Category: Langit Senja

Taking care this baby alone teaches me that I am not as strong as I think I am. Not strong enough to beat my anger, not strong enough to be more patient, not strong enough to beat the laziness.

Thankfully, those bad things could be covered with one good news. I am sure I am not ignorant. Despite being lazy, it won’t stop me from doing something that I think is important enough.

Potty training has been on my head for quite some times. I planned to start it after she’s turning two. But again, it takes a strong will to drag me out of the comfort zone (using diaper, I mean). Keep postponing the plan until I don’t know when. My laziness won a lot.

One Wednesday when my aunt said something about teaching the baby to pee and poo in the right place bothered me. Langit is now 27 months already. I have limit before that I want her to be potty trained before she turns 30 months.

It was a week where I had no one to be taken care of beside the baby. My father was on a trip and le husband had his shift. So, the very next day, the potty training officially began.

With this, I prepared everything like changing the lower folding mattress with tikar, covered the couch with perlak. 

The first day was a quite disaster, as expected. Five times cleaning the pee, and once for poo. It was Thursday and I had my fasting. Since I knew that accidents would be unavoidable, I was with my full tank of patience.

But, it didn’t make the training less tiring. Cleaning the pee and poo weren’t everything. Here, we have to teach the baby how to tell us when she felt the urge to pee and poo. So, every certain time, we put the baby on the toilet and tell her to pee. Mostly pee. No single attempt was perfectly done on the first day. 

I had a battle in the evening whether to do this directly day and night or just doing the day one first. Finally, I decided to do the day first. Like office hours 7-5. So, Langit has been without her diaper start after the morning bath and wear it after her afternoon bath until morning.

The second day was the time when I almost gave up. Haha! The second day and I had thought about giving up already, thinking the baby wasn’t ready yet. I had hold a diaper on my hand and ready to put it on. Then, the baby suddenly said,”pipis,” and I hurriedly bring her to the toilet, then..

She did it!!!!

I was too happy. She did it!! You didn’t know how a little thing like watching your baby doing pee for the first time in a proper place could make a mother being so happy.

Then, did it mean a victory?

Of course not.

On the second day, accidents still happened with less numbers. Only twice happened for pee and none for poo. None means she didn’t poo at all during the time without diaper.  

The day after the second , felt a lot easier. She’s getting better and better in telling us whenever she wants to pee. Until now, for pee, it’s been almost zero accident. Whenever she is in the toilet, she does pee happily😄.

We skip using potty. For me, it’s not an effective way for a toddler. It makes double job also for me. Cleaning the potty everytime she is doing pee or poo is burdensome.

I was doing a lot of reading related to this. Both domestic and foreign articles. One of the reasons I almost gave up on the second day was one of the articles that said if the baby wasn’t ready, it would be better to wait. A story from a mother said it took her months until the baby passed the potty training, which I found it scary.

It is obligatory to fully stay at home for the first few days of the training. Both of us stayed for the first five days. We went out for pediatrician visit on the sixth day. 

Was it with or without the safety belt?

I decided to be a bit bold by using NO DIAPER for the firsr time outside. After pediatrician visit, we stopped by the nearest mall for a quick lunch also. Then, we went home.

Result? We safely arrived at home without any accidents.

Since morning, I had arranged her fluid intake and made her pee twice or thrice. Right before we left, she did her pee quite much. Then, right after we arrived home, she did it again. I assumed she had started knowing how to hold the urge.

Until today, two weeks after the first day of training, we have been having almost a week without pee accidents anymore. Poo? We just had it yesterday. The second poo accident after one in the first day.

A surprise came this morning when I found her diaper was totally dry a whole night. Maybe, we should proceed to the night training as well. Just maybe for now. Let’s see for more evidence.

Usually, I ask her to go to the toilet around thirty minutes after she takes any drinks. Sometimes she does it and sometimes she doesn’t. For these few days, it’s been much easier because she now tells us when she feels like to do it.

An article said that potty training is a big milestone. Not only for the baby, but also the mother or parents. I totally agree with this.

I couldn’t express how happy I have been whenever she’s doing her pee on the toilet. It’s a big achievement for me. I take potty training more seriously than weaning. For me, weaning will be done naturally. Or so I believe.

So, happy 27th month without diaper, baby girl! 

Enjoy your presents 🍦🍦🍦🍦🍦!

After this breastfeeding journey, it turns out the breastfeeding adventure still keep going after two years. Why?

Hm, why not?

Before saying why not, I have tried several ways to wean peacefully. But, it didn’t work and it was quite understandable since I am practically at home most of the time. 

After some times, rather than trying hard to push the baby to stop breastfeeding, I chose to find some references about extended breastfeeding. The result shown, either from medical and religious perspective, there is no harm of doing extended breastfeesding and it is allowed to do so, as long as both mother and baby are having no objection to that.

My sister in law whose daughter is at the same age with Langit has succesfully done with weaning, with some dramas. Facing the crying, tantrum for several days to a week. I don’t think I could go through such thing, for the sake of my sanity. I don’t have any stuntmans available daily to cover me dealing with such things and days of unnecessary dramas. 

Or, am I just lazy? Well, maybe. Don’t mind to be called lazy since it is not wrong too😌

Thus, with these references and experience, I decide to let this weaning process be done naturally. She actually doesn’t do this much anymore. No longer doing it while we’re going out, even several nights she goes to sleep without breastfeeding. 

On the 27th month, her verbal skill has been improved so much. Counting in bahasa and English, one to ten in bahasa, one to twenty in English, naming things and colors, remembering family names, singing her favorite children songs, and surprisingly singing one she heard often from her parents like Frank Sinatra’s Moon River. Grandpa Sinatra must be very proud.

She’s on the way for a complete Al-fatihah and parents pray which she constantly asked being recited after shalat.

These two years, I have been given almost all ideal things in this motherhood jungle. Vaginal birth with IMD, with a very quick process, a complete breastfeeding without having any single drop of formula until now, feeding the baby with home-cooked meal and not once (yet) she’s having any instant baby food, a baby who eats well and doesn’t let me experience even once, the thing called GTM.

I have a freedom to choose being a stay at home mother with a flexible part-time job, with a workplace within walking distance, a healthy baby who,until I write this post, hasn’t once tasted any medecines, even for fever or cough. Too much to be counted all blessing we have for these years. 

When you’ve been given so much more than what you need, it should go without saying to return the favour more than what you asked for.

Two years is the time asked for in breastfeeding. I hope doing the extended breastfeeding also extend the blessing and all goodness for the baby’s physical and mental health in the future, as well as mine. Amin.

Happy (extended) breastfeeding!

Langit’s taste bud has been expanding widely. She literally almost eats everything, with a very wide range of tastes. Bitter, sweet, plain, savory, spicy, light or heavy spices, she eats them all. One that I know she has been constantly less preferable is egg. Any kind of egg dishes. 

She stopped having baby’s food completely around thirteen months. As she started her first table food on her eleventh months, she started having exactly the same like the adults had. I also gave more spices to the food. 

Knowing she had no problem with pepper, I continued with chili. Now, she eats any kind of sambals. She loves tomato sambal, but one that works well with her is dabu-dabu. 

She has been soup number one fan. So, soup is almost never absent. Chicken soup, meat and vegetable soup, tofu soup, and the most epic one that she likes a lot is lamb soup.

She enjoys some particular vegetables like cucumber, brocoli, sawi putih (don’t have any idea in english), and bean sprout. Some vegetables with coconut milk like pumpkin and sweet corn is also a yes for her.

For protein, fish is on the top of her preference list while chicken is the last. Funny how she has quite similar preference with me. Ah, she doesn’t really keen on soysauce dishes.

Lots of times, I captured her very best expressions were ones that she had during eating. She looked so happy and it made me even happier watching that and couldn’t help recording it. Hope she’ll keep being an adventurous eater like she has been. Apprendre les cuisines en France, si possible!

Keep happy and healthy, baby!

Eating tauge and labu kukus for lunch starter. Look at that wide grin and smile!

Finishing kuah bakso like she couldn’t get it enough.

August Coiffeur was right.

Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.

Another year has passed!!

Alhamdulillah. 

Motherhood is surely never getting easier by years. When you’re done with something, then another one followed. It will give you new things to learn until the end.

Second year might not be easier, but it is surely more enjoyable in some parts that the first year wasn’t. Second year allowed us to go as far as Paris, enjoyed the trip healthily and back home happily without having too much concern about doing breastfeeding in public, bringing baby’s food here and there, finding baby chair, or baby friendly restaurant.

The perks of having little help around is you can (and have to) do almost everything by yourself. It might be tired sometimes,but honestly this one really works for both of us well.

These two introverts work best when it is just the two of us. Since months ago, we’re able to go here and there by ourselves. Either by driving alone or by taxi,even bajaj. Groceries, pediatrician visit, playing in indoor playground, or wherever as long as the distance is reasonable. Without any companions, it’s more enjoyable,at least for me. The baby, as long as she has her snack,books, and some songs to sing, we’re good.

Being with her 24/7 makes almost everything that I set for her work efficiently. She eats nicely, sitting on the chair until the end, eat what has been served, three times a day. People are often surprised knowing what she eats. She eats pare, kuabugis kambing, curry, ikan balado, she eats all.

I have seen enough parents who do almost everything for their children. With everything, I mean like small tasks that the child actually can do. Since I have no help, the best thing to do is to teach the baby to do things for herself by herself.

She knows now that she has to put her shoes in the rack, changed her clothes after going out, put  the dirty laundry in the basket, return things to its places, and she has some small tasks like when it’s time for fruit shopping, it is her job to put he oranges to the bowl. She will happily bring a plastic bag of oranges to the kitchen, then put those one by one to the fruit bowl. Then, she puts the plastic bag to the rack.

She also knows that she has to clean up her own mess. Whenever she spills something, I give her tissue then she starts cleaning. Though it’s not that clean, it’s good enough for a two year baby. After cleaning, she puts the tissue to the trash bin. 

One of my golden rules for her is she can’t take, play, or use something that doesn’t belong to her. She start having better and better understanding with this. Once, in her grandma’s house, she saw a phone on the table and seemed interesting in it. She looked at it for a while and seemed want to touch it. Then, she stopped and left it alone.

Even when she took mine or her dad’s, when we ask it back, she runs fast and give it back while saying ‘hasyi’ (makasi-red)😀.

She knows it’s time to pray when adzan is heard. She knows she has to be silent during adzan. After I finish praying, she will sit on my lap,raising her hand like doing pray position, then I recite the pray. At the end, she will say Amin happily. My hilarious baby girl😁.

Showing anger,dislikeness and similar unpeasant emotions is someting challenging to deal with on this second year. More patiences are keep being uploaded (slowly).

Her vocabularies are getting better by days. Some songs she has been halfly able to sing it start being completed. Like her favorite alphabet song, the letters are now almost completed all. Two words sentence is still on progress. 

Alhamdulliah, until now, she hasn’t tasted any medecine and go to the doctor only when it is her vaccine schedule. While she also doesn’t let me experience the famous GTM. A healthy child is worth more than any big amounts of money.

Well, mother surely talk (and brag) a lot about their child (and their achievements), don’t they?

Then, I have said enough.

Saying that I had little help around might be true and untrue.I surely don’t have any babysitter or full time helper taking care the baby, house, and the men. But, I surely always have the invisible hand whose help always comes in the right time.

The assurance that I won’t be ever left alone, going through whatever things happen to me, gives more strength than one could imagine.All of us being healthy, financially suffice, no, it’s not merely on us. It’s the One, The Greatest that allows it to be happened.

So, our greatest gratefulness always be for Allah Al-Mighty.

Happiest birthday, Langit Senja Almakirana. You don’t need to be the best in everything. Be the very best of the ultimate version of yourself. You’ve been doing well and will keep doing so.

I might often being impatient. Bear with me,  baby. Nothing I have done and will do unless I hope it will be good for you.

Be very sure that you will always have my loudest, longest,and most sincere pray to be with you through all the way.

Keep healthy and happy like you always do. I love you.

Ready for more adventures, shall we?I am more ready than you are, Mom😉

Sorry, Baby. Mommy has been so(k) busy these days. With your uncle departure, grandpa’s health, aunt soon to be due date, our next big project, fiuh. Glad that dramaland is currently quiet. Too much demanding attention these days.

So, these two months have been very pleasant. You have been improving sooo much. New words are heard everywhere and everytime. This improvement shows that you really seem an injury time child. We visited a sub specialist to consult about your verbal skills and she gave us two months before you’re turning two. Then, voila! Right after the visit, though some are still unclear, you have been doing pretty well. Way to go, dear. Let’s beat the time limit!

I think I can say I have passed the feeding test given from you. Now you eat like a real adult, with too quick duration, and without any hassles. You eat everything and anything. The pain of consistently feeding you during those days and months are well-paid.

Your dad is currently enjoying giving advices to his friends who often asked how to make their child eat like you. He claimed my hard work well. Yes, baby. It’s all hard work and persistence. Remember to do that for something that you think is important to you.

You are and have been always hilarious. The current most hilarious thing you do is the way you say ‘Amin’ whenever you heard imam on the mosque reciting Al Fatihah during prayer. You will wait for it eagerly and when the time comes you will halfly scream  ‘Aaamiiinn’ with the right pitch. My good girl!!:))

Other parts seem continue doing good. Motoric skills have been your strength, I pressume. All things related to physical movements seem doing well, like making a total mess by moving those furnitures by yourself, scattering things in all upstair rooms whenever I fall asleep because too tired chasing you off.

As your introvert part grows, a tiny part of socializing skill also made some progress. You’re now starting eager to play at least with Ayra and Hana, although not in the first encounter and not continously. They both are really fond of playing with you, you know. Don’t be so mean, please.

It’s another two months to go for our breastfeeding journey. Honestly, I don’t really prepare for what kind of weaning I should do. For a well-planned person like me, weaning is one of the things that I don’t either know, want, or whatever to have some plans. Maybe later.

Well, that’s all I think. Keep healthy like you always be. Stay funny!

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Woohoo! It’s just another four months to go to the complete two years of breastfeeding. When people said time flies so fast, I would say that years were surely fast, but I live it by days. Days are long.

The twenty months have been like a roller coaster ride. What To Expect The First Year has given a head up that there’s no job which more physically and emotionally taxing than parenting in the first year. Then, for the second year, I would like to add intelligently challenging after both aspect.

Her abilities in many things have been improving significantly, including in speaking. Words start coming one by one clearly. She is getting better at expressing her feeling through some actions like crying, nagging, or any kind of actions that amuse us.
Feeding has been easier and more flexible according to my standard. Currently, we have less rituals. Breakfast, lunch, and early dinner still go as usual. Snacking becomes optional. Sometimes she has it, sometimes not. And that is okay, as long as the three meals done properly. She is totally into a proper portion of meal. Rice and its companions are the key to the peaceful day and night.

She has less sleep during the day, but I don’t mind. Because by 7-7.30 pm she has gone to bed and sleep tightly until morning. During the day, when I am too tired to watch her, I just let her play alone while I am having a quick nap.

She also starts imitating several things that she sees from us like doing some praying movements, watching herself in front of mirror while wearing a hijab, putting some things to her ear as if she talks on the phone, sweeping and mopping the floor and other things. Toddler can be this amusing minus the nagging.

Things that I constantly do also have started showing its result. Like some of daily habits that I teach her for months, she starts doing it automatically. I couldn’t be more proud of her.

Then, Happy 20th, Langit Senja! Keep healthy, happy, and funny like you always be, dear. I love youu!

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