Nine Months

by Jemen Ariola

To my oh-so dearest and most precious princess Paloma,

I was already shuttling between Hong Kong and Boracay when we found out that we would start an incredible and enchanting journey with you.

We would fly every two weeks. And each time, I would get paranoid because of the stress of flying (hello, propeller planes!), of waiting for several hours at the airport because of delayed flights (no thanks to Cebu Pacific), of cancelled flights (they seem to create “phantom flights” with no intention of actually flying them) and being re-routed to Kalibo because of these lame excuses – aircraft situation, rain, wet field, windy – name it, they have it! And worst of all, taking a boat to the island when there’s a storm brewing. Pheeww!

That’s island living for you, my love! But despite all of these, you made us so proud as you were so cool and calm while sashaying beautifully inside my belly the whole time.

You also made our pregnancy a breeze, my darling! Growing from a size of a poppy seed to being a size of a lemon, you did not give us any headache at all. No morning sickness, no cramps, no cravings. (Oops, except for a YSL bag, which you will be able to relate to eventually, I promise you :)

Most would crave for ‘manggang hilaw and bagoong’ when pregnant. So from the onset, I was already looking forward to waking up in in the middle of the night and asking your Papa to head to Talipapa. But naah, it never happened. So one day, I got really curious and asked our helper to get me one. I wanted to know if the taste would be different when pregnant. Sadly, it wasn’t.

Despite your chill composure, I also became paranoid with the mercury level and listeria content of food. I think I reacted a bit too much in this area that it became a butt of joke among friends. I guess that’s what first pregnancy does to you! :)

 

THE MOST FUN PART ABOUT BEING PREGNANT –

Getting priority seats at the MTR!

My office at Lai Chi Kok is an industrial area. During rush hour, most of the passengers are construction/factory workers who are all knackered at the end of the day. Somehow you cannot blame them if they don’t offer their seats at all, as getting that much needed sleep is a luxury for them. Then there are those who don’t care at all whether you’re pregnant or not. So sometimes, I would pop my tummy (an exaggerated pop!) to make sure that people notice my bump and pray to high heavens that they would offer their seat ha ha But, you know what, you do get humbled when, as soon as you enter the train, someone would offer their seat right away. It’s like, aww, I think I want to be pregnant all the time :)

The baby showers!

I must admit I wasn’t a big fan of baby showers when I was still single. (And I speak for a few of my single friends – except the ones who are competitive when it comes to games LOL) With all the baby talk, for sure we couldn’t relate at all. But when my friends gave me one (actually two as there was another one in Manila), I was so touched and humbled by the effort to welcome you, my precious. I felt so loved. Your aunts and uncles’ presence and presents were deeply appreciated. And those gifts, oh those precious little gifts, you will love all of them! More importantly, the bond with my amigas who are fellow mommies became stronger as non-stop pregnancy and baby talk were the staples of conversations.

Weekend stroll at Puka Beach!

Your Dad loves going to Puka beach on Sundays. And so every afternoon, we would take our golf cart and drive down there (it was only a 5min drive from our place) and wait till sunset. Being a Pisces and a water dragon baby, you would enjoy being on the beach listening to the sound of the waves.

 

The most fabulous accessory!

Yes, you are, and so proud of wearing my most treasured accessory! In fact, I felt so sexy the whole time you’re inside my growing belly. And I wasn’t even wearing stilettos! Which reminds me, the countless pairs are all parked at the walk-in closet and ready for you 18 years from now! LOL.

THE MOST EMOTIONAL PART ABOUT BEING PREGNANT

Thirty-seven.

You do know that your mom’s already 37 when we conceived you. That alone made this whole pregnancy very, very emotional. Reactions of family and close friends when I shared this awesome news was priceless. It was a very touching experience as they were extremely happy for us.

Blame it on hormones.

Yes, hormones! They drove me nuts! Or rather, they drove your Dad NUTS! I am most definitely not the jealous type. But for some (strange!) reason (hormones!), I became so possessive of him that I became jealous of everybody. Beat this: including his masseuse!!! LOL It was insane!

Wrapped around your tiny fingers.

Your Papa and I would also religiously monitor your developments inside my tummy by having an ultrasound every two weeks – from the time we first heard your heartbeat to the time you started squinting, frowning, peeing, and possibly sucking your thumb. As you started to stretch out and grow inside, your kicks and somersaults would excite us a lot. And atta girl, you did kick big time! It was so amazing that every time you’d do the somersaults, (and you would do it right before bedtime, thank you very much!), I’d ask your Papa to put his hand on my tummy, and right away, you’d stop! Absolutely magical moments! You’re still inside my tummy and already a Papa’s girl!

My precious, this beautiful journey with you is such a blessing. I cannot wait for you to call me Mama.

 

I love you forever,

Mama

JEMEN GAVE BIRTH TO BEAUTIFUL PALOMA ON MARCH 9TH, 2012