my baby would not stop breathing. (First-time parents are freakishly paranoid.)
Today my precious Sophia is 8 years old. I cannot believe how fast time is flying. I can still remember the details of the day I gave birth to her. The waiting, the excitement. And the best thing - her first look at me. Her scent. I wanted to smell her and breathe her. That whole moment is frozen in my memory. I can still remember the scent. I said the same thing when she turned six.
Sophia didn't want a party anymore. Good, because she had her relatively-big one last year. She just wanted to invite five of her closest friends to go swimming and play bowling at the club. It was so much fun, even I had fun. The girls really enjoyed every single minute. We even almost had a Manny Pacquiao encounter. One of his kids had a party at the ballroom in the same place. But of course we only found out when it was too late. He had already gone. Sigh.
There are only two famous people Sophia wants two meet. Manny Pacquiao who she calls "the greatest boxer that ever lived" and Taylor Swift. (No, we still don't have tickets to the concert. And I am devastated but not more than she is. Please ANYBODY, help me get Taylor Swift tickets. I need 3 or 4).
Listening to Taylor Swift while sending her dad a postcard. (On vacation in Canada).
She loves Taylor Swift so much she pretended to be like her - running through the meadows in Ontario. This is actually somebody's front yard overrun by weeds.
Last night the girls asked me to tell them story of the day they were born. I used to ask my dad the same thing when I was a kid. I loved hearing the story of the day I was born. I always felt so loved. So bida. Every kid must feel that way. Lily's story was funny. My water broke in the middle of the night and Patrick rushed me to the hospital. Sophia's birth was a bit more of an epic production.
I was due third week of February 2003. That time was the height of F's popularity. Cher Calvin announced she'd accepted a TV offer in the US. The show had to handle both my maternity break and Cher's departure... at the same time. So the whole team worked around the schedule that I could give birth the third week of February - give or take one or two weeks. Maila Cuevas, our researcher, organized a baby shower for me on February 6. It was going to be fancy - at the Mandarin Oriental, hosted by Sophia's godmothers, Angel and Cher. On February 4, we had a shoot-slash-party at the rooftop of Cher's condo. We shot F spiels there, the despedida episode of Cher. I remember having so much fun that time. Lots of friends, food, and in terms of fashion I was even wearing a black halter top made by Randy Ortiz. I was 36 weeks pregnant. I felt so good. Cher looked at me in the monitor and said I was absolutely glowing. I felt awesome.
Then in between shoots, I started getting cramps. I thought I was just hungry or maybe tired. But it turned out to be pre-labour pains. I went to the hospital that night and the doctor confirmed that it was starting. But she also said that it could take a few more days. So she advised me to go home and continue what I was doing. The next day I continued shooting for F. Patrick stayed with me the whole time as we were already on alert mode. There was a scheduled interview about female viagra of all things! During the interview I would pause while I was having contractions. I'm sure if we dig deep we would find the tapes in the ABSCBN archives, of me having contractions on cam. So that was it. After the viagra interview we went straight to the hospital and I gave birth the next day, February 6.
We were not prepared to give birth that early. Production-wise, things were still left hanging. The entire F team had to come to my house when Sophia was just 5 days old just so Angel and I could shoot F. It was a bit traumatic, but I still did it. Who goes on cam 5 days after giving birth? After that, I had a whole month break. And the baby shower that never happened turned into a really sweet hospital visit. Both Angel and Cher came to the hospital to deliver Sophia's gifts. That's when it dawned on me that the reason Maila kept asking me crazy questions while I was having contractions was because of the baby shower she worked so hard for. I love Maila. She still works with me in Urban Zone now.
I spent hours just staring at her. I wanted to memorize every pore and peach fuzz on her face.
First-borns are lucky. They get undivided attention. She's the only baby I could stare longingly at for hours. With Lily and Stella, there was just no time except when everyone else was already asleep. Sophia got the best of me and she continues to do so. But she is also the one who gets the most pressure from me, I think. With the eldest, every experience is new. So we tend to pour in a lot of resources just to get through each experience. And we end up expecting a lot back. By the time the younger kids go through the same, we think we're already experts. I know because I'm also the first-born girl.
Eight years old is big. She's becoming her own person now. And I love the person she's turning out to be. So she's a bit shy at school. But so was I. Socially she is more than fine. She can hold her own in any different setting. Besides, making friends is really not easy; even I find it difficult up to now. Especially if there are 40 girls in your class. I know she will find her place in that school in time. I still stare at her in awe. Not just by how she looks, but by how she does things her way. I think she is amazing and she will do amazing things when she grows up.
Sophia, MOMA New York 2005
In the meantime, I want to continue knowing her as the little girl who marvels at every new thing she sees. This girl who is always curious about the bend in the road and where it leads. The one who asks 100 questions everyday. The kid who loves all animals. The one who loves decorating our house. The one who loves dreaming and imagining. My girl who likes to learn and master things on her own before going public with it. The one who's courageous and not afraid to try.
Happy 8th birthday Little One. Don't grow up too fast.
.