One week after Maria Letizia Gracia Dantes (nicknamed Zia), his and wife Marian Rivera’s first child, was born (very early Monday morning, Nov. 23), Dingdong Dantes still can’t seem to get over the reality that he’s now a father.
“I can’t describe the feeling,” Dingdong told Funfare. “I can’t compare it to my feeling about any event in my life. Siguro next to how I felt when Yan and I got married (on Dec. 30) last year.”
The baby’s names were picked from several choices (“It’s the fourth choice,” said Dingdong), and each is a tribute to the couple’s elders.
“Like in many Filipino families, almost all the women in my family have Maria in their names,” explained Dingdong. “My grandmother is named Letizia. There’s also a Letizia on Yan’s father’s side.”
Until press time, all that Dingdong and Marian would allow the public was a glimpse of Zia’s folded two little fingers as if indicating “23” (her birth day). “Ipapakita rin naman namin si Zia at the right time.”
During the interview, Dingdong showed your Funfarer pictures of the baby taken with his celfone camera. He conceded that Zia looked 99 percent her mother -— from the forehead to the eyes to the nose to the lips — and only one percent (just the chin) her father.
“Masaya ako na kamukha si Zia ang nanay niya,” said Dingdong. “Good thing she looks like Yan.”
During her pregnancy, Marian underwent ultrasound to check how the baby was.
“Kaya we were sure that the baby was normal even when she was inside her mom’s tummy,” recalled Dingdong.
Just the same, like most parents, the first thing that Dingdong did was check if the body parts were complete. He stayed beside Marian every step of the way starting when she felt labor pains until she finally delivered Zia several hours later the natural way (Marian didn’t want to undergo Caesarian section). Dingdong took video shots of the whole process.
“Actually,” noted Dingdong, “Zia looks different every day. Nag-iiba siya as she grows bigger, pero kamukhang-kamukha pa rin ni Yan.”
The couple prepared for Zia’s arrival soon after they got married.
“Talagang pinaghandaan namin,” said Dingdong. Still and all, he has yet to come to terms with the family’s new addition, which he described as “a miracle” that has drastically changed his and Marian’s life. “Our sleeping pattern will be changed. I already know how to change Zia’s diapers.” Marian will breastfeed the baby for as long as she can. Eventually, Zia will be fed with formula milk. “By then,” added Dingdong, “alam ko na kung paano mag-prepare ng feeding bottles ni Zia.”
Teased that he and Marian should have another baby soon, this time a boy so he would look “100 percent Dingdong,” the brand-new dad laughed. “Not so soon,” confessing that he would like to have four kids. “O kung ilan ang ibigay sa amin ni God.”
Dingdong wouldn’t say when Zia would be baptized and named only Ai-Ai delas Alas (Marian’s good friend; they call each other “twin sisters”) as one of the godparents.
Yesterday, Dingdong (a National Youth Commissioner) left for Paris to attend the climate-change conference.
“But I’m staying there only overnight,” clarified Dingdong. “I will miss Yan and our baby.”
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