SHARON CUNETA, THE PROUDEST MOM THESE DAYS!
by Crispina Martinez Belen, Manila Bulletin, February 16, 2001

Happy mom Sharon (Cuneta-Pangilinan) couldn't stop talking about her second daughter, Simone Francesca Emmanuelle (nicknamed Frankie) and who was christened recently. Frankie is now almost two months old.

All about Frankie, letís hear it from the proud mom herself:

ìKiko, KC and I waited so long for this precious one to come into our lives. Two miscarriages before her may have caused us unspeakable pain, but certainly did not succeed in making our faith in the Almighty waver in any way.

ìWhen I first found out I was pregnant, which was just after we all arrived home from our Holy Week vacation in Bangkok, I sat all alone in what I used to call my Dadís room, and what is now Frankieís. I gave myself a few minutes to savor the moment, and then called Kiko in his office. He immediately came home and all we could do was embrace each other and say, ìI love you.î Our happiness was not what weíd call ëcomplete,í because we were also fearful that the pregnancy might not reach fullñterm. I guess no one could blame us because of what weíd had to go through twice before. So guess no one could blame us because of what weíd had to go through twice before. So we kept this piece of news to ourselves for a few days, knowing that our family and friends would understand once we decided to finally tell them the good news.

ìThe first timester was painful. Because it was a pregnancy in the ìhighñriskî category, I had to have daily injections, and see my OBñGYN weekly for ultrasound and other tests, and my Reproductive Immunologist (I wonít go into all the details as thatís quite private and a long story!) once in a while, to find out how my baby was doing. I wasnít allowed to work, except to do my weekly hourñlong television show. The sadness nothing compared to the uncertainty, the fear of losing my baby. Kiko lit a candle and said a prayer every night for a baby to come our way before I got pregnant, and he got down on his knees and prayed harder once I did. We thanked the good Lord as each day went by without a hitch. So you can imagine how we felt the first time we heard Frankie cry, how tears welled up in our eyes upon first sight of her.

ìNowadays, Frankie is quick to give us a smile during our ìcooingî and ìplayingî time. She is a big baby, and wears clothes for a threeñmonth old! She has beautiful eyes that seems to speak to us. She has my fingers and toes, my chin. When people see her for the first time, they say she looks like me, and some have even gone as far as calling her ìSharon, Jr.!î But we think she is goodñnatured and cries only when sheís hungry or needs a nappy change, and doesnít fidget much.

ìIíve had to reñlearn how to take care of an infant, as itís been almost 16 years since KC was one. It was a pleasant surprise to see so many new, helpful things available in the market now that werenít around when KC was a baby. I was all of the 19 years old, too, when I had KC, and often said that I wished I had more time to spend with her. It wasnít just that I was young, and in many ways still growing up myself. It was also that I had to work for our living, to provide for her future without depending on my own parents. Frankie was born about three weeks short of my 35th birthday, so of course I am now more mature, more ready, more experienced. I have lived a fuller life than when I was 19, and embrace motherhood betterñequipped this time around.

ìKiko and I would like to have two more children, but are puttingñoff the next pregnancy until Frankie is about a yearñandñañhalf old. We want to enjoy her and give her all the love and care for she brought so much more joy into our family. Now more than ever, we are assured of Godís faithfulness and love. And we thank all of you who prayed along with us for this precious gift, our precious little angel.î

On the other hand, hereís what KC Concepcion has to say about her little sister:

ìSimone, as I like calling her, is definitely a joy to have in the house. I never knew what it would feel like to have someone like her around, but it feels good to think that there is a child who needs you in her life, especially now that she is still very helpless, innocent and loves you unconditionally. I now realize what it means when people associates babies with joy, and although these descriptions may have been used many times before, they are the words that appear in my mind right now.

ìIt was strange, and still is, how the presence of Simone has made me perceive and handle certain things in my life differently. It affects some things I do in the sense that I remember I am now an ëAteí and I need to be more responsible for my actions, therefore I do things well, or better than I would have without that thought. Iíve learned and realized so many things in the little time that sheís been in this world, and her presence alone makes me a better person already. Now I feel that I have to consider how my actions will or may now affect her, and this helps me to avoid making mistakes, and making the wrong decisions especially as a teenager. Iíve learned to look at myself and value family more than I ever have, and also see myself as a significant part of Simoneís life.

ìI know that there are many more things to learn in the future, as she grows up ó things about each other as sisters, things about her as a person and about myself as well, challenges to overcome, moments to cherish and bridges to cross.

ìI am still trying to learn to play my role as a sister, but I canít wait to experience whatever is in store for us both, and for us as a family, because there is an excitement and satisfaction that comes with a blessing like this.î

There, you can see from the above how special Frankie, or Simone, is to her mom, the megastar, her sister KC and most of all to her dad, Atty. Kiko Pangilinan, the aspiring senator.