HBDaddy Myke!

Happy birthday to our super trooper!  Thank you for your patiently enduring the kapitan's occasional meltdowns and my not-so-occasional mood swings.  You're the best!  

Oh and he is officially is his late 30s as well.  Yey! Haha! 

Officially in my late 30s

Yeah. Before I know it, the big 4-0 will sneak up on me just like that.  It seems just yesterday when I blogged about being in my mid-30s. I'm not complaining, though. I honestly don't feel old. I don't look it either! In fact, oftentimes, people cannot believe that I am way older than I look! I feel great and my life is as perfect as I can possibly imagine. I cannot thank God enough for the wonderful life he has given me --- a life with 2 wonderful boys --- Myke and Tiago.

Thing is, when one is pushing 40, with one child who's 2 years old, it is quite inevitable to be asked when is baby number 2 coming.  Some would even flat out say, "Sundan na yan!".   Of course, I know they all mean well. And I understand where they are coming from --- biological clock is ticking, hard to be pregnant when you're older, so Tiago won't grow up to be spoiled, Tiago needs a sibling, it's fun to have more than one, etc. etc.

I know it's harder to be pregnant (even get pregnant) when one is older.  However, I believe, in this day and age, anything is possible.  It just takes a bit more preparation and effort, but it's possible.  A lot of my friends can attest to that.

Tiago is growing up to be a well-rounded child.  We can proudly say he is not spoiled (definitely not a brat) and he is such a happy child.   He seems to be doing fine by himself.  I've been doing my own research about the only child syndrome and it's been debunked by so many recent researches (my favorite is the one from TIME magazine).  My only child friends even say it's no big deal.

My husband and I really wanted 2 children.   Tiago, our first, was planned.  Having him in our life has been such a joy.  However, the challenges of raising a child had made me think twice whether I want another one. There are days I feel it would be good to have another one, and there are days when I say, one is enough.  Thankfully, my husband shares the same sentiments.

We are still undecided. We are definitely not ready for another one right now.  I am forever weighing the pros and cons of whatever decision we will make.  However, I am confident that the answer will come as a light bulb moment at the perfect time.  As perfect as my life is right now.

Half-y Birthday, Tiago!

We never really celebrate Tiago's monthly mark. However, we decided to make his 6th month a little special. He is, after all, half a year old. So, we had a half round cake made with HAPPY 1/2 BIRTHDAY, TIAGO written on it. Hahaha. Trip lang. But cute, right?

So, to our little Kapitan, Half-y Birthday! 6 more months and you're already a year old!

A New Year To Look Forward To

Since I gave birth, I always looked forward to new milestones (smilestone according to Nestle :)) of my little Kapitan. Greeting 2009 made me realize that I have a whole year watch out for all these milestones, which includes his first birthday! Geesh, ang bilis talaga ng panahon!

Anyway, I hope you all had a meaningful Christmas celebration and wishing you a new year full of love, laughter and adventure!

Officially in my mid-30s

I've been telling family and friends that even birthdays take on a different meaning once you become a parent. At first, I couldn't explain why or how. After some pondering, I now know.

Not that my previous ones were less meaningful, it's just that now it's become more about my son and my husband -- a family I can call my own, rather than just myself.

More than the presents, the food and well-wishes, waking up to this was the best part of my birthday:


Credit goes to my wonderful husband who thoughtfully orchestrated the whole thing :).

Officially Parents

Presenting our baby boy....


Name: Santiago Manuel Macalino-Santos
Born on: July 14, 2008
Time: 11:43am
Where: The Medical City
Weight: 5lbs 12oz
Length: 49cm
Type of Delivery: C-Section

No words can fully describe the overwhelming happiness we feel with this latest blessing in our life.

Now, let the wild and crazy and fun ride begin...

Belated Happy Birthday

To 2 of the most important people in my life: MY PARENTS. If it weren't for everything they have taught and provided me, I wouldn't be where I am now -- happy & content. My brothers and I have always and will always be proud of growing up in a home full of love and lots of laughter (modesty aside, our friends can attest to that) and we only have our parents to thank for that.

Happy birthday, Daddy & Mommy!

Nothing but happy times since childhood days

Keeping the Memories

This was supposed to be posted for Father's Day but I was bed-ridden (I'll blog about this next), so here it is:

You know the cliche, "Out of sight, out of mind"? We use this a lot in the advertising world to convince Client that if they don't make their presence felt with their consumers, their product, no matter how great, will be forgotten.

I guess the same thing goes for people in our lives.

While doing the groceries in Pioneer Center, a very unlikely place for me to bump into someone, I came across this guy, around 60 years old, salt and pepper hair, that looked so familiar. Now, why would a guy that age be a familiar face. I scanned through my memory bank -- an ex Client? dad of an old friend? an ex officemate? a board member of some company i had a shoot with? an ex boyfriend (joke!)? I got nothing.

As our shopping carts crossed, I couldn't stop staring at him and I noticed that he stared back too! I figured, I probably looked familiar to him as well. But I still couldn't place where and how I know him. We passed each other and I had the urge to look back for another look at him. I looked back and so did he!

And like a lightning bolt, it hit me. He was an officemate and a good friend of my Dad. No wonder he looked so familiar! He'd been my Dad's right hand man since I was a baby! So, I finally found the words say: "Uhm, did you used to work for (my Dad's company)?" And he says: "Yes, a long time ago." And I introduced myself as the daughter of EdMac (yes, that's how we are all called -- Macs). His eyes lit up and hugged me tight and blurted out "Anne!".

We started exchanging our "how are yous" and quick updates about my mom and brothers. He said that it'd been such a long time and then asked: "How long has it been (since my Dad passed away)?" I said: "10 years." After we said our goodbyes, that's when it hit me so hard.

It's been 10 long years since my Dad passed away. I realized, that I had moved on...moved on so much that I do not remember him as much anymore. Memories of him do not cross my mind as often as it used to. Heck, I didn't even remember to go visit him on his death anniversary!

It's breaking my heart to realize that he's REALLY not part of my life anymore. Memories of him are moving into that hard to reach corner of my mind that, believe it or not, I sometimes have difficulty trying to picture his face! I have even forgotten that I keep a picture of him in my wallet. I have stopped including him in my stories and daily conversations (My friends used to think I'm crazy (jokingly) when I'd tell them that I need to ask permission from my Dad to go out of town :-)).

So today, as my father's day gift to him, I promise to talk about him, talk to him, include him in my prayers, visit him and just remember him more often. Dad, I'm so sorry that I don't think of you as often anymore. But I know, you know how much I love you and that you're always by my side.

Happy Father's Day to my hero, and the greatest father I know -- MY DAD.

***

On a separate note, this was the first father's day that I didn't celebrate. My Dad's in heaven, the only living grandfather I had passed away last February, my father-in-law is out of the country and my husband ain't a father yet. Kinda felt weird not to have celebrated this day. Sigh. Oh but then again, I was sick, so I wouldn't have been able to anyway. Ah well, I hope you all had a wonderful time with your own fathers and cherish them while they're still around.

Passing

The sudden death of my Dad 10 years ago came as a shock. 4 years after, we lost an uncle to cancer, but we had 10 months to "prepare" before he finally crossed over, but the pain was still as immeasurable as that of my Dad's passing.

A week ago, my grand father passed away. He died of old age. He was 93. He wasn't sick or anything, he literally just stopped breathing. Despite seeing life slip him by little by little everyday (okay, every week -- i visit every weekend), and we were sort of expecting that he will go anytime, still, when the time came, the same pain was still there.

I guess one cannot really be prepared to face the pain the is brought by the death of a loved one. One can only be consoled by the comfort and kind words extended by family, relatives and friends during this time of grief and mourning.

So, as I said in my eulogy, thank you to everyone who extended their support to our family, I'm sure my Daddy Wowo is equally grateful.

Walk me down the aisle, Daddy...

I rarely (and I mean rarely) get bouts of loneliness. And it takes a lot to make me feel sad. But there's one thought that can easily let the feeling creep in without warning -- MY DAD. I only have happy thoughts about my father (he's my hero), which makes the feeling even worse.

It's been 9 years since he passed away. I have long accepted and gotten over the fact that he's gone. Yet there are times when I can't help but feel bad that he cannot be (physically) present in my life. Gahd, I terribly miss him!

Here's a picture I always carry around and hold in my heart.

Our last Christmas together.

Lately, another sad, sad, thought has been constantly piercing my heart with such pain that I can't help but shed some tears. It's the thought of my dad not being there to walk me down the aisle on my wedding day...

Congratulations, Bro!

It was weird.

Shortly before lunch, I got a text message from my youngest brother Macky, saying he was going to graduate! That afternoon! As in, marching up on stage in a toga! It was so weird. Not that I wasn't happy, but I just found it strange that it seemed like an impromptu event (not to mention that it's already May!). To cut the long story short, they just finished defending their thesis that morning and passed, so they were allowed to graduate that same day.

Of course, we can only be proud (my mom, especially), that he's FINALLY done with school (but mind you, he's working already! naks!)! I was coming from a meeting and was worried that I might not be able to make it on time to see him walk up the stage (i'm his second mom, okay?), but thankfully, I did (I wasn't dressed for the occasion though, hehehe.).

Congrats, Migs!

Next stop, the board exams :)

When I grow up, I want to be like you

People always say that I look like my mom. I would always disagree and say that I look like my dad. Eventhough deep inside I admit that we do look alike, for some reason, I wouldn't accept it. No, my mom's not ugly. But I don't want to look like her and I can't explain why.

Maybe because I grew up practically disagreeing with her most of the time. I would find myself constantly arguing with her about almost anything -- from the style of clothes to handling relationships to what to serve during a party to what brand of soap to buy. Like teenagers, we would have bouts of "silent wars" that would last for weeks!

However, as much as I don't want to LOOK like her, I do want to BE like her. She's a wonderful person. As a wife, she kept my dad happy and thankful that he ended up with her. As a daughter, she's the lone "caretaker" of my grandparents and gladly goes about it day by day. As a sister, she's "ate" to all her 11 siblings. As a friend, her company is something that is sought during good and bad times. And last but not least, as a mother, she's a winner!

She gave up her career to take care of my dad, me and my siblings. She happily managed our household making sure it was a place we would like to spend most of our time in, where we can proudly bring our friends over, where we always feel safe -- a place we can call home. She stood strong when my dad passed away. Bravely took on the role of both mother and father to somehow ease our pain of losing a parent, tried her best to keep things "normal". She's our pillar of strength. She kept us together... happy together and continues to do so.

When I become a mom, I wish I could be half the mother that she is. Heck, I wish I could be half the person that she is!

Happy Mother's Day to the best mom in the world!

But do I REALLY look like her?