Dateline: Bacolod

Despite the agonizingly slow Internet connection speeds here in Bacolod City (read: dial up), it is still enough to log on to blogger.com and input this posting. However, since Mommy D and Boky are not here, “Boky’s Adventures” is momentarily at a standstill, what with the lack of an accurate “eyewitness account.”

But certainly, that does not mean at all that Boky is in the midst of suspended animation. Word from Tokyo bespeaks of Mommy D unable to sleep at night and catching only a few winks starting at 3 am because of Boky’s endless acrobatics inside her. Numerous books say that the fetus starts to become active at around 8 pm and this activity lasts until past midnight, which is very true of Boky’s current level of activity.

Here’s what the book that I’m currently reading says:

“…there is a possibility that an active fetus might be born as an active baby, but I stressed that more than just prenatal activity would determine the type of person (the baby would become)… (Ludington-Hoe, 1985: How to have a smarter baby)

My uncle recently had another baby (his fifth!) and she’s currently 4 months old. It’s absolutely unbelievable how cute this baby is. I’ll probably be able to post her picture here when I return to Tokyo next week. Suffice it to say that it would probably be very difficult to find a baby as cute as her. Her older sisters were beautiful babies, but this one is tops in the cuteness category. You should see her when she laughs and smiles. Seen ice cream under the sun? That’s how your heart would melt.

Going back to Boky, it would only be after 28 weeks when we can already determine his/her gender. But by then, we would have already moved to Tsukuba. I am not sure if our next obstetrician will provide this information, but if Boky is male, he will be named “Troy” or "Tristan" and if female, “Tracy”.

We’re not subscribing to this fad of giving babies two names. One name will rid the child of unnecessary complications. I have two names but I only use one, keeping the other as plain and simple initial.

Off the air...

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, I will be going home to the Philippines this coming Friday, August 20, and will be staying there until August 29. Thus, I probably won't be able to dish out my usual Sunday postings here at Boky's Adventures in the next two weekends. (Mommy D will be staying in Japan, huh, huh, huh....)

Nonetheless, rest assured that Boky's growing well, as evidenced by Mommy D's incessant complaints about restless Boky's seemingly endless rumbling and tumbling inside her. (Will you sit still for a moment?!)

This trip home is really long overdue. The last time I met my parents and family was in April of last year, and by this time, my cute little cousins and nephews might have already turned into little monsters and not-so-little monsters romping around the neighborhood like T-rex on a bad hair day. Since I go home only once a year, I am always at awe at how rapidly their bodies metamorphosize from those cute bundles of joy into those long, lanky, disproportionate Dali-esque masses of flesh. Why can't babies stop growing!? Hehe... just kidding! Probably, the answer to that is just to make more and more babies. Oooops!

We'll settle with Boky for a while. Since he/she hasn't come out yet, we'll just cross the fallopian tube when we get there.

Assisting in a miracle

Nothing really prepares you from seeing your unborn child rolling and turning inside the womb in real-time.

August 11 at the Nezu Ladies Clinic where I accompanied Mommy D to her regular checkup was when I first saw Boky in action. If Boky is that active or restless, I have no doubt that it’s in the genes, I half-seriously thought.

It was also when I first heard Boky’s fetal heartbeat, with his/her tiny cardiac muscles pumping away at 140 beats per minute (normal), his growing body savoring the life-giving nutrients from Mommy D.

That’s what I once told Mommy D: pregnancy is one chance in your life wherein you can assist God in a miracle. It is to be savored and cherished since it is just one short but totally exciting phase in a woman’s life. Pregnancy is when you and God are undoubtedly in the same team.

The obstetrician, Dr. Morita, who was trained both at the University of Tokyo and Harvard University, and who has both MD and PhD degrees, said that Boky is growing very normally and at the right pace (see “Boky Photos (Part 2)” below). He also said that everything is in correct order inside Mommy D’s womb: the placenta is in the right position and there is no need of Caesarian section at this point.

He looked visibly disappointed though when we told him that we’ll be relocating to Tsukuba soon (there’s nothing we can do about it). He promised however that he will prepare all the necessary documents and records that our next obstetrician in Tsukuba will require.

For the past few nights, Boky has been very active. Mommy D would take my hand once in a while and put it on top of her belly and I could actually feel Boky’s movements from the outside. It’s as if Boky is telling us: “I’m here, feel me, I can’t wait to get out!”

At the right time, Boky, at the right time….

Boky Photos (Part 2)

Check out Boky's photos at around 21 weeks inside Mommy D.


Boky at 21 weeks


Boky's fingers


Boky's head


Boky's thigh

Boky…Live in Tsukuba! Soon!

With Daddy’s B imminent transfer to Tsukuba next month, where he will take on a researcher position at the prestigious University of Tsukuba, Boky is set to enter the world in Japan’s foremost science city. Tsukuba Science City in Ibaraki Prefecture is where more than 30% of Japan’s research and development takes place.

Yesterday, Mommy D and I, together with Tito Romy, visited a number of real estate brokers in search for an apartment. The day’s efforts did not end in vain since we were able to find one that’s relatively near the university and which is also close to supermarkets, restaurants and video rental shops. Indeed, it was a lucky find!

The only drawback, however, is that the place is still occupied; the broker however informed us that the current applicant is set leave on August 28. Mommy D will probably return to Tsukuba on this day to check on the place (I will be in the Philippines from August 20 to 29). We expect to begin and complete the transfer in the first week of September. My new job officially begins on September 16.

Up until last Saturday, we had always thought that Boky will make his/her grand entrance in Tokyo, the world’s most expensive city. But the offer from Daddy B’s former PhD supervisor to join her research team was just too tempting to resist.

Daddy B’s “return of the comeback” in Tsukuba will pave the way for Boky’s first solo appearance --- wet, groggy and naked --- in the real world come December this year.

Boky Photos (Part 1)

Finally, I have uploaded photos that will provide you with a first glimpse of Boky, the quintessential hero of the adventure that continues to unfold in this weblog.

As you can very well see, Boky appears to be in the midst of an astonishing process of rapid growth and development, deep within the recesses of Mommy D's womb. Although I've been trained as a biologist almost all my life, I am still awed and astounded by life's miracle.

Indeed, each person alive on this planet, whether friend or foe, is a product of that miracle. And that miracle, and all of humanity for that matter, undoubtedly only come from one Source.