Motherhood becomes “It” girl Georgina Wilson-Burnand. She walks down the ramp at SM Fashion Hall wearing a chic cream suit and a wash-and-go hairdo. But look, Georgina’s pushing a stroller with her baby Archie sitting in it, delighting everyone with his cherubic smile!
The event celebrates the launch of Georgina with Archie as endorser of Chicco, Europe’s leading baby brand, but more on this a wee bit later.
“Georgina brings Archie everywhere,” Georgina’s mom Aurora Diaz-Wilson tells us. “And she has to tear herself away from him because she has to go to work. But the whole day, she checks on him — what’s he doing now, she wants the detail of what he’s doing. So we tell her, ‘The baby walked, he’s still walking. He’s drinking, he’s still drinking.’ And she wants to know: What did he eat, where did he go, what’s he doing, who’s he talking to?”
Stork news after dream wedding
The 31-year-old model, TV host, and entrepreneur got the surprise of her life when she found out she was pregnant just four months after her dream wedding to British businessman and hotelier Arthur Burnand early last year.
The excited mom-to-be did her homework, researched, and prepped herself for her new role, learning to expect the unexpected.
“Actually, for the first four months after I gave birth, I didn’t have a yaya, it was me every single thing,” Georgina relates. “Fortunately, the yayathat I thought was gonna help me with my newborn son didn’t come in so I had to learn from zero what to do, and what I loved about that is now that I do have help, I can handle everything, it’s really my style. Things happen for a reason and I’m so happy I had that chance, just me and Archie, it was so special.”
Bonding with Archie
Georgina had the most wonderful bonding experience with Archie when she breastfed him. “Yes, it’s amazing, but I think there’s a lot of pressure in it. Sometimes, it’s more difficult for others. It was more challenging for me, but I really persevered for as long as I could.”
But of course, Georgina can always count on the loving, unconditional support of her family — in fact, the whole huge Diaz clan!
There’s Jessica, Georgina’s younger sister and Archie’s ninang. “They have a secret conversation only they understand,” says Aurora. “They scream at each other. She takes care of Archie, she’s called Mommy 2. Everybody in the family takes care of Archie. There’s always an eye out watching over him.”
According to the doting grandma, Archie brought his mom to the Tatler ball recently. “She and Archibald (a name Georgina picked because it sounded very English) or Archie are really partners. I used to always say, ‘Archie, don’t do this, don’t do that, don’t say that.’ And Georgina would say, ‘Mama, stop!’ After that, I realized I was not the only one who knew how to take care of him.”
A relaxed, fun mom
“I think my mothering style is so similar to my mom’s, like I find myself I wanna be my son’s friend,” Georgina shares in a Q&A session with mediawomen. “I think I’m very much like my mom. I’d like to think I’m a relaxed mom.”
Georgina has learned that moms should stop being scared of letting their children do what they want. She wants it just like how the Diaz children were brought up — fun, relaxed.
But does Georgina want a big family like the Diazes?
Mom Aurora discloses, “She keeps asking, ‘How can you ever have another child?’”
Aurora is proud to say that Archie’s dad Arthur is very involved with the baby, every day. “Before Archie was born, Arthur already decided what school Archie will be going to. The father is British and an Eaton boarding school boy so he wants his son to go to Eaton.”
Most-traveled baby
Archie turns a year old this month and already, he has probably traveled the world. He’s been to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Sydney, Tokyo, LA, Paris, Copenhagen, Queenstown. And he’s been to Palawan and Siargao.
Georgina’s travel tip to moms out there: “Don’t be scared because the baby is so much more resilient than you give it credit for. We actually flew with Archie to England when he was just three weeks old. You’d be surprised because babies are so happy on the plane. We had so much fun on the plane. Well, at that age, it was the best because he would just sleep in the bassinette. Now, he wants to run up the aisle, he’s excited about everything, he wants to talk to our seatmate. I think moms should just come prepared, like have your bag ready with everything, and don’t be scared because your baby will be fine. I’ve flown with Archie alone. And you can always ask for a hand, people are so willing to help.”
Dad Arthur runs a business in Shanghai and is based there, so Archie travels between Manila and Shanghai. “Both of us miss each other so much that when we’re together, we’re just so happy,” Georgina describes the long-distance marriage.
Here comes Chicco
Georgina considers herself lucky to find a supportive partner in Chicco in raising Archie. “I don’t really know much about mothering, so it’s awesome to work with a company that helps me learn, they know so much, having had years and years of experience. As soon as we joined Chicco, they sent to the house toys, so Archie could walk, and something that he could push. He was walking at 10 months. I got feedback on Instagram, they couldn’t believe my baby was walking, which I really attributed to those toys. I like receiving those types of products that help him develop.”
“Chicco is such a long established brand, been around for over 60 years, 60 years with moms, dads, and families making babies happy,” says Andrea Tosa, Artsana area manager for Asia. “Chicco is the nickname of the son (Enrico) of the founder of the company in Italy. It’s a family company that has grown to become a global leader in the world of baby care.”
From where we’re seated, we can see the glow in Georgina’s eyes as she looks adoringly at Archie and declares, “I’m a mom now. Nothing could be bigger than that!”