Not only are the women here enamored by a fresh little cherub, but the men are equally as excited to get a chance to hold some chubby baby legs too.
At our first meal in a restaurant, the waitress came to the table and said "come, come" quickly lifting Astrid from my hands and whisking her away mumbling something about enjoying my lunch.
In a slight panic, I sat frozen, not sure of what to do next. Do I chase her down or maybe call for the waitress to bring the baby back?
In the 30 seconds it took for me to process a possible solution to my baby being abducted, a crowd of other restaurant workers gathered around Astrid. To my delight Astrid was smiling happily in the waitress' experienced and solid hold. She was being fawned over, happy toes being touched and belly being tickled.
Though my protective mother instinct was kicking in strong, I sat back, relaxed and started to eat. Of course, keeping a keen eye on where Astrid was being taken to next.
After this first run in with my baby being lifted out of my hands to give me a moment to eat, the following times this happened were less and less jarring. Eventually, if we had to hold her through a meal, Stuart and I became slightly disappointed. We wanted the help so we could have 20 minutes to chat and eat enjoying the little adult time we have together.
Yes, I was always concerned about germs. Yes, I was worried the ladies might not know how to hold her properly and yes I irrationally thought that they might take off in a full run never to see Astrid again. But slowly those fears disappeared realizing that people here just enjoy holding a new baby and getting in a cuddle. Most were even continuing to go about their jobs during their mini baby sitting session.
After chatting with each helper a bit further I found that many were missing their own kids whom they were away from for long periods of time. Almost all grew up with big families where babies were always around. They were always kind, reaponsible and knew how to handle a small child. They were all quite professional "yayos" (baby sitter in Filipino).
It became a relief to have some help, sit back and enjoy time with my wonderful husband. I figured the more exposure Astrid has to people, experiences and languages the more well-rounded and calm she will be in the future. It was a major cu!tural shift and one I will miss when I go back home.
At the Bohol Bee Farm
At the Miniloc Island Resort
At the Dolarog Beach
Adored by Angel
Helping out at the front desk
1 comment:
Very sweet, after the first moments of worry!! Astrid is well loved, and it looks that you have had a wonderful time!
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