Baby Gabriel

I have written briefly before about how my Aunt Jean and Uncle Rico both work for Four Seasons Hotel in Qatar. My family has taken care of their son Jerico for the past six years - my parents treat him like their son, and my siblings and I treat him like he's our baby brother. Even though he's very young, he's aware of this set-up and chats regularly with his parents via Yahoo!Messenger or overseas phone calls. His parents get to visit the Philippines a whole month every year, and whenever they're here they make sure they catch up on parents-and-son bonding time.

On March 29, Aunt Jean and Uncle Rico is blessed with another baby :)

Meet Gabriel

Aunt Jean was actually supposed to return to Manila last February 25 so she can give birth here, but a couple of weeks before her flight, she suffered some complications. Because of this, her doctors thought it's best not to let her leave Qatar anymore and just give birth there instead. I could only imagine how tough it must have been for her not to have her mom (my grandma) and sister (my mom) around, but at least she had her husband with her.

And so, as we were having a celebratory dinner for my sister Kyla's graduation, we got a text from Uncle Rico saying that the baby has arrived, and we were doubly happy for these two wonderful occasions! :)

Gabriel at two weeks old

Gabriel at three weeks old

What a cutie! I just want to pinch those cheeks!! 

The reason for this post? As I type this, Aunt Jean, Uncle Rico, and baby Gabriel are in a plane heading back to hot and humid Manila! Aunt Jean has quit her job so she can take care of both Jerico and Gabriel in their new house, while Uncle Rico took his annual vacation so he can go, too. That means Jerico won't be staying with us anymore and will live with his mom, while his dad will still continue to work in Qatar. I will really miss our little Eco, but he needs his parents.

Brace yourselves, up next is the cutest photo of all... photo was taken while this little munchkin was sleeping, I think he's dreaming about playing :)

All together now, awww ♥
He's barely a month old in this photo, but look at how big he is already!!

Hello baby Gabriel, I can't wait to finally meet you.