WHAT DID SANTA DROP THROUGH THE CHIMNEY?

After almost 10 years, I got to spend Christmas again with my family. It was my & Tala’s first Christmas in Sylmar. Mas masarap daw ang pasko sa Pinas. Totoo yun kung kasama mo magpapasko ang pamilya at mga mahal mo sa buhay. May mga pasko din ako na malungkot sa Pinas. Nagpalipat-lipat ako ng lugar kung saan ako magpapasko–sa mga pinsan ko, kina Kyxz, at eventually, with the Allstars na tulad ko ay malayo din sa mga pamilya nila. Pero iba ang saya ko ngayon kahit dito ako sa Amerika nagpasko, ndi lang dahil sa paskong pinoy sa bahay (dahil nagdatingan ang mga kaibigan ng kapatid ko, at ang iba naming kamag-anak), kundi dahil natanggap ko ang pinakamagandang regalo galing kay Best Friend… si Tala.

Truly, the best GIFT I ever got.

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It’s weird, but I think I miss my pre-natal days… hahaha! I miss being pampered & being spoiled by everyone. Ha-ha welcome to the real world… or to motherhood. But I’m enjoying every moment of it. Sobra.

I actually enjoyed every experience, from my pregnancy days, to the time I was in labor…

Dec. 8 4:30am, I went to the rest room & discovered that my water broke. Ganun pala ang feeling hahaha! My sister said it would be like water gushing from the faucet. & she was right! It didn’t stop & I wet the carpet on the way to the stairs to call Plo. I was laughing at myself thinking, “Haha ganito pala feeling! Eto na yun e, eto na yung hinihintay ko!” I knocked on my parents’ door & I was like “Dad, basa!” pointing to my pajama. Heehee. Plo said I was like a little girl who has wet the bed.

We all went to White Memorial, in the Dela Hoya Maternity Building. I was checked in, and my contractions didn’t start until around lunch time. I was given epidural afterwards, which was ticklish & uncomfortable. But a lifesaver. Hindi ko yata kakayanin kung wala e. Tama sila, parang times 10 ng dysmenorrhea ang sakit ng contractions.

The charge nurse got me starting with the “pushing” by 5pm. Two nurses & 2 resident doctors helped me out (my OB was a little late & was still on the way to the hospital), with my mom & Plo by my side. After more than 10 (I think) pushings, I delivered my baby. When I heard her crying it had finally sunk in that I’m finally a mother,

It was love at first sight. (The labor room in White Memorial is arranged in such a way that the baby stays with the mother right after baby is born. Babies are not brought to the nursery anymore. So Tala never left my side from the moment she was born to the time we checked out.) I couldn’t take my eyes off her as the nurse cleaned her up & did the Apgar test. My eyes was glued to her that I didn’t realize that my OB has arrived & was stiching me already down there hahaha!

Sarap ng feeling.

We named her Kaitlin Achilla which means “brave one” / “warrior.” Alam ko, ramdam ko na sobra tapang nya e. And like what I’ve said in my previous post, she has stuck with me throughout my pregnancy. Kahit sobra tigas na ng ulo ko sa pagpapabaya, mahigpit pa rin siyang kumapit. Hanggang ngayon naman. Just by being her, by being born, she has changed me a lot. She has both made be stronger & weaker. She has inspired me to be a better person, but at the same time, she has introduced me to my fears. If before I was so fearless (that the only thing I fear is that I don’t fear anything), now I am scared of a lot of things. But basically, I’m scared of things that might happen to her if I am not by her side… Paranoia lang siguro. But I guess kasama yun in being a parent.

It’s amazing how this little one can change me.

But anyway, on a lighter note, I now have a best friend for life.

Hay… I miss her already, hahaha! I’m just a few feet away from her yet I miss her. Sabi nga ng kaibigan kong si Malove, she will be “a little piece of heaven.” Right. Imma get the hell out of here & go back to heaven now. Ciao!