What excites Pauleen Luna about her date with the stork

Soon-to-be mom Pauleen Luna with husband Vic Sotto

“Malapit na—konting kembot na lang!”

Pauleen Luna has been spending the past few days doing touch ups on her home nursery, which, in about a month’s time, could very well be filled with the cries and giggles of her first baby. Needless to say, the soon-to-be mom couldn’t be more thrilled.

“I used to think that giving birth would be scary—imagine, a human being coming out of your body! But, I realized that the excitement and eagerness to finally see the baby overshadow whatever nervousness you may have. You don’t think about the pain anymore,” related Pauleen, who’s due to welcome a baby girl with husband Vic Sotto in mid-November, her birth month.

The television host-actress, who’s hoping for a normal delivery, will soon be taking a leave from the noontime variety show, “Eat Bulaga!” But luckily, she said, her “Dabarkads” are just a call away should she be needing advice.

“Many of my cohosts in the show are mothers, too. They’re my 24/7 hotline—no need to Google stuff! I have a great support system,” she told reporters at a recent baby shower organized by the baby product brand Aprica.

The 28-year-old celebrity has always wanted a daughter. And she first had an uncanny feeling that she was going to have one when, one day, she found herself unusually obsessing over beautiful women.

“I was addicted to ‘Asia’s Next Top Model’ and loved looking at our bet, (eventual winner) Maureen Wroblewitz,” Pauleen recalled. “I also remember being so excited seeing Binibining Pilipinas contestants, like Maxine Medina, when they guested in our show.”

While this coming baby will be his fifth, Vic still exudes the aura of a first-time father, Pauleen noticed.

“It has a been a long time since he had a baby. Whenever he holds [my tummy], he seems to get nervous—as if he has never been through it four times before,” she said of Vic, who has children from previous relationships: Danica and Oyo (with Dina Bonnevie), Vico (with Coney Reyes) and Paulina (with Angela Luz).

Between her and Vic, Pauleen predicts that she’ll turn out to be the stricter parent. “I’ll be a hands-on mom. And I believe the more hands-on you are, the more you tend to be a disciplinarian,” she surmised. “My parents were strict, too—and I benefited from that. I want to be assured that my child will grow up with values.”