Eight moths of Kanti-ness

And they say your personal life's out of the window when you have kids.

Hello, blog.

It's been exactly eight months since Kanti a.k.a Cucit a.k.a Cimit a.k.a Anak was born. Let's for now skip how I'm coping with this little bouncy ball of rascal and write down some of her milestones instead.

At 4 months old, she could sit barely assisted. I should've known something was up when at such young age, she was ready to have a better view of the world.

Sitting together with Kakanda Turtles (plural, yes)

At 5 months old, I started feeding her solid foods because she wasn't doing so well with her growth chart. Galau? Bukan main. I'd tried so hard to nurse her exclusively for six months, and had never thought there would come the time when I had to break that. But then again, I followed my instincts as a mother. And after just a few weeks of solids, her weight curve showed a significant improvement.

Looking a bit forced there...

What was her first food? Smashed avocado. From then on, gradually she tried new foods almost every week, and thank God this solid-feeding department has been quite an easy-peasy for us. Sure, there are times she acted out and refused to eat. But so far, there's been no major drama. My key is to take it slow and not push both myself and Kanti. Mau makan homemade tim sayur, hayuk.. Makan dipotong-potong, hayuk.. Gak mau makan sama sekali? Seduh Promina. Mamah lagi males masak? Seduh Milna. Mamah bosen liat hati sapi? Seduh Cerelac.

Do I hear disapproving sizzles from Mamakokihandal and their avid followers?

Moving on. At 5.5 months old, two of her bottom teeth showed up. It was also her first fever, followed by her first cold. Modar? Of course. Luckily it happened on a weekend so Mamah was helped by Bapak. All good.

Cuddling with Bapak to soothe her first fever

At around 6-7 months, the kid learned how to stand up and even furniture-cruise a little before she could crawl. Again, I should've prepared the house because she started to become mobile.

Oh, the mess!

And just a few weeks ago, she crawled, and my fear came true; Little Miss Mobile just can't stop moving! Now the house is a mess every single day, I can't do anything without her wanting to grab everything I'm holding, my body aches from chasing her around, and I can't let my stuff lying around the house anymore.

Trying to open the white box at the top

So to sum up, it's not getting any easier each day even after eight months. But I somehow still wish she could stay this cute and small forever. Jangan cepet-cepet gede dong, Anaaaak!

:*

24w

Hey Bob,

Babycenter.com said 16 weeks to go! I kinda don't want this to end; I like knowing you're inside and the way you kick and punch makes me feel like I'm always with someone, 24/7. Another cliche that's true. Just go easy on Mommy's insides, will you. Somehow, most of the times, when I ignore your moves, you seem to kick and/or punch harder and harder until I put my hand to cover my stomach. I see someone's thirsty for attention already.

But on the other hand, I also can't wait to meet you in person. Not through scary-looking USG cameras cos you kinda look like an alien there. I'm more nervous about the labor, but let's save that for later, shall we?

Anyway, it's fasting month now. You'll learn all about it as soon as you can. This is my first Ramadan with your dad, you know, as husband and wife. I never ever thought I'd cope with preparing the pre-dawn meals and stuff, but turns out it's been so much fun.

Before we get married, I and your dad were the kind of persons who woke up 30 to 15 minutes before Subuh, because the foods were already served on the table. Now, we gotta wake up earlier to cook them, and the night before, at least we have to figure out what to cook for tomorrow's meal.

So far, no complaints whatsoever. I've also improved my cooking skill by making my mom's famous fried kurma with cheese. In a nutshell, being married and going through the fasting month together kicks all previous fasting months' ass.

Back to you, Bob. We're going to Jakarta again to celebrate Idul Fitri with the relatives. I can't wait to look for strollers and other stuff for you, so please stay healthy OK? And if you hear constant singing of Redemption Song and O Sole Mio (go Youtube the songs if you're not familiar with them), that's your father wanting to get you all musical so you won't grow up tone-deaf like me.


Kiss,
Your mom

Gender (myth) bender

Gender is definitely an interesting issue during pregnancy. Me, I'd been curious what my baby would be ever since the doctor confirmed my home test pack. Personally, of course I don't mind if it's a boy or a girl. If it's a boy, then we'll try as hard as possible to make the second one a girl, and vice versa.

Wait, there's gonna be a second one?

More on that later. Waaay later.

This baby's sex, however, is not merely interesting for the parents, but also to other people. As I mention in an earlier post, Bangun's relatives (and a few of mine) pooled a bet on the gender. When we gathered for my Syukuran last month to celebrate the 4th month of the pregnancy, at one point they called me and told me to pose, side to side, front and back, to "read" the sex of Bob. Of course it's only for fun, and I think the note's gone by now anyway.

Honestly, I still can't fathom how can a person look at a pregnant woman and tell her baby's gender. One of the most well-known myths is, the baby's a boy if the mother doesn't look glowing during the pregnancy. In other words, if you look ugly for nine months, you're probably having a boy.

Meanwhile, of course that myth is bullshit. I've seen friends who are carrying boys and still look pretty as ever, and on the other hands, I also know some friends who look ignorant with their looks while having little girls inside. 

How about me? Well, many people have assumed that I'm having a boy. Am I offended? A little. But I can't blame them because naturally, I don't like putting on make-ups. And true, ever since I got pregnant in this very sunny city of Balikpapan, I try to put on less and less layer of clothes, and only wear the most casual ones. Being sick and nauseous on the first two months didn't help with the self-grooming, either. Forget the hair salon, I couldn't even left the house for an hour without throwing up. Plus, my face has always been somewhat on the oily side, and pimple is the only sign of puberty that hasn't left me since high school.

At the beginning of my pregnancy, I was pretty sure I was carrying a baby boy. But now, as time passed and so did the sickness, I find myself wanting to dress up, at least by my standard. Although still, I haven't used most tools in my cosmetic bags. And the last two times we saw two different ob-gyns, they told us this is gonna be a girl.

Dun dun dunnn.

And right up to this day, most people who look at me still assume it's a boy. Rada sialan juga sih. But oh well who cares, seriously. I now enjoy the looks on their faces when I say it's a girl and ask them why do they think it's a boy.

In the kitchen

They say the best way into a man's heart is through his stomach. I didn't always agree with this, mainly because I'm a total walking disaster in the kitchen. Before I moved to Balikpapan, I could only cook instant noodles, scrambled eggs, and...that's it. I couldn't tell the difference of onion and garlic, and even I still can't tell which one is ginger, coriander, and all those other spices.

My mom, who is an excellent, excellent cook, used to say I'd be forced to learn after I got married. Which is why I never listened to her whenever she was about to teach me something in the kitchen. I thought, by the time I live alone, I would have no other option but to learn how to cook.

And it couldn't be more true. Here in Balikpapan, we have our lunch delivered from a house-to-house catering service. At first, I ordered two meals per day; one for lunch and another for dinner. However, after a few weeks, we felt that we could save some money if we make our own meals. So the arrangement changed; lunch is ordered, and dinner? Well, dinner is home-cooked meal, made by yours truly.

Bangun told me--no, instructed me--to create a menu. He bought a white board, put it on our living room, and actually pulled me to sit in front of it and think of a week's menu. I was of course reluctant, but deep down maybe my female instinct felt that I should be able to serve my husband the best foods.

So for the last two months, off I went to the kitchen, each day always accompanied by Bangun because I'm scared as hell of the erupting cooking oil from the pan (OK maybe not erupting, but those small splashes of Bimoli are mean!).The first ever meal I cooked was spaghetti, and it tasted like rubber with tomato sauce. I learned my mistakes and tried other recipes. Days after days, Bangun seems to enjoy the foods more. Me? Growing up eating my mom's foods, I haven't found anything extraordinarily satisfying from my own.

Fast forward to yesterday. I made beef teriyaki for dinner. Why was it so special? Because, ladies and gentlemen, June 6th was the first time my husband liked the food I cooked so much, he downed the last few drops of the teriyaki sauce right out of the serving plate. He kept saying how good it was, and that was enough to motivate me to find more recipes and try them.

Am I entitled to pat myself in the back or what?

I love you, but...

Most people say when you're pregnant, it's best to have your mother around to take care of you, and the baby after it's been born. I must admit, when I found out about the two stripes just a few days before moving here to Balikpapan, I was a bit nervous and thought about holding back the trip for a few months.

But anyway, my ObGyn said it was OK to fly on the early week, and I took it as a sign that I had to go along with the plan. So now, there's only the two of us here trying to figure out how to deal with the first pregnancy.

So far, in my 10th week now, my mom has visited me one weekend with my sister. Other than that, I'm alone and only rely on the Internet for information. We're lucky Bangun has an uncle and aunt here, so once in a while she sends healthy, nutritious foods.

I gotta say, it's both a curse and a blessing to be away from your mom during your first pregnancy. Why blessing? Kok durhaka banget?

Well, no mother means no ancient myths on pregnancy. All those weird, tasteless foods and banned activities; I must say I'm glad I'm free from the nagging, take-it-from-my-experience advises. And my mom does nag. Oh, does she nag. She's the kind of mother who dramatizes everything, and this is gonna be her first grandchild. She cried instantly when I showed her my pee stick, and struggled to hold back her tears when going to the ObGyn with me for the first time. Imagine that.

So far, the nagging comes via daily BBM dose of "udah makan apa aja?" "udah minum susu?" "diminum bubur kacang ijonya", "kamu stok daging, ayam, ikan biar gampang diolah gak usah makan di luar", "jangan makan indomie", "jangan renang", "jangan nyetir", "jangan bunuh binatang"....

While it's all done in a bid to have a healthy baby, the little research I've done on the Internet shows that, and this is backed up by my ObGyn here, it's OK not to consume prenatal milk as long as you eat nutritious foods and take the suggested supplements; bubur kacang ijo has absolutely no relation to the thickness of a baby's hair, swimming  is one of the most recommended sports for pregnant women, and it's OK to eat Indomie once in a while.

I used to work at that very noodlemaker, and ate different variant almost everyday back then so how can anyone expect me to stay away from it for nine months?!

Anyway. However, I can't help but feeling like I could use a mother or two here. It would be nice to have my mom cook any food I want everyday, and since she's hell good at cooking (and I'm a natural kitchen disaster), she can set up almost any food I want. Seriously. There are days, lots of days, when I wish my mom's here so I can have my favorite scrambled egg with cheese prepared without me having to deal with greasy pans in the kitchen.

And still, nothing beats cuddling with your mom when your body refuses to function, which happens almost everyday. Despite everything, I think my mom will be a great, loving grandmother for this kiddo.

Out with the old and in with the new

Hello from Balikpapan.

Been here for three weeks now, and I just couldn't find the time to blog between furnishing the house, cleaning it, adapting to the new role as a housewife, looking for new friends, and throwing up.

Yes, brace yourselves for an upcoming Suryoputro Jr!

God really does work in a mysterious way. Back then, when people asked me what would I do in Balikpapan, I always jokingly answered, "beranak," which is true. We planned to move out, settle in the new city, and then try to have kids.

But of course, the test pack came out with two lines just days before I had to fly out. Since the doctor in Jakarta allowed me to fly, off we went that March 24. In result, I could only sit down while Bangun did almost all the moving work.

Now I'm just entering my 7th week, so I still gotta be extra extra careful with everything. And for the last week, the throwing up is getting more frequent, my stomach feels big and bloated all the time (I mean it--round the clock. Kembung sepanjang hari), I feel sleepy all day and not to forget nauseous.

In short, I feel like shit. But every mother I know keeps telling me it's gonna worth it in the end, so hang on, baby, we still have a long long way to go!

And we'll collect the moments one by one

For all my life, I have always lived under one roof with my family. Even during college years, when everyone else was enjoying their freedom in their rented kosan room (why the hell is it called Kost anyway?). I went to a university located just about 30-minute drive away from home, so my mom would rather pay for my gas money than to pay for a rented accommodation.


Also, for all my life, I have never once dreamed of being a freelancer, let alone a stay-at-home wife. I've always had goals regarding my career, I've always known what I want to achieve, and I've always strived to climb that corporate ladder to the top.

So now, when Bangun got an offer to be placed in his office's Balikpapan headquarter, there's definitely gonna be a huge change in my life. I will be a stay-at-home wife in a land faraway from home.

How do I feel?

I'm excited, I'm nervous, scared, giddy, happy at the same time. I'm nervous 'cos I'm entering the real life of running my own house. I'm excited to see what opportunities Balikpapan will give me. I'm scared 'cos I'll be away from Mom and Dinda. What if I can't cook decent foods? What if I can't pick the right cleaner for the right room in the house? What if I can't iron our clothes and end up leaving burned holes? Will I pay our bills in time?

As for jobs, I'm definitely nervous because now, for at least the next few months, I'm gonna have to rely on freelance gigs that obviously offer no certainty. I'm gonna have to leave this giant consumer goods company that has been enslaving me for the past year. It's not even about the salary 'cos really, the saying “rejeki itu udah diatur” couldn't have been more true in our case. I just hope I'll have enough things to do each day.

And of course, I'm also happy. I'm happy for The Husband, who has scored a promoted position and stationed in the company's HQ, thanks to his hard work for the past year. Now we just gotta be prepared for a real marriage--living with each other 24/7, 365 days a year.


Congratulations, you. I can't help but imagining Bapak smiling proudly at you.