Little Man's Mustache Bash

I totally understand why parents spend loads of money on a big first birthday party--your kid only reaches this milestone once. But I guess I'm just...cheap practical? I figured A's not going to remember the party anyway, so I just wanted a small family-only thing at home. (On a side note, there's a funny piece called "Down with Big Birthday" about how ridiculous the "Birthday-Industrial Complex" has gotten.) 

I decided on a little man/mustache theme because 1) A really did seem like a little man, and 2) he has three mustache sandos that he regularly wears, so it's kind of his thing. Pretty much everything in this party (if you could call it that) was DIY. Because the holidays weren't hectic enough.@_@ Some photos (some were taken by my SIL): 

My Photoshop/InDesign skills were tested when I made the invitations (our assistant art director Theo made the background). I know everyone does Facebook invites nowadays, but I printed them out anyway. 

I made bunting to hang all around...

...and mixed some with Japanese lanterns that I bought from Divisoria a couple of months before. They're still hanging in our garage (thanks for helping, Ninong Rene!)--A seemed to like them so I decided to keep them.

I hung a big sign at the gate so guests would know where the party was at.

As much as I wanted to cook, I just didn't have room for that kind of stress in my life. On the menu: chicken lollipop and spaghetti made by my mom's helper, and hickory smoked barbecue ribs (my favorite) as well as baked fish with potato gratinee (H's favorite) from Banapple. 

And it might seem silly considering it was such a small event, but I printed out signs for those too...

We had some really yummy red velvet cupcakes baked by GH food editor Roselle. (She baked A's baptismal cupcakes too!)

Some extras: I made A a birthday board with some fun facts. By hand. And considering I have terrible handwriting and have no calligraphy skills, this was a true labor of love! I used chalk on illustration board--I think I'm going to go over it a second time with chalk marker. It's a little souvenir that I'd like to keep in A's room. 

With the board, I put some disposable cameras (courtesy of H's sis) and a bunch of different mustaches, so people could snap away. Our nephews and nieces had a lot of fun with those--but they had to ask us how to work the cameras!

With my BFF (A's ninang)--because she's family

We didn't really have anything planned in terms of entertainment, except for an old-school game with a twist: Pin the 'stache on A!

For the cake, I didn't wanna spend a bundle on something fancy, so I just got a big version of the mini devil's food cake (from Chocolate Kiss) we had for his first-month birthday and decorated it with mini-bunting. (I LOVE this cake. I think I had three slices that day. We ordered two so guess where most of my holiday weight came from?)

For A's outfit, I wanted something that would go with the color scheme and theme. His red button-down shirt had a tiny mustache detail, and he wore it with comfy blue pants. I wore a stache necklace.

In the realm of first birthdays, little man's was small and simple and super casual. But hey, he seemed to enjoy it!

P.S. Need help styling an event? Email me at heretishietishie@gmail.com. :)

The Eighth Month: My Son Is A Model!

So he could get to a sitting position by himself and all that (hurray!), but the main highlight for this month is that A booked his first modeling gig!

From Smart Parenting Magazine, September 2013--that's him in the onesie with a peace sign, and in the tuxedo-onesie!

I was so flattered when the Smart Parenting editor in chief asked me if my son could model for their onesie special. *tear* There were going to be four other baby models, each one with a different personality--preppy, quirky, and so on. When I asked the EIC what my son was going to be, she answered, "He's the rocker. Siga!" (roughly translated as "tough guy"). That's my boy! Lol.

When we got to the studio, there were racks and piles of baby clothes. Like a proper fashion shoot!

Each baby was to model six outfits. I was a bit worried because dressing A had become quite a challenge (he won't stay still!), so I couldn't imagine how he would react to all those outfit changes. But he was such a trooper, not putting up much of a fuss as we changed him. Halfway through the shoot though, he took a nap. (At some point, all the babies were asleep!) What a diva!

The photographer was Patrick Martires, one of my wedding photogs. His super cute son, a few weeks younger than A, was also part of the shoot (that's him in the first photo, wearing a hat). A had just started sitting without support, so his nanny and I were seated nearby, ready to swoop in in case he fell over. I wasn't sure if he would cooperate, but thankfully he did--he sat still for a lot of the photos and it wasn't difficult to get him to smile! The first few shots though, he would give his smolder.

I was so eager to get copies of the photos that I actually took pictures of Pat's laptop! Hashtag stage mommy.

Some of the outtakes were priceless. Such as... 

West side!

THIS KID.

A couple of other shots...

After the shoot, I was asked to sign an invoice for his talent fee! My son is an actual working model! We're going to be rich!

The Seventh Month

Awesome milestones before he turned seven months--and because his brain was on overdrive, we had to deal with a few weeks of this little thing called sleep regression: You think his sleep pattern has become predictable and then, bam!, he wakes up every hour to feed/be cuddled/no reason at all. Because his brain was processing so many things, he couldn't seem to get long stretches of sleep, and would sometimes wake up in a crawling position, freaking out because he didn't know what was happening. (Poor thing.) There were nights when I slept seated in my feeding chair, with him in my arms, because it was the only way he could get any sleep. Fun!

All worth it though, because the reason his brain was hyperactive was:

• He discovered the wonders of opening and closing his hands. He has this look of amazement when he holds his hand up in front of his face!
• He started sitting up without support...

• He began sort of crawling. (Up to now, he hasn't quite mastered it, but his nanny thinks he's one of those babies who skip crawling and go straight to walking. Hmm.)

• He started putting his toes in his mouth. (I wonder if this, er, achievement is included in Baby Center's list of official milestones...)

• He kept being an absolute sweetheart.

The Sixth Month

I can't believe my little man is half a year old. *tear*

We celebrated his half-birthday in Anvaya Cove with my big extended family (more on that weekend in a future post)--my cousins, nephews, and nieces were here from all over. 

And that's not even everyone. They actually had to rent a bus.

H and I decided that we weren't going to throw A a big first birthday party (because he won't remember it anyway), so A, this is pretty much it! Hope you enjoyed it. Haha.

The highlights of the month: A is now an ambi-roller (he couldn't roll left from his tummy before), and he's finally on solids!

His first meal: brown rice cereal mixed with breast milk. He was just chill the first time, but he's loooved every meal after that. We've since introduced potato and will be moving on to squash in a couple of days. Figuring out how to get him to take more water though.

And because this post was written in a rush, I would like to make up for it by ending with this...

One of my most liked photos on FB. I love you, little man!

Will post again soon. Pinky swear.

The Fifth Month

Five months. How quickly time flies!

This little man is getting more entertaining as each day passes. He keeps rolling and rolling and rolling (you're right, Ric, he didn't forget!), and as he does so, I sing all these songs with "roll" in them ("You gotta roll with it..." "Rollin' with the homies..." "Rollin' in the deeeeeep..."). He says "mmmammmaaaaa." He super enjoys his bath. He has started showing an interest in food--he was looking at a cake display and we could see him smacking his lips! He's all serious around his daddy. He also tries to get my attention by crying, and sometimes he doesn't stop until I pick him up. Sometimes he cries before I leave for work. Worst part of my day! (Personal update: My hair has seriously started falling out. Ack!)

A few photos from this past month...

My first official Mother's Day! 

Baby's first road trip!

Babiators borrowed from cousin Xabi

I couldn't resist buying him a hat and swimming trunks that could only fit him that one time (and, horrors, I had to squeeze into a swimsuit)...

Baby's first swim! He was just quiet and he kicked the water a bit. I think he couldn't wrap his head around the giant palanggana.

I now truly understand that saying about the days being long but the years being short. I've had some pretty long days and nights, especially this past week! He seems to be in the middle of a growth spurt, so he feeds every one to two hours. It's insane. I haven't had straight two hours' sleep in ages. Oh, what I would give for four straight hours of sleep! It's amazing though how one's body adjusts. I can still manage to play with him when he wakes up at 6 am, and even function at work. Motherhood is an upper unlike any other.

Even with the lack of sleep, I just want to hit the pause button. It's going by so so so fast. He'll be crawling then walking then running in no time. I am enjoying this phase immensely--he still wants to be carried and cuddled, he still makes the funniest sounds, don't have to run after him yet. I get why mothers of older kids just want to carry him!

The Fourth Month

On his fourth month, A:

• Gained 17 grams a day (above the average 10 to 15 grams a day).
• Grew 4 cm.
• Started showing off--he now easily rolls over from his back to his stomach, both left and right sides. And he does this again and again and again. But he seems to have forgotten how to roll from his stomach to back.
• Would wake up at 4 am, wanting to play. This is supposedly called reverse cycling--when baby wakes up at odd hours to spend time with mommy, who's at work all day. I'm flattered, sure, but I also need my sleep! I try not to make eye contact when I change his nappy in the middle of the night, and when he gets chatty, I just turn off the light and let him babble away in his crib til he falls asleep again.
• Started using cloth diapers. Yay Mother Earth!
• Discovered that next to milk, he likes the taste of his lampin.
• Started really laughing. (He loves our helper's antics, and I can get him to laugh sometimes by having him do a boxing combination. In the words of my former trainer: "Jab-strit-uppercut-right hook-lip hook!") Such a joy to hear!
• Started changing...on some days he looks like his daddy, on others, he looks like me. And since I was once told that I look like Jericho Rosales (whut?), it looks like we've got a future Mr. Pogi!

How you doin'?

We be chillin'.

The Third Month

My little monstar is now three months old! Hurray! He's growing so fast--I've had to put away some clothes that are a bit too snug now. *sniff* Some highlights:

• He got baptized! I was so worried that he would cry, especially when the priest poured water on him, but he was such a trooper! He didn't cry at all. But dude kept farting! Haha. He wore a really cute outfit (below, left) which H's sister got from Singapore; my brother's wife gave the shoes. For church, he also wore the baptismal gown (below, right) that my three brothers, nephews, niece, and I all wore to our own baptisms. He wore (or was made to wear) it against his father's will. Har. Sorry H. Kinda reminded me of an episode of The New Normal!

• He's been flipping over onto his back. His nanny tells me that he can flip over from back to front as well, but I haven't seen it.
• I heard him laugh for the first time.:)
• He's figured out how to suck his thumb. (I can hear him sucking away as I type.)
• He seems to be getting rounder. We aren't scheduled to see his doctor til next week so I don't know how much he weighs now. But it's immensely satisfying seeing his double chin and chubby thighs, and knowing it's all because of my milk.
• He's no longer gassy! (Knock on wood.) I had to give up dairy, which seemed to be causing all the gassiness and crying and sleepless nights. When I said goodbye to milk (which I love, by the way), he became less fussy and much happier. And that is a reason to celebrate!

Photo by Jun Pinzon. My makeup by Elaine Ganuelas, hair by Jerry Javier. Flying balloons c/o the GH team!

The Second Month

On his second-month birthday, A got totally wasted (on mommy's milk)

Things have gotten somewhat easier--because I'm not going to lie to you, the first month (the first two weeks especially) was hard. I'm the youngest in the family so I had never taken care of a baby, and so I was completely clueless. No book or birthing class can prepare you for all the inexplicable crying, for the amount of feeding a little barracuda requires, and the amount of time you need to devote to take care of a little one.  I never understood that last one until now--people say all a baby does is eat and sleep. But this one eats A LOT (and he's purely breastfed), so it's an endless cycle of feed-burp. He's also at the low end of the spectrum of average hours of sleep, and when he's awake, he demands to be entertained!

I knew that my life was going to change, but I didn't expect it to change that much. It was just the two of us for more than three years, so to say we went through an adjustment is a bit of an understatement. I went through the baby blues--I mourned the loss of my previous life, sad that things were never going to be the same again. I couldn't hop on a plane on a whim--heck, going to two-hour disc training (yes, I'm back!) requires extensive planning! Don't get me wrong, I was (and am) crazy in love with our little darling, but this new normal was taking a toll on me emotionally. It made things that much harder, and me that much sadder.

But one day I realized that I just simply had to embrace that things were never going to be the same. I was called on to be a mother--a privilege not everyone has--and it meant truly letting go of my selfish past, and loving the fact that I pretty much belonged to another human being. The minute I accepted that I was a different person with a different life now, I was ready to be a different kind of happy.

It still isn't easy. There is still some inexplicable crying sometimes, but at least we're better at reading his cues now. And he has a semblance of a routine now, and he seems to know it. By 6 or 7 a.m., I can hear him going, "Eh! Eh! Eh!" and he won't stop until someone comes and talks to him. (Yes, he "talks" now! He's quite chatty and he's got a LOUD voice, so it's hilarious.) By 11 a.m., he's ready for his bath. By 6:30 p.m., he's ready for his bedtime ritual: We change him into his jammies, and then I feed him. If he's still wide awake, I play music or read him a story. Once he's somewhat sleepy, I rock him in my arms and sing to him. Of course he's still in his newborn stage, so he throws us for a loop sometimes (e.g., sleeping four straight hours one night, then feeding literally every hour the next--guess who ends up not getting any sleep?). But it's more manageable now.

Besides, it's hard not to be happy when he's learned how to do this:

♥

The First Month

Sleepless nights. Inconsolable crying. Projectile poop.

No, this isn't college. This was A's first month.

"It's my one-month birthday! I will celebrate by crying my head off."

His milestones:

• He smiled at his daddy. Aww.
• He's able to stare at objects (and mommy) now.
• At 3.5 weeks, I put him down for tummy time. Shock of my life when he rolled over onto his back. Based on what I've read, babies normally do this at two or three months!

 

He's a strong brotha!

Things I learned this month:

• Until you experience motherhood, you have no idea how hard it is! To all mothers out there: I salute you!!!
• I can get by with less sleep than I thought possible...
• ...but I should still sleep every chance I get. (So I really shouldn't be blogging now...)
• Accept help whenever you can. Thank God for our wonderful yaya. (I will cry if she leaves us.) Thank God for my mother. Thank God for Hamil's siblings, who all carry him and cuddle him when we're together.
• We have to spend 30 minutes burping him after feeding. Otherwise, we'll find ourselves in kabag hell.

Sleeping on the job. This is A as he's being burped. Hmm.

• I shouldn't be so hard on myself. A crying baby doesn't make one a bad mother. Babies are allowed to cry. As one friend put it: As long as he's clean, fed, and burped, you're doing OK. If he cries even after you've taken care of all his needs, then there's not much else you can do.