Send Me In Orbit

Where Babies Come From

It was as they were all eating dinner one night that the question struck CJ.

Daddy had brought home Mommy's favorite cheesecake. Ever since Mommy and Daddy had announced that they were having another baby, CJ observed that Daddy was always bringing home things for Mommy and giving her extra kisses. He also always talked to and kissed her stomach. After dinner, Mommy stood up to get the cheesecake from the fridge.

"Wifey, ako na," Clark said.

"Hindi na," she waved him off. "Hindi ka pa tapos kumain, o."

Before Daddy could protest, Mommy was out of her seat. CJ had seen the cheesecake when Daddy got home so he made sure to save room in his belly for it and didn't eat so much at dinner. Mommy and Daddy had a rule that they couldn't eat dessert unless they finished the food on their plate so CJ made sure to finish even the smallest grains of rice. It wasn't hard because he loved sinigang. It was his second favorite, adobo was the first, and it was Claire's absolute favorite.

CJ waited eagerly and watched as Mommy took the cheesecake out of the fridge and set it down on the counter so that she can slice it. Mommy's tummy was very big now and CJ couldn't help staring. She had grown so big suddenly that Claire had asked "Bakit ang taba ni Mommy?" and made Mommy cry. They said there was only 2 months left until the baby came and Mommy's tummy was so big because the baby was growing big inside and Mommy's tummy had to grow to make space inside for her.

Mommy paused in what she was doing and rubbed her tummy. CJ knew that meant the baby was kicking hard. He likes to put his hand on her tummy and feel the baby kick sometimes. Mommy spoke softly to the baby and CJ couldn't hear what she was saying. Mommy and Daddy said the baby could hear them even from inside because the baby has ears. CJ liked to sing to the baby with Daddy.

He watched Mommy and couldn't help wondering how the baby got inside her. They said that him, Claire, and Ceres all came from inside of Mommy's tummy, just like this baby. CJ wondered how the baby was going to come out and how she even got inside of Mommy in the first place. He opened his mouth to ask Daddy but at that moment Mommy came back to the table with a cheesecake. When she put a slice in front him, CJ forgot all about his question.

*

He remembered later that night. He was the oldest so he gets to go to bed a little later than his sisters. When Mommy and Daddy were done tucking the girls in, they came into CJ's room.

He was already in bed with his iPad. He had just remembered his question and had tried to search it on the Internet but Mommy and Daddy had put blockers on the iPad so he couldn't see any sites that would give him answers.

"Hey, Bud, time to put that away," Daddy said. "Nag-tooth brush ka na ba?"

"Opo, Daddy."

Mommy sat down on the bed beside him and brushed his hair back from his forehead. "Bakit sobrang busy ka diyan, Kuya?"

"Mommy, pwede po ba tanggalin ang blockers?" He asked. "Sandali lang po."

Daddy walked around the bed and sat down on his other side.

"Bakit? Ano hahanapin mo?"

"Gusto ko lang po malaman kung paano nakapasok ang baby sa tummy ni Mommy? Saan po galing ang baby? Saka paano po ba siya lalabas?"

Mommy eyes grew very big and she and Daddy looked at each other. Neither of them said anything for a long time. They looked at each other and then at him and then at each other again. CJ looked up at their faces and suddenly grew scared that they were mad at him.

"Bakit po? Bad po ba ang tanong ko?"

"No no," Clark said. He put an arm around CJ. "Nagulat lang kami ni Mommy. Walang masama sa tanong mo, Anak."