Maternité – Page 11 – A Penny for My Pensieve

The Sixteenth Month

Posted on 23 Mar 201630 Apr 2016 by arlanadya

It’s quite unusual I am a bit late to write the monthly post about Langit. Life happens busily and sometimes I am running out of breath to catch all up.

Don’t give any serious meaning to ‘ Life happens’ phrase. Because mostly, it’s about the baby who is getting faster and smarter in ruining and messing up the house or the current on-going dramas are really good until I have a bit long queue. So, juggling between the house chores, baby stuffs, works, and watching dramas, that is what I call ‘life happens’.

Well, Langit is going faster and faster in almost everything except two. Talking and eating. She is currently still babbling unclearly. Although her babbles vocabularies are really improving, but still it has no meaning. A good thing here is her communication skill is pretty good which means she understands instruction and able to imitate actions.

We are thinking to consult the doctor about this. We also asked for others’ opinion or read articles. Mostly, people suggested us to wait since she is only 16 months and told us to be more often talking to her. Well, then, let see.

She is now able to understand to put her dirty laundry to the basket after eating, know how to undressed her pants, able to rearrange the big-small donuts toys, although the order is still often wrong. She understands after drinking from her glass, the lid should be put back on. She is getting faster going up and down through stairs. One thing she is also good at is making a mess in a blink of an eye.

We have registered in a baby class starts in April insya Allah. It is once a week class for an hour. Actually, this kind of class is more for the parents than the baby. Being with her almost all the time show me that we parents really have so much to learn yet so little knowledge.

I know it is impossible to know everything, and to apply everything in the baby’s life. But, how do we know what to apply if we don’t know anything? The more knowledge we have, the more choices we know, and the more likely we can do and choose the most suitable ones for us. Hopefully the class is enjoyable and fun.

Well, that’s all for now. Happy sixteen months, baby! Always, keep healthy and happy.

Maternité, Thoughts

(Not) Ready for Another Challenge

Posted on 17 Mar 201617 Mar 2016 by arlanadya

Life tends to be boring when we are staying too long in the comfort zone. Thus, we always need something new or, for some other things, renewed. As long as we breathe, it’s good to have something that make us feel alive.

Few days ago, little sister came up with pretty shocking yet exciting news. She is going to have another baby in the next few months insya Allah. For someone who just had a c-section for less than a year, she is surely brave. Brave in every way I could think of. But, knowing it is my sister, it is actually not really surprising.

My sister is everything that is totally my opposite. She is one of the most easy going persons I have known. She is truly the one who lives for today. While I am always the one with the long term.plan, she is the one with impulsive plans and flexible preferences. I once said that she enjoys life much more than I do. At least, I do see her like that.

If I almost stay all the time with the baby, except when I am working for few hours, three times a week, she is working full time from Monday-Friday, morning till evening. She has a house helper and a nanny to help her with the chores and babysit the baby. If others are even so hard to find a good one, she has two. Both are very good and kind. Thank God for this one, at least I have a part time house helper who have been with us for almost 20 years. Although I have no one to help me with Langit and the rest of house chores after the helper goes home, for now, it’s been enough.

About pregnancy, my sister had once an easy pregnancy, visited the obgyn happily every month, and even more, she didn’t seem like the one who had been pregnant. She stayed or at least looked as slender as before. Three things that I wasn’t lucky enough to have.

I obviously didn’t have an easy pregnancy. I had blooding once and been hospitalized, I had high d-dimer which made me had to bear the injection for some time, and I was surely anxious everytime I had obgyn’s appointment. Then, after delivery and breastfeeding, unlike most people, I lost weight too slowly.

About breastfeeding, it went the same too. I had been struggling with breastfeeding in the first two months and it had an impact to Langit’s weight. Had been working so hard to boost my breast-milk supply so Langit would survive without any other liquid and catched up her weight deficiency.

Au contraire de moi, my sister’s breastfeeding journey has been more smooth. Comparing the first time of breastfeeding, three hours pumping, I only could have 50 ml, while my sister got a full bottle of milk in less than thirty minutes. Full and bold. The first three months, my niece had almost three kilos more weight. She even once had 1,1 kg in a month.

If I list all the differences between us, it will be a very long and endless list. The point here is about her current state which is something that I have been asking questions myself for some time.

Taking care Langit alone for one and half years makes me think thousand times to have another baby. My days are surely not that hard since I still have time to watch korean drama daily, going exercise twice a week, and even working. But, it is also pretty far from easy.

If I remember how tense the days when I have exercise class or morning working time, it gives me a strong loud and clear voice to scream : this is crazy. Running here and there, doing this and that, just to make sure I haven’t left anything undone so I can leave peacefully. Since I have a lot to be taken care of, while the help is almost unavailable, the only thing I can do is being strict about schedule. It helps a lot so I still can breathe normally.

I can’t make it easier because I am someone who doesn’t let go easily. It means, I won’t use my exercise time as an excuse to cut some of Langit’s breakfast rituals or any of my religious rituals like sunnah prayer or qur’an tilawah. It’s nothing about showing off, but I always think if I want more good things on my hand, I have to use my brain to keep the old good things going.

I use that logic about the idea of having another baby. You don’t get rid the first one when you want to have another one, right? If I want another one, I have to make sure the first one will be as well as before the second one comes. I can’t stand the thought of neglecting my first because I am busy with the second.

Spending time daily with Langit opens my eyes about how much things the baby needs to learn and mothering is surely one tough job. That is why I choose to be a part time teacher. Because I have signed up for a full time position as a mother, of one. I don’t feel I will be doing good to add more title to my jobs, for now.

Knowing that my sister is currently on the way to be a mother of two insya Allah, shaken me up, a little bit. Maybe this is the first time she goes through something earlier than I do. Feeling competitive? Maybe yes. She is younger yet she is courageous enough to face another new challenge.

One of my biggest fear is about the ticking clock. I am not getting any younger, and who knows for how much longer I can stay by my daughter side. Maybe I think too much, worry a lot, or plan too detailed until I let time just pass me by and left me without any progress. Then, without I realize, there comes the time when I will regret about thinking too much instead of executing, and I can’t go back. At all.

This thing will surely keep haunting me in the near future. But for now, I choose to play along with the questions until my heart says the decision. I don’t know when, but it’s pretty sure, the whole parts of my body and mind are surely not ready for another challenge in my life. More, I think we as a family, also are not ready for another new member. In every aspects. That’s a very strong and valid reason to say no.

Well, then let’s keep rolling until we hit the right time!

Maternité, Past learning, Thoughts

I Reap What She Had Sown

Posted on 4 Feb 201610 Feb 2016 by arlanadya

It’s Thursday night here and I just finished my daily shift after putting Langit to her bed. I have been replaying a scene in my head. Once again, it’s about my mother.

I can’t never get enough talking about her. While some people out there keep telling me something about her in any ways I couldn’t think of.

I was in a gas station few days ago and suddenly the man who helped me there asked me how was life. It took me by surprise and pretty confused. Didn’t feel knowing this person before. Answered him hesitantly, he then continued explaining something.

So, he said that he knew my mother since few years before she died. He said that he once helped my mother when she was donating food for ifthar to a mosque nearby his place. It ended up that my mom helped him too, but I didn’t ask furthermore. How did he know that I am my mom’s daughter? I was the one who drove my mom to the mosque.

As he spoke in a very kind manner about my mom’s kindness, I couldn’t help feeling so proud and admiring how she could do that until everyone seem to remember her this well. On the other side, it made me a bit sad too because she really made the standard became higher and higher.

What standard?

The one to be a great mother. As well as a person.

I didn’t say she was great just because she is my mother. Too many things prove that she was. The very first thing that proved the statement was what I saw during the day she died until the time she was buried.

Unlike my father who once had high position in government office, my mum was nothing like that. She was ‘just’ a teacher. A french teacher at France culture centre. But, on the day she died, the residence’s securities told my family that they were handling too many flower boards until they didn’t know where to put it. My house had been very crowded. People came and go and they didn’t just came and go. They sat next to her body and read yassin for her. My aunt said there hadn’t been any breaks that she was without companion who read yassin for her.

I once wrote about this in more details. So I won’t repeat. But, I want to say that I want to die like that. I want to live like that so I deserve to die like that. Like my mom.

After Langit came, I almost always replay back lots of things happened in the past with my mum. It was such a blessing that she was a very talkactive mother. It gave me vivid memories in my head since she often repeated lots if things she taught us.

I surely want that someday Langit will see me the way I see my mother. But I guess I really have to work so much harder than my mother. Why? Because Langit will never see the real situation between me and my mother.

It makes a big difference. I had chances to see my mom and grandma’s interaction for 27 years. I knew my grandma in person very well, I saw how my mum treated her mom passionately, how my mum was so devoted to my grandma and so many things.

Sadly, Langit won’t have that chance. Actions always speak louder than words, but since it is impossible to have the real actions, writing this is the only way I could ever think of. Hoping that she could feel the way I felt about my mum.

For the past four years, I have been living with the help from those who had a good impression on my mother. This is so true. I often feel like I am receiving lots of returns from others’ investments.

Whenever I came or met someone who had known my mom, those person really made everything easier just because of my mom’s.action in the past. Her body might not be present, but her kindness stays and keep going through over the years.

It teaches me that the result of being a good parent is something beyond what eyes could see and brain could ever think of. I am not sure that my mom thought about her children whenever she did all those good things to others. I bet she also didn’t expect that her little actions brought so many advantages for her daughter in the future. Even after she was no longer here.

Her absence makes me often feel insecure. Not about me, but more about Langit. Wonder if Langit can really get enough good examples of great mother from (mostly) me alone.

I have been working hard for these past months after Langit came, doing and taking care almost everything alone, and still continue hardworking and hoping that one day, Langit will memorize what she sees and keep it for a long time. Then, there will be time when she will proudly say that she surely has a very good example from her mother.

You know what, that is one of my ultimate parenting goals. To have recognition from my own child(ren) that I have been doing well as (t)he(i)r mother.

I am working hard for it because I am paying something forward. I enjoy reaping things from every good deeds that my mother sowed. As I always believe there’s no such free lunch in this world, paying it forward seems to be a good payment.

It is surely a rocky journey. I might fall, feel tired, and really want to quit and let this goal gone by. But, I will keep looking back and cheer my self to keep going.

Motherhood is a journey worths all of your best efforts until the end.

I am 1000% into it.

Langit Senja, Maternité

Feeding Updates

Posted on 4 Feb 20164 Feb 2016 by arlanadya

I actually have pretty crowded stuff in my head and need to write it out so it will be more spacey. But, yeah, life happens hecticly so the crowd should wait. I’ll start with the lightest one.

It’s been awhile since the last talking about feeding. I do whinning less too. Doing it less doesn’t mean it becomes easier. Like I said previously, it’s nothing about easier, it’s just more bearable. Bearable can be interpreted as knowing how to overcome major unpleasant things about feeding.

I always feeding with singing. I can’t help just merely feeding. I have to sing. It’s more for myself than for the baby, haha! But surely it’s a bit tiring after some time. So, when I have felt tired, to LittleBabyBum we go. I love their videos a lot. It’s fun to watch, enjoyable to sing, and the music and lyrics are that good till for some songs I even memorize it right after the first hearing. This is not a paid post, I am sincerely thanking LittleBabyBum for its tremendous help to accompany me through this daily battle ( I dislike, pretty much). It’s truly one of the reasons feeding becomes more bearable.

Langit eats almost in all her waking time. She has mango orange juice for appetizer, then rice and other dish for main course. Oh, she has eaten the very same dish that served for adults. It’s been almost the last 4,5 months. It surely makes my life easier. Done with the main course, then she takes a bath. After that, she has either banana or chocolate sprinkles bread. Only small pieces of course. Then, continue with 100 ml of UHT milk. As a closing, she will have breastfeed to sleep ritual. Pretty long queue, isn’t it?

If she wakes up few hours before lunch, then she will continue the banana or bread. But, if she wakes up nearly lunch, then she takes it after lunch.

Lunch plus snack done the it’s nap time. Usually nap time is only one-two hours maximum. She has her third meal around five pm. Done with the third and afternoon bath, she will have avocado and that’s the end before time to breastfeed to sleep comes.

Beside her mouth-keeping food habit, she is an easy baby when it comes to kind of food she consumes. No matter how much she has taken, whenever someone offer her something, she will eagerly open her mouth and eat it. Whether it will end up on her tummy or on the floor, that’s another story.

Eating out? Rarely. I am so againts outside feeding. We can eat out when she has finished. So I also can enjoy the meal. Tired laaa.

No matter how much I dislike this thing, I keep religiously doing it every single day. First, no choice. No back up personel who I can delegate this task. Second, unfeeding is not an option. Third, it pays me good enough for me to not to give it up.

You can define ‘pay’ literally or figuratively. I have a very strong confidence that the whole set of her daily feeding is one of the main reasons why she’s rarely sick for along these fifteen months. She hasn’t taken any single medecine.since she was born. She had once fever or light cold, but I just improve her intake without medecine. That’s one of my proud achievement actually. Sorry for bragging. Can’t help it.

Feeding herself seems a bit unapplicable for the time being. I prefer waiting for more time until I am ready. Yes, me. Not the baby.

Well, that’s for the latest feeding update.

Keep going, feeding fighters!

Maternité, Thoughts

Before and After Motherhood

Posted on 26 Jan 201626 Jan 2016 by arlanadya

I was having breakfast this morning and suddenly laughed at myself. Laughing at the state I had my breakfast in the last one year compared to the old days. Then, felt like writing about some changes I have experienced before and after motherhood. A huffpost parent-ish one. (You wish).

Before motherhood, breakfast done peacefully. Sitting on the chair, sipping the hot tea slowly, enjoying every bite of my chocolate sprinkles bread. The tea must be hot. Hot as boiled. Not warm. I remade it if it was no longer boiled.

After motherhood, well, breakfast almost always done in rush . Standing while doing other chores. Sipping my almost cold tea (my standard of cold is like warm for others) and biting the chocolate sprinkles bread, all done while going back and forth preparing other’s breakfast.

Before motherhood, eating good food was all about myself. While after that, whenever I taste something good, the first thing came into my mind was the thought of my baby would like this one. Then if possible, I would cut the best part for her to eat later.

Before motherhood, after working shopping was done at least twice a month. Buying this and that for myself. Enjoying no matter how long it took then went home without any worries as if someone waited at home. I just simply told my mum that I went shopping first before went home.

After motherhood, alas, the last thirty minutes of working spent by looking non-stop at the watch. Couldn’t wait a minute longer and ran home in an instant. Felt like few seconds late would make so much differences. Sounds so exaggerate, but that was me during the first months of my motherhood.

On the shopping part, buying something for the baby now is giving much more happiness than buying for myself. Trying new pair jeans and suddenly staring at cute little shoes, then in the end, put back the jeans and went to the cashier with a pair of new baby shoes and some toys. Just like that. Surprisingly, felt no less happier.

Before motherhood, a small cute sling back was enough for me whenever I went out. A wallet, mobile phone, and praying dress were all I brought everywhere. No more no less.

After motherhood, having those three left at home won’t cause any panic attack more than leaving changing diapers and clothes, snacks, the meal, even a blender and the chair some days back then.

Before motherhood, the first thing to do once I arrived at home after work was resting and lazing around. Doing this and that slowly, or I just went sleep straightly.

Now? Put down the bag somewhere and transforming into the rabbit energizer battery. Preparing here and there, taking care this and that, changing clothes then proceed to the next tasks. Resting must wait. Unless you want to rest first and be even more tired later.

Before motherhood, I was a full time night sleeper. 9 pm – 4 am. Now, I am doing part time. Having night shift of breastfeeding is unavoidable. Adding more sleep hours? Possible, IF, there were at least one staying helper in this house. Were.

Do those above sound explaining how unpleasant motherhood is?

I don’t mean to. It just points out the truth behind motherhood. It’s not a mere role. It’s a battle that some women willingly choose to fight.

The occasional stress, fatigue, bad days, and any other similar things are surely undeniable. But, it also comes with the happy feeling being with the baby, being present every her waking time, witnessing how fast she grows, and witnessing your self-transformation.

It’s the change I’ve never thought I would become few years ago. The strength I didn’t knew exist inside of me. The limit I’ve never expected to endure until the worst condition came and I safely passed it. Sometimes, with flying colors.

When someone ask me whether I would like to go back to my carefree days, my answer will be very clear. No matter how good the past was, the present and future always seem a better deal for me.

Beside, trading Langit presence with those old good days? Are you kidding me? Hell, NO.

Well, that’s it for now.

Bonne journée, peuple!

Langit Senja, Maternité

The Fourteenth Month

Posted on 20 Jan 201620 Jan 2016 by arlanadya

Let’s have a break for a while from the heart-breaking ending.

So, Langit will be fourteen months in few days. As I stated in the previous post, It has been amazing watching how different a month can bring.

She now surely walk fast and almost steadily. Way too fast till I have to raise my voice too loud sometimes because of fear that she might stumble down and hit something. I don’t expect she will master walking this soon. She had been practising almost by herself. She has been walking all around the house along this time. Of course with falling here and there, but it’s nothing serious alhamdulillah. I don’t use any learn-to-walk tools. She just use all things available here.

Speaking is another thing. She has some new babbling from last month, but still it’s not as advance as walking. She understands some new instructions but still can’t be able to say what she wants.

She has been an individual baby from the starts. She enjoys her own self well whenever I put her on the play yard. I can leave her alone to have shower or prepare the meal without being disturbed. Even when I feel too tired to watch her, I just slept on the couch while she played by herself. Again, for me, having this play yard is such a big advantage.

Toilet training is still going and it has been much easier since the first time we started. I hope this will end not later than the eighteenth month insya Allah. I’d like to proceed with the next training. It’s lucky that she has been sleeping on her own crib in her own room from the very beginning. So, it reduces the to do lists for me. Fiuh. Oh, one thing she seems to understand pretty well, crying and tears are not working on me. With others maybe it does, with me, it doesn’t work at all.

Feeding is going on well. Yah, well can be described as bearable enough at the point I don’t give up at all. I have been angry several times, yes, it is unavoidable, sorry not sorry, but one thing for sure, giving it up is not be seen in my dictionary. No matter how hard, I will still face it three times a day plus plus plus. Why plus plus plus? Please don’t forget the snacks such as UHT milk time, banana,avocado, biscuits and others. I can compromise sleeping time, but eating, sorry, no.

Her weight was doing okay from the last visit, alhamdulillah. Hope it will continue doing well. Amin.

That’s all for this month I think.

Langit Senja, Maternité

No Medecine (Urgently Needed)

Posted on 28 Dec 2015 by arlanadya

Disclaimer : this one will be very subjective and depends much to one’s preference or experience.

I have been having minimal encountered with any medecines since few years ago. From the common one like paracetamol until the specific one like asthma since I am the one with it.

The decision to stop taking medecine began when I started observing my self. When the asthma came, the more I used the inhaler, the longer it took to completely healed. Inhaler stopped the asthma for a while, But it made me breath even harder not too long after using it. It was getting worse each time I used it.

When I decided to stop, I went with Vicks Vaborup and hot water with honey. A lot of water with honey for days, even weeks. Until it was totally healed. It wasn’t easy, took time, but for me, it was very much a better way. The two last inhalers I bought, just in case, ended up unsealed until its expired time.

When it comes to Langit, I do the same thing. For these thirteen months, Alhamdulillah Langit has not tasted any medecine, even for fever. She has surely been sick once or twice, but, as I do to myself, when it comes to take medecine, the first thing to do is : I’ll wait.

Instead of medecine, I prefer improving her meals and fluid intake. I breastfeed more often, eventhough it means more waking hours at night, I prefer that way than giving her paracetamol, if the fever is not that high, and she seems still fine.

She has been having diarrhea these past three days and it made me worry, hm,a lot. It must have been from something she ate at home. Since she didn’t take any meal outside other than what is given at home, so more or less, it was my mistake.

The very best thing from her that have been helping me a lot is she never rejects any food. Not during teething, fever, even diarrhea. She eats normally. Same frequencies, same amounts. My homework is to choose carefully what to be given.

Other than the meals, there are two things are compulsory during any sickness. First thing that I always do is breastfeeding more often. Or you can say very often. The second after breastfeeding is water intake. I keep offering her drinking bottle eventhough maybe she is not thirsty at all.

For diarrhea, one thing that helped me a lot was banana. I changed all snacks to banana. So far, she had eaten three bananas before the diarrhea stopped coming. Alhamdulillah.

So, does it mean I will never give her any medecine when she is sick? Bien sur, jamais dit jamais. I will give her the medecine or visit the doctor WHEN she refuse to be breastfeed and have no appetite because of the sickness. Oh, when she shows any signs of unactiveness. Three days of having diarrhea, she didn’t stop climbing, jumping, or walking around. This signs gave me more confidence about delaying medecine or went to the doctor.

In the end, what works for me, might not be working for others. Thus, trust your motherly instinct with non-stop worrying so that way you’ll keep searching for answers to give the best treatments for the baby.

One small thing, trust your baby. She will show you the signs to make your best decision.

Maternité, Past learning, Thoughts

Flash Back Parenting

Posted on 21 Dec 201522 Dec 2015 by arlanadya

Have you ever heard that term?

Nope?

Of course, I haven’t too. Until few minutes before started writing this post. The term just suddenly popped out in my mind. Nothing about new theory, just the term I think suits me best.

I read and heard many kind of parenting concepts these days. Helicopter, simple, reflective, authorative, and so on. All have its own theory. In spite of any terms, I believe every parents can’t be categorized in only one term. I believe each parents are a little bit of this and that. But, it’s likely that they are more into one category than the other ones. Of course, I am one too.

When I reflect along this one year parent Langit, what I have been doing most is flashing back. The way I parent Langit, most decisions made, many of them were according my flash back thinking. Since I can’t ask my role model personally, that’s the best thing I can do. I keep flashing back my mother’s words, actions, values, even the smallest things that she unintentionally did, but taught me lessons as well.

So, that explains lot now why I can’t help writing any posts without my mum being mentioned. Although my relationship with her hadn’t always been good and smooth, but I have been so grateful. Even more grateful because I had the honor to be the one whom she spent her very last days with. Even even more, spent it at the best place on earth. My last hug with her was during thawaf wada’ in front of Ka’bah.

Apart from my mother’s influence, other person whose the influence had some impacts too was my grandmother. My mum’s mother. She was the kindest person for me. She had lovely scent and I loved kissing her a lot. I loved and adored the way she did her prayers. I remembered clearly how I enjoyed doing five times prayer with her. The way she recited the do’a was very calming. The most remarkable trait I remembered about her was cleanliness. Other than kind, she was very very very clean. Oh, and tidy! Her bed, cupboard, every inch in her house was the cleanest.

The origin of my rule about no playing in the bed was from her. Langit is only being on the bed when she is sleeping. Other than that, she should play outside. Actually, le husband is also prohibited. But, yah, it’s negotiable with him.

My grandmother was very good at cooking and … playing cards. Haha! We had this routine family vacation to Cipanas where there was a villa owned by my dad’s workplace. For three days of staying there, what we continously did was playing cards. We only had a break for lunch and pray. Other than that everyone was sitting on the carpet holding cards and bragging the joker they had. And my grandmother was the one who was really eager of playing. All the time. Hahaha. Neskii, I.miss you so much:(

My grandma went in the same year as my mum did. In the same day, same date, by eight months difference. While my mum left on Friday, Nov 30, my grandma went on Friday, March 30. It was one of my biggest regret that I didn’t attend her funeral. I was still in UPM at that time. I was about going home in few days at that time. Received that news, I came home early. On the night before she went, I remembered I couldn’t sleep at all. I was very nervous, anxious, and felt so uneasy all night. I have been always like that when something unpleasant was about going to happen. That time, the answer came at 5 am. When my phone rang and my mom’s name appeared on the monitor, I already knew that it would be the worst news she was going to deliver. I even cried before my mum said anything. As if I knew my grandma had gone already.

It was a non stop crying day for me. I cried all day. I went home the next day and still couldn’t stop crying. Even crying more when I landed and le husband picked me up at the airport then sent me to my grandma’s house. It was crying all the way. Knew that I was no longer able to see her and even didn’t have a chance to say goodbye properly was heart-breaking.

Then, maybe this post should be called Flash back parent and grandparent-ing.

Today is happened to be December 22. It’s a mother day in Indonesia. So, this one suits that well. Happy mother’s day to both greatest mothers in my life. I love you both so much. One of my biggest desire is hoping that I am able to be at least as good as both of you, as a person and a mother as well.

Ah, of course, Happy mother’s day too, dear me. (Keep trying hard to) be a great one too!

I will.

Favorite things, Maternité

Family Trip : Introductions

Posted on 20 Dec 201521 Dec 2015 by arlanadya

There’s always the first time for everything. In few days insya Allah, we’re having our first family trip together. Yes, after a year since Langit came, we finally will go somewhere. Where to?

Abroad? No.

Out of town? No.

Oh!then Puncak or Bogor? Still no:)

We’re having staycation in Jakarta. Just for one night only,hehehe.

Since le husband is fully booked during holiday and all weekends, one night is already good enough. Even with that, we’ll be going after he finished his shift and the day after we go home, he will have another shift. No complaints, though. Hm, actually,the complaints had been done already.

The hotel we choose to stay has to be the one with kids pool. The very first purpose of this staycation is to try Langit’s new swimsuit. She has never been near to swimming pool anymore after a nightmare in one of the famous baby spa near home. Having such a lazy mommy like me just make another reason why she hasn’t been swimming since then.

This also will be Langit’s first night out. She has never been sleeping out of her crib before. Even in my bed. It’s not that I don’t allow her, but she really can’t sleep well unless it’s on her crib. So, this one is also another trial.

Other than Langit herself, this trip will be my first too with a little kid. So, I am having a higher level of fussiness than the usual. No matter what people said, told me to be more flexible since it’s holiday and I should enjoy it, I still won’t go easy with this.

I couldn’t be relax if I don’t prepare well. Or too well. Having experience a lot of family vacations with my family in the past, I learned how my mum prepared everything in details.

Well, sorry if this one sounds boring, but I guess I can’t talk about anything without having my mom mentioned.

We, my family, have this one habit that some people think this is a bit weird : having breakfast before subuh. So we’re just like doing sahur everyday. Before subuh prayer, we have warmed our tummy with a glass of tea or coffee and a piece of bread, or slice of cake, or one piece of fried banana, just anything.

We brought this one daily habit also when we traveled. Although we mostly stayed in a hotel with breakfast included, we also brought our own sachet drinks like instant coffee, chocolate drink, or teh tarik and a loaf of bread or any kind of cake.

Other than that, basic cutlery were also joined us. We brought five tupperware plates, five plastic glasses, and several spoons. Why? When we traveled too long, we couldn’t keep eating outside. After several day, we would surrender and choose to eat rice and abon instead. Of course, Abon was another compulsory thing to be brought.

As the cutlery was going on holiday too, we also brought a wash dishes soap, the brush, and the napkin to dry the dishes. Sounds rempong enough? Wait, you haven’t heard the most important one.

It’s travel cooker. The most must-have item during traveling. Our old travel cooker has been traveling to many places, domestic and abroad. Much more than my self do. It has been to England, France, Austria, Hongkong, Malaysia, Singapore, and its very last trip was Saudi Arabia during Hajj 2013.

We used this to cook rice or noodles, boiling egg or water, or heating any fluid we want to eat. I survived my master abroad by using this everyday to cook rice. If you travel often, you should consider to buy one.

Then, what about now? Again, my most prepared area is about Langit’s meal. I plan to bring her own food. Since we’ll stay at a apartment hotel room which has kitchen inside, I don’t think travel cooker is needed this time. But, let’s see later.

I’ve been preparing Langit’s stuff and mine eventhough it’s still few days to go. My brain has never been stop thinking about anything. Vacation preparations are surely one of the most exciting part of holiday.

So, that’s my long introduction about family trip. Hopefully, this most awaited trip will go smoothly. Amiiin!

See you on the next updates!

Langit Senja, Maternité

The Thirteenth Month

Posted on 14 Dec 2015 by arlanadya

The month post is back!

Well, I don’t know if a month can bring so many differences in one little child. Langit has acquired lots of new abilities which are pretty surprising for me. In a goos way, of course.

She is getting better and better in walking. Before this, she preferred crawling to go from one spot to another, even the shortest distance. Recently, she starts walking like from kitchen to the terrace. For some short distances she can walk few steps by herself. Although she still hold on to something , yet it’s a very good progress.

Another one is using her hands to express something like shake hand and waving. I have been teaching her about shake hand and kiss the back of others’ hand. So, my sentence has been ” shake hand, salim”. Out of nowhere, after lots of training, now she really understand if someone give the hand in front of her, she directly took the hand and doing ‘salim’. Haha, good girl!

About talking, she is able to say like ma ma ma ma or ba ba ba and ya ya ya and other several sounds that I am not really sure what. Sowry baby, I am no good in interpreting toddler talks.

Other thing that also seems new is reading a book. These days, whenever I put her in the play yard,she will take one the book there. I put one board book for number 1-10, A Very Hungry Caterpilar, and a folded Winnie The Pooh book. And what makes it funny is the way she opens and reads the book seriously. I once fell asleep on the couch for few minutes. Suddenly woke up and panicked since it was very quiet. I thought she was being somewhere unsafe and no sound heard. Then I saw her on the play yard. Quietly reading while half sleeping and leaning on the big pillow. Like a boss.

When it comes to feeding, haha, we’re doing well and unwell. She starts being pickier about what kind of taste that she will happily eat. Too sweet or just sour will make the food stay forever in her mouth, while too spicy will end up on the floor. My patience and treshold on feeding has surely been very much upgraded, until I saw her spill out the food out of her mouth right. It felt so much worse than seeing her keeping the food on her mouth too long. Big sigh. Feeding is still a big issue for me.

Breastfeed is still going well, Alhamdulillah. She also starts having UHT milk daily. Not much, just 100 ml maximum. Maybe not a lot of people know about this so I often heard babies are having allergy toward UHT milk. I thought like that too at first, since after taking it several times, Langit slept unwell. It turned out that, for the beginning, it is recommended to mix it with water first. UHT alone is too heavy for the baby who has never tasted any milk other than breastmilk. We call it ‘mahteg’ here. After mixing it with water and heat it before drinking, Langit seems enjoying it well. She only wants drinking it through glass. Not a sippy cup or bottle. The real glass. Me happy. No need to wash bottle and its printilan.

Guess that’s all for now. We’ll see you next month, hopefully with more new advance updates Insya Allah.
Au revoir!