Loving Vivienne Marcheline

Yup. Angelina Jolie has given birth to her twins (5th and 6th children with hunky, yummylicious Brad Pitt) last July 12 I think.

I am not so hot with the son's name Knox Leon (it makes me think of the gelatin brand I use for my cathedral windows dessert) but I guess it does go with Maddox and Pax :) And yes, I am wondering if he will grow up as hot and smoldering as his parents.

But I truly love the girl's name Vivienne Marcheline. Marcheline came from Jolie's Mom. It's not so girly a name and it doesn't sound like a dominatrix or porn star name. And it's really a surprise that I liked it because i've never liked the names of the other kids (especially Shiloh's), except maybe Zahara (and from pictures i've seen, it seems she's the one who managed to channel Jolie's dark, seductive, mysterious and out-of-reach air).

Anyway, may Jolie and Pitt really raise these kids well.

Another Reason to not like Reborns

Lifelike reborn dolls got police panicking in an incident in Australia when the owner left the dolls inside a car.

I find reborns creepy, in all honesty. Yes, I am impressed at how extremely lifelike they are but would rather dolls look like dolls, and grieving/longing people care for dogs or do volunteer work to manage their depression.

And now this. Getting people upset because your toy (or collectible) was mistaken to be an actual human in danger of dying. There should be a law drafted to penalize owners for causing similar anxieties and offense (in case owners hold their reborn dolls using one foot and upside down) in others. Otherwise, people might start assumming every out-of-the-ordinary they see is a reborn doll and fail to save a life.

It's like a "boy who cried wolf" modern-day nightmare waiting to happen.

PPBC: Baby, When You Grow Up

PPBC 5 topic is "What would you like your children to be when they grow up, and why?"

I really would like to have at least one of my kids to take up medicine because there aren't doctors from my side of the family. It would be great to have someone to get free consultations from, or at least serve as sounding board and check and balance for all the medical thingies that we deal with in life.

BUT... more than that, what I really hope my kids will do is travel the world more than I, and my husband, ever did. I want them to be outdoorsy, to go camping in several countries, to really immerse themselves in different cultures, to wake up with the rising sun from all over the world.

I want them to experience things they will get to read in books. I want them to see animals in the wild. I want them to see ethnic groups in their local settings, and to taste authentic cooking right from the hearths of other people's homes, in obscure and far-flung villages.

I want them to say they have lived and are alive because of all they have seen and felt and heard. I want them to be humbled by everything they will experience, because seeing the world will help them put things in perspective.

And lastly, I want them to travel far and wide and still know their way home.

How Names Have Changed

Live Science reports how Most Popular Baby Names have Changed Dramatically, which is why nobody raised an eyebrow anymore when Nicole Kidman named her newborn daughter Sunday Rose.

Here in the Philippines, I must say that I silently cringe whenever I discover another baby to be named Sophia (or Sofia). I know, it's such a pretty name which is probably why it is so popular. And given that Maria used to be attached to little girl's names for many years (Maria Theresa, Ma. Victoria, Mari Rose, Mary Grace, Marijoy, Jean Marie, etc), I really shouldn't object to parents naming their child with something that is so common.

I cringe more though when parents don't consider their surnames in naming babies... and pick much-too-foreign-sounding ones. Weird/uncommon ones are okay, as long as they go well with the surname. That's how a person's name gets character anyway, when it sounds like a complete package.

Then again, Coldplay frontman Chris Martin says a name is just noise.

Why Mothers' Hands Are Rough

It's not really all the washing and cleaning that they do, but the fact thay they do all that and the minute they put lotion on, the baby will poop. Or spill something. Or create a mess. Or insist on being fed.

Basically, it's a law of nature and the degree of mess requiring the use of the mothers' hands again will be directly proportionate to how expensive the lotion or cream she just lathered on.

And yes, of course, after washing baby's tush and setting things right again, she'd forget to put lotion again.

And yes, she could wear gloves, but which Mom has time to put some on?

The Reason for my Inefficiency

... is my son.

I know... it's bad to be blaming someone who never asked to be born. But I really go crazy when his sleep and feeding cycles change. And I really can't do much when he insists on nursing (a sling helps, but only to a point because then, he would want to be involved in my tasks as well). Or when he insists that I remain by his side. It's like he has a Mommy-seeking radar that goes off the minute I leave his side... even if i'll just be working at the foot of the bed.

Ugh.

I wonder if all Mommies get this, or only my fellow SAHMs.

Trust

My son ran a fever for days and I found myself torn between insisting on more lab tests to find out what's wrong with him, and not, lest he ends up being subjected to unncessary procedures.

But the true realization I gleaned from this hard week is that I should trust my instincts more... not just because i'm my child's mother, and not just because I stay home with him, but also because I am a smart Mom. I mean, I am not operating on pure instinct alone, nor guided by old wives' tales. I was educated well. I was raised thinking so I should have more confidence in what I know.

One other thing is that I should trust more my (our) choice of pedia. Because he is a good pediatrician, reknowned acually in the country.

Ahhh... now if only I can quiet the fears and insecurites of being a first-time parent.