I CAN still remember being totally amazed at Marianne Navales-Cuezon when I featured her in my column at the same time last year.
During the 38th week of her pregnancy and amidst the hustle and bustle of decorating her nursery, the then mom-to-be staged her second one-woman art exhibit dubbed as "Weaving a Life: Discovering the Life of the Unborn" at the Museo Dabawenyo. Not only that, she also gathered several pregnant mommies one afternoon and did a belly painting activity at The Pod.
After her dear Malaika Dalimay was born, Marianne admirably chose to be a full-time breastfeeding mom and put her profession as a doctor on hold "until God's perfect time comes".
Heaven's messenger
Mommy Marianne shares that Malaika's unique name means "Heaven's Messenger".
"True to her name, Malaika is exactly just that to us. From the moment she was conceived and then born, she has always been God's messenger. We have learned more of God's faithfulness and grace every day. She is our joy -- the kind of heart's joy that's 'God-send'", Marianne lovingly describes.
"In addition, Malaika has taught me every essence of what the word 'selfless' means - not to mention patience too. She has taught us to walk by faith, as a family. She is God's instrument for bringing out the best in us. She is teaching us to bring everything in prayer; preparing us and equipping us as parents, in every way, to mold her into exactly who God intends her to be", smiles the doting mom who is happily married to Carl, legal administrator for Reed Elsevier Shared Services Philippines, Inc., a US-based shared company.
Early this week, their little Malaika or whom Marianne fondly calls "Kolokay" turned one year old and the creative mommy made sure that her beloved daughter's most favorite things were part of the glorious birthday celebration!
Inner crafty expressions
"As early as three months old, baby Malaika loved watching pinwheels blown by the wind at the family garden. And, she has been fascinated with pinwheels since then. The moment I also introduced bubbles, she went crazy over them! So, for her first birthday, I wanted Malaika to enjoy her simple joys -- pinwheels and bubbles", Marianne divulges.
Marianne started working on the DIY pinwheels as early as two months ago, in between Malaika's naps and after her bedtime, as these are the only times she can work on them. "They became my "mommy Me time" and release for my inner crafty expressions", the artistic mom reveals.
With the help of longtime friend Mixie Palma of Happy Parties, Malaika's precious pinwheel theme was tastefully incorporated in her dainty invites, favor tags, cupcakes toppers, poster and tarpaulin.
Pinwheel party
On her special day, a multitude of vibrant and whimsical pinwheels merrily greeted the birthday girl as she entered the Ladislawa Country Club.
The handmade pinwheel decorations by Marianne filled the entire party venue from the ceiling works, table centerpieces, backdrop and loot bags.
"The pinwheels were made of colored paper and scrapbook papers, paper straws, buttons and pins. I made several prototypes to ensure that they really work the purpose as toy pinwheels", explains Marianne.
Loudy Patos, Marianne's ever reliable setup coordinator/florist, assisted the hands-on mom with the party decorations.
"Loudy has always been with us in every family event-from birthdays, art exhibit openings to my wedding. She is the only one who can execute our ideas always exactly the way we envision it to be. Loudy is truly a gem!", Marianne enthuses.
Well-loved family friend Emily Lim-Cimafranca magnificently created the delightful garden and pinwheels-themed 1st birthday cake and cupcakes of Malaika while the adorable mini pinwheel cupcakes at the dessert buffet were supplied by Justin Merdeka Tajanlangit of Cupcake Nymph.
Family fun
Making sure that everything was just pinwheel perfect at the party was one of the celebrant's greatest fans, Lola Marilyn Navales, who willingly acted as the event coordinator. Lolo Chester Navales, on the other hand, took charge of setting up the bubble machine, projector and chocolate fountain.
Video coverage was superbly done by Marianne's brother Cheston who has been consistently documenting highlights of family events, including Malaika's birth.
Bonjee Entertainment's talented host Jymmez Infiesto did a fantastic job livening up the affair with her thrilling party games while the amazing magic and bubble show entertained both the young and adult guests.
We share photos of Malaika's awesome pinwheel party courtesy of CJ Liamzon.
E-mail the author at mom.about.town.dvo@gmail.com. Visit www.momabouttowndavao.blogspot.com.