Iza Calzado couldn’t hold back her emotions as she saw her family’s first-ever cover for Smart Parenting.
While she knew a poolside shot would be the main photo, she was especially moved that it captured the “energy of the family together.”
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The actress shared that all three of them are now in their own better seasons of life.
She is now “mas confident as a mom.”
During the general presscon, she said: "Yung medyo mas kamado mo na. Hindi ko sinasabing expert po. Pero yung mas na-e-enjoy mo na kasi three years na.
"Pero kasi lagi tayong tin-test ng motherhood, e, pero mas may confidence ka sa sarili mo bilang isang nanay na okay, at least mas humble ka na rin dahil may pagka-idealistic ka bago pumasok.
"We've been learning a lot. I've been learning a lot."
Likewise, her husband, Ben Wintle, is no longer figuring things out on the fly, having grown more steady in his role as a father.
In Iza’s own words: “…I think, dito na rin pumapasok na mas marami nang ambag si Ben.
"Kasi in the early days, he didn't know what to do. He'd come in. I'd be, you know, in that rocking chair putting Deia to bed. She'd be latched. And then, he's like, ‘I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.’
"But now, he knows what to do when it's his time to step up."
As for their daughter Deia, “her personality is coming out.”
She gushed, "Ang cute niya kasi! So sabi ko, 'If not now, when?'"
And before some netizens could disagree, she added, "Sorry, nanay ako, ha. Okay? Kung hindi kayo naku-cute-an, okay lang yun. Hindi ko mamasamain.
"Para sa akin po, gusto ko lang i-capture yung moment. Hindi na mauulit kasi three years old siya," then said dramatically, "Three-ager. Grabe din, tsina-challenge tayo ng three. Akala ko lang, two. Sabi nila Terrible Twos, but three?...
"I want to remember that at this time, she is all of these things and we were learning together. We're hormonally-challenged together."
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What was the shoot experience like for the three-year-old girl?
During her exclusive interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) on May 8, 2026, at the Smart Parenting Mother’s Day Fair, she related:
“I don't think she's quite aware yet that it's, like, she's the special main character.
“Hindi naman niya alam kung ano ang magazine. And it's not her first time to be in a photo shoot because nsgpo-photo shoot kami sa family.
“But overall, she was just happy. I think what she enjoyed the most was that she got to swim.”
What Iza was sure of, though, is that Deia is at a stage where she is most possessive of her.
“All I know is at the moment, she's quite territorial when it comes to me.
“So may mga oras na may lalapit, gustong magpa-picture, sasabihin niya, "No! My mama, my mama!"
“So that's actually more of what she's working through, di ba, how she feels about the reality of being public figures.”
This is a stage of discovery and realization for both mother and daughter.
Deia is beginning to understand what it means to have a famous mom, while Iza is learning to give her the space she needs to make sense of it all.
She mentioned fans’ requests for photo ops as an example.
“Kasi siyempre pag ayaw niya, ‘Sorry po, gusto ko mang magkaroon ng picture, pero ang anak ko ay umiiyak at ayaw.’ Hindi ko maibibigay ngayon."
This was initially a challenge for Iza because, “I am a people pleaser.”
The added, "But now that I am a mom, when it’s my personal time, family is my priority.”
IZA CALZADO ON HAVING ANOTHER BABY
Now that she’s settled into her real-life role as a mom, is she ready to have another baby?
She admitted: "There's a prayer that I'm holding on, but the truth is, ‘Ano, yes? I am at that point that I surrendered it to God's will.
"And I am just waiting for the prefect time. Kumbaga, 'Just lead me, Lord.'"
If she could ask for a Mother’s Day gift from Deia, what would it be?
She initially wanted to say she's already the best gift.
Laughing, she said, “Erase, erase! Never mind, baka sabihin one day na hindi niya ako bibigyan. Wag na nating sabihin. Ayaw ko kainin ang aking sinabi.
“No, at this point, three years old, ah, the best gift she can give me is a kiss and a hug and for her to say, “I love you.”
If she will have her way, she wants Mother’s Day to be a rest day.
"I don't want to do anything. That's all I want.
“But there may be lunch or dinner sa bahay. I want to celebrate with our nanays at angels.
"They’re the ones who really stepped in for me when I can't be there for my own.”