Danica a mom by July next year

She hates the scent of the perfume her husband of nine months Marc Pingris, the Purefoods player, is using so she orders him to stay away from her. When he does, she gets angry and orders him not to stay beside her. Blow hot, blow cold? At the break of dawn, she would ask him to buy kamias for her and the poor hubby, still sleepy after the previous night’s game or rehearsal, would reluctantly get up and, well, as she wished...She craves for anything sour (manggang hilaw most especially) and eats it with insatiable gusto.

You guessed it: Danica Sotto is infanticipating. She’s two months pregnant with her and Marc’s first child due July next year, five months after they celebrate their first wedding anniversary.

The first person whom Danica broke the good news to was her mom, Dina Bonnevie (who is in a blissful romance with a Lebanese 10 years her junior).

“First,” Danica told Funfare, “I checked if I was pregnant at positive ang lumabas, so I called her. Sabi ko, ‘Mom, I will know for sure tomorrow when I go to my OB-Gyne.‘ Her initial reaction was like, ‘Ay, tumatanda na ako!’ and she didn’t sound happy although she was.”

Dina would later jokingly comment on The Ricky Lo Exclusives, “But I don’t want to be called Lola or Grandma even if I will be the cutest grandmother in the world!”

And how did Danica’s dad, Vic Sotto (himself in a more-than-happy romance with Pia Guanio), take the good news? (Danica has beaten her dad — and mom — to the altar, and now, her would-be-stepmom Pia to the delivery room.)

“They were in the States at that time so I texted him and he texted back, ‘Oh no, magiging Lolo na ako!?’ After a while, he texted again, ‘But I’m happy naman for you. Just take care.’”

It was Marc who relayed the news to his French father who has been living in Paris for years (he left the Philippines when Marc was a baby) and now married to another woman.

“He was very happy,” said Marc (who has two half-siblings from his mother’s second marriage and who was able to contact his dad through Danica’s unwavering effort). “He said he and his wife are ready to come for a visit and he’s excited that he would finally see Danica and me.”

Like other would-be dads, Marc is also “infanticipating” (naglilihi).

“What do I crave for?” he repeated the question, amused. “All kinds of food. I seem to have an appetite for any food that I see. Sometimes, I would buy five pieces of bread I’m attracted to and yet I eat only a bite from one piece.”

Because Danica is into the critical period of her pregnancy, her doctor has advised her not to move around too much and only do some exercises (but not something as strenuous as boxing she has been doing after their wedding) such as walking and swimming several months later, so she won’t have a hard time when delivery time comes around.

Marriage has changed the couple who are living by themselves (meaning no maids) at a condo unit in Quezon City. The good thing about them is that they know how to laugh not only at their jokes (mostly by Marc who’s a natural prankster) and at themselves. Without a sense of humor between them, any couple is bound to break down under the pressures of adjusting to a new life together.

“Just this morning,” narrated Danica, throwing Marc a feigned “I-hate-you” look, “I almost slipped in the bathtub dahil binulaga niya ako.”

“I go home early now,” said Marc. “After the game, I go straight home. No more nightouts with friends, especially now that Danica needs me more than ever.”

They are still in the process of choosing the name of their baby, which they hope will be a boy, which will be part-Swiss (Lola Dina is half-Swiss), part-French, part-Spanish (the Sottos have Spanish blood) and part-Filipino.

“Pero okey lang kung girl,” Danica said.

Asked how many more kids do they plan to have, Danica said, “Just one more.”

In his usual funny self, Marc said, “Actually, I want 10. Pero hindi niya kaya.”

(Note: For more on Danica Sotto and Marc Pingris, tune in to tonight’s edition of The Ricky Lo Exclusives, 8:30 to 9:30 on Q-11, which also features, among other couples, John Estrada and 2004 Miss Earth Priscilla Meirelles, and Batanes stars Iza Calzado and Ken Chu.)

Why Martin is having a show date on the same date as that of Pops

All hope (as if there was any in the first place) is lost that Martin Nievera would make a “surprise” appearance at Divalicious, his ex- wife Pops Fernandez’s 25th-anniversary-in-showbiz concert at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, Dec. 8 (also her birthday).

On that same date, Martin is having his own show called XM’s at SMX...A Silver X’MAS Celebration at the SMX Convention Center (at SM Bay Central, behind the Mall of Asia) in Pasay City, which is part of Martin’s series of shows both here and abroad to celebrate his own 25th anniversary in showbiz.

Martin sent Funfare the following official statement:

As much as I would love to and as much as I should really be there, I have decided to tell everyone through you, Ricky, that I will not be attending Pops’ concert on Dec. 8.

It would have been nice to celebrate Pops’ 25th year with everyone and to see my boys (Ram and Robin) perform onstage with her, too, but I cannot go where I am not welcome.

If Pops is expecting a surprise like the good old days, then it should be from someone she would really sincerely be happy to see. But after that YES magazine article and other articles that followed, saying that Pops wants no more mention of me in her future articles, I think I don’t need any more hints or signs to know that she doesn’t want me around.

It is for this reason and this reason alone why I have accepted a smaller non-competitive show with Maxi Media just so I won’t be tempted to go to the one of Pops. I will not even say where or when the show will be because I don’t want it to look like there is a plug hidden in this message.

I wish her luck and congratulate her for her 25th year in showbiz. I remain a silent fan so proud of her every achievement.

Thank you, my friend.

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