Skye's Baptism (06.01.2014)

Finally blogging about my darling’s baptism! Yey! Wala pang isang buwan yan…

So anyway, when the baby got hospitalized again last May 16 due to ear infection, the family decided to speed up Skye’s baptism. Pamahiin yun. Pag sakitin daw ang bata, pabinyagan agad. I don’t think naman my darling’s sakitin. Because that ear infection she had is nothing major. I just wanna make sure that she’s really okay and I want doctors/pedia to clean her ears. Isa pa, tenga kasi yun. Isang kembot nalang ng bacteria nasa utak na sya. But still it was her second hospital admission already, the first was when she had pneumonia, so I agreed.

Initially, our target date is May 24. Oh diba bonggels?! No preparation talaga dapat. But we we’re not able to find a church and a reception venue. May 20 na kasi nung nagsimula akong magtatawag.

Actually, I wanted my baby’s baptism to be private. That’s my only wish. Our parish church doesn’t offer one. So most of the baptism I got to attend are mass baptism and I don’t really like the feel of that. Parang walang solemnity specially if there are a lot of babies. There are times na parang super nagmamadali si Father at parang basta nalang mabuhusan ang bata ng tubig, keri na. Ayoko nun.

So thank heavens I found Sta. Maria Goretti Parish Church at Pope Pius XII Catholic Center, U.N. Ave.

 **Image from their website.

They offer private baptism and it’s near our place. No need to ask for a permit from our parish also. Just the baby’s birth certificate and the parent’s marriage certificate, if applicable. Private baptism costs Php 2,000. And what I liked most is that all of my guests can attend the ceremony and are allowed to get inside. Some church charge per person. Promise!

I made reservations via phone and had the companion go there to pay for the down payment and provide the requirements.

On Me: XOXO Dress | So! Fab Sandals (not in this photo) | Ruby Woo Lippy ||| On Skye: Garfield Dress | Baby Couture Socks

We had a solemn ceremony with everybody close to us in attendance. Just a handful of Ninongs and Ninangs plus our immediate family.

The baby is in a very good mood initially. But during the photo sesh, ayun nagsimula ng topakin. Pagpasa pasahan ba naman ng karga eh. Plus it’s already her nap time, kaya nagtotopak na. She was able to sleep in the car though.

Reception is at Tramway Bayview Buffet Roxas Blvd.

It’s kinda far from the church. Hahahaha! There’s a story behind that actually…

I was supposed to book Max’s for their worry-free baptismal package. But my team mate warned me against it. Sabi nya, hindi daw sya nabusog dun nung nag-attend sya ng binyag ng friend nya. The menu is limited according to her. And that made me think really hard. Sakto lang kasi kumain yun. Kung hindi sya nabusog, naku eh malamang lalong hindi mabubusog ang ibang mga bisita namin. Madami pa naman sa kanila eh matatakaw.

So I came across Tramway, the eat-all-you-can buffet style service made me consider them. For sure busog ang mga bisita. Eat all you can ba naman. I researched and read a couple of blogs, okay naman.

So sinabi ko na sa ka-team ko who doesn’t like Max’s. Sabi nya malapit lang daw yun sa church. Roxas Blvd. lang. Paglabas mo ng U.N. Ave, Roxas Blvd na diba?! And me being the G.I.Joe (geographical idiot) that I am, agreed and booked the place. So there, while trying to check the map on the restaurant’s location, ang layo pala!! Haba haba pala ng Roxas Blvd!!!!! Hahahaha!

But Tramway is actually okay. I reserved a room for my guests so we’d have a little privacy and had my cousins decorate it. Simple lang. Just baloons and tarpaulin. Ayoko naman ng parang fiesta lang ang peg. The room only cost us an additional Php 900. I had around 35 guests only. And we paid around Php 11,000. All in including drinks and everything.

I think everybody enjoyed it. The food is not exceptionally good but it was okay. The only thing I didn’t like is that even though we had a private room to ourselves, we still share the buffet table with the rest of the customers. But I guess the other’s didn’t mind. Besides, busog na busog ka na talaga.

I am so proud of myself because even though it’s a rushed thingy, I was able to pull it off. Anyway, it’s a baptism. The most important thing is the ceremony.

But with that limited time, I was still able to DIY a couple of things…

First is the Christening Candle.

Cute no?! I went to Divisoria to look for materials. I just need a bear to attach to the candle.

I was asked kasi what the motif is. Nataranta ang lola nyo. Motif?!! Eh meron nalang akong 10 seconds to think of one. Ayun! I saw the bears on my table and boom! Motif: BEARS! Hahahahahaha.. Pink and brown. Keri na!

And because of that bear motif, I had a hard time looking for materials. Thank heavens the companion and I saw this store who sells cute bear button. Yep! Those bears are actually buttons. And it’s a brown bear with pink bow. Pasok sa banga! In my mind I was like, I’ll just make it work bahala na.

I also got pink and brown ribbons plus that gold ribbon for accents. No more time to buy washi tapes. So this Mummy improvised. I bought a double-sided tape!

I sew the bears on the gold ribbon. Used the tape to keep things together and that’s what I came up with. :) Everything costs me around Php 300. And that’s 20pcs of candles. Pwede na!

Other DIY projects are the tarpaulin designs and the Thank You! cards. I did those!! Para nga lang gawa ng bata pero okay naman. The invites are just e-invites. I had Rooksie made it for Skye and send them over via email. Sayang ang papel. Wag ng gumastos.

Skye’s Mummy Chubby is her baptismal outfit sponsor. But I’m with her when we bought the dress.

We opted for a simple white dress with chiffon skirt and gold details. We got that from Garfield Baby for around Php 500 only. I don’t want to buy those traditional christening gowns. Sayang pera. The baby would use it only once and then waley na. I wanted something appropriate but can still be worn after the baptism. So this dress is heaven-sent. It’s cute. Not too pricey. And she can still wear it after since its just a cute dress. We also got a matching socks. No shoes. She’s a baby so no shoes. We also didn’t buy a baptismal cap. Again sayang pera. She has a cute bonnet gifted to her by her Tita Irish (baby shower gift!). It’s white. And its cute. Yun nalang. Tipid tipid din pag may time.

This baby pink reception dress is a baby shower gift from her Ninang Joie and Ninong Jep. It’s a comfy dress perfect for the reception.

While this red dress is a hand-me-down from my friend Issa’s daughter. Upon knowing that I’m having a baby girl, Issa gave me a paper-bag full of hand-me-downs. Ang gaganda. And since they are baby clothes, sobrang halos parang hindi naman nagamit. You all know how fast babies grow. Napikit ka lang hindi na kasya ang damit.

So yeah she’s wearing a hand-me-down on her baptism! Very good Nanay here. I love Mummy friends. Really.

For her giveaways, her Ninang Joie of My Sweets Haven sponsored cute and yummy cupcakes. Everybody loved it. As in everybody! My officemates says its so yummy. People here at home can’t stop raving about it. My nephew Sapsap ate 3 cupcakes!! And cried upon hearing that his Kuya ate the ones he brought home.Ganun sya kasarap!

Sabi sa inyo ang saya ng madaming friends. Especially talented friends who could bake the yummiest and the cutest cupcakes in the world. Hihihi… And everybody loved my giveaway. Ayoko kasi ng mga decors. Kalat sa bahay eh. And I can’t think of anything useful, pretty and cheap. So I thought of cupcakes. Joie was supposed to bake a cake for Skye but opted for cupcakes nalang para giveaway na din. Harhar! #waisNanay

And so yeah everything is settled. The venue. The church. The outfits. The candles. The invites. The giveaways. It’s such a really simple and small gathering anyway so no need to go over the top. If you notice, actually, super nagtipid kami. Since it’s biglaan, wala masyadong budget. Plus honestly, I don’t see the point of spending too much. Mahirap ang buhay. I’d rather spend on something more valuable. But there’s one thing I really made sure we get - that’s an official photographer.

We booked Dom of Studio 2716!

You might think it’s a splurge. I have a nice camera I can use. I have friends who can take pictures. I can actually snap a couple of shots. So no need for photographers right? Well, I don’t think so!

Honestly, once this is over and done with, I’ll have nothing but photos. Memories. I want this one major event in my child’s life well-documented. And the best way to do that is hire a professional events photographer.

I stumbled upon Dom’s work thru another mommy blogger Aimee of www.iamaimeediego.com. He was the one she got for her son’s christening. And I love his work. I love how he was able to capture moments, not just mere photographs. But moments. Like these…

Ang gaganda diba?! So getting him is so worth it. And he’s also very nice! All photos in these blog post is c/o him unless stated otherwise.

Here’s another favorite moment that Dom was able to capture…

My Papa and my daughter having a sumbungan moment. Ganyan sya. Nakakaloka. Marinig lang ang boses ni Cupcake (Mila) or ni Daddy Lo aarte na parang inaapi. Nakakaloka diba?! Artista lang anak?!!!

So there! One major milestone done. A hundred more to go.

My life as a mother is never boring.

Milestones Parenting Tip Skye