His name is Logan Alexander

Ok, so as you can infer from the title, the story I am about to tell you today is why we named Lex his name. 

I've been trying to write this blog entry for the longest time but I can't seem to find the right words to express how we really came up with it for fear that it might come across as "mababaw". Because whenever people would ask us why we named him Logan, we would say that he was named after the X-Men character Wolverine, which is actually in part, true. 

IN NEED OF SOMETHING DIFFERENT

My husband and I have a very common surname, not at all unique like my maiden surname. So at the onset we were in search for a first name that is uncommon here in the Philippines. Because do you know how many hits my husband's name get in the NBI?

A NAME I'VE ALWAYS LIKED

The first time I heard the name Logan was in the Babysitter's Club movie. Logan Bruno was Mary Ann Spier's boyfriend. Omg, do you know that? 90s kids will know! Even then the name already struck me as cool and unique.

Years later, I met the name again in the person of Wolverine. Upon hearing it, it's like a long untapped desire for the name came through me. "One day, I'm going to name my child Logan.", I decided. And so since then, Logan has been one of my top-of-mind choice for a boy's name. It took 14 years for that thought to come into fruition.

A NAME IS A GIFT

Of course they say that when you give a baby a name, give them a name that they can be proud of. A name is actually the first gift a parent gives his child. It can signify what the parent may wish for him, what he aspires for his child to become. 

Many babies are named after Biblical characters and historical icons because their parents hope that their children will grow up imbibing the traits of their namesakes. The operative word there is hope, which means that this practice is largely a myth. Just because I named my son Barack, doesn't mean he'll grow up to be the president of the United States, right? Right. But I'm not saying that it's a bad thing ha. In fact, it is actually what gives meaning to a name.

Believe it or not, names are quite powerful. Good thing is (or is it a bad thing?), it is entirely up to you.

ALEXANDER

Do you have name biases? I do. I have different perceptions on names that is perhaps based on people I know or just my general perception of how the name sounds like. Like when I hear the name Emily, my mind would visualize a cute little girl. Think: Binx's dead sister in Hocus Pocus and/or Princess Sarah's doll. Or Patricia, a dainty lady. I don't really know of any dainty Patricias. It's just how I perceive it in my head. Or Raymond, an erudite. Coincidentally, that last one proved to be correct with my husband. 

I've always had a positive perception with the name "Alexander". For some reason, I always think Alexanders are strong and responsible and independent. People surmise that it's because of Alexander The Great. But no. I don't even know the guy! I mean, I've heard of him and he's obviously great because you can't just attach "The Great" to a name if that person is not great right?, but I don't really know who he was or what he did. Is he even good? Is he even really great?

Nonetheless, I picked the name Alexander because of that perception. Who knows? It might actually be true just like how my perception of his father's name turned out to be true. Crossing my fingers on that!

AND THEN THERE'S "LEX"

Coming up with a nickname was tricky. I had different nicknames in my head: Logan, Alex.. but every single one of 'em names did not get the husband's approval. "Lex", he said, is what we will call him. Now I don't really know of anyone called Lex save for Superman's enemy, Lex Luthor, so I was of course hesitant at first. The fact that the husband actually decided on his son's nickname after THAT Lex made me cringe a bit more. But he made me see the beauty of that name. Lex Luthor may be a villain, but he is the most intelligent man in the DC universe. Imagine, he can fight against Superman using only his intellect (and money of course!) and be a worthy rival. I mean, if there is a real Super Man, that would be Lex Luthor! Because technically, Superman is not from this world. He came from a different world and he's just an ordinary man in Krypton while Lex is an extraordinary man on Earth.

WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL

I think every name we give our children is special for the very reason that picked it out of millions of names in existence. For us, it is special because Logan, Alexander, and Lex are names we really like. It's not something we picked out of impulse.

Also, we see that he really is growing up to be a strong and independent boy. Just like how I perceived an Alexander would be. Imagine that? But clearly, one day, he will grow up to be his own person. And that's just the way I would want it to be. At the end of the day, I wouldn't want him to be like any one else but himself. 

Throwback Thursday

It's amazing how babies can sleep this way all throughout the night and never get a stiff neck.

#logan11m
#tbt

Lex's Diaries: My first haircut!

Journal Entry 011915

Hi friends! Yesterday, my Mommy, Daddy, and I went to church. Church is fun! I was put into a big, colorful room with lots of toys. I played around and walked around and tossed things around. I was so excited, I barely drank my milk!

After about an hour and a half, Mommy and Daddy was at the door to fetch me. I still didn't like to go. I was having so much fun! But Mommy insisted we go, and so we went. Bye bye, church! See you again next time!

I didn't realize I was already very tired until I got to the car. I fell asleep during the short ride from the church to the mall! But I woke up shortly, just in time for lunch!

Daddy got me brown rice arrozcaldo for lunch but I didn't wanna eat! I just want to walk around, chasing dogs and pretty girls!

Mommy dropped by Baby Company to get me some things. And then she got me a round, colorful, ball to play with!

I thought we were going home already. But we stopped by a boutique called Peppermint. There were a lot of babies my age in there! Mommy talked to someone while I played with my ball and the electric fan wire. Hehehe.

Then suddenly, a girl picked me up and put me in a car. My very own car! Cool!! I played and played with the steering wheel while the girl was taking my picture. I don't know why she's taking my picture! I asked Mommy and she said it's because I'm so cute.

Then suddenly, a man in a bow tie appeared. He kept on touching my hair! And then I heard a sound at the back of my head. I didn't mind. I don't what it is about it, but I suddenly felt sleepy. I think I might have dozed off for .00005 seconds.

After a while, I got tired with my car and I want to go to Mommy. But the man was still touching my hair! I wanna go to my Mommy! Mommy took me from the car but the man is still touching my hair! Then he stopped.

I glanced at the mirror. Hey, who's that super cute baby in there? Oh, it's me! Silly me!

The man in the bow tie gave me a lollipop. But Mommy said I can't eat it yet. So I just nibbled on the handle. I think it tastes good!

Daddy was very happy with my haircut. I am too!

I am Daddy's Mini-me!

So that's the story of my first haircut. 'Til next time, friends! Bye!

xoxo,
Lex

No place I'd rather be

My baby boy stirred beside me, rousing me from my slumber. It was midnight. And although I've actually been sleeping for only a couple of hours, it certainly feels like my body has regained much strength, as if I've already slept for 8 hours rather than 2. I felt my bladder screaming release and got quite annoyed because going to the bathroom at this hour only means two things. I'm going to fully awaken my sleeping brain and spend the rest of the night awake, or I can crawl my way to the bathroom and convince my semi-awake brain into thinking that I am still asleep and to not let go of what little sleep is left. Unfortunately (or fortunately!), it was the former.

I succumbed to my desire to check my social media accounts in the middle of the night and after about half an hour into it, I gently rolled over to my husband's side and whispered that I can't sleep. Unfortunately for me, the husband has not an ounce of strength to spare to keep me company. He dozed off before I even finished my sentence.

And so there I lay in my state of wakefulness, staring into what just earlier in the night were fully charged glow-in-the-dark stars in our bedroom ceiling and decided to write down my one and only thought this peaceful night.

The reality of the moment is this, I am squished in between my sleeping husband and baby. And as I feel the warmth of their bodies on either side of me, I think, there is no place I would rather be than here. I may be the only one awake at this time but I don't feel alone at all. My heart is full.

I smile as I offer up a silent prayer to the Lord, thanking Him for His goodness and grace. And for the gift of here and now.

As I stare at my son in the darkness, I can see the outlines of his face, the gentle waves of his hair, the slight pout of his lips, and I think, "Hey, little guy, I look just like you!" I smell his hands, catching a whiff of milk that had dried up from his most recent feeding. I memorize his scent. I stay this way for a while, staring, drinking him in, until finally a bout of sleepiness envelopes me and I sleep, deeply and blissfully into the night.

It's Lex's birthday! Let the preparations begin!

I'm in total denial. I can't believe that it's almost a year since I gave birth to Lex. What happened to time? It feels like it just magically disappeared. Like, poof!

But looking at my boy, my sweet sweet boy. I know how far he's come. From that tiny little baby who cries "waah-ah! waah-ah! waah-ah!" every few hours to this fast crawling, self-support standing, loud singing baby who constantly lures his parents' attention either by making pacute or by fake crying (whatever works!), I can see he's really changed a lot. And everyday, I am in awe of him.

There are times, late at night, when it was just my husband and I talking, that we marvel at these changes. "He was just in my tummy before!" I cry. "And now, look at him!" I gush at the sleeping Lex beside us.

At first, I didn't really want to hold a party for Lex. Aside from the fact that he won't remember anything from it, a party is another thing that will take away a chunk of Phps in our budget which we could spend on other things, like say, travelling.

But one day, and this is not a joke. I woke up and felt God impressed in my heart that this party, if we were to have one, is not just for Lex. It's for Mon and I too! Because as Lex turns a year old, we also turn a year old as parents. So, it's not just Lex's milestones we're celebrating, it's ours too! And besides, it would be fun to gather a small crowd of close family and friends in one place so we can make memories and catch up.  Just as we did at Lex's Christening when he was just 3 months old.

And so I made it my mission to create a wonderful party for Lex. A simple yet wonderful party. Having researched quite a lot on how first birthdays are being celebrated these days, I can say that I am aware of how the industry has changed. Gone are the days when noodles, fried chicken, lumpia, and hotdog sticks are good enough. Now, birthdays are teeming with magicians, balloon twisters, clowns, food carts, photo booths, and other what have yous. But the truth is, this is not at all my desire for Lex's party. And I think, this is not something Lex wants also because knowing my son, he's not very keen to loud noise and a busy, rowdy environment.

Not to say that I have anything against those who choose to celebrate with all the extravaganza. I'm just saying that that is not my style or Mon's style. And as we know of our son, nor is it Lex's style too.

Suffice it to say that we would just want his family, both Mon's and mine, to be there. Close friends who have celebrated with us all throughout my pregnancy. People who were happy for us when Lex finally came into this world. For me, a good meal shared only with those who have a genuine relationship with us and our little boy is good enough. Just that will make it all wonderful.

Lex's first day on solid food

We visited Lex's pedia last week and she told us Lex can start eating solids already. Technically, he's just 5 months and 3 weeks but since he's mixed feeding naman, there's no harm in starting solids a little early. 

Truth is, I haven't researched anything about feeding solids to babies yet. The knowledge I have only comes from what I read from mommy blogs, which isn't much. So we decided to just let another week pass before really starting him with solids. Today he's just 4 days shy of 6 months. 

In preparation for his first meal, Mon and I went out to buy a high chair. We got one from our favorite store, Mothercare.

The reason we got this chair is because it is foldable. Perfect for small spaces like our apartment. 

One of the tips given to me by a friend is to get a high chair that is easy to clean. The most perfect one actually is the Antilop high chair from Ikea. Kaya lang Antilop is not foldable so it's space consuming.

While we were at the store, Mon saw a baby food blender by Tommee Tippee. Aba, natuwa ang daddy! I was only supposed to get a manual food grinder by Munchkin, which costs only half the price of the food blender, but Mon told me to get the blender na lang. Mas madali nga naman ang buhay with a blender. This is what it looks like.

And finally, his eating utensils! These were given by Lex's Titos and Titas during his baptism.

Thanks Ninong Aaron and Tita Nica for my eating gadgets!

Ok! We're finally ready! Pedia says Lex can eat squash, carrots, or potato. We chose potato for his first food. 

It's actually easy. First, I boiled the potato then put it in the blender

Blend, blend, blend. Voila! Mashed potato! Gravy na lang ng KFC ang kulang. Joke! ;p

With all the painstaking preparations we have done, you'd think everything is/would go smoothly noh? WRONG!

Let's see how Lex feels about his first ever solid food experience. In fact, I'll just let him tell you about it.

Lex's Diaries:

Hi friends! Today my mommy made me my first ever solid meal! Friend doctor says she can feed me potatoes, carrots, or squash. She chose to feed me potatoes.

I'm so excited! I wonder how potatoes taste like? Mmmmmm....

Mommy, are you done yet?

Ok, here goes nothing!

Mommy, what is this??? What is this???

I don't like this, Mommy! Waaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!

So there you have it, folks! Our first attempt on solid food, fail! I didn't insist on feeding the rest of the food after he gave me this face. Baka ma-trauma eh. We'll just try again next time. :)

Lex looks like...?

'nuff said.

Hello, Lex!

Taking a break from watching Disney Junior. 

After three months, I am finally able to bring out my trusty camera to take Lex's picture. What a cutie!