Birth Day Songs

On the day Tala Marie Isabel was born, while Mike and Pia were on the way to the hospital, the music playing on the car radio was Lisa Stansfield's "This is the Real Thing".

It was the one song that played completely from start to finish during their hurried trip to the hospital.  When it came to the chorus, Pia couldn't help but giggle. On hindsight, Mike felt it appropriate.  The song fits Tala's personality.

Then came the day Jose Andres Miguel was born. Mike and Pia were again on the same route going to the hospital. This time one song again played completely from start to finish.  It was "Lupang Hinirang", the Philippines' national anthem.

Mike couldn't help but laugh a little.  If Tala is the family's star, Jose will probably be its hero.

Jose Andres Miguel

On XX XXXXX 2012, Pia gave birth to Jose Andres Miguel.

He weighed 6 pounds and measured 58.8 centimeters.

Mike was again right beside Pia in the delivery room.  Mike took the video this time because there was no one available to take the video.

After the preliminaries, the doctors attempted to have the little baby boy latch unto Pia.

Three Names Again

When Pia and Mike found out they were having a baby boy, they knew it would be a challenge in giving him a name.

Choosing their daughter's name had set up naming precedents they wanted to follow. Just like their daughter's name, Mike and Pia wanted their baby boy's name to be composed of three names.

The first name they agreed upon was "Jose", a variant for "Joseph". They wanted to name their son after St. Joseph, just as their daughter was named after St. Mary.  (Tala's second name is "Marie", a variant of "Mary".)

The first name was an easy choice but the next two names weren't.  In fact, Mike and Pia were stuck for several months.