"The Mysterious Burp"

According to the dictionary To Burp is defined as:

belch: a reflex that expels wind noisily from the stomach through the mouth;
the release of gas from the digestive tract (mainly esophagus and stomach) through the mouth

It is a real mystery to me why burping is such an important part in the feeding rituals of babies. I mean we can all burp easily, right? According to our pedia, IT IS A MUST routine after feeding infants, or else gas can accumulate in the baby's stomach, causing discomfort and pain; which, then leads to sleepless nights for everyone.

The funny thing when you think about it is that even burping is a challenge for babies. They need that extra help from Mama and Papa to have that noisy belch of air come out. Then what do we parents do when we hear that magical tune? We celebrate, hahaha. We celebrate that our baby burped aloud. We praise him/her that he/she belched so beautifully and denied evil air to fill his tummy.

Hooray for that magical sound we often take for granted. Maybe we should start burping more and belching out loud to celebrate life. =)

"The First Bath (Ligong Uwak)"

For most of us, taking a bath maybe one of the most anticipated activities in our daily lives. It's refreshing, relaxing, and pleasant everytime. There isn't a day complete without experiencing water running down our faces and soap sliding down our bodies, to clean our dirty selves, hehehe.

This isn't the case for babies, hahaha. They hate taking a bath, they despise it. Maybe this is their own "Fear of the Unknown", something that maybe alien to them. This is a fact, despite living in a liquid world for 9 months.

Good thing Lola's around to help us newbies in preparing and carrying out probably one of the most stressful and difficult activity new parents would encounter. The difficulty prevails despite just needing to do "wisik-wisik" to our Baby Haley, or otherwise known as the Ligong Uwak, or what I call a psychological shower.

Regardless if it's a full-blown shower with scrubs, shower gels, and therapeutic water heads; or a Ligong Uwak, the end result is always the same . . . A refreshed, relaxed, and more pleasant baby Haley, just getting ready to cry her brains out again when she gets hungry.

"Fear Of The Unknown"

It's almost 2AM, and as usual, I'm awake, watching my wife and baby Haley try to get some shut-eye. I can't seem to sleep earlier than 4AM these days, hehehe. Maybe my body has already adjusted to this crazed new schedule of my precious Haley.

Now a days, I'm getting more restless each day . . . a side-effect of lack of sleep, I guess. Also, I'm beginning to wonder why Haley seems to be sleeping too lightly. At first, I was thinking it maybe because her nose is clogged up or something. We've been aspirating her nose for the past 2 days. The doctor said this is normal for new-borns since it's their body's natural way of getting rid of all the liquid that got accumulated while they were in Mama's womb.

I sure hope it's normal because I'm starting to get paranoid . . . fawk!!! All the WHAT IFs swimming in my already drowned brain, what the fawk?!?!? Fear of the unknown, like the first day of school . . . Circumcision . . . That first step into uncertainty that drives everyone insane.

It's a great day to be a Dad!!!

"Our Everything..."

I love you, anak!

"Sleepless Nights"

What can I say ... "Puyat ako!"

My average sleep time every since my precious Haley was born has gone down to a maximum of 5 hours a day. It is a complete understatement to say that it's easy being a father. Sleepless nights, waking up to a hysterical baby crying in the wee-wee hours of the night/dawn, changing diapers constantly, praying that the latest breast feeding/milk bottle would put the cute little angel back to sleep.

Is it worth it? Oo naman! Specially after seeing a living angel sleeping at your side, smiling from time to time, like having the most pleasant of dreams.

"A Mother's Joy"

People say that pregnancy and giving birth to a child maybe the most difficult and excruciating experiences any mother will ever experience in her lifetime. This is probably, well ... TRUE ... Specially if giving birth meant a C-Section and a month-long recovery period.

But here's the irony of it all, giving birth to a beautiful child is also the most joyful, fulfilling, and precious moment any mother will have the privilege of experiencing.

It's a great time to be a Dad!!!

"My Life Project"

My life has never been the same after January 5, 2006. My daughter, Moira Haley Z. Acosta, was born on that day, and my life as a father began.

Nothing hits me more than seeing how my parents tried and gave me everything I needed. And now that I look at this image of my daughter cradled safely in my loving wife's arms, I think and say, "YES", now I understand.

So now I begin with a new life project. One that won't have any deadlines and time tables, but one that will last me and my precious wife, a lifetime...