ur favorite doll, Donita Rose, is a mother now. The movie star and VJ, also known as Mrs. Eric Villarama, gave birth to her first baby, Joshua Paul, nicknamed JP, on July 22. in an e-mail to YES!, Donita reports on her life as wife and breastfeeding mother in her new home in Singapore :

“We've just moved in into this three-bedroom unit that is spankin' new but on the east coast, aways from the city and I absolutely love it. Everything in our new apartment is brand new and it's very much Eric's and my personality combined into one hip pad. My old apartment was smack dab in the middle of the city. There was only one bedroom so we would never fit with a third member coming and a helper moving with us.

“As for Eric, my husband… I'm sorry if I'm gonna be a bit biased but Eric is the best dad in the whole wide world! He took paternal leave for 10 days and we've just been at home if we are not working or making a visit to the hospital. He has been in charge of cuddling and bathing, changing, burping, and putting JP to sleep every day and I absolutely love it. My only job has been to feed and although it has been tiring for me, Eric stays by my side most of the time even if it's 3 am and we've had no sleep. Eric was even thoughtful enough to hire a masseuse for 7 days as a treat and refuses to have me disturbed during that one hour break every evening. Eric is so sweet. I really could not ask for anything more.”

Donita's baby Joshua Paul—whom she call JP—was taken.

In her email to YES!, Donita talks about which physical traits JP get from whom: “He has my forehead, ears, face shape, and possibly my nose. He definitely has Eric's eyes, lips, hair, and body. He looks very Asian like his dad!!!”

The proud mama tells us more: “JP's bilirubin [a yellowish-red jaundice, found in the urine and blood] were a little more than normal a few days ago but it has gone down significantly. Also, most babies lose weight right after birth but fortunately, he has gained the weight back and is growing healthy. He is starting to smile much more and is developing a better feeding schedule of every 2 ½ hours to 4 hours if fed well.”

ABOVE The parents knew from the start, via an ultrasound, that their baby was going to be a boy. They then had Joshua's room painted sky blue, complete with cloud formations. Now less than Daddy Eric, a graphic artist, did those beautiful feathery clouds you see here. When JP is in his crib, like a cherub on a cloud, the heavenly ambiance would be complete.

RIGHT This wide-angel shot of the room shows us the baby's closets on the right. JP is not allowed to sleep in anyone's bed—just here in this crib. Or “on the couch in the living room,” says Donita, “since it is huge and since he can't roll over yet.”

Except for a bit of greenery, the master bedroom is all in white. It's Donita who wants all things white, or cream-colored, in her domain. When Eric moved into her former condo unit, she had everything—wall, ceilings, panles—repainted white. “ Para malinis,” she explains. But more than a clean look, she wanted something symbolic of her new status: “ Para mukhang talagang new beginning.”

When they relocated to this new conjugal habitat, Donita once again became obsessed with white! Except for Joshua's blue room, everything else had to be white. A minimalist, Donita also discarded most of her and Eric's old belongings before coming here. Into her new life and her new world, she only wanted to bring new things—such as their wedding presents.

One of these days, the empty walls will be home to Eric's own artworks.

RIGHT There are two bathrooms in the house. This one is inside the master bedroom. The huge glass panels provide a good view of the neighborhood. It's likely to be a dramatic view, since the Villarama's unit is on the eight floor of the Dahlia Park building.

Not seen here is another shower head at the opposite end of the bathtub. Yes, there are two of them, so that two people can actually take a shower at the same time. Our photographer Lester is actually amused by that design concept. “Cool,” he says.

Singapore based Filipino photographer Lester Ledesma, the man behind all these beautiful shots, tells us that the Villarama's unit may be “a bit small by Philippine standards. Pero dito sa Singapore, normal ang size. Also, it's a private apartment complete with airconditioning. I'd say it's expensive compared to what locals live in.”

Lester adds that the couple's new address, while near the Changi International Airport , is far from the city center. “It's like going to Bicutan coming from Quezon City ,” he explains. “It's also in a residential area, so public transportation is hard to get, which probably means that most people who live there have cars—read: moneyed—as cars are very expensive here.”

RIGHT A neatness freak, Donita standing by the door of her small but definitely spotless kitchen—does the cleaning herself. The only time she didn't was during her pregnancy, when disinfectants and detergents were deemed had for the baby in he stomack. She admits to being an OC, or obsessive-compulsive. Like how? Like taking the trouble of picking up a single strand of loose hair on the floor.

Our photographer Lester tells us something interesting when we ask him what he noticed about his subject: “Donita kept asking us [he was with Singaporean makeup artist Juli Ong] not to touch the walls too much, kasi nga raw madaling madumihan. The whole house is very clean and white.

BELOW Eric here examining the contents of his fridge is a health cuff, according to Donita. But he forgot all about his health regimen when Donita got pregnant. “Eric was the one making “lihi,” Donita recalls. “He started craving for soda, eating a pint of chocolate fudge brownie or green tea ice cream every evening and most surprisingly—boneless bangus, afritada, adobo, and sinigang na hipon!!!”

These days, it's Donita's turn to be health-conscious. She is not allowed to take soft drinks or eat junk goof since she is breastfeeding JP.  

HELLO, JP!

As early as July 19—three days before Donita Rose-Villarama gave birth—GMA-7 programs—“Unang Hirits,” “24 Oras,” “Saksi,” “Startalk,” and “S-Files.” These exclusive still photos of the Villarama family, he gave to YES! Our many thanks!

Here are Lhar's photos of Donita and Eric with then three-hour-old Joshua Paul.

Joshua Paul, nicknamed JP, weighed 7.14 pounds at the time of birth and measured 51 centimeters. “Ang takaw-takaw daw, sabi ni Donita,” Lhar reports. “Very strong kids. Ang likot-likot. Noong kinukunan namin, galaw nang galaw.” Lhar Santiago adds: “Pag nilalaro siya ni Donita, ang tawag niya, ‘Ang artista ko.' Marami na daw offers na TV commercials, maski noong nasa tiyan pa.”

Donita left Mount Elizabeth Hospital two days after giving birth. That same day, Eric's parents, Gigi and Efren Villarama, flew back to the U.S. “Talagang nagpunta lang doon para alalayan si Donita,” says Lhar. Last August, it was the turn of Donita's parents to visit Singapore . Donita's next trip to Manila will be in January 2005. By then, JP would already have been “dedicated to the Lord.” As for the binyagan, it will only take place “pag daw JP is old enough to understand na what baptism is,” says Lhar.

Early in the pregnancy, before the ultrasound, Donita and Eric decided on a named Kaylyn, combining the names of Eric's older sister Kay and Donita's mom Lyn (short for Evelyn). A boy would be named Joshua Paul, after Donita's brothers Joshua and Paul, who also happen to be Eric's best pals.

Last year, when Donita informed her bosses at MTV-Asia in Singapore —where she was resident VJ for almost three years—that she was tying the knot, they asked that she delay the wedding for another year. She refused to do so. She knew in her heart that, at 28, she need to move on. With this lovely boy now in her life, she knows she made the right choice.

“Miracle baby ang tawag nila kay Joshua,” says Lhar. “Kasi noong lumabas siya, nakapalupot ang umbilical cord sa leeg, dalawang beses! Natakot nga sila. Pinrey-over ‘yong mag-ina ng doctor na kasamahan pala nila sa Christian Fellowship nila doon.”

Lhar thinks JP takes after Eric: “Although sabi ni Donita, ‘yong chin, nakuha sa kanya. ‘Tapos, ang color ng eyes ng bata, light brown.” The first-time dad gets kudos from Lhar: “Hindi niya talaga iniwan kahit sandali si Donita.”

In behalf of husband Eric and son JP, Donita sends this email message to her fans and friends in the Philippines : “I really miss all of you back home and I can't wait to come back with my little munchkin in tow!!! I also want to thank all those that bought a copy of the YES! Magazine Special that featured our wedding. That was very special to us! Here now is the ‘follow up' project after the wedding. Hehehe!!! Love you all and make sure you get all your friends and family members to buy more copies of this special to YES! Mag will have no choice but to put us on the cover yet another time!!!” - -