Happy New Year!!!

I'd like to take the time to greet all of you a very Happy New Year!!! I pray for a huge breakthrough for all of us in all aspects of our lives! Always keep the faith and know that we have a mighty God who is always there to lift us up!

I thank you for taking the time to read all my entries and I hope it has been fun and enlightening for all of you!

Here's to a prosperous new year ahead! 2012 will be a blast with all the new things we as parents will learn from Olivia. I'm sure it'll be a fun and wild ride. 

Do continue to pray and declare good health, wisdom, grace, and happiness over your children in Jesus' name! :)

God bless!!!

Cyril aka silverfilter

Of Dogs and Babies

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it in a past post but there's some connection both deep and shallow between our dogs and Olivia.

Deep - On the morning of Olivia's birthday, before Bernice started labor, her mom told me this short story where the dog I gave Bernice when we were going out (the one in the photo named Miyu) woke up at around 3am and she was all giddy. She kept running around the house making noise. But my mom in law was wondering because it wasn't like she was frantic or making noise because she was alarmed. She was just going round and round like she was excited. This lasted for almost an hour where just went around the house barking all over like "get up, get up!" It was a really nice memory from that morning.

Another thing with Miyu is that whenever Olivia cries, she gets all alarmed and she tries to get up on the bed where Olivia is to check. If you actually see Miyu do this, it's like she's concerned checking up why Olivia's crying. It's really cute :)

Shallow - (unfortunately, we don't have any picture yet of both my dogs with Olivia... soon!) Ever since Olivia got home, whenever she cries, my dog, Techno starts barking at the top of his lungs because the newborn cry maybe sounds like cats and my dog loves chasing them. At first it was cute but of course once Olivia cries her heart out, the barking with it gets annoying. 

I'm sure our dogs know that the family has grown bigger but they know that Olivia is another person who will one day show them love and I bet they're excited :)

Olivia's Version of Shake Rattle and Roll!

My good friend Marco got to shoot this just in time hehehe I don't know why her eyes were like that. I think it's coz of the red light digicams shoot out before taking a snapshot. We just found it really funny.

It Doesn't Matter

It's funny how your kid can turn your life around in all aspects. 

Some people know me to be quite a bit of a germ freak so imagine my life experience when my baby decided to poop on my hand and pee on it all in one bathing. Yes. It's quite warm actually though I found pee warmer hehe But at the end of it all, it doesn't matter. I love my baby and I won't say that my awareness with poop and pee is thrown out the window, but the good thing is, I'm not grossed out by it. It really is a different feeling like experiencing it brings you up to another level in life and love :)

Olivia's First Christmas Party w/ The Gang

(I hope I could get the hi-res copy of this from Marco hehe)

Tonight was Olivia's first party out with our friends. It was a time to also bond with her "batchmates" Bianco and Enrico :)

We were really quite concerned initially taking Liv out since she's only 3 weeks old but we felt it would be nice for her to come and meet our friends and her baby batchmates. 

We've noticed though, like during Bernice's Christmas reunion, Olivia tends to sleep through parties when there are a lot of people. Look at the photo... she's knocked out really. I just tried to make it look like she was seated upright and awake hehe. It's actually funny coz we'd rather that she was up and that she would sleep more at home than cry hehehe

So she slept the whole time and woke up for I think an hour to let our friends see her beautiful eyes, hear her LOUD cry, witness changing diapers, feeding, and see her sleep. She really gave them the whole shebang!

Of course, everybody was trying to see which traits Liv got from me or from Bernice. One thing that stood out was that all of them couldn't stop talking about how thick Liv's hair is :)

Olivia and the Grammies!

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Both my parents don't want to be called lolo or lola or grandpa or grandma. Dad prefers to be called Popsy while mom prefers to be called Sabta (not sure bout the spelling) which is hebrew for lola. When I have grandkids of my own, I'd like to be called lolo. I'm old fashioned like that :)

Merry Christmas from the Filters!

It was a long 24th of December. Aside from the usual baby routines, I did a little bit of house cleaning with my sister while Bernice rested as much as she could coz she felt a slight fever coming and her colds was starting already :( good thing she felt better when the clock struck midnight. Before the celebrations though, I drove to the airport to pick up my dad who flew in from Davao. His flight was late by an hour! We got home just in time for Christmas. Good thing skyway was FREE so I was able to make up for the time. My future brother in law prepared for our Christmas dinner (hooray!) We had a simple selection of food with Caldereta, my bro in law's special fried chicken or what I'd like to call "Fly Chicken" coz he's chinese hehe, and his special carbonara. Tons of dessert coz we got brownies and lemon squares from a friend who bakes (yummy if you wanna order. It's very affordable! hehe), plus dad had ube which was a gift from a relative from Davao. To cap the meal off, Bernice prepared my lola's recipe of Davao Tsokolate. Perfection in a cup! :) After eating, we headed to do our family photo shoot. It's the first time for us in such a long time to be together as a family PLUS now baby Olivia and my future brother in law in a few weeks so this Christmas was REALLY special to me (I just wasn't showing it to them how I was loving it hehe). It's also why I was the one who planned the shoot and all to document this night with the whole family :)

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family!!! Don't forget to greet Jesus a happy birthday and to thank God for the gift of Salvation! :)

Love,
Cy, Bernice, and Olivia :) 

PS. Take note of Olivia's Christmas colored booties! hehe it says "My First Christmas" which was a gift by my good friend Mond and Leigh. Thanks guys!

Olivia's First Photobooth

Mom left the princess with me so I brought her to my workstation for some "photoboothing!"

I've Got The Best View From Here

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Here's Olvia resting on my chest facing daddy :) She's been tryin to raise her head actually. She's got a pretty strong neck for her age we think!

Daddy's Girl

I've only started putting Olivia on my chest the other day. Sometimes she lays on her back and sleeps with me and for this photo, she's facing me while resting her head. Couldn't resist to grab the cam for this shot!

It seems to make her stop crying (not all the time though). You might want to try it with your baby. By this time, we as parents try to come up with new ways every time to make her stop crying when the usual things we do won't seem to work at times :)

A-OK!

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Olivia had her first Pedia checkup yesterday and she's a-ok!

She just has some minor rashes on her neck, which we think is caused by the heat/weather since it's pretty much isolated on her neck under the fats hehe But still, doctor suggested for us not to use any lotion or powder or anything for her skin for the meantime. Other than that, everything's fine. She was actually very behaved during the checkup. 

One thing I won't forget though is how the doctor said that babies already know how to manipulate their parents even with just 2 weeks experience in the world. We've actually noticed that and we also try it out at times where Olivia tends to cry more when she knows that we're starting to "baby" her. Try to observe yours and see how your baby manipulates you hehe

The photo I included has Bernice and my mom in law while we were waiting for our turn at the Pedia and the other photo was simply to document the checkup by the doctor :)

Note: We almost didn't make it to the Doctor this day cuz initially we were told checkup was on the 18th and the Dr missed that it's a Sunday so we had to wait 2 more days only to be told initially that she didn't have clinic hours this week due to the holiday. Good thing we kept calling and found out she was coming in. Phew! We were concerned about her rashes:/

My Little Princess

As the days go by, we tend to already get into the groove a bit so to speak. If you remember in a previous entry I made, I already found a certain cycle or routine that I kinda do day in day out. Now I just have to find where I can squeeze in work! hehe

Anyway, my post today is more about how I turned and embraced the fact that we have a beautiful baby girl. 

As some of you know, I really wanted a boy. All because I wanted someone to carry our last name. But I do agree that having a girl first seems best for the siblings following her because older sisters or "ates" in Filipino can be more caring and somehow responsible about her younger siblings. I should know. I had one who always looked out for me and my younger sister. Up until the final moments of delivery, i was still hoping for a boy. I actually had prepared my announcement that it was a boy in my mobile phone's draft messages. I was that set on having a boy. So I won't deny that when I saw that we had a girl, I really was caught by surprise. I didn't know how to react. But I guess that's what we get for deciding NOT to find out the gender. 

It was only after a few days that I actually accepted that I now have to look after a daughter. (suddenly I hear Daughter's by John Mayer in my head) hehe I now LOVE the fact that I have a baby girl and I can't get enough of her. What was I thinking wanting a boy!?! hehe

I love my little princess and if you look at the photo I included here, she looks like a really pretty girl in the making already! We all know how newborn babies tend to look like either a boy or girl with their short hair and all. Usually we can only tell cuz of the pink clothes or the blue blankets. But in the photo, I can see our princess. I actually just came across this photo in my camera, which I think bernice's friends took while I was outside of the room. It's a bit blurred but I love it :)

 

Wattaweekend

This weekend brought firsts for Olivia once again. 

Saturday, I got victimized all over by warm projectile poop straight from Olivias bum, complete with traces of its trajectory on the mat. Serious. I was quietly doing my daddy chore in changing her diaper and while reaching for cotton to wipe her with, I felt something warm all over my left leg from the knee down. When I looked up, I then saw the path of her poop destruction. It was on the mat, outside her diaper, my leg, and on the floor. I think that was one bonding moment for both of us hehe

Sunday morning, I didn't know I was in for another treat! SHE DID IT AGAIN! While changing Olivia's diaper, another explosion took place but this time, I got lucky but more of our stuff didn't. Trajectory hit her mat, the diaper, the bed (OMG), the table where her cleaning stuff are, the dipper with warm water used to clean her up, and the cover of the container where we keep the cotton for her cleaning. It was literally a BOMB with a mighty blast radius ladies and gentlemen.

SO! Tip for the weekend for all you new dads or moms out there is to point your baby's bum not centered towards you but diagonally. It somehow makes sure you'll be safe from power poop. hehe

Then also today, it was the first time that Olivia didn't sleep since she got up. When babies are usually up for just a few hours, feed a little, poop a little, they're back to sleep. So it was quite a surprise for us that she just went on and on. If we tried to make her sleep, she'll get sleepy but she'll end up crying then she's back up. Bernice had a hard time getting her to sleep so we were taking turns trying and trying. Olivia got knocked out around 8pm I think.

I dunno how normal that is since it was the first time. We even thought Olivia might have a fever or wasn't feeling too well but upon taking her temp, she seemed fine. I just told Bernice, that Olivia might have just wanted to act like a big girl trying to be up all day and just hitting the sack at night. We really don't know. Is that common behavior in babies? We really were expecting her to be asleep after a few hours or right after feeding but she proved us wrong today.

After a long day of screaming and crying, she's now literally sleeping not like a baby but as a baby :)

She's a Star

It's been a very busy day for all of us. 

Olivia had 3 different visitors throughout the day so we were all on our feet so to speak. 

The nice thing with having friends over to visit and show some love for Olivia is that as Bern's puts it, she gets a "reliever" hehe Whoever visits is tasked to carry, sing to, and dance with Olivia when she cries. It's pretty fun and quite a bonding moment with the titas, titos, ninangs and ninongs, and the lolas. So there's an idea for all you new parents! Free yayas! hehe

In my case, it's quite busy since we had to... um, I had to prepare dinner for all our guests. Now that really isn't a big thing if you think about it. But for someone like me who doesn't know how to cook or prepare anything from scratch, the past days have really been a learning experience for me. I am slowly becoming the king of canned goods and reheating haha But seriously, it's quite an experience for me in a good way. I remember texting my wife the other day while out for groceries that I feel like I'm interested to do more cooking... maybe. But then again, it was my first time to prepare anything like that... prepared mushroom soup (thank God for soup mix!), heated the adobo (which by the way tastes better the longer you keep it), and cooked rice. Don't forget preparing the plates, bowls, utensils, glasses, bottles, etc and delivering all of them to the room and back to the kitchen plus washing! All of these were happening in the background because everybody was in the room enjoying themselves hehe It was a fun experience though which I enjoyed quite a bit :) It's all worth it for the people who loves Olivia and have made time to visit and make my wife laugh. She needed it from all the pain she had to go through...

_________

Note: visitors were Rae, Claud, Tita Nits P :)

This Makes The Cycle Worth It

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DEC 13, 2011

It' been more than a week already. By this time, all you first time dads must've gotten some cycle going already... or at least have tried to in case your baby's waking time is really random. And for someone like us, who is now very hands on without any help, the cycle and routine can really be something. Expect though that your cycle can loosen up a bit once your wife recovers fully but for now, I'm in superdad/husband mode as much as I can. The only downside of it is that I can't get ANY work done. I really can't find the time to do so.

In not so random order, here's my cycle. 

Sleep
Wake up for Olvia's "sun bath"
Sleep again (coz by the time I wake up, i must've gotten just 2 hours in at that point)
+ Wake up occasionally to change diapers
Finally wake up
Possible diaper change again
Assist in bathing Olivia
Prepare or serve food to the wife
Prepare and serve food for nanay (she's sick at the moment)
Prepare and serve food to the dogs 
Clean up after (wife and dogs hehe)
Heat water for steam treatment for Berns
Deliver water and setup steam treatment area
Heat water for berns' bath
Deliver and pour the hot water
Finally eat - This is actually my "me" time where I can sit down a bit and watch some TV while eating
Take a bath
Play with baby
Possible diaper change again
Do some chores
Be on standby for any call of the wife
Prepare for possible snack for berns once she asks for it
Carry and sing for baby all throughout the day
Prepare or serve dinner to the wife
Prepare and serve food to the dogs 
Clean up after (wife and dogs hehe)
Heat water for 2nd steam treatment for Berns
Deliver water and setup steam treatment area
+ In between all of these are the occasional diaper changes and attending to the baby when she needs me.
Once mom and baby's asleep around midnight, I get to do this blog hehe But at this time, I'm now too exhausted to be inspired creatively for work :/
 + and while typing this cycle, I even forgot to type in my dinner because yes, I also forget it with everything that's happening.  

Of course, every dad's cycle would be different. I just want to remember this cycle of mine once it frees up a bit. 

But as I mentioned in the title, just look at the video. It makes the whole cycle worth it :)

Cy

Bath Ganun?

 

Yesterday was Olivias first actual bath. 

Now before any of you think she lasted a week without one, let me clarify...

Once your baby's delivered, the remains of her umbilical cord needs to dry up (and fall off) before your baby gets an actual bath. This may last from 7-10 days as we've been told. Now while waiting for that, you can give them a sponge bath or a "cotton bath":) Of course, don't forget to clean the bellybutton area as well with cotton and alcohol while waiting as it is very important that you do so. It was once an "opening" so even if it's not a wound, it still needs to be treated as such to avoid infection.

Now about the bath, well, it's actually a challenge giving babies their bath. Most of the time, well, so far all of it, has been a challenge where Olivia just cries non stop while bathing. I've been told it's really a challenge for most babies. But we're in for only a 2nd week anyway so let's see. Maybe Olivia will enjoy it eventually :)

The picture above was taken right after her bath. I shot a video of the actual bath but it's too big a file to upload. Besides, I'm sure you won't like to watch 7 minutes of footage of a crying baby getting a bath hehe

Later in the day, I found myself cleaning the garage because Bernice's condition has improved and she's started taking in guests. After cleaning, I just waited until our friends arrived.

So... thanks to our visitors Lea and Drew who are also newly engaged! Congrats to you both! (Lea says she reads my blog so best to greet her as well here hehe). Thanks again for dinner!!! :)

OLIVIA NOTES: Her poop is starting to smell worse hehe (compared to when she was newly born)

REALIZATION: Even if my baby's poop stinks so bad, it really doesn't matter considering I'm the one who changes her diapers :)

Cy

 

OK So She Made Up For It

Dec 11, 2011

As I posted the other day, the sleepless nights kicked in so the lack of any sleeping pattern for Olivia meant that we had to get up when she's up, regardless what time it is or how long we've slept. In the past days, it was every 2 or 3 hours. So it was quite a shock for us when we all slept for 7 straight hours. Yes. 7 HOURS!

I actually sleep 8 hours ALL THE TIME. I always make sure of that and always compute my sleeping hours before going to bed to make sure I get 8, so 7's usually a no-no if possible. But surprise, surprise! I was happy with 7 this time. 

A little note: Did you know that our body is well rested for sleeping hours in intervals of 4? That's why you'll feel more rested and alive with just 4 hours of sleep than with 5 or 6 :)

Anyway, another milestone for today is that Nanay, my yaya since birth, finally met her. It's a long story why it took a few days before she did but the great thing is that she did and I was so happy seeing her all smiles upon seeing baby Olivia. Imagine how it must have felt when the baby you took care of since birth is now the one introducing their kid to you. It must really be something! I actually felt bad I wasn't able to shoot a video of the meet-up but I was too busy that day and at that very moment. I remember, I wasn't even the one carrying Olivia but my sister, cuz my hands were all dirty from working outside.

Anyway, for my little advice for today, make the most of your sleep. Seriously. You never know how long you had it until it's taken away from you hehe The first days will be hard as everybody's adjusting to the baby. It would've been nice if the baby adjusted to us, but where's the fun in that? hehe

OLIVIA NOTES: It's funny how when she cries so loud, my dog Techno starts to bark continuously because a newborn baby crying sounds like kittens or cats fighting/mating and that's Techno's favorite thing to chase hehe

REALIZATIONS: I've realized this way back but it just sprung up more today how parents or even your yayas can still look at you like you're still a baby even if you're all grown up because they've witnessed that stage in your life and bonded with you on that level. It's one feeling people may not understand until they're the ones looking at some kid who grew up already, still seeing that baby in them :)

__________

Note: Deedee (Bernice's bestfriend) and her husband, Pastor Noel visited in the evening and came up with the remix of my Bouncing Baby Girl song hahaha

Of Songs and Inspiration

Dec 12, 2011

That's me trying to copy Olivia's sleeping face. I'm really awake in the photo. But seeing that everybody's saying she looks like me, better try to get as close as I can be with the look hehe

By this time, I've already come up with tons of new songs. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to record any to remember the ideas and melodies because all were just spur of the moment type of songs just to put Olivia to sleep. I remember and recorded a few just so I can possibly work on them in the future but everything's just bits and pieces. 

Though I feel that for my electronica alter ego, I feel that Olivia's gonna be a huge inspiration for me especially for my new material for next year's releases. I even mentioned in my other FB group that she's my inspiration and people should expect some tunes with her name on it. 

There are actually a few ideas that come to mind... Songs For Olivia is gonna be a 5 track album maybe containing songs I came up with that I use to put her to sleep or to play with her. There's also a possible love song for her more in a band set-up. Lastly, I'm thinking of writing an album for moms. I dunno I just got inspired. Maybe songs parents can sing or play for their babies aside from the greatest hits every parent sings to their kids. I've been told that my album Devotion has been used to put kids to sleep by some of my friends so I might as well have a crack at it with a dedicated album :)

What talent or skill do you have? I'm sure whatever you can do or dedicate to your child will be awesome and something he or she can look back on when they grow up. It need not be grand but think out of the box and see what you can come up with!

_________

Note: Got a visit from Mira who shared tons of mother stuff and advice to Bernice :)

I Give Up. I'm Cute. - Olivia

So I saw some of my very good couple friends earlier and they were telling me I was stingy in uploading pics of Olivia so here's to a few more :) I just need time to upload and sort everything :)

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Mommy Check

DEC 14, 2011

So it's been a week since baby Olivia's been sent home and it was time to attend to mommy this time. It's her first OB check up after the delivery. 

We're glad to say that everything's a-ok! After the check up, the doctor said that she's well on her way to recovery and just gave up some follow up medication and treatments needed to complete her recovery. 

One thing to note in case it also happens to your wives or to you  (if I ever have mom readers) is that like in my wife's case, her teeth felt weird. It seems to have been caused by some calcium deficiency since she's breastfeeding already and that the milk that she gives the baby of course also drains her not only of calcium but also of liquids so mom's must always be hydrated. With this in mind, we headed to the drugstore to get some calcium tab supplements. You can also just take warm milk for calcium, but given the unfortunate experience Bernice had with milk the other day, she's staying away from it for the meantime until her tummy has recovered. 

Also, going back to the OB check up, it was funny coz I was the one with all the questions. It's worth noting down all the questions after delivery. Take note or remember all that you've observed with your wife and of course with your baby so that you can make sure that you are able to ask everything to your OB and bring up any concern. Good thing I somehow remembered most of it (I forgot only one thing hehe) and we were able to clear the air of things that were bothering us or simply puzzled us as first time parents. Don't hesitate to ask. The key here is ASK. Don't think that there's always thousands of info on Google. Remember, this is your doctor and she knows first hand your wife and she was the one who delivered your baby so it's best that the info comes straight from her. 

We got medicines at the mall so we bumped into one of our good couple friends so it was good for Bernice since she got to unwind a bit for the first time after the delivery by having a quick dinner and some fellowship.

I'll be back tracking a bit in the coming days just so I can catch up on the days I missed blogging. It's is one of the reasons I'm putting dates in my entries for now so I can just rearrange everything once I'm done with all of it :)

PS. I surprised my wife with a little box of chocolates and she cried :) I guess that's a good thing?

OLIVIA NOTES: It's funny how even the way Olivia cries sometimes makes us laugh. She really has something up her sleeve everyday.

REALIZATIONS: I don't think I needed to realize this really but it's nice to just surprise your better half once in a while. I didn't expect her to cry... she's blaming it on postpartum depression... (wink!)

Cy

So The Sleepless Nights Kick In

Dec 10, 2011

It's our first time to bring Olivia out to get a little sun. It was just in front of our room where our (not yet finished) garden is. Well, it was actually just me coz Bernice was feeling under the weather the whole day. I sang tons of songs good for 30 minutes like some Pearl Jam, and other 90s songs backwards to the 80s hehe But before that sun-drenched morning of singing, I was up all night after my gig at the Techy Romantics digital launch so the photo above was me taking over everything when I got home. Everyone was asleep now and it was my turn to look after Olivia. I guess it's pretty obvious I got bored a bit and was trying to find something to do hehe

And so I went straight til the sun came out to get her out and I did try to sleep after but there were so many things to attend to that Bernice couldn't do yet, that I really had to be on my feet on zombie mode hehe I think I got 2 hours of sleep before I was up again ripping through the day. 

i rushed to SM coz Berns asked me to get her a breast pump cuz since she wasn't feeling well, there were times she really couldn't get herself up to nurse so she wanted something for backup. I also needed to get a few things for her so I rushed to SM (which is 5 mins away from our house thank God!). 

But her sister texted me while I was wrapping up everything that Bernice couldn't breathe. So I rushed back home to find everyone in a certain level of panic and Berns having a really hard time breathing. She was cold as ice and her eyes looked like they were about to freeze. We immediately decided to rush her to the hospital but upon preparing, she sat down a bit with her mom rubbing her back, she suddenly started burping. Since we were all preparing her stuff, it took a little time and later on, she started to feel a bit better... it turned out to be gas pain. 

Now a little note to the Husbands and new dads. New moms tend to get gas pains but these pains, as we've experienced at home, aren't the tolerable kind. It's really painful as we found out through other moms as well. Best to avoid food and drinks that can cause gas to build up inside her tummy. Remember, she just gave birth so there really is some room inside for it to build up. In Bernice's case, she had cold milk. Our doctor said it kinda was a double whammy where it was milk and it was cold. So remember that as well. No cold drinks first while recovering.

Long story short, she felt better and better later on and we didn't push thru to the hospital. I was really glad and relieved. 

So our long day ended at night continuing to do our duties as new parents. This time, her family headed home so it was just us three. It was the moment of truth. Honestly, I somehow felt like, this is it. It's been hard even with all the help, now it'll just be us 2 with no help at all. But surprisingly, it was light and easy. It of course will take a bit of adjustment for sure but we'll get there. I'm having fun so far. I just wish I had time to do some work since I've been round the clock all baby and Bernice for now :)

OLIVIA NOTES: We still haven't noticed a pattern with her yet in terms of sleeping and waking up so let's see.

REALIZATION: The problem is not the sleeping late but the short hours of sleep you get since we have to wake up from time to time and for people like me who have a hard time getting back to sleep once we're up, it's a real challenge. 

 

I'm Sorry But She's Getting Cuter

DAY 5 : Dec 9, 2011

Today wasn't as explosive in terms of milestones. After having a day to adjust at home, it was just a continuation of everything. The day was spent cleaning and fixing things at home. Not that we didn't prepare but as I posted previously, as a first time parent, there are things you need to do, which may have slipped your mind. In our case, we just needed to clean up like sweep the floors, etc. Just your regular cleaning. Why? It's because since our new room now doesn't have aircon yet, the room tends to accumulate dust quite quickly since the windows are open. 

The whole family on Bernice's side helped out from her mom, her sister, and even their help at home. It was really nice of them to assist us.

So in the evening, since the family was sleeping over, I got to attend the digital launch of Techy Romantics' album entitled Escape, to which I acted as producer. I also did a set as part of the openers along with other acts like Pedicab, Paranoid City, and others. Pedicab vocalist Diego Mapa even congratulated me on stage during their set for baby Olivia, which was awesome of them to do so :)

OLIVIA NOTES: We've noticed that she sleeps like me with an arm extended upwards hehe

REALIZATIONS:  I guess I'm just being THE dad when I say she's getting cuter and I believe she is hehe I've been finding myself kissing her like crazy all the time. Just look at that picture above! :)

Olivia's First Night Photos

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As re quested by friends and family. More pics daw hehe :)

Cy

Mark The Date

Monday Dec 12, 2011 12:42am

This is just a short post. On this date and time, Olivia was in the middle of her crying spree when I suddenly thought of playing any type of music to see if she would stop. I loaded one of my deephouse tracks and she IMMEDIATELY stopped and her eyes and head pointed toward the speakers. I was so happy! Felt like I had a fan in the making hehe It was awesome. 

I have a good feeling my Olivia would be a real music lover and she'd also end up playing an instrument. Well, I'd hope she'll also do production :)

Cy

The Day After Pill

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DAY 4, Dec 8, 2011

Remember in the Matrix movie, you had to take either the red or blue pill? Well, this is it. We didn't take any pill to be in this world and we didn't need a pill to experience this type of feeling either. 

So to all of you dads out there, the day after you get home is where the fun begins. 

This is where the adjustments kicked in for me. Despite having the help of my mom and mom in law to look after the baby and help out a bit given Berns' condition, the adjustments do really start already...

You set up your bed. Where will you place the baby? Ours, well, the baby sleeps beside the mom. And the dad? Well, the first 2 nights, I slept in my studio. I'm just so glad it has a lounge area with a sofa bed haha Now I'm on the floor hehe demoted just so they can sleep ok :)

You set up your room. This is where you place the baby stuff in its "perfect" places so you know where to get things when needed. I suggest having your own little diaper changing station where your cotton, wipes, warm water, mat, and new diapers will be easy to find and reach within an arm's length. Remember, you're changing a crying baby most of the time so they will be kicking and screaming literally so make sure you won't have to leave them just to get things. 

You set up your bathroom. We should understand that our wives are recovering from the delivery so the pain from the stitches and the stitches itself need some attention like the steam, meds, etc. Right now, our bathroom has some extra dippers, basin, and a little steam area where Bernice can get her steam treatment. 

I'd like to take this opportunity to make a shout-out and thank my mom in law who helped A LOT in preparing the room, that made it easier for me to jump in and to familiarize myself with the system. 

OLIVIA NOTES: No notes for today because I've lacked sleep for almost a week already I can't remember a thing haha

REALIZATION: As much as you think you're prepared for something, you're not haha

 

 

And So She Goes Home...

Day 3 - Dec 7, 2011

After a looooong night without sleep, I finally tried to get some shut eye waking up every after 10-20 mins to open the door for nurses checkin in or to look after Olivia. Finally, an answered prayer arrived in the form of my mom in law who arrived early so she told me to get some sleep and she handled everything. I got to sleep a little and got up around lunchtime. Did some daddy duties once more and had late lunch around 4pm.

At that point, I knew we were going home as told by our Dr. So I went out to prepare and get whatever I needed for the Hospital discharge. And what's the number 1 requirement to leave? Money.

I rushed out to make it to the bank because with everything that was happening (and my mind still floating from a lack of sleep), I failed to prepare the money with me. I rushed to the nearest bank of mine to withdraw over the counter because we can't go over the daily limit and we're paying for hospital bills here. Unfortunately, I didn't make it during bank hours. Now, this was the time that my prayers doubled hehe But seriously, I was already praying to God how can I be able to pay for everything when I've got a lot of pending collectibles and due to some previous emergencies, we had to use our money. I was honestly in a bind that afternoon. It was me and God and as much as the thought of not having enough was there, I knew God will get me through it. I rushed to the mall knowing that mall banks close at a later time and made it. I was able to withdraw enough to get out of the hospital plus the fact that I could still charge some on my card, which kind of helped me a bit to get out. In a shallow way, I kind of felt already how we see desperate parents in the movies or television are when they have nothing and they need it badly for the hospital :/ Anyway, this post should be happy right? hehe so we got out of the hospital, I dropped my new family off the house along with the lolas and rushed off to the drugstore to get Bernice's medicines. 

I got back and had time to shoot some photos already :)

OLIVIA NOTES: She was behaved in the car going home. I was actually quite concerned how she would be and I was so happy she was ok on the drive home.

REALIZATIONS: I've already mentioned part of it above but it was just a continuous realization and revelation how God is faithful in our lives. I was really desperate that afternoon. I had to be strong to my wife even if she kept asking how were we going to pay for everything. I just told her let me worry about it and just reminded her to look after Olivia and herself. But seriously, my mind was trying to instill fear into my heart but I had a bigger God who replaces fear with faith. I may have wondered or even questioned myself but at the end of the day, regardless of the condition we were in, God gave me the solution to be able to go through it. I know that we may not still be out of the woods this early, I'm just glad God is with me inside the woods :)

Welcome home, Olivia. I hope you like this little world I got for you...

 

 

Rooming In and Changing Diapers

(My first pic with Olivia)

DAY 2 - December 6, 2011

Ok so I rushed back from home to get some stuff and when I got to the hospital, Oliva was already roomed in. I didn't know that baby's would be roomed in that quick but we had to adjust. It was especially hard for Bernice up until today because she's allergic to pain relievers so she's been enduring the post delivery pain the whole time. It's really heartbreaking. 

Anyway, when I arrived, my best friend Hatch and her boyfriend was already there and they helped me with some tips since Mark was once a nurse and they were so kind to even write everything down so I won't forget (THANKS GUYS!).

This day was actually transition day for me as a dad. Good thing both the lolas were there to help me out to learn the ropes. They're happy doing it anyway... you know how lolas are :) They guided me when I first changed the diaper and all the other "parenting" stuff needed to care for a baby. They should know! It's actually what I keep telling Bernice regarding all the stuff for sale shoved down parents these days... I tell her "we're here right? We're alive and well. Our parents were able to bring us up living a simple life. So we really don't need those anymore." And it's true.

It was actually a long day since we were now living it. The baby was really there to be cared for. Plus the fact that of course, some friends came over during the day to visit. It would've been easy but as I mentioned earlier, Berns was in pain the whole day due to her not being able to take meds for pain :(

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the lolas had to go home so it was all daddy from that time because Berns was stuck in bed. It was tiring but fun.

OLIVIA NOTES: When she was roomed in, she had a really nasty scratch wound on her cheek and above her lips :( her fingers must've slipped out while she was in the nursery and accidentally scratched herself. Also, this is the day I came up with her favorite song, "Bouncing Baby Girl."

REALIZATIONS: Before my day ended around dawn the next day, while I was eating Longganisa (of all meals), it suddenly sunk in. I finally felt that I was a dad. The sudden flood of emotions that I was hoping to feel the moment the baby came out arrived a little over a day late. It actually made me tear up a bit feeling and knowing that I'm now a dad and with all the love I have for my baby Olivia now, it made me tear up looking into the future that she'll one day grow up and she'll leave me when she gets married. I know it's kind of funny thinking about it this early but I really can't put to words why it made me feel that way. Maybe also it made me relate to my dad to my eldest sister. I mean, if this is how much I feel for my baby only a day in, how much worse must it have hurt for him when we lost my sister in an accident. I'm sure he, like myself now, suddenly remembered the nights he was carrying or singing her to sleep. It really saddened me. 

Also, you can stare at your baby for hours and not get tired of it. I remember when I was the one who had to look after Olivia late at night so Bernice can sleep. I had to sing to her, carry her, and dance with her in my arms, and I didn't get tired and didn't realize I was already doing it for hours.

I'm now a dad. I won't try to be the "best dad in the world" but i'll try to be the best dad for my Olivia and I pray it turns out ok :)

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Note: Visitors that day were Hatch with Mark, Hope and Shanna, Ja, Steph and her family.

Tatay Na Talaga Ako!

Olivia Soleil F. Sorongon (Born: Dec 5, 2011 at 7:10PM)

 

So the night before, everything was fine. We did our "walking" for Bernice and she even slept really late at 3am while I did a little after 5. 

She then woke me up around 6:30 to tell me that she was having contractions. Thinking that her due date's still on the 15th, we both thought it was just the beginning of the whole contractions cycle that can last for days. I can actually still see it in my head. It was like a movie. She told me to close my eyes first coz she wanted to make sure and count the intervals. But the moment I closed my eyes, she shouted "something came out!" So I suddenly stood up and she walked to the comfort room to check and true enough, there was (this is gonna be a little graphic) some bloody discharge. 

It was time. 

She then prepared herself with a bath, and I hurried to pack everything inside the car. By the time we got to the hospital it was around 8:20am. She was checked up in the ER and she was off to the labor room at I think 9am. She already had a 3 cm opening.

So there I was, sitting outside coz they don't allow dads in the labor room. I didn't know I was in for the long haul. By that time, both the "lolas" were on their way. Berns' mom arrived around 10 and my mom around lunch time. 

Long story short: I was outside waiting for 11 hours before I was called in. 

I shot inside those doors, dressed up for the OR, and headed to the delivery room with 2 cameras in hand. I got to shoot the whole delivery even the quick cleaning of the baby until the very end. Except of course the last part where they sew Berns back up :)

I could've just waited in the room to be honest, until someone called us up that it was time but the excitement to know the gender gripped me. I couldn't eat and I couldn't sleep despite having only a little over an hour's worth of sleep the night before. I wanted to be there when they called me in for delivery and I was glad I got to witness and document the whole thing. 

Of course, the most memorable moment was when I was filming the whole thing (or as movie houses call it "camcording" hehe)  and they shouted it's out and they raised the baby up for us to see... it was priceless. My eyes AUTOMATICALLY focused on the crotch area to find out the gender... it was a beautiful baby girl :) 6.7lbs at 7:10PM

Bernice gave birth at the perfect moment. The baby was ready for viewing a few minutes later and since the hospital's viewing sched was at 8pm, we had almost 2 full hours of viewing time for Olivia :)

The rest of the night was just waiting for Bernice in her room while she was in the recovery room.

I have attached one of her very first pictures. I took it using my phone cam coz our digicam wasn't charged! Oh well :)

OLIVIA NOTES: I actually got to record on video her first beautiful eyes seconds after she was delivered :)

REALIZATION: This is it. I'm finally a dad. I remember that night and even up to the next day, it still wasn't sinking in. But I am now part of the elite club of men who know how it is to be a dad. I actually feel bad for some of the bachelors because it really is a feeling men won't have or experience until you see your kid the very first time. As much as some men think it's cool or manly to be a bachelor/stud and have any girl they want. Now I know, that it takes a real man to take on the responsibilty of commitment to a wife and having a baby. I applaud all the men before me who take on the role of being husband and most especially father :)

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notes: first guests were Mara, Bernice's bridesmaid and her husband, Pastor Etienne :)

For those looking for the video. I'll just catch up on the blog updates first. Phew! I'll then find time to edit the video and upload it!