BOO-YA!!!

little TomTom,

i thought i told you to wait for me. i know its getting cramped in Mama's belly and she has been feeling that for days now. we had an agreement, little man.

i am writing this in a hotel room in Houston because there's nothing else i can do at the moment. all those childbirth classes, all the planning with your Mama, thrown out the window because you had to come out early. yes, i cannot wait to see you, but you caught us all unaware there.

i have already rebooked my flight back, i already cancelled the hotel (the concierge was so excited for me), i will be talking formally to the bank tomorrow ... so wow, your arrival impacted a lot of things, not just your parents' lives. oh boy.

i am just concerned that you are coming out early; i hope you are alright, little one. Dada will not be able to forgive himself if he is not there beside you when you come into this world. your Mama will not forgive if i am not there at all.


ok, this is it. do hold on please. Dada will be home soon.

hello, little one!

your Dada has been remiss again in blogging your adventures in Mama's tummy. but that's only because I have been spending time with you and Mama :-)

lately, your Mama and I have been buying you quite a few books. Mama went to Borders, which is at the moment putting everything on sale because they're closing (you are about to be born in a country where the state of the economy is ghastly), and she has spent about a hundred dollars already on discounted books. for myself, last night i went online and got around 15 books from another discount book retailer site. yes, when we go crazy, we go crazy.

i have been reading these books to you at night. some of them i can't help making fun of. but when you are born, we hope that you will take a liking to them, and i promise i will read to you and teach you to read as soon as you are able.

looking forward to watching your reactions and your delight with these pages of knowledge and pleasure for your young mind.

your Dada

little nugnugs, excited ka na ba ha? pupunta ka sa Miami! habang nasa tiyan ka ni Mama!

hello, little Tom-Tom!

you're growing up so fast now. your Mama can't even have a good night's sleep anymore. well, last night was due to heartburn stemming from late night eating. but if she doesn't eat, you will go hungry (wink, wink). then again, your Mama puts on the weight because she has to feed you too, and that makes you heavier and heavier by the day.

there was this 16 lb baby born today in Texas. i hope you won't become as large as that. we would need a hand truck to move you around. my back won't certainly take the strain.

strangely enough, your Mama seems to be still mistaken for just a little big, not exactly pregnant. she's very frustrated that her belly is not obvious, despite the weight. most of the time no one offers her a seat (or more likely, they're just selfish). these days she ends up taking the long train from our place to her work, instead of switching lines.

you will need to learn that good manner of giving up your seat, later on in your life, just in case you will be taking public transportation. there are only four rules here, in my opinion - the recipient is (a) pregnant; (b) handicapped, especially those affecting their legs and feet; (c) elderly/invalid; and (d) a lady and your relative acquaintance. if they refuse to take your seat, they should at least thank you for the offer, and you can enjoy your ride.

on the point of growing up, i hope you won't be straining too much because your Mama needs all the rest she can get, because of the extra weight (you) she's carrying around. but that does not seem to be going to happen.

looking forward as always
Your Dada

ok, that's not exactly a stork, and you possibly are not a wild-haired adamantium-clawed mutant. but after months (actually years) of speculation, your Mama and I now know for sure.

we hope to see you soon, Tomas/Thomas (yes, we haven't decided yet on the final spelling).


illustration by Skottie Young

Hello, Little Booboo! You are getting bigger and bigger everyday now. Pretty soon, it will be more difficult for your Mama to be climbing up the stairs. Even now, when we get to the first landing of the subway station stairs, we rest a bit before continuing the other half.

Last Saturday was one of the perfect days I wish we all have. After a quick breakfast, your Mama treated us both to a foot spa first; it was my first time to do so. Its so funny because your Dada is so ticklish so I started giggling when the salon girl started scrubbing my foot. Your Mama and I were laughing for a good 10 minutes, much to the amusement of the other patrons and other employees. I will never be a good secret agent because you can easily get the truth out of me with the threat of tickling.

We also had a great lunch - we finally ate in this new diner near our apartment. We discovered that their offerings were good just last Thursday, and now we're back two days later. This time I treated your Mama to a shrimp poboy while I got an omelette (eggs again!). So stuffed.

Then we took a walk to the nearby park near Fort Hamilton High School. The place was packed because the weather was nice. teens playing handball, children with their parents trying out the swings, slides, and simply running about. Your Mama and I spent a good hour there watching everyone, and talking about how you would be running around there along with the other kids someday.

I wish every Saturday was like this. I wish every Saturday was like this and with you. 

Hello there, li'l one. I haven't posted for so long, but that's not because I haven't been paying attention to you. On the contrary, your Mama and I keep talking about you, and she has been gushing over the new clothes that we bought recently. The colors are kinda, sort of neutral, because we're not sure yet whether you're a boy or a girl. but they're so cute as they are, and they are currently hanging beside your Dada's dress shirts (isn't it fun to dress up for work too and tag along with me? But that's for the future).

hopefully by next month, we will know what specifically are we buying for you. I also heard your Mama Cora bought you more than a few items as well. Your Tita Erin from LA has volunteered to babysit you as well. Everyone is excited.

I have to make a mental note to post on some books I read to you at night. It involves a pea, a pig and an owl.

Be sweet and be well,
Your Dada