Amazing Aria!

My little girl turned a year old last April 14. Sometimes I still can’t believe that all the months flew by and the tiny ball that I once cradled so tenderly in my arms is now this bouncing, chubby baby girl who’s always smiling and laughing and making loud noises. Before I got pregnant, I’ve heard parents talk about how their babies grew up so fast. Now I’m experiencing it first-hand, and yes, Aria is growing up so fast. Too fast for my liking, truth be told.

Photos from Aria's 1st birthday party
April 14  McDonald's ABS CBN

She’s slowly learning to walk on her own now. She’s still a bit afraid to let go of my hand, but she’s getting there. She already knew how to say “mama” when she turned four months. Now she can say words very clearly. Every time she sees me, she says, “Mommy!” Every time she sees her daddy, she goes, “Daddy!” She can say lolo, lola, tito, tita, baby, Mickey, monkey, doggie, pow-dow (powder), die-pow (diaper), bottle and stewimaw (Sterimar). She knows her toys by name – Mickey Mouse, Pocoyo, Lion, Giraffe, Dibo and Pororo. Ask her what the chicken said and she’ll go “bok bok bok!” She knows the duck goes “quack quack,” the cat goes “meow” and Timmy the lamb goes “baa baa!” She knows how to greet people hi” and “morning” and she already knows how to wave and say “bye!”  Amazing, isn’t it?

But what I find most remarkable was a brief exchange that we had the other day. I was putting a bib around her neck, and a few strands of her hair got stuck. She went, “ow ow!” So I quickly fixed the situation, saying, “Oh, sorry…sorry!” She looked at me and said, “Okay.”

That moment I knew for sure that my little one would be growing up to be a very smart girl.

It’s amazing to watch her learn more and more new things everyday. She’s just so full of wonder. Pretty soon she’ll be engaging in long conversations with me and her daddy, and I bet she’s gonna be one of those kids who talk (and reason out) like adults. And soon I’ll be chasing after her all around the house, too. Good thing I’m fit for that kind of job, literally. I’ll be writing about those things soon. Looking forward. 

Sexy is subjective.

Just recently, I’ve been bashed for not being a “clubbing” person. Apparently, this has become the new trend. To be labeled as in, hot and sexy, one needs to be always present in the clubs.

While it would be nice to be considered as hot and sexy, I don’t get why I should force myself to go to dark places where young people smoke like chimneys and drink themselves incoherent, and where the music is dangerously ear-shattering. No offense. I do enjoy being in the clubs once in a while. But truth be told, I have never been a “clubbing” person. It’s not something I’d prefer to be doing on a Friday night. I like peace and quiet, and smoke-free places, and coffee shops where jazz music plays softly in the background so you can easily share a conversation with friends without yelling on top of your lungs. I prefer going to the movies, checking out new dining places, having road trips and singing in the car. I prefer sweating it out in the gym rather than sweating in a sea of scantily-clad bodies. And now that I’m a mom, I prefer spending time with my little girl, taking her to Gymboree, or walking her to the park.

This is me. Simply me. While I enjoy the occasional drinking fest, getting drunk and feeling carefree, I’m really made of sunshine and nature and butterflies and candy. Not cigarettes and wine and heavy makeup and stilettos.

Should I be judged because I’m made this way? Does this make me a boring person? Does this make me any less of a woman? I’d like to think that the way I am, this lifestyle I lead, plus the fact that I’m already a mom, makes me all-woman. 100% woman. Now THAT is sexy. Don’t you think?

Just saying.