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.