The ramblings of a mother in May
May 14, 2006 | 12:00am
At 18, the idea that I was getting married had my dad take a shower with his socks on. Poor Daddy!
Who would do my wedding dress? There was no other couturier then except for Christian Espiritu. At 18, he and Inno Sotto dressed me up that December day.
As the months went by, and after one year was over, the question often asked of me was, "When are you having a baby?" There was pressure, and it was irritating. I am sure all newlyweds suffer from this inquisitiveness. Only after visits to my ob-gyn Mercelo Cruz and after everyone got tired of asking me that question did I finally conceive.
Luisita Immaculada Angeles Alexandra, shortened to Liaa (Whew! you’re probably saying), entered this world pink and fat after I was bedridden for six months from spotting. Among my girls, hers was the most painful birth. At that time, the idea of conceiving children and giving birth were never discussed at home nor in school; the nuns only taught us about bees and how pollen populated the earth. So, what did I expect? Never such pain! It was excruciating. There was no stork delivering the babies, like in most greeting cards. Yet, when I saw Liaa, so whole and perfect, the pain turned to wonder and calmness. All my five deliveries were without anesthesia! My doctor was very old-fashioned and wanted to keep the mother awake…
I remember my mother saying she gave birth to me without anesthesia, too, in the Delos Reyes home, assisted by Lola Gloria Berenguer delos Reyes, with my Lolo Moy and my Dad assisting with their buckets of boiling water.
At three, Liaa became too mischievous, throwing ashtrays on the floor of the house that belonged to her Lola Metring Sumulong Cojuangco with whom we lived with. Peping whacked her buttocks. As she got older, a tender scene reenacted often was of Liaa peeping into Pin’s crib, appreciative of her sister’s curly coiled hair that she pulled and which bounced like a spring.
If I should describe my first girl in one word, it would be meticulous. She hates creases on her clothes, and loose threads hanging on them. Dr. Liaa Bautista, I have been told, is a very thorough pediatrician who prescribes vitamins and vegetables for her patients while never eating a single leaf herself.
Josephine, our second-born, was due on March 19. Definitely this would be the boy, we said, as ultrasound was yet to be invented to detect an unborn child’s sex. We were left guessing. Was my stomach pointed or round? Did I get up on the right or left side of the bed? Remember that stuff?
Josephine Victoria arrived precisely on St. Joseph’s birthday; what a precious gift! It also marked our victory in the congressional elections. Pin was thin and sickly. We couldn’t get the proper milk to feed her that she almost left us. She was baptized in her hospital bed, but the Infant of Prague came to her rescue and saved my baby.
As a child, she ate with her nose on the plate and read with her nose on the book. A no-no for Dad and Mom, I sensed there was something wrong. Yes! She needed eyeglasses at five years old. Her little fingers, the most feminine fingers ever, learned to gently lay her hard contact lenses on her cornea in between her coughing from an allergy to chocolates.
In the years to come, Daughter 112, her communications code name, had the most horrifying battle. She endured the effects of radiation with Jojo’s unwavering support during those critical days. My appreciation for Jojo never wavers that Pin says I always side with her husband when they have a fight. My daughter, now broad, tall and ever brave, is excellent in the kitchen and with her finances. She’s a competent handyman who fixes bulbs, hammers cabinets, and screws tight our leaking pipes.
Ten years later, after personality growths, I had Mikaela who revitalized me. Arriving at the hospital, I was wheeled straight into the operating room. With every contraction, I pulled on my hair while the lady beside me screamed. I capped my ears with a pillow.
Mikee was in my belly and I wanted to hold her so badly. Ah, she was what you would call an ugly duckling. No hair other than something that looked like a crew cut but a sprinkling of straight hair nevertheless. Spoiled by me, she eventually had bad teeth from lollipops, but who could resist those soulful eyes from a toddler who slithered up to me? Everywhere I went Mikee came with me that eventually the doctor said, "Treat Mikee like a baby, she’s getting too thin going around with you."
At 13, she became athletic, and riding was her choice. She watched me as I rode; then we rode together. Then, she became a champion and was introduced to the limelight via Virgie Ramos’ Swatch commercial, "Who’s That Girl?" My dark, sweet and gentle girl had lost all her baby fat. She was finally such an attractive young girl with lots of hair that Cirio Santiago and Fernando Poe decided it was a good idea to introduce Mikee to show business.
In between acting, Mikee entered the world of politics: first full of hesitation than full of drive! She became Sangguniang Kabataan representative for the youth of Tarlac. She’s always had an affinity with children, and like a piper, kids follow her everywhere. Because of her varied activities, many have described Mikee as able to deal with people of all ages and of all classes. I’ve seen her read philosophy books and the Bible in Tagalog from her homework at Ateneo. What a feat!
Mai-Mai followed two years later. Pregnancy was becoming a habit. I was in bed for eight months this time to keep Mai after two towels soaked in blood. Day and night Shogun kept me company. Mai is a mini me. We’re studious, love novels, we like carrot cake and mix-and-match our clothes, and cream our body nightly.
We are a tightly-knit family, very clannish, and the thought of one daughter leaving us for Italy to study didn’t sit well with us in the beginning. She left anyway, or rather we allowed her to go with misgivings. But as parents, we didn’t stop our daughter from pursuing a career. We brought up our children and trust them (and ourselves) to be God-centered, morally upright, like our parents did.
China, as though planned, came two years later. Like Mai, I had an IUD, so there went another surprise. I had after her spent five years of my life in bed by now and four years in a wheelchair during five pregnancies and numerous hormone injections to keep my pregnancies. Now was the last chance for a boy. China made her entrance looking like my Dad, a chinky-eyed baby. Actually, she’s a throwback to my Visayan grandmother Lucia Dayot Hernandez, not the Manzanos of Asturias, Spain and of Atimonan, Quezon. But the mix worked terribly well.
Being the youngest, I’ve worried about her. When I was elected governor, she was still sleeping in between Peping and me every night. When I spent more time in Tarlac and China remained in Manila, she would spray my perfume on her pillow to fall asleep. She’s the only one who the drivers and guards call "boss." You will find her going around with the elite at The Fort or in a corner carinderia eating goto with her guard and driver. We scold her for overbuying shampoo and deodorants, but we get from her stock when we run out of them. This street smart interdisciplinary studies graduate’s full name is Regina Patricia, and it had to be Jose.
Without exception, all my children hid under my balloon skirts while I was dressing. Sounds like I never changed my clothes sense. I try to remember other details about my babies. Their weight, who were my first visitors, what time I delivered them – but I can’t refer to my baby books. Liaa has complete details. Pin’s are a lot, too. Mikee and Mai’s look pretty acceptable but with very few details, and China, almost blank pages except for her name. Baby books are excellent sources of reference. As a mother, keep a baby book and keep your child’s artworks, scribbles and letters to adorn your work area.
After marrying young and conceiving young, I can enjoy my five girls, sharing their clothes, perfumes, hair accessories, earrings, shoes, etc. I know Peping is the disciplinarian. I smile and think I’ve been all heart and marshmallow soft. But they’ve all turned out to be hardworking and well-meaning young women.
Who would do my wedding dress? There was no other couturier then except for Christian Espiritu. At 18, he and Inno Sotto dressed me up that December day.
As the months went by, and after one year was over, the question often asked of me was, "When are you having a baby?" There was pressure, and it was irritating. I am sure all newlyweds suffer from this inquisitiveness. Only after visits to my ob-gyn Mercelo Cruz and after everyone got tired of asking me that question did I finally conceive.
Luisita Immaculada Angeles Alexandra, shortened to Liaa (Whew! you’re probably saying), entered this world pink and fat after I was bedridden for six months from spotting. Among my girls, hers was the most painful birth. At that time, the idea of conceiving children and giving birth were never discussed at home nor in school; the nuns only taught us about bees and how pollen populated the earth. So, what did I expect? Never such pain! It was excruciating. There was no stork delivering the babies, like in most greeting cards. Yet, when I saw Liaa, so whole and perfect, the pain turned to wonder and calmness. All my five deliveries were without anesthesia! My doctor was very old-fashioned and wanted to keep the mother awake…
I remember my mother saying she gave birth to me without anesthesia, too, in the Delos Reyes home, assisted by Lola Gloria Berenguer delos Reyes, with my Lolo Moy and my Dad assisting with their buckets of boiling water.
At three, Liaa became too mischievous, throwing ashtrays on the floor of the house that belonged to her Lola Metring Sumulong Cojuangco with whom we lived with. Peping whacked her buttocks. As she got older, a tender scene reenacted often was of Liaa peeping into Pin’s crib, appreciative of her sister’s curly coiled hair that she pulled and which bounced like a spring.
If I should describe my first girl in one word, it would be meticulous. She hates creases on her clothes, and loose threads hanging on them. Dr. Liaa Bautista, I have been told, is a very thorough pediatrician who prescribes vitamins and vegetables for her patients while never eating a single leaf herself.
Josephine, our second-born, was due on March 19. Definitely this would be the boy, we said, as ultrasound was yet to be invented to detect an unborn child’s sex. We were left guessing. Was my stomach pointed or round? Did I get up on the right or left side of the bed? Remember that stuff?
Josephine Victoria arrived precisely on St. Joseph’s birthday; what a precious gift! It also marked our victory in the congressional elections. Pin was thin and sickly. We couldn’t get the proper milk to feed her that she almost left us. She was baptized in her hospital bed, but the Infant of Prague came to her rescue and saved my baby.
As a child, she ate with her nose on the plate and read with her nose on the book. A no-no for Dad and Mom, I sensed there was something wrong. Yes! She needed eyeglasses at five years old. Her little fingers, the most feminine fingers ever, learned to gently lay her hard contact lenses on her cornea in between her coughing from an allergy to chocolates.
In the years to come, Daughter 112, her communications code name, had the most horrifying battle. She endured the effects of radiation with Jojo’s unwavering support during those critical days. My appreciation for Jojo never wavers that Pin says I always side with her husband when they have a fight. My daughter, now broad, tall and ever brave, is excellent in the kitchen and with her finances. She’s a competent handyman who fixes bulbs, hammers cabinets, and screws tight our leaking pipes.
Ten years later, after personality growths, I had Mikaela who revitalized me. Arriving at the hospital, I was wheeled straight into the operating room. With every contraction, I pulled on my hair while the lady beside me screamed. I capped my ears with a pillow.
Mikee was in my belly and I wanted to hold her so badly. Ah, she was what you would call an ugly duckling. No hair other than something that looked like a crew cut but a sprinkling of straight hair nevertheless. Spoiled by me, she eventually had bad teeth from lollipops, but who could resist those soulful eyes from a toddler who slithered up to me? Everywhere I went Mikee came with me that eventually the doctor said, "Treat Mikee like a baby, she’s getting too thin going around with you."
At 13, she became athletic, and riding was her choice. She watched me as I rode; then we rode together. Then, she became a champion and was introduced to the limelight via Virgie Ramos’ Swatch commercial, "Who’s That Girl?" My dark, sweet and gentle girl had lost all her baby fat. She was finally such an attractive young girl with lots of hair that Cirio Santiago and Fernando Poe decided it was a good idea to introduce Mikee to show business.
In between acting, Mikee entered the world of politics: first full of hesitation than full of drive! She became Sangguniang Kabataan representative for the youth of Tarlac. She’s always had an affinity with children, and like a piper, kids follow her everywhere. Because of her varied activities, many have described Mikee as able to deal with people of all ages and of all classes. I’ve seen her read philosophy books and the Bible in Tagalog from her homework at Ateneo. What a feat!
Mai-Mai followed two years later. Pregnancy was becoming a habit. I was in bed for eight months this time to keep Mai after two towels soaked in blood. Day and night Shogun kept me company. Mai is a mini me. We’re studious, love novels, we like carrot cake and mix-and-match our clothes, and cream our body nightly.
We are a tightly-knit family, very clannish, and the thought of one daughter leaving us for Italy to study didn’t sit well with us in the beginning. She left anyway, or rather we allowed her to go with misgivings. But as parents, we didn’t stop our daughter from pursuing a career. We brought up our children and trust them (and ourselves) to be God-centered, morally upright, like our parents did.
China, as though planned, came two years later. Like Mai, I had an IUD, so there went another surprise. I had after her spent five years of my life in bed by now and four years in a wheelchair during five pregnancies and numerous hormone injections to keep my pregnancies. Now was the last chance for a boy. China made her entrance looking like my Dad, a chinky-eyed baby. Actually, she’s a throwback to my Visayan grandmother Lucia Dayot Hernandez, not the Manzanos of Asturias, Spain and of Atimonan, Quezon. But the mix worked terribly well.
Being the youngest, I’ve worried about her. When I was elected governor, she was still sleeping in between Peping and me every night. When I spent more time in Tarlac and China remained in Manila, she would spray my perfume on her pillow to fall asleep. She’s the only one who the drivers and guards call "boss." You will find her going around with the elite at The Fort or in a corner carinderia eating goto with her guard and driver. We scold her for overbuying shampoo and deodorants, but we get from her stock when we run out of them. This street smart interdisciplinary studies graduate’s full name is Regina Patricia, and it had to be Jose.
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