Maddie Moments: Her Baptism in Singapore

Elders say that before bringing a newborn to parks or malls or somewhere else far from home, she should first be baptized to put her under God's care and protection. And because we know that we cannot contain our wanderlust for too long, we planned Maddie's baptism just a couple of months after her birth.

 Invitation made by Mommy, of course!

My little girl knows how to pose na talaga.. ^_^

Quick note: Her baptismal gown and shoes as well as the other dress are all from the Philippines.
Baby clothes here are nice but quite expensive so we buy from PH whenever there's a chance.

On April 20th, coinciding with the Easter Sunday of 2014, Maddie was officially welcomed to God's family. The ceremony was held at the Church of Saint Michael and was officiated by Fr. Angel Luciano, the chaplain of Filipino migrants in Singapore.

 There is no special baptism here, which explains why there are so many people in this photo :) All ceremonies are communal because each church holds only one baptism every 2 months. We didn't pay anything for it though, and an offertory envelope/stipend is completely voluntary.

The Certificate of Baptism is given right after the ceremony! How efficient things are in SG!

With Maddie's Ninongs ang Ninangs.
It's not customary here to have a dozen sponsors so we limited it to 3 pairs :)

A quick side story: It is a requirement for infant baptism here that the parents are married in Catholic church and since Jhay and I are only civilly wed, we also had a wedding convalidation on the same day. A convalidation is a ceremony with the exchange of marital vows, blessing of the rings and signing of the contracts -- pretty much a church wedding without the glitz and glamour! Haha.

Our witnesses -- beside me is Maribel, my former colleague while the one next to Jhay is his cousin Ronald, who is also based here in SG.

Fr. Angel was making funny side comments as we exchanged rings hence the huge smiles on our faces. A little trivia: he is the same priest who started the Simbang Gabi tradition here in Singapore :)

Again, the Marriage Certificate was handed to us afterwards.

Woohoo! We are officially married in church, too! =)

After the baptism, we feasted on some classic Filipino dishes at Gerry's Grill (yes, the same one that we have in the Philippines!).

Their al-fresco dining area can be used for functions. You can opt for a sit-down buffet or a buffet table setup just like this for a more formal feel. And oh, see that tarpaulin in the background? It's also my labor of love :)

They have set menus or you can create your own as long as it sums up to a minimum of S$20/pax. We preferred to customize so our spread consists of Beef Caldereta, Grilled Pork Belly, Pinakbet and Palabok. Our set also includes Crispy Chicken Skin for starters, plain rice and assorted canned drinks. Both food and service are good so we keep coming back to Gerry's!

Aside from the sponsors, we made it a point to invite our friends here as our way of saying thank you for showering me and Maddie with gifts and well wishes even before her arrival.

That's Calix, another baby from our friendship circle. He's a year older than Maddie, though.

We got her cake from a local bakeshop Bengawan Solo and some customized red velvet cupcakes from Twelve Cupcakes as giveaways.

Thank you so much Godparents, Aunties and Uncles for celebrating with us! And for all these presents, too!

Love lots,
Maddie :-*

Maddie Moments: Her 2nd Month

The days went by too quickly since Maddie's arrival. Being a Mommy made me completely lose track of time. Back then, time was measured only by feeding sessions, nappy changes, lullabies on repeat and over-too-soon naps. Before I know it, Daddy's home from the office, we'd grab a dinner bite (Maddie would cry before we can even call it a full meal!), they'd have some playtime then we'd go to sleep. Another day is done just like that! But no matter how crazy those times were, I still find myself wishing we can all go back. Really, nothing compares to having your family with you :(

Okay, before I go all-out with my #OFWproblems, let me get back to business and reminisce Maddie's 2nd month :)

Her many happy smiles
She may be crying a lot when sleepy or feeling uncomfortable but majority of the time, Maddie is a happy baby!

She has this skill of making it seem like she's looking at the camera even back 
when she has yet to develop her vision fully.

Still smiling all the way to dreamland! :)

Ready for bed time in her Minnie Mouse ensemble but would still pose for the camera.

Wacky!!! :P
On a side note, the shirt she's wearing was part of the newborn pack from Raffles Hospital.
It's a very good keepsake, I must say :)

Her smile is infectious. At first I thought it's just me but a friend went out of her way to send a Facebook message just to tell me that looking at Maddie's smile makes her smile as well :)

Her 2nd Month Celebration

The obligatory monthly celeb photo :)

Lola Nelia (Jhay's Mom) was in Singapore for a 3-week vacation so she cooked some of her specialties to celebrate Maddie's 2nd month birthday.

Unlike her 1st month celebration, this time it's smaller and simpler. We prepared only a few dishes as there were only the 4 of us as well. And for me, basta may cake, happy! ^_^

Family photo in our full pambahay glory! Haha!

 Maddie: "Enough of the pictures, Mommy! T_T"

That's Lola Nelia! Thanks for the delish Lechon Paksiw, lola! :)

Hurrah for two months! ;)

Now on to the milestones...

At 2 months, we can already talk to Maddie and get some coos in response. Her favorite person to talk to is...

Daddy!!!
Look at that smile! She's ecstatic just seeing him!

Maddie listening intently to Daddy. She is a true-blue Daddy's girl!

In the morning, we would walk J to the MRT station and on our way back, we would drop by the community park for her to soak up some sun :) 

It is also around this time that Maddie started to appreciate moving objects. Hence, we got her this infant-to-toddler rocker. It comes with a removable toy bar and a musical flower so it's perfect for baby's sensory development. And of course, I loved it more because it's pink! :D

Our cutie pie with the other stuff that we bought that day. Having a baby girl gave me more reasons to shop for anything pink! Weeeee! :)

That sums up Maddie's second month happenings. Up next, her baptism here in Singapore! Stay tuned!

Maddie Moments: Maddie's Chinese Name

I have a Singaporean then-officemate who is very fond of Maddie. She liked it when I told her that she is Maddie's "fairy Godmother" and true to that name, she would always give Maddie presents just because.

Friends, meet Maddie's Aunty Adeline :-)

Of all the things she gave our little girl, my favorite is her Chinese name. Yes, Maddie has a Chinese name! Here it is...

Since Madison is a Western name, Adeline instead picked a Chinese name that resembles Jayanne and has a nice meaning, too! According to her, Jia means "additional happiness" while Ying means "luster of a gem". And that's exactly what Maddie is to us! Jhay and I were happy then but when Maddie came, it was a different level of happiness altogether! Spending each day with her is just bliss. Seeing her smile, playing with her, watching her grow and calling her ours... Oh, what an honor to have been entrusted by the Lord with a lustrous gem!

One day, Maddie will learn the Chinese language, or at least how to write her name! :D

Thank you, Aunty Adeline! What a wonderful, unique gift this is!

Maddie and Adeline, 1 year later :)

Maddie Moments: Our Breastfeeding Journey

One thing that I am very grateful for is that I grew up witnessing the wonder of Mother's Milk. My mom breastfed all 6 of us (I for 2+ years -- thanks, Mom!), so I was 101% decided that I will breastfeed Maddie for as long as she's here. I would even joke then na sayang naman my big boobs if I won't put it to good use. Haha.

Yes, I breastfeed anywhere! I'm all for normalizing breastfeeding =)

Thanks to my supportive Momma and to the equally supportive hubby for this photo.

It wasn't a walk in the park, that's true. For us, it was a struggle. There were even moments that just had me in tears especially in the first few weeks but I held on for dear life because the benefits of breastfeeding easily outweigh the challenges. Breastmilk has all the nutrients a baby needs in the first 6 months. After all, it's not called "Liquid Gold" for nothing. And I was able to prove that when time came that I had really bad cough and colds and Maddie didn't get the virus. That's because studies say that when a mother is sick, her breasts produce antibodies that shield the baby from contracting the illness. Nice, no? God's work is amazing like that =)

Dear Jesus, please bless Mommy with more and more milk for me to drink. Amen. :)

And to top it all, the bond between a mother and a child formed when breastfeeding is truly incomparable. Believe me, it was a one-of-a-kind feeling being able to nourish a little human being!

So if you are a new Mommy or a mom-to-be, take it from me... Breast is best!

And if you are not yet convinced, let me share with you a post from the Breastfeeding advocacy group I joined in Facebook, Breastfeeding Pinays. It's written by one of its admins, Ms. Bonnie Factor, and I didn't bother translating because it has more impact as it is. It's quite long but it's worth really worth reading. 

For Pregnant Members and Moms with Newborns

May milk ka na pagka panganak mo pa lang.
The body starts producing milk as soon as the placenta has been removed.
Day 1 ni baby may colostrum ka na.
Sobrang konti nyan na hindi mo makita na meron.
Kailangan mong ipa-latch baby mo every 2-3 hours 24/7 round the clock para dumating ang mature milk.
Huwag mag panic kung umiiyak ang baby. Hindi sya gutom at for sure may nadedede sya sa iyo.
Umiiyak sya dahil 9 months syang nasa loob ng tyan mo at naninibago sya sa labas.

Biggest misconception na walang milk. 
Meron pero kailangang mag-latch ang baby mo.
Huwag na huwag bibigyan ang baby ng formula matutulog sya kasi apat ang tyan ng baka.
Dalawang pang digest, dalawang pang absorb
Samantalang ang sa human baby ay isa lamang at napakaliit pa kaya natutulog ang baby kapag naka formula kasi hirap na hirap silang i-digest ang mataas na protein contents ng formula.
Dinadaan na lang ng energy nila sa pagtulog ang pag digest ng formula.
Mataas ang protein ng cows milk kasi kailangan ng baka na tumayo na at makatakbo in 27 days while brain development ang target ng breastmilk.

Kung magbigay ka ng formula at natulog ang baby mo, sinabi mo sa katawan mo na walang baby na dumedede kaya hindi sya magp-produce ng gatas.
Yan ang dahilan kung bakit hindi mo dapat bigyan ng formula ang baby mo sa hospital dahil lalong hindi dadating ang mature milk mo at hindi kailangan kasi may gatas ka hindi mo lang nakikita pero meron, madede yun ng baby mo kung ipapa latch mo sya.
Make sure you have an EBF advocate pedia.
Ang tunay na EBF advocate pedia, hindi magr-recommend ng formula kahit ano pa ang mangyari.
Dahil lahat ng breastfeeding challenges magagawan ng solution without formula.
Dapat masunod ng hospital ang unang yakap protocol and rooming-in of your baby ASAP after birth. kung hindi, ito ay labag sa milk code at puwedeng i-report ang hospital sa DOH.
Para makasigurado, gumawa ng birth plan at i-discuss ito sa OB at kukunin niyong pedia bago pa man manganak.
Ilagay sa birth plan ang kagustuhan mong mag exclusive breastfeeding, pabantayan sa asawa or kasama mo sa ospital ang iyong sanggol para makasigurado na walang formula ang ibibigay bago ito ipasuso sa iyo at i-room-in.
Magpunta sa informative posters, FAQ at Admin notes photo albums ng BFP andun lahat ang kailangan malaman.

Napaka importante na sabihan mo ang pamilya mo na mage-exclusive breastfeeding ka, kadalasan ang mga well meaning family members ang mga dahilan kung bakit nagf-fail ang mom sa exclusive breastfeeding.
Kunyari sasabihan ang Nanay na mag formula na dahil iyak ng iyak ang baby at dahil wala naman daw nakukuha na isang napaka laking maling akala.
O kaya naman ay kailangang magpahinga kaya kailangang mag formula.
O kaya e pumapayat na daw ang baby kawawa daw kaya mag formula na.
O kaya e kulang daw ang gatas dahil hindi tumutulo.
O kaya e kulang daw ang gatas dahil hindi basang-basa ang damit ng gatas.
Ihanda mo ang sarili mo sa mga ganitong reaksyon.
Kunin ang suporta ng iyong asawa at pamilya.
Be firm with what you want.
Mag attend ng breastfeeding seminar at isama ang asawa, nanay at byenan sa seminar para maintindihan nila ang halaga ng breastmilk at ang hindi magandang epekto ng formula sa inyong anak.
Have the number of a breastfeeding counselor kapag pinanghihinaan ka ng loob.
Huwag munang magpa bisita o limitahan ang oras ng mga bisita dahil magpapadede ka every 2-3 hours.
Sa oras na pinanghihinaan ka ng loob, ang simpleng hindi pagdadala ng bote at formula ay makakapagligtas sa iyong sanggol sa formula.

Ang emergency back-up na kailangan mo ay ang makapagtukoy ng breastfeeding counselor na makakatulong sa iyo at hindi ang pagdadala o pagbili ng formula.
Kumbinsihin ang asawa na kunin ang lahat ng mga gawaing walang kinalaman sa breastfeeding katulad ng pagpapalit ng diaper at pagpapa ligo ng bago nyong anak, kasama na din ang mga gawaing bahay para matutukan mo ang breastfeeding ng iyong newborn 24/7.
Pagdating naman sa rooming-in ng iyong bagong panganak na sanggol.
kung walang challenge si baby dapat naka room-in na agad sya kay mommy.
walang doktor or hospital or sinuman ang puwedeng magpigil ng rooming-in ng bagong kapanganak na sanggol.
Ang lugar ng bagong panganak na sanggol ay kasama ang nanay nya.
maraming mga sitwasyon ang sinasabi na kailangan daw obserbahan muna bago i-room-in.
Kung hindi naman naka-incubator ang newborn, pwede syang obserbahan katabi ang nanay nya.
Kung jaundice naman daw, lalong pwede syang obserbahan sa tabi ng nanay nya.
Kung may series of tests daw, bilang magulang, tanungin natin kung ano ang mga series of tests na gagawin sa ating newborn.
Ang series of tests na gagawin daw, pwede pa ding i-room-in at kunin na lang ang newborn kapag gagawin na ang series of tests o d kaya sa harapan ng magulang gawin ang series of tests.
Kung nakitang naka swero ang iyong bagong kapanganak na sanggol, magtanong agad kung bakit.
Karapatan at tungkulin ng bawat nanay ang malaman ang lahat ng inpormasyon tungkol sa kanyang bagong panganak na sanggol at magtanong ng kelan, ano, bakit, paano ang mga proseso na gagawin kung meron man - lalo na at hindi pa daw nir-room-in.

If you are interested to know more about Breastfeeding, please search Breastfeeding Pinays in Facebook. Information is key! :)


A proud BF advocate,


*Credits to BFP for all the informative photos.

Maddie Moments: Her First Month

Being the crybaby that Maddie is, the succeeding days were still full of crying and in effect, sleepless nights but by the time she turned a month old, we were pretty much getting the hang of it. The key is indulging her in about half an hour of swaying while humming "My Nipa Hut" (yes, there is an English version of Bahay Kubo!) and then ever so carefully laying her down and quickly latching her on. 

Her 1st Month Portrait

We had a bit of a struggle since matakaw sya sa milk so she has the tendency to feed even when she's already full. The ending is Maddie throwing up and Mommy panicking >_< It's really good that I had Mamita around because she would always know what to do. I was starting to get a little paranoid about it so I did a little research and learned that it's normal since the baby's digestive system is still developing. She also outgrew that phase after a couple of months :)

Maddie loving the company of Mamita and Aunt Haley.

Maddie can see us and the things around her already so her eyes would follow moving objects around the room. She started to make small responses to the sounds that she hears, too.

At 1 month, Maddie also loves to be carried all the time. People would always tell me, "wag sanayin sa karga, ikaw din mahihirapan" but I really didn't mind because I thought I won't get to carry her in my arms forever so enjoy it while it lasts. Especially now that she's already big and she's living far from us, i really really miss those days.

That, my friends, is how a tired yet happy first-time mom looks like :)

The eyebags, omg! Hahaha.

Now back to her first month birthday... To celebrate, we had a small feast at home. We invited some of her SG Ninongs and Ninangs over to join the fun.

I went a little overboard with the food. Check out in the next photos how many guests we had. Sorry, excited lang! :)

Maddie's Ninong Mike, Ninong Wendyll and Ninang Sara. These 3 were my officemates and housemates the past years.

And now, with our current housemates.

Three cheers for Maddie's first milestone!

Happy 1st Month Birthday, little one! :)