What's in Our Baby Bag

We're not celebrities, and people might not really be interested with what's inside our baby bags. However, real-life mommies and wifeys could learn a thing or two especially since travelling with a baby, who acts like a toddler, can pose a great challenge to many moms and dads. One way to avoid any inconvenience while travelling, if it's ever possible actually, is to pack well... as in really well.

Here are the things we usually bring whenever we go out with Baby Charley. Rule of the thumb is that if we're staying for two hours or more, we carry the pink bag. Otherwise, we'll just bring a bottle milk and a lampin.

1. The Essentials. 
These are matters of great consequences. Charley's survival and our sanity usually depend on these.

A. Food 
We usually carry at least 4 bottles with 4 oz of Wilkin's water each, milk container with 4 scoops of Nan HW 2 each, and a sippy cup. Philipps Avent is so pang-maharlika so Charley's bottles are Precious Moments from SM and Richel, a freebie from my breast pump from youji and me. We've finally found a great sip cup from Fisher Price.

B. Nappy Dep't 
We usually bring Huggies L by 4's and a wet wipes (we recently love the organic, __) just in case. Huggies Extra Dry is comfortable in its bikini style fit.

2. Extras
These, although essentials too, are just additional of what we already have.

A. Clothes
Charley is an active, dirt magnet, spiller baby so it's quite important that she has a set of extra clothes. Usually, we bring her Carter's dress (we love the comfort Carter's brings!), her pink posh ballerina style bonnet (a personal favourite), socks that can go with any outfit, and jacket (either her Carter's cardigan or her Jumping Beans sweater with hoodie) - all are hand-me-down from her elder cousin and family friend. Yay!!

B. Food
One thing you must know about us is that we.could.never.be.hungry. or else it's fatal. That's why besides her milk, Charley needs some extra snack, and she likes Rebisco Bibibon's best. It's tasty and healthy.

3. Add-ons
These are just the things we like to bring, but not exactly essential for survival.

A. Sandals 
Charley prefers to practice walking barefoot (and we have let het her did this several times), so she hates wearing any shoes or socks on. However, sometimes it looks awkward in photo-ops whenever Charley is barefoot. "Super lakas maka-M", according to my Mom, so we always bring her usual Ipanema sandals (hand-me-down, too!) because it is the pair she could comfortably stand on.

B. Entertainment 
Although Charley loves people in general (Brgy Captain of San Lorenzo), she's still my daughter, so it's not surprising if she's getting anti-social at times (especially during her naptimes). That's why we bring her usual favorites: a pacifier, a pacifier lace from Sesame Street, a teether (otherwise, she'd be nibbling on people and chairs), a toy, and a book she can look at eventually eat.

C. Lampin and travel size spoon and fork. 
Ever since she was 7 months, Charley loves to eat all the time. Sometimes, she would join us in meals, too. Her own set of utensils are super helpful, especially for an OC praning mommy like me.


These are the usual contents of our pink baby bag (oh my G, hand-me-down, too!) that we find very helpful.

My First Ever Real Mother's Day

Today, we celebrate Mother's Day, and this one is particularly special to me because it's my first ever real mother's day -  today, our household celebrates a ME day!

My roommate (my husband, btw) and I have always prayed for a baby, and it's rather fortunate that we have the same understanding of wanting to conceive right after we got married. And we did! a honeymoon baby whom we wanted to name, "Hector" as in Hector, Prince of Troy.

Princess Watermelon, bed space invader 

Sadly, 5-6 weeks in my pregnancy, I started bleeding profusely, was rushed to the hospital, and found out that we had lost the baby. The pain of losing what could have been our first bundle of joy was so surreal that it had taken us several weeks before we could talk about it. Of course, we could not bring ourselves to celebrate Mother's Day that year because the feeling was, "I was...but not anymore."

With God's grace, almost exactly a year after, we conceived again. Imagine the joy and our anticipation when we saw those two clear lines (we repeated the test several times just to make sure), the baby's first heartbeat, and watch that little gummy bear grow and grow and grow each month. It was heaven!

That year, though, I told my roommate that no Mother's Day celeb was gonna happen because we simply didn't want to jinx anything. Yes, somehow, pregnancy had made me a bit superstitious.

And this year, on Baby Charley's 5th month, teamhernandez household celebrates our first ever real mother's day. I was jovial, no ecstatic with the thought that finally (!) I'm a mommy.

Exactly my thought! 

Unlike most mothers who probably celebrate this day "extra extra special", I simply shared meals with my roommate and screaming offspring whom we suspect has been starting to teethe already as she is extra grumpy recently, pray our nightly rosary, and watch movies in our Pro before going to bed.

And you know what, for me, it's perfect. We may not have dined in those fancy restos or have those lovely bouquets of tulips (although i really wanted those Pandora charms badly), but celebrating the day with my two most favourite persons in the world - my roommate (my loving husband, the pillar of my strength, and the one who will pay for my bail if I go to jail) and Baby Charley (our princess watermelon, bed space invader, and the answer to our prayers and all those novenas to St Gerard and St Marie Eugenie) - is how I pray the day would go.

Surely, I'll be celebrating more and more Mother's Day with these two crazy people, but nothing can ever be more special than our first year together...my first ever real mother's day!

Teamhernandez 

Mini Vacations from Baby Charley

New mommies, you’ve got to admit, there were times you wish you were anywhere else but with your child. For someone whose independence and time for myself are a top priority, I need mini vacations from Baby Charley everyday. These are just 5 – 30 minute breaks from her so that I could recharge my energy or reset my mood.

Dates with my roommate

In fact, every time I come home from work, I would pause for 2 – 3 minutes by the doorstep. I would simply breathe and remind myself, “Hey, you’re at home now. Leave the tiredness here, the pressure from work, and the traffic stress coming here.” After this short meditation/mini vacation, I would be somewhat physically but very emotionally ready to face my loving roommate (my husband, btw) and Baby Charley.

Restroom breaks are such joy especially when Baby Charley is on exorcist-level. I would hand her to my roommate and use the “I gotta pee/poop/take a bath/check if I have period” excuse. It was a glorious 5-minute mini vacation.

Besides free food and Wi Fi, another thing I love about visiting relatives in Batangas is free yayas in persona of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They’re so excited to see Baby Charley (since we live in Makati) and couldn’t wait to hug, snuggle, and just terrorise her with love, which we very much appreciate of course. When that happens, my roommate and I can enjoy a cup of coffee and some (finally!) TV in peace.

escaping baby charley

Visiting Assumption College is also another joy for me because teachers and friends love to carry Baby Charley, too. Yes, when we’re surrounded with 10+ teachers who can’t wait to experience some Baby Charley cuteness, we could enjoy just sitting down and watching them adore her.

Of course, Baby Charley’s naptimes and afternoon power naps are excellent opportunities for mini vacations. Since her morning/noon nap usually lasts for 2 – 3 hours, my roommate and I use the opportunity to have some decent adult conversations, work on my blogs, and basically do whatever we’re supposed to do. Sometimes, I take the opportunity to catch some zzz’s, too. During her powernaps, however, we use the time to prepare for her 6pm habit and our dinner, too.

Finally, when Baby Charley is asleep by 7pm, I check some papers and prepare my lesson plans, read a book, sleep, while my roommate works on his reports, surfs the net, and just does whatever he needs to do.

New mommies, seriously, if you can find time to have your own mini vacations from your babies, please do so. It doesn’t make you less of a mother if you also find time for yourself.ü

Sugar, Spice, and Dinosaur Eyes

I used to play castles and princes with my two older brothers when I was a kid. Although the level of violence was not clearly discussed, and it really did not matter, I made one thing very clear - my brothers would play the knights or the princes, but I would not always be the princess whom they would (fine!) rescue from some random castle!

Yes, you could wear that pink ballerina hat with
your green monkey onesie

Often, I was the dragon that terrorised the castle! I would stomp my feet and fight with my brothers who used either the Nintendo guns or Leonardo's swords, and no matter how much they tried they could not kill me. Just so you know, I had secret potions that made me immortal. I was the hard-headed dragon who gave a lot of plot twists in the game.

Soon, my brothers grew tired of the game because 1) they were already in College, and I was still in Grade School, and 2) it was boring to have a dragon they couldn't kill.

Yeah, I know being the dragon is not the role girls would first pick in a role-playing game, but I grew up just fine. I grew up in the times when it's okay to be the princess and play with Barbie marrying a Cabbage Patch Kid, but there's also nothing wrong to be the dragon that could kill those stupid ducks in Duck Hunt. 

I remember telling my roommate (my husband, btw) that one of my life goals is to drive a bulldozer. I even had a matchbox bulldozer before. It was neatly placed next to my Polly Pockets and Bulbasaur. 

And this is something I wish Baby Charley to understand. 

Of course, you can have all the shoes you can afford

She should not limit herself to just having girl's stuff and doing just girl things. 

Being a girl does not mean having all things pink and yellow- from notebooks, to pens, to paper towels.

Being a girl does not mean being required to take summer ballet classes or getting the pink kinder joy or the Barbie McDonald's Happy Meal. 

Being a girl does not mean that life would be easy on her, and people would always understand her and her mood swings. Being a girl does not mean being the emotional one in the group or being a damsel in distress all the time.

She can, but it does not hurt if she could change the tires herself from time to time.

Being a girl means she could wear shirts with trains and dinosaurs or skirts with ribbons and stars. She could play soccer and basketball and climb trees and be pirates with her cousins. She could watch the Winx Club and the NBA finals. We could download Call of Duty and if she wants a "Jack and the Pirates in Neverland" birthday party theme instead of Tinkerbell, fine! She could be the big bad wolf when she goes Trick or Treating, or Princess Cinderella, or Olaf. 

and you can have wolverine and the gang
to fight against dengue mosquitoes! 

She could be anything she wants to be…because she is a girl. 

She can be confident and smart and strong just as any boy. She can express her opinions and tell people they’re wrong or apologise when she’s wrong. She can ask a man to drive for her to Katipunan or carry stuff for her. She can shout when she’s angry or punch walls if she wants to so that she could compose herself back and control her emotions again. She can be firm and compassionate at the same time.

More importantly, being a girl means working really hard to reach her dreams without stepping on anyone just to get them. She should be holding her head high for something she’s very proud of while keeping her feet firmly on the ground.

She can be all of these and more…Because. She. Is. A. Girl.

She should understand that girls aren’t just made of sugar, spice, and anything nice. Sometimes, girls are also made with dinosaur eyes.

Why I think my Daughter is Onto World Domination

so not impressed 

People who have first seen my daughter usually remarked that there's something with my child. And after longer contact, many concluded that Baby Charley is indeed up to something. If only they knew...Baby Charley is planning something -- world domination.

Fact # 1: She's friends with the right people. 
I have yet to accept the fact that Baby Charley may not be the world's friendliest baby; as you can see she's not really the "smiley" type in person and in pictures. BUT she's particularly warm with the right type of people.


For example, when I brought her to Assumption San Lo, the school we're eyeing to send her to in the future, she would not smile at people trying to make her laugh. However, she was so friendly with an RA (religious of Assumption nun) who even stepped out of the chapel to play with her.

Not to mention, Baby Charley literally squealed in delight and cuteness to our HR and Benefits Officer, oh you know that person in-charge of our SSS benefits! True enough, my SSS benefit adjustment was ready in no time.

She also made special pa-cute to the teachers of the right subjects (read as: difficult hell-raising subjects) like the Trigonometry teacher, Math Coordinator, Assistant Academic Coordinator, Physics teacher, Science Coordinator, etc. It seems as if she's saying, "Remember this cuteness if ever you're thinking of putting me on SAP."

our 3 day old, Baby Charley -- judging you

And yes, she has also enchanted a high-profile family, who loves to feed us with really good food, and high-calibre Makati Med doctors who give us discounts. Yes, our family's loyalty is sometimes based on food and freebies.

However, in reality, our Princess Watermelon is starting to build her own kinekshuns for world domination. 

Fact # 2: Her ninongs and ninangs are weapons for world domination. 
Well, lemme talk about her ninangs. One is a pink posh princess from Italy -- prolly breaking hearts of men there, the other is a Mormon who will have no bridal entourage on her wedding (if she does get married; last check, yes she will), the other would skip retreat activities with me, and the other is a golden retriever reincarnate.

And her ninongs? They all share one thing in common: heavy drinkers! So, good luck future boyfriend!

Fact # 3: She's very judgmental. 
Have you seen how she looks at people? Have you seen how she criticises your every move? Have you seen how she categorises you based on how much she'll need you in the future? Okay, maybe you haven't, but she DOES!! okay, maybe she doesn't, but that's how many people feel when Baby Charley looks at them.

Yes, #TingingMapanghamak

Yes, she can do the #deathglare

Fact # 4: She knows how to get even...in the cutest way possible.
I have told these stories to my best friend, her ninang who cringes at her "glare".

Recently, this summer, we brought Baby Charley home to Batangas for quick vacation. Her lola, of course, was super excited to show her off to the neighbours. One morning, she brought Charley outside for some sun. However, I was surprised when they returned right away. I later learnt that Charley made another baby girl, who's older than her, cry. She scratched the face of this poor soul who turned out to be the daughter of my room mate's rumoured childhood sweetheart. I was stunned and wished to think it was just an accident.

But it wasn't. I know it wasn't.

Onto World Domination

Also, Baby Charley is quite fond of all of her titos and titas from my room mate's side of the family -- except for one, her Tito Jack. She would talk with all of them, but ignore him and avoid his eyes when he tried to talk to her. This surprised us a bit since this particular tito looks like her Daddy. It was then that we realised (according to her Tito Jack's wifey) that Tito Jack's son, Joaqui, would cry at Baby CHarley's dad for no reason. He seems to be scared of him so my room mate could not carry or play with him.

That's why Charley ignores Joaqui's daddy!! It's something like, "You hate my daddy, I'm gonna hate yours" mentality.

*shivers*

Of course these are just exaggerated analogies of our 3 month old baby. She's not really onto world domination. Seriously, how could she?

She couldn't, right?

Could she?

*faints*

Why You Shouldn't Leave the Baby Alone with the Daddy

Baby Charley and her Dad have a very special bond, and it's quite obvious with the random things I discover about them. Random tricks Baby Charley does with her Daddy. 

In this video, watch Baby Charley's Puss In Boots (a Team Hernandez Terminology mentioned in this post) dances as her Dad claps his hands. 

Believe me, Mommy, do not leave your babies alone with the dad because they instantly become a toy.ü

Charley's Mommy Hack: Avoiding Becoming Mombies and Zomdads

For first time moms, actually for all mommies, sleep is very essential; especially if you have work the following day. Unfortunately though, "sleep" is a foreign word to most babies especially during the early months.

I remember how Baby Charley transformed my room mate (my hubby, btw) and me into Mombies and Zomdads (mommy and daddy zombies). We literally survive on caffeine since we barely got enough sleep. Heck, a straight 30 minutes is already a gift.

However, that was 3 months ago. Thankfully, Baby Charley's sleeping pattern has improved (a little) so we could actually (finally!) enjoy 6 hour straight of uninterrupted sleep. Sometimes.

There is a Mommy Hack though that we use to make sure I get enough sleep.

Charley's Mommy Hack # 1: Make the Baby and the Daddy fall in-love with each other 

Since Day 1, my roommate and our daughter already shared an inseparable special bond. Baby Charley would melt into her father's arms, and the sight is just lovely.

Don't get jealous, Mommies, when this happens because that means that Baby Charley prefers her Dad to rock her to sleep. When she cries at night, my roommate is the first one to get up to pick her up; Baby Charley wants it that way, anyway, so I'm not actually complaining here.

Yes, so that means I could sleep a little longer.

Okay, a LOT longer.

Okay, so maybe this is a selfish hack, but it did get me MY sleep which prevented me from killing people the following day. I teach, so imagine the number of possible casualties If I am sleep-deprived.

Yikes!

However, on a serious note....

Charley's Mommy Hack # 2: Delegation 

Sad to say, my roommate needs to sleep, too, so I could not be the only one enjoying some Zzz's. What works for my roommate and me is task delegation. We follow a certain routine of putting Baby Charley to sleep that usually starts at around 6pm.

My roommate gives Charley her evening bath while I dry and dress her. Anyway, I'm the one who is a little picky on what she wears. That also means I put on her diaper while he cleans the mess - dirty diapers and laundry, too.

I would then prepare her evening vitamins that my husband would give her. Afterwards,  I would breastfeed her until hopefully, she sleeps. However, on occasions that she does not sleep right away, my roommate would rock her to sleep. When she finally goes to sleep, we will then have our dinner. I'll set the table while he cleans up afterwards, unless BAby Charley suddenly wakes up.

When Baby Charley wakes up in the wee hours of the night, my roommate would get her and give her to me to be fed. He would then continue his sleep until I wake him up to put Charley to sleep.




I am very fortunate because I have a very supportive husband who is also very hands-on with raising Baby Charley; with him, life is a bliss.ü

Baby Gastos - Shots! Shots! Shots!

Shots! Shots! Shots!

Sorry, daddies, but I'm not talking about your favourite shots; I'm talking about babies' not-so-favourite shots -  Immunisation shots.

Yesterday, on my birthday (16 Mar 2015), we brought Baby Charley to Dra. Pamela Caedo in Makati Med for her monthly check-up and to catch up on her immunizations. You can check Dra. Caedo's Makati Med profile here.

Dra. Pam Caedo is love!

Baby Charley - facepalm! 

She's very accommodating and is no-nonsense in giving advices. She noticed that although very malikot and bibo (alien in Team Hernandez' terminology), Baby Charley is a little light for her age. She also needed to catch up on her immunizations since she wasn't given anything on her 2nd month by her old pedia. (rawr!)

Therefore, she recommended that Baby Charley take additional Ferlin drops with her Tiki Tiki and Ceelin drops @ 0.5ml. Ferlin contains Ferrous Sulfate (iron), Vit B1, B6, B12, and Folic acid; and this is prescribed for prevention and treatment of iron deficiency in infants and toddlers. She also recommended taking Heraclene which helps form and repair body tissues and stimulate appetite. We just mix the content of the capsule to a 5ml milk before giving it to Charley. We tried mixing it with water, but she hates it. :D

Charley needed to catch up on her Immunizations, and this is the sad part. She was supposed to have received her first shots when she was 2 months, and I don't know why her old pedia didn't require us to have it.

Rawr! Super rawr!

Anyway, Baby Charley received Rotarix orals first. This is a 2-dose immunization that protects babies against rotavirus that could cause feve

r, vomiting, and diarrhea. (NOTE: this does not protect babies from other viruses causing diarrhea; example, amoebiasis)

Afterwards, Baby Charley got her first dose of her 3 5-in-1 vaccine (Pentaxim). It is an active immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, and infections caused by influenza. The shot was given on her right thigh.

We were also given PAracetamol as a preventive measure. We used Baby Kool Fever on her, too, because we felt she was a little feverish when we got home.

Next month, she will receive PCV13 # 1. Yes, that means more gastos for us. *sigh*

Of course, these shots ay ang lakas maka-maharlika, but are completely necessary to protect Baby Charley from various diseases. *yay!*

Baby Charley is only 3 months old, and we still have a looooonnnggggg way to go. Yes, that means, we will be frequenting Makati Med on a different reason this time, and will be seeing more of our pretty pedia, Dra. Caedo more.


Dra. Pamela C. Caedo
Rm 226 Makati Medical Center
Mon - Sat; 9am - 3pm
#888.8999 loc 226
0917.5396.785

Rm 1224 MAB St. Luke's Global
MWFS 3:30 - 6pm
#664.4890 and 789.7700 loc 5224

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The Great Breastfeeding Debate

When girl friends and relatives had learnt that I was pregnant, their constant reminder was, "Try breastfeeding." Back then, my response was always "why not?" Or "why shouldn't I?" It was only when I have given birth when I realised that the struggle to breastfeed was real.

First, it was frustrating that in-laws, parents, and random strangers are frustrated that you're not breast feeding despite the assurance of nurses and my OB that the milk would eventually flow after three days or so. There was a sudden panic-attack of "what if I don't have milk? Will my baby be deprived of its health benefits? Am I a good mommy?"

While I was still in the hospital, I began googling for "food to improve lactation" and even "why is there no milk in me?" Or "how to get rid of annoying unwanted advices from strangers." (joke!) It was not even helpful that other mommies in the hospital, regardless if you know each other or not, would seem to wonder why you don't have milk yet since theirs started leaking while they were on their first trimester. "It will come in, people! I will text you all when it did."

Of course, when it finally did came in, there was no sudden gush of le precious milk right away. It started with a few drops of yellowish liquid colostrum - said to be the healthiest part of a breast milk - before white milk would come in a few more (sigh) days after. So, white milk or none, we still breastfed baby Charley every day.

A hungry baby figuring out how to latch and suck without drowning or starving herself and hurting me in the process can be tiring, too. When I'm exhausted from lack of sleep (since our yaya has gone awol for holidays), it's not easy to be patient all the time especially since baby Charley seems to be hungry every hour. Not to mention my roommate and my mom were constantly asking, "Are you sure she's getting enough milk from you?"

Sometimes, I would really wish to give up and give in to exclusive formula-feeding.

But I didn't.

Good thing I didn't.

We would offer to breastfeed her first before giving her formula milk. Yes, that meant regardless if she's getting any milk or not. That way I could get use to the process and baby Charley would make my body think that I needed to produce milk soon -- for everyone's sanity. It was only after a couple of days that we were able to "drain" the colostrum and the white milk finally (yay!) flowed.

It has taken some time before baby Charley and I both figured out how to do this breastfeeding thing without disowning each other. It was a journey we both shared and we're thankful for we got that done with.

Baby Charley was not breastfed exclusively during her first few weeks. There were times that we would give her formula milk, Nan HW One, which was prescribed by her pedia while we were still in the hospital (remember, I had no milk yet back then?). We made her finish the can first, and she would drink an average of 3 bottles every day. We bought Nan HW One for almost Php1,200 so I am so not throwing that money away.

Once we had finished the can, we decided to give exclusive breastfeeding a shot. We've finished our first week and so far, baby Charley does not look underfed at all. Yes! 

I hope we could continue exclusively breastfeeding baby Charley when I go back to work. I've heard that I can pump then put the milk in the fridge, and it could last for days. I'm not sure about how to heat it though or if I should. That one we're still trying to figure out.

On the other hand, some mommies prefer not to breastfeed their babies. I know one who has very low pain tolerance and could not really take being sore. Some could not because of time or of their work schedule. My sister-in-law couldn't breastfeed my nieces before since she used to work in Makati while my nieces stayed in Batangas. Sadly, some mommies just didn't have enough milk.

Baby Charley and I are very fortunate that I could still breastfeed her, but we still have very high respect for mommies who gave their babies formula milk instead. No judgment ika nga. After all, what matters is that the baby is well-fed and loved....breastfed or not.

Breastfed! 

The Only Man in Our Princess' Eyes

My daughter and her Daddy have a very special relationship - even I can't break through. I could feel how close they are with each other that makes me "jelly" at times, but thinking about it...I just love watching them together. 

When I was still pregnant with Charley, my roommate (my husband, btw) loved talking to her. Sometimes, he would read her stories or simply make kwento how his day went. It was one of the first daddy-daughter bonding they had together. Baby Charley would sometimes respond (I think) with tiny kicks in my tummy. 

Roommate has a 7pm - 4am work schedule. Sometimes, he would come home around 4:30 or 5am. There are rare occasions that he would be home by 1 or 3am. However, regardless of what time he would be home, baby Charley (still in my tummy) "knew" that he's home or was about to come home na. I could feel her jump - nope, somersault and do the wave in my tummy. Quite painful at times, these "waves" seemed like a "Welcome home, Daddy" greeting to me. Whenever this happened, I knew that the main door downstairs would open soon. This has happened without fail. 

When I gave birth, we weren't able to see baby Charley right away. She needed to be kept in the NICU until our discharge from the hospital. Yes, that meant three long agonising nights for my mag-ama. My roommate, however, would drop by the viewing room whenever he's allowed to see his daughter. Yes, he would leave me alone in the room - with the IV, catheter, and all - just to take a peek of his precious princess. 

My man and his girl

The first thing my husband did when we finally got home, despite in-law's warnings, was to snuggle, carry, and sway baby Charley. Spoiled her he did! He would do this tirelessly until we, I mean I, fall asleep every night. In fact, I'm not sure whether he sleeps at night. When Charley moves in her crib, he would be the first to check on her. When she cries or even whimpers, he would carry her right away. When Charley loses her one of her mittens, he would get a new pair and make sure they're still bagay to her outfit that time. When my Mom bought Charley her binky (pacifier), he was the only one who felt sorry for Charley wasn't able to cry in full blast. Thankfully, Charley loves her binky now. 

Because of all these, it's not rocket-science why my daughter - whom I carried for 9 months, who gave me all those "battle scars" from PUPPPs and C-section delivery, who was the reason I suddenly became allergic to eggs, who made me gain weight beyond my wildest expectations, who was the reason behind my ugh eye-bags and belly fat - prefers her Dad over me. Simply put, I am but a vessel - a baby carrier for 9 months and a milk provider for the mean time. 

She would cry on me until her Daddy gets her from me as if I'm the kontrabida in her teleserye. She would coo, smile, and laugh more at him than she would at me. She would smile at him and giggle with joy when he picks her up from her crib, but frowns and gives me her legendary death glare when I pick her up. During her 6pm witching hour, she would turn her towards her Daddy whenever I try to soothe her. It is a bit insulting - considering I'm her mother, but really I love watching them like that. 

I love seeing how they just melt at each other. Or how they seem to be each other's stress ball. Or how lovely they just are together. 

Perhaps every daughter has this special relationship with her father. I've witnessed this, too, among my students and their fathers. I adore how Doc Buboy looks at Ella and how this hormonal teenager would become a baby again at the sound of his voice. Or how Ghost Girl is very protective of her Dad in his new relationships. Or how many of my students would write an essay on how their dad is their hero. As a young mommy, it was just a lovely sight to behold! 

Years from now, her Daddy would start teaching baby Charley how to walk, ride a bike, drive a car, and break a boy's neck should he break her heart. She would start talking, calling his name, telling him secrets, then hiding some from him. He would start bringing her to play dates, driving her to endless birthday parties and some sleep-overs, and then soon worry about her going on dates, soirees, and school fairs. She would soon join him in watching UFC and everything Disney, then some chick flicks with her girl friends, then pretty soon some rom-com with her (gasp!) boyfriend! 

My roommate and I know that baby Charley is not ours forever, but he is going to make every moment precious while he is still the only man in his princess' eyes. 

Baby Charley's 6pm Habit

6pm is my daughter's "witching hour". This is a dreaded time for my nieces since they have to bear long hours of non-stop crying and fidgeting! Watching TV is a challenge and concentrating with their tutor is a matter of survival. 

I don't understand what it is with baby Charley that she would really.just.cry.at 6pm. 

Nappies changed? Check! 

Breastfed? Check! 

Burped? Check! 

Carried? Check! 

Normal Temperature? Check! 

She just would cry for no reason at all. This would go on till 8pm, and one time until almost 11pm! She would simply exhaust everyone in the house - herself and dogs included. 

It would seem that no amount of milk and play time and "carry me" time could make her calm. 

We have consulted her pedia who informed us that sometimes healthy normal babies would cry at night. It's just that they just do. It's a phase they go through. 

Of course, old wives tale has a different explanation on baby Charley's 6pm habit. She's being "played" upon by different elements. Dwende, kapre, nuno - name it! The only way, they say, to end her crying spree is to have her seen by an "albularyo" and have her "tawas". 

We're not exactly a "tawas" believer, but for the heck of it and for some peace and quiet, we will be giving it a shot. :)

Right now, Charley still sticks to her witching hour except when her Daddy is here to carry her all through the night. Witching hour or not, I'm enjoying howy room mate and daughter bond with each other especially during Charley's 6pm habit. :)