Luvly aDis

Kangen pengen jalan-jalan lagiiiiii … Hiks … Lagi browsing pengen cari buku, mampir deh ke website Borders, liat pic toko di pertemuan Orchard and Patterson Road itu, aiiih … Last time I went there was in 2005, dah mo 3 tahun … Just love that particular city a lot, I know the sight isn’t that unforgettable, it’s just every time I went there, I had such a blast on shopping, hahah … I dunno, I never had any shopping experiences as successful as I’d usually had there, not even last year when I went to China and Hong Kong, lands of the so-called ‘shopping paradise’. Nothing even near ‘paradise’ about China, that I can tell you guys for sure …

Anyway … Been really happy shopping with www.bukabuku.com and the wonderful fact that I’ll never have to go out to buy books. I mean, I’ve been doing online shopping before, but I never got comfy with credit card or bank transfer payment. With this great site I can opt for cod payment and it shipped amazingly fast too … Great, great, great … Baby K lagi rame2nya ngoceh dan keliatannya agak manja, gak mau dicuekin aja di kursinya. Artinya, kalo dia ngoceh bahasa bayi, I have to do exactly the same thing, to make her happy … Hmmm … Do babies always do that?

Lagi beteeeeeeeeeeeee karena suster-nya Baby K gak balik lagi … I think I’ll write something on this ‘babysitter’ thingy later.

Uh, happy Ied by the way …

Finally, am online (and writing) again, hahah … Hampir 2 minggu balik lagi ke rumah with Baby K (now 6 months and 3 weeks old), and Hubby has gotten me new Fastnet subscription, so, guess am very well settled now. Yayyyyy!!!

Uh-oh, post-baby, I dunno whether I should switch to regular mom-writing style, you know, the kind of those who, most of the time, write and talk about onesies, breastmilk, baby-food cooking, formula, diaper and pee and poo, or stay in my gruesome pre-baby style. I opt for the latter, actually, but I’d still love to write a thing or two (dozens) about Baby K though …

Anyway, am amazed that Baby K sekarang dah nyontek kebiasaan her Mommy and Daddy, seriously … Doyan gegarukan kayak Daddy dan doyan manyun2 kayak Mommy, aiiihhhh … Pinter sekali yah bayi2 jaman sekarang (not that I can make comparison with bayi2 jaman baheula) yah, hoho … Cuma minum dan mam-nya aja yg masih kurang memuaskan, at least for me. Formula masih Isomil Advance (dari lahir sampai umur 2 bulan sempat minum NAN HA, setelah opname karena panas tinggi jadi inisiatif ganti ke soy-based formula Isomil dan Alhamdulillah kayaknya cocok), walopun sejak umur 4 bulan dah mulai males kayaknya minum. Minggu lalu sempet cobain Prosobee, sama2 soy-based juga, pengen ngasih refreshment maksudnya, tapi a few days later suhunya agak sumeng2 dikit (walopun belum lewat 37C-an lah dan hopefully sih itu sign mau tumbuh gigi) dan beberapa kali dimuntahin lagi minumannya, jadi Omi-nya parno deh trus disuruh berhentiin Prosobee dan balik lagi ke Isomil. Baby K baru mam biscuit (initially nyoba Farley, tapi her pediatrician suggested untuk ganti ma Empro Baby Choice) dan bubur beras merah (Nestle Beras Merah, tapi sesekali bandel juga sih ngasih Nestle Cerelac Gold yg Beras Putih, Apel & Cranberry), pernah nyoba papaya dikit tapi abis itu kok liat kulitnya agak merah2 … Hmmm … Brenti dulu deh … Dikasih Heinz pureed fruit dan baby juice gak doyan kayaknya. Sempet kasih biscuit dessert dalam jar (brand dari Prancis tapi lupa namanya), kayaknya lumayan doyan (not so sure because she wouldn’t tell me anyway), tapi nyarinya rada susah, mesti ke Ranch Market, so gak mo dibiasain deh, takut nanti gak mau yg laen … Sekarang lagi mo nyoba kasih air jeruk deh … Dah nyiapin juga sih 1-2 kotak Nutricia Meal Time (yeah, gara2 nonton iklan siiih …), later perhaps gitu Baby K 7 bulanan lebih yah … Since I don’t enjoy cooking, no one should dare to suggest why I haven’t gone to the kitchen and ridicule myself with a bag of rice or wheat or whatever their names are … However, lagi excited mo mulai masak2 di rumah, well, actually yg masak2 di dapur sih tentu si mbak ama susternya Baby K aja, am in charge with the grocery shopping and browsing for recipes … Busy, busy, busy …

Juga masih pusing ngadepin lebaran nanti my people pada mudik … Hah! I feel like a freaking president of a third-world country … My people, heheh …

She arrived about three weeks earlier than the supposed due date, so today she’s just a week shy from her third months and weighted about 10 pounds. Looks a lot like her daddy, though there are some definite mommy’s attitudes being shown …

She’s named Kaela Marvel for four days before we (I still now discreetly resent it) decided to change it and go with Kaela Shafiya (but I’ve made a vow to hubby that next time I’ll definitely go with Romeo if it’s a boy and Isabelle if it’s a girl, or there’ll be no ‘next time’) … She’d been hospitalized for five days when she’s just two months old due to high fever and still mysterious infection (thank goodness now she’s OK and really hope she will be just great from now on).

Despite the fact that I love her and fully acknowledge that indeed she’s the love of my life, I’ve to admit that I really really really really really miss my hours of (a) sitting in front of the computer browsing the internet, writing journals or playing the Sims 2, (b) wandering about the malls, (c) having my leisure at the spa and salon, (d) watching dvds, (e) reading novels, and (f) sleeping …

So, suffice to say that my life’s now been officially turned upside down. And baby blues is something you can’t easily avoid, although it’s definitely nothing compared to the high blood pressure I got during the first couple of weeks, due to lack of sleep. Uh, and actually, my days of working overtime back then were like holidays now …

Yet above all, I just can’t help falling in love with her …

And I can’t believe that during the eight and a half months period that I was pregnant, I didn’t even bother to look on prams and strollers and now I’m stuck with this stroller in which Baby K doesn’t seem comfy with at all …

So Mummy desperately drools on this yummy-looking red Bugaboo Cameleon Stroller for Baby K now …

Hmmm … I still can’t believe how a little person’s first few weeks’ preps can actually cost so much … And I’m still mostly in garments territory and haven’t gone to gadgets, cribs and other stuff … Hwhuiiiiiiiiii … Rencana awal sih sebenernya mau belanja yg. penting2 banget aja dulu dan begitu lahiran minta hubby yg. belanja pernak-pernik bayi, tapi mikir2 lagi dan ngeliat di ‘lapangan’ banyak bapak2 muda yg. belanja sendirian dengan muka bingung (ternyata sekarang memang trend-nya begitu kali yah?), akhirnya diputuskan untuk sesedikit mungkin menyisakan pernak-pernik bayi yang perlu dibeli hubby setelah lahiran nanti, at least hubby kebagian belanja di Carrefour lah, seperti kapas, sabun cuci botol dan sejenisnya, supaya gak terlalu repot … So far belanja keperluan bayi dah ketemu bapak2 muda yang lagi kebingungan milih kelambu dan breast pump (heheheh …) dan seorang bapak muda yg. dengan muka manyun megang keranjang belanjaan keliling baby shop, most likely having no clue mesti mulai dari mana …

Recent shopping for Baby K as follows:

@ Ocha ITC Kuningan:

Undies [12 pc];

Cloth nappies [12 pc];

Towel [3 pc]; and

Socks [4 pairs]

@ Mothercare Senci:

Baby Nose Cleaner;

Grooming set [hair brush + comb, scissor, nail clipper, nail file, tooth-brush];

Digital Thermometer;

Diaper Rash Cream;

Baby Bath; and

Baby Lotion

@ Kidzstation Pondok Indah:

Caps [on sale!]

@ Suzanna Baby Shop Pondok Indah:

Starter Set Bottles 250ml [plus spare silicone teat for each bottle];

Bottle brush set;

Scratch Mittens [2 pairs];

Wash Clothes handkerchief size [8 pc];

Wash Clothes hand size [4 pc];

Bibs [3 pc];

Cloth nappies [6 pc];

Nappy liners [100 sheet];

Newborn pillow [1 pc];

Newborn pillowcase [2 sheet];

Waterproof rubber sheet [1 pc];

Mustella Newborn Foam Shampoo [1 bottle];

Minyak Telon cap Gadjah [1 travel size bottle];

Diaper Pin [6 pc]; and

Bathtub with seater [1 set]

All and all approximately 1.7mil lah … Waduuuuhhh … Bayi itu mahal juga yah ternyata, ato emang gw aja yg. terlalu heboh? Padahal masih ada beberapa item lagi yg. kira2 bakalan gw perluin seperti untuk breastfeeding necessity kayak breast pump, sterilizer etc., trus diaper changing essentials incl. nappy disposal system, more and more toiletries, and sleeping and diaper changing units with accessories … Hwuiiiiiii … Me mum tetep pengen ada bassinet [buaian, kalo orang Indo bilang], tapi ternyata susah cari bassinet yg. OK di sini, kemaren nemu di Suzanna, tapi kok agak kasar? Pengen coba balik ke Mothercare deh … Yet it’s been quite nice now that it feels like you don’t really care for your ownself rather than it’s all for the little one and little one only … Sounds so cliché, I know, but I guess that’s just how pregnancy hormones work, anyway … One may become emotionally and financially irrational …

By far sih tentunya dari segi kenyamanan di dompet ya belanja di ITC lah, apalagi untuk barang2 yg. mesti beli sekaligus banyak [hitungan lusin] ato mungkin barang2 yg. besar seperti stroller, car seat, crib, changing table, bouncer or swing, meskipun harus sedikit hati2 yah milih barang. Speaking of swing, still my favorite baby item to buy to date, kemaren di Kidzstation menemukan Fisher-Price 3-in-1 Smart Stages Rocker Swing. Tapi harganya euyyyyyyy … 2,3jt saja, padahal di Amrik sono sih kisaran $100 lah, hiks … Nyari di ITC blum ketemu, baru nemu Fisher-Price Take A long Swing aja. Ngebandingin swing sejenis di Kidsztation dan Suzanna Baby Shop, lumayan banget perbandingan harganya. Di ITC harga swing itu sekitar 600rb, sedangkan di Kidzstation dan Suzanna untuk swing yg. semodel harga dipasang 1,2jt. Bwahaaahaaah … Sayang sekali ternyata berdasarkan yg. gw baca online dah beberapa kali terjadi insiden yg menyebabkan produk swing itu di recall by its manufacturer, jadi meskipun harganya cukup OK lah [walopun masih ada lagi yg. harganya di bawah itu dari other brands], gak berani lah maksain beli juga. Makanya mesti careful banget, karena di Indo kan gak ada tuh kepedulian terhadap konsumen, jadi banyak juga kayaknya gadget and other stuff yg. sebenernya dah ketahuan gak safe tapi tetep aja dijual. Next stop after ITC, ya Suzanna Baby Shop [blum pernah belanja yg. di Kelapa Gading, pengen juga sih liat2 ke sana]. Barang2nya sih [terutama garments] banyak yg. sama dengan barang2 di ITC. Harga lebih mahal dikit [bakalan berasa kalo emang beli dalam jumlah banyak], tapi suasana kan lebih OK, kita bisa puas pilih2 sendiri dan ditemenin juga keliling ama sales person-nya [ato mungkin karena perut gw dah gede banget jadi gak wajar keliatannya buat mereka kalo gw yg. nenteng2 keranjang, hehehe …] dan gak perlu bingung dan capek2 nawar … Apalagi kalo kayak gw yg. emang gak ngerti harga dan trik2 nawar, cocok lah belanja2 di sini kalo cuma mau beli satu dua item aja sih …

Masih seputar hazardous baby products, just read online that one of the toiletries I bought earlier for Baby K may contain ingredients which will have quite harmful effects [for long term usage], a.k.a paraben, walopun ternyata rata2 produk kosmetik such as sabun, lotion, shampoo dll yg. biasa kita pakai pun juga mengandung paraben [baru gw sadarin tadi selagi mandi nengok list iungredients yg. terkandung dalam sebotol liquid body lufra by Nu Skin]. Kemaren terburu2 ngambil baby lotion Mothercare, karena baca list of ingredient di botol baby bath Mothercare gak kebaca ada paraben, eeeh … tau2 setelah di rumah nongol juga deh tulisan itu di list of ingredient baby lotion dan juga massage [anti stretch mark] cream … Hiiiiih … Jadi mesti lebih giat deh nyari tau produk bayi apaan yg. paraben free nih … Di Suzanna akhirnya ngambil Mustella Newborn Foam Shampoo, kalo ntar2 nungguin setelah lahiran mesti nitip ke hubby, pasti dia emoh beliin, karena isinya cuma setengah dari isi sebotol baby shampoo Mothercare, padahal harganya dua kali lipat dari harga sebotol baby shampoo Mothercare. Do the math. Naksir ama produk Earth Angel Mama & Baby, tapi as usual yg. gw taksir kok ya gak ada di Indo, mesti nyebrang ke Singapore dulu … Wondering: apakah SebaMed juga paraben free?

Week 34, makin begah dan ‘ngap’ aja deh … Masih sering ngalamin heartburn tentunya, paling parah kalo malam2 terpaksa mesti balik ke ritual ‘throw-up’ lagi, supaya bisa tidur lah … Lagi bujukin my ob-gyn supaya due date dimajuin at least seminggu, kalo nurutin due date beliau bisa2 keburu mules duluan deh …

Dah 2 minggu terakhir ini mulai ikutan senam hamil. Milih kelas senam hamil di YPK aja, walopun tempatnya lumayan kecil, tapi jarak dari rumah lumayan OK lah. Lagipula supaya kalo lagi ngantri mau check-up ke ob-gyn di YPK bisa ngacir bentar buat ikutan senam. So far baru 2 kali sih, ikutan kelas Senin sore jam 4 dan Sabtu pagi jam 9, enak gak kelewat crowded karena dua kali ini pesertanya cuma tiga orang saja, meskipun kapasitasnya kayaknya bisa sekitar 5 – 6 orang lah … Walopun masih belum yakin bakalan lahiran normal, tapi ternyata ikutan senam hamil gak cuma berguna buat mereka lahiran normal aja kok, tapi belajar stretching yg. bener supaya gak gampang kram, trus belajar nafas lewat perut kalo lagi ngalamin sesak, bisa belajar cara ngulet yg. aman juga [hehehe, paling sering dipraktekin di rumah], dan diajarin juga teknik perawatan dan breasts massage, yg. ternyata cukup heboh, hehe … Dah 2x ngeliyatin ibu2 yg. dah di atas 37 minggu latihan ngejan. Hwwwwwiiiii … Makin gak kebayang deh …

Anyway … masuk bulan Februari, berarti siap2 ama hujan dan banjir lagi. By far sih blm separah pengalaman tahun lalu, walopun ternyata daerah yg. tahun lalu aman justru tahun ini banyak yg. kena juga, termasuk rumah baru my sis di daerah Kb. Jeruk [Alhamdulillah blm sampe masuk ke rumah, baru maenan aer di garasi aja tuh …]. Makin lama makin menyebalkan deh … Mengingat sebenernya kondisi gak separah tahun lalu donk, karena kemarin ini baru sebatas hujan lokal aja bukan? Bisa2nya hujan lokal bikin banjir. Walopun yg. lebih parah lagi adalah bisa2nya gubernur baru sekarang menjilat ludah sendiri tanpa malu2 dgn. Mengatakan masalah banjir di Jakarta ini gak ada yg. bisa ngatasin dalam waktu dekat … Heeeeeeh? Bukannya dulu kampanyenya menyiratkan kalo dia itu ahli banjir? Hwiiiidiiiih … Bagus gw gak milih dia dulu, heheh … Tapi mau gimana lagi, salah orang2nya juga, dah tau kampanye banyak yg. bo’ong, masih juga mau milih kandidat yg. jelas2 gak bisa ngapa2in …

Sempat deg2an waktu malam Jumat kemaren hujan turun cukup lama [kok bisa waktunya sama persis lagi kayak tahun lalu yah?], dan masih berlanjut terus sampai Jumat pagi tanggal 1 Februari. Walopun jalanan di depan masih blm tergenang, tapi waktu hubby berangkat kerja dia telpon wanti2 dan nyuruh ngungsi ke rumah me mum aja, jangan nunggu2. Gw beres2in aja sedikit baju, undies, perlengkapan mandi en 1 – 2 buku dan film buat dibawa ngungsi. Bener aja ampe jam 9 pun masih aja hujan turun walopun curahnya masih sedang, gak terlalu deras sih menurut gw … Tapi anteng bo’ gak kelar2. Beneran juga sekitar jam 11-an hubby telp bilang kalo daerah mertua [Kelapa Gading] dah mulai kebanjiran. Trus lgs telp ke rumah tapi si maid bilang masih blm tergenang … Baru sekitar jam 12-an telp lagi dan konon aer dah tergenang nyaris mendekati pagar [padahal jarak dari pagar rumah ke jalan di depan dah naik sekitar 25 – 30 cm], hwaaaaaah … Dan hujan gak menunjukkan kalo dah mulai capek ato gimana gitu dah berjam2 asyik aja trus2an mengguyur kota. Jam 1-an telp lagi, aer dah nyentuh bawah pagar, hwwweeepppp! Tapi brarti tingkat kenaikan aer masih cukup lambat sih, masih beruntung karena gak ada banjir kiriman dan mungkin aer bisa langsung ngalir lagi [dibuang] ke tempat yg. lebih rendah [merasa beruntung juga bukan warga Kelapa Gading, hihihi …]. Jam 2-an telp lagi dan aer dah naik lagi masuk ke carport ngelewatin pagar. Hwwwwwiiiiiiih! Thank goodness kayaknya dah ada tanda2 mulai mereda, walopun gak berapa lama kemudian listrik mati [dan pastinya juga listrik di daerah rumah gw ikutan padam]. Hiiiiiiih, satu lagi efek menyebalkan kalo lagi musim banjir. Panas dan gelisah, kepikiran mulu tapi mau tidur juga gak bisa, akhirnya sekitar jam 2.30-an diajakin me dad jalan2 ngeliat situasi rumah sekalian cari cemilan. Hehehe … Telp dulu ke rumah, ternyata dah mulai agak surut, cepat juga … Bener akhirnya bisa juga mobil nyampe dengan aman di depan rumah, walopun agak susah dikit mau muter keluar lagi [mesti balik arah lagi karena kalo terus makin tinggi kedalamannya]. Trus lanjut ke Beautika di dekat Moestopo [tadinya sih pengen ke PS ato Sency] buat nyemil2. Balik lagi ke rumah me mum en dad sambil liat2 daerah deket2 rumah yg. masih tergenang, heheh …

Sekitar jam 5-an me mum ngajakin ke rumah grandma [cuma 5 menit jalan kaki dari rumah gw tapi asiknya gak kena banjir dan gak kena pemadaman listrik] buat ngadem sekalian numpang mandi dan nitip makanan [karena kulkas gak jalan]. Mampir bentar ke rumah lagi, eeeeeeh, udah surut dan listrik dah nyala, asiiiiikkkk! Gak jadi nitipin makanan deh … Ternyata ampe malam jam 7an listrik di rumah me mum masih padam, padahal hujan dah beneran brenti cukup lama, akhirnya gw balik lah ke rumah, walopun koper masih ditinggalin di rumah me mum, just in case malam/subuh mesti lari lagi ngungsi tinggal bawa diri aja gituuuu … Haaah … Lega deh ketemu lampu ama AC, hihi … Rasanya sih semalaman hujan gak turun lagi, padahal ada gosip2 katanya bakalan ada another thunderstorm … Pagi2 nengokin jalan sih rada basah, mungkin ada hujan dikit, tapi berdoa terus semoga tetep kering seharian, at least ampe batas ketingian aer di pintu2 aer dah balik ke bawah batas normal deh … Bener juga seharian Sabtu kemaren cuaca lumayan cerah …

Tapiiiii … Minggu sekitar jam 00.30 dinihari setelah hujan beberapa lama tau2 jalan depan rumah dah rada tergenang aja, akhirnya gw dilariin ama hubby ngungsi lagi deh ke rumah me mum. Anginnya cukup kencang, malah di jalanan ramting2 berserakan dan ada pohon yg. tumbang pula … Deg2an lagi dan gak bisa tidur lagi tuh sepagian, karena ternyata kamar tidur tamu di lantai bawah dah dilepas AC-nya tapi belum pasang yg. baru, jadi gw kepanasan deh … Mau naek ke kamar tidur tamu di lantai atas rada was2 kalo mati lampu kan ribet [gw paling males pasang lilin soalnya dan saat itu gak punya senter/emergency light], akhirnya panas2an lah gw di kamar itu ditemani Fausto the cat [yg. sebenernya susah ramah ke orang tapi gw curiga dia akhirnya mau nongkrong di kamar dan ramah2 ama gw karena kepengen ada teman akibat ketakutan juga ama bunyi petir dan hujan, hihihi …]. Begitu dah masuk Subuh dan hujan dah reda [trus hubby dah sms kalo aer dah mulai surut juga], naek lah gw ke lantai atas, ngantuk dan pengen banget tidur, tapi masalah baru muncul: laper berat bo’ … Haaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiih … Jam 5-an dibikinin telur ceplok ama maid me mum, tapi tetep aja gak berasa sreg tuuuuh … Akhirnya malah gak bisa tidur juga. Sekitar jam 8an telp lagi ke rumah, minta dibawain my usual breakfast [cocoa frosties with full cream milk] ama beberapa cemilan, baru deh abis itu mandi dan coba2 tidur sebelum jam 11an berangkat bareng2 ke WRP buat makan siang.

Oiiihhh, ternyata oh ternyata, bergadang saat hamil besar begini bener2 minta ampuuuuuuun deh … Punggung rasanya patah2 banget gitu … Apalagi selama perjalanan dalam mobil. Aiiiih! Jadi keinget lagi masa2 sekitar pertengahan tahun 2006-an rasanya iba banget ngeliat MaMing yg. lagi hamil besar di kantor disiksa lembur ampe pagi, hwwwwiiiiih … Walopun ada yg. berpendapat kalo sebenernya balik2 lagi ke ibu-nya kalo berasa kuat lembur ya mestinya gak apa2, tapi gw sih biar termasuk manusia yg. rada sadis tetep aja yakin kalo lagi hamil ya pasti beda banget lah kondisinya. Klo ampe ada ibu2 yg. ndablek sok2 kuat dan perkasa banget [malahan bangga pula] maksain diri selagi hamil tetep lembur ampe pagi [terkecuali emang dipaksa dan disiksa tanpa perikemanusiaan ama bos2 gila di kantornya lhooooh …], rasanya sih beneran gak mikirin yg. di dalem. Waktu bergadang kemaren aja gw pikir toh waktu masih kerja juga pernah ampe lebih pagi lagi dan lagipula sebelumnya dah dapet tidur 3 – 4 jam lah, tapi tetep ajaaaaaaa menderita banget seharian itu rasanya kepengen pingsan aja saking ngilunya sendi2 dan punggung, hweleeh-hweleeh … Khawatir juga kalo ada efek ke Baby K, misalnya dia jadi agitated ato gimana … Duuuuh …

Semoga gak sampe separah last year lah banjirnya … Anyho! Dah masuk week 33 dan sore ini bakalan mau control lagi ke ob-gyn. I’m hoping that everything’s great and will be just A-OK … About 4 – 5 more weeks to go [er, definitely not planning to do this in a full 40 weeks term, apparently …]

Hubby sekarang sibuk banget ama project barunya, Wisata Rumah Pohon alias WRP di Jati Asih. Mungkin karena personal project jadi mesti serius banget yah … Gw aja yg. bete karena tiap hari sekarang adalah hari kerja buat dia, jadi weekend pun dah gak bisa jalan2 lagi (kecuali kalo mau ikutan ke WRP tapi itu mah gak bisa dibilang jalan2 yah …), akhirnya mulai nebeng lagi ama acara berkunjung keluarga ke rumah my sis di Kebon Jeruk … Lumayan lah, daripada bengong2 lagi di rumah maen komputer ato nonton TV [yg. makin hari makin ngebosenin, and I’m talking about cable yah, bukan TV lokal …] ato tidur [lucunya sejak hamil jadi gak hobi tidur siang, kecuali kalo bener2 capek dan abis makan kebanyakan] …

Hubby dah kasih tau dengan senangnya kalo playground buat balita di WRP dah mulai jalan dan Insya Allah nanti Baby K dah langsung punya playground lah, seperti yg. selama ini diidam2kan mommy-nya. Yah, dulu2 pernah bilang ke hubby kalo gw gak pengen anak2 gw nanti [aduh, dah pake plural euyyy … dah mau nambah lagi maksudnya yah? heheh …] seperti anak2 kebanyakan sekarang yg. maennya di mal, ato kerjaannya nongkrong maen game komputer, playstation ato depan tv/dvd most of the time. Hiiiiih … Pengennya ya nanti anak2 dibawa ke playground, maen perosotan, jungkat-jungkit, ayunan ato sekedar kena matahari dan udara segar lah, alias gak kekurung terus di rumah. Tapi pikir2, di kota sumpek apek dablek begini mau cari kemana yg. model2 gitu? Mau dibawa ke taman2 kecil di kompleks perumahan kok ya brasa gak nyaman aja, karena gak jelas yg. pada nongkrong di situ orang2 apa yaaaah? Terlalu sering baca dan nonton tayangan berita di TV sekarang akhirnya bawaannya jadi parno ama apa aja deh … So, begitu tau bahwa hubby en’ family punya rencana bikin semacam recreation park yg. ada fasilitas maen buat balita, waaaah … berasa emang dah rejekinya Baby K nih, mudah2an karena niat mommy-nya emang bagus kan, dah gemes aja ngeliat di mal terlalu banyak anak2 kecil berkeliaran, hihi … Please take note, then … Indeed, I’m not very friendly with small kids, especially in public or crowded places such as malls. I think kids should be in their righteous places: homes, schools or playgrounds. Not that I won’t bring Baby K to the malls once in awhile, but I won’t want her to grow up assuming that malls are some sort of playground where kids could running around wrecking havoc and screaming their heads off … Besides, have you gotten into a baby’s changing room in the mall? Once, perhaps a couple of years ago, hubby made me accompany a friend’s wife with their baby. I said to myself first, ‘OK, I’m just there to watch how it done anyway, what harm can watching a mother’s changing baby’s diaper do, anyway?’ Sure, there’s nothing harm or awful about watching a mother’s changing a diaper. The worst part would probably be accidentally seeing baby’s poo, but hey, we’ve seen our own poo most of the time in the toilet. But, my God, they should’ve warned me that going into baby‘s changing room in a mall might in fact offer a little more than just seeing baby’s poo. It’s that awful smell [of dirty diapers] that stung like a mad raving bee! Yaiiikkksss! Right after we’re all back [in the café where we’re having meals], I totally lost my appetite and told hubby (quietly and discreetly, of course) that it’s not a very appealing experience for me at all and that he should never ever suggest anything like that anymore in the future …

Of course, all should be different for me now. I guess. I mean, I still say that pregnancy is most likely like having a picnic with a new boyfriend in the woods. It might be fun and exciting in concept, but extremely horrifying in reality. I hate woods, by the way. That’s how I at least feel most of the time. And surely it’s nothing like candle-lite dinner with a new boyfriend in a five-star hotel’s restaurant. I always assume that whoever said that they had 9 months of very calm and wonderful pregnancy are probably suffering from some sort of amnesia due to giving birth and/or more trouble months of taking care their infants [which I heard will be a lot harder and more tiresome and frustrating than pregnancy]. How can it possibly be calm and wonderful when one’s contantly feeling hungry, or hot, or having a terrible heartburn in the middle of the night? The ever expanding belly and boobs aren’t much of a joy either. And don’t forget the swollen feet and ankles and hands and leg cramps as well! Once again, a blabbering cow …

Anyho! Really excited about the playground, dan pastinya dah punya tempat untuk ngerayain Baby K’s birthday parties in the future, hehe …

Week: 30

Weight gain (by far): approx. 11 K

Still manage to have the following problems:

(1) Swollen feet and ankles;

(2) Makin sulit cari posisi nyaman utk tidur;

(3) Badan makin berasa pegal dan nyeri, sesak nafas;

(4) Constantly hungry and crave for sweets and chocolatey …

(5) Can’t hardly stand too long and/or walk too far;

(6) Pregnancy’s glow has already turned to awful pregnancy’s sweating;

(7) Awful heartburn!

And the list still goes on and on and on …

Yeah, I’ve been becoming a very big cow at the moment … another 4K just within 4 weeks! Bawaannya ya kalo gak kelaperan ya keringetan mulu. Hiiiiih … I now wear c-cups, though I’m not sure that’s something to be ecstatic about, considering that the belly’s way bigger than the boobs anyway … I hate the fact that now hubby could actually do some ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ expressions on any of my bumps, as not too while ago I used to do the same with his … Speaking of Little Red Riding Hood, I’ve also been looking for book of tales by the Grimm Brothers. I think I should start reading Baby K something. I figured Harry Potter’s saga still pretty much too old for her, whilst Christian Andersen’s just too cheesy. I actually like the Grimm Brothers. They’re as their writers, quite grim, yet somehow, could relate to the real world, even today’s world … Eh, I mean the grim and harsh parts though, not the Disney’s happy-ending sort of parts … And no, I’m not interested to read something from local legends, I find most of our local stories are somehow profoundly odd (even for me) and I’m just not in the mood to be creative.

We had another ultrasound last week. Unfortunately, according to our ob-gyn, Baby K’s gotten a bit too big for another 4D ultrasound, so we’re doing 2D instead, primarily to check up on her general condition and Alhamdulillah, she’s doing just fine, gak terlilit tali pusat [info ini penting banget buat gw, mengingat setiap kali Baby K heboh muter2 di dalam pasti gw langsung dag-dig-dug membayangkan yg. aneh2], plus she’s getting heavier, 1,600 grams. Our ob-gyn said that whilst a 30 weeks foetus would normally weigh around 1,500 grams, that extra 100 grams is nothing to be worry about … [malah me mum sewaktu dikasih tau komentar, ‘bagus donk kalo gitu!’ hehe … gak kasian ama yg. bawanya neeeeh!] Jangan lupa, ini kan fetus, 100 gram buat kita emang rasanya ringan banget, tapi secara prosentase hampir 7% kelebihan berat [yg. seharusnya] yah … Hihi … Mommy-nya pasti bandel banget, makan terlalu banyak … Uh-uh, hubby juga iseng nanya, ‘masih tetap perempuan kan? belum berubah?’ eeeh, langsung aja gw nyeletuk, ‘ya jangan berubah doooonk …’ ampe our ob-gyn komentar, ‘waaah, ibunya dah siap2 yah?’ en hubby mesem2, ‘iya, barangnya dah pink semua,’ hohoho … bukan juga karena pink semua, malah gw cenderung pilih warna2 netral seperti kuning, hijau, putih, krem, malah beberapa juga biru [perempuan cocok pake biru, tapi laki2 pake pink? errrrrr, not so much …]. Akhirnya dicariin lah ama ob-gyn bukti kongkrit kalo emang Baby K ini perempuan, haha … Dijepret lagi, jadi sekarang kalo bawa buku ultrasoundnya Baby K keliatan deh buktinya kalo emang perempuan …

We’re also doing a check on my placenta [2 months ago I was told that I have what they call a ‘placenta previa’ condition] and turns out I don’t have it anymore, since it’s gone up to where it should be. So, according to our obgyn(s), I can actually have a natural delivery … FYI, it’s not really great news for me, though. I’ve always been seriously horrified with the concept of delivering a baby naturally. It seems too harsh for me to handle. I’m not so sure I want to do a natural delivery, but I think for now I’d have to agree with my obgyn first and register to a prenatal exercise class and also maybe try to go back to my morning walk [though I probably wouldn’t do a lot of walking anyway], just in case. Well, I’ll try to think more positive and hope for whatever best for us … me and Baby K, that is … But most importantly of course what’s best for her …

Uh, did a little stroll in PIM and Mothercare’s having a sale (or perhaps they always have a sale there, I thought I’d once read about it somewhere). Not a great one though, I only ended up with a pack two pairs of nursing bras and since silly me was too lazy to fit them first and now I’m not sure they’d fit me comfortably in the next couple of months as I figure I’ll still have some expansion to do with these bumps. Thank goodness they’re on 30% discount though … Also there’s this little store of baby and kid’s clothing with fancy windows and some cute little outfits, placed in first floor [Mall 2] next to L’occitane. Again, I was too lazy to try to remember the name of the store.

Heeee … Dasar perempuan kalo namanya shopping aja pasti doyan … Kebetulan tante2 dah ngajakin shopping buat keperluan awal Baby K, dan setelah diitung2 awal tahun ini kan dah sekitar 28 minggu, kayaknya dah wajar juga mulai nyicil barang2 essential aja, pokoknya yg. bakalan masuk ke koper dan dibawa ke RS deh, itu aja sih … Karena masih musim liburan sekolah, hubby masih sibuk ama his new WRP project jadi cuma ditemenin ama me mum and aunties yg. dah gatel banget pengen megang baju bayi lagi … hehehe … Akhirnya tanggal 2 kemaren jalan2 deh ke ITC Kuningan, pilih yang deket2 aja … Susahnya kalo jalan rame2 kan bakalan banyak acara mampir, so begitu mampir ke salah satu sudut took, langsung cari bangku buat duduk, kalo enggak mah bisa semaput sebelum akhirnya nyampe di toko perlengkapan bayi … Dah gak kuat banget berdiri dan jalan kelamaan … Hiks hiks … Padahal sekarang malah doyan banget kalo mikir jalan2, tapi stamina sama sekali nihil hil hil … Walopun sisi positifnya adalah spending juga lumayan terjaga, hohoho … Mau mulai consider wheel-chair sih, tapi ke tempat2 kayak gitu kan juga ribet pake wheel-chair … Aiiiih …

Eniweiiiiiiii … Setelah ngisi perut, mampir ke beberapa toko bentar, akhirnya kita nemu deh satu toko perlengkapan bayi di lantai semi dasar. Ini bukan asal nemu, tapi dah nanya2 dulu langganan salah satu temen yg. juga baru punya baby. Nama tokonya Wiwi & Zaza. Tinggal duduk dan ngomong minta ini-itu, sales2nya aja deh yg wira-wiri. Eeeeeh, ternyata awal shopping Baby K ini dibelanjain ama calon2 neneknya, hehehe … Blum terlalu banyak beli sih, pengennya masih mau liat2 dan banding2in harga dan barang di beberapa toko laen lah, trus masih mau ngajak hubby juga, rencananya sekarang belanja yg. essential dulu, begitu abis lahiran barulah minta hubby en me mum en aunties langsung lari lagi buat belanja keperluan laen, mulai dari kelambu, kasur, changing mat, accessories etc. Toh juga gak nyiapin nursery khusus, mikir2 lagi Baby K 24/7 bakalan tidur bareng terus ama her mommy and daddy, jadi gak perlu lah nyiapin nursery khusus. Yg. ada malah lemari pakaian kita yg. mesti dipindahin ke kamar yg. awalnya direncanakan buat Baby K (kok ya bloon banget dulu gak merasa perlu bikin pintu penghubung walopun hubby dah berulangkali nanyain, hihihi …), trus baby crib en tafel ya ditaruh di kamar kita aja, beres deh … Gak perlu ada acara ngancurin dinding buat bikin connecting door … Pas bikin rumah ini naluri keibuan gw bener2 blum muncul yah, tapi sekarang mikir juga kok aneh banget kalo bayi tidurnya misah dari mommy-nya, hohoho …

Jadi, acara belanja pertama ini Baby K baru dapet:

popok (kain tetra) 1 lusin;

bedong (flanel) 1/2 lusin;

overall/night-gown (buat tidur malam) tangan panjang plus tutup kaki 1/2 lusin;

baju katun tangan pendek 1/2 lusin;

baju katun tangan panjang 1/2 lusin;

topi 1 pc;

sarung tangan dan kaki 3 set;

gurita perekat 1/2 lusin;

babysuit 2 pc;

setelan atasan renda dan celana;

baby laundry detergent; en’

breast-pads (kalo yg. ini bukan buat Baby K tapi buat mommy-nya, heheh …);

Dua terakhir itu bayar sendiri dan sengaja beli supaya besok2 hubby gak bingung disuruh nyari breast-pads (walopun ternyata beberapa hari kemudian nemu juga di Carrefour, hiiiiih …). Payahnya kita gak pada pinter nawar, kebiasaan semua belanja di mall pake harga pas jadi nawar pun asal2an aja dan gak keukeuh, ternyata oh ternyata kalo dipikir2 lagi kita dapet harga masih lumayan mahal lhoooo … Thank goodness hubby gak ikut dan sebagian besar belanjaan emang dibayarin, kalo gak pasti dia dah ngomel2 … Total spending untuk barang segitu aja sekitar 650rb-an. Tapi paling gak yg. dibayar buat detergent ama breast-pads beda tipis ama kalo beli di Carrefour … Waaah, masih perlu belajar banyak niiiiiih … Minjem istilah hubby, “uang sekolah mahal” …

So, this week berhasil ngajak hubby nemenin ke ITC Kuningan lagi, mo belanja buat ngelengkapin essential stuff for Baby K sekalian nunjukin toko2 perlengkapan bayi supaya nanti dah punya gambaran lah mesti kemana. Me mum ikut juga, sekalian mo mampir di Carrefour belanja bulanan. Plus, ternyata kita punya hutang ama Wiwi & Zaza, karena mereka lupa masukin harga bedong dalam slip/bon jadi kita kekurangan bayar gituh … Nyampe di Wiwi & Zaza nambah beberapa item lagi, tapi hubby kurang happy dengan harga-nya. Sempet diceramahin juga ama hubby karena tadinya mau beliin Baby K toiletries SebaMed, eeeeeh, beliau langsung emosi jiwa (padahal tadinya sempet consider Mustela). Hihihi … Tapi bener juga sih, toh blum ketahuan apa iya Baby K nanti bakalan berkulit sensitive juga seperti mommy-nya (disuruh berdoa semoga nanti malah sehat-kuat-walafiat jadi gak perlu dipakein SebaMed ato Mustela). So, akhirnya beli yg. standard dulu aja … Dan semogaaaaaaaaaaaaaa emang Baby K nantinya gak perlu dikasih SebaMed deh … Trus kita mampir di Baby’s Palace (di lantai yg. sama) buat beli beberapa item lagi dan ternyata harganya malah lebih mahal!!! Iseng2 nanyain harga ayunan bayi Fisher-Price, buka harganya 750rb, padahal di Wiwi & Zaza sekitar 680rb! Hiiiii … Lagi2 ngeluarin “uang sekolah” deh … Cuma di sini dikasih minum, walopun cuma air mineral, hahaha …

Mumpung masih merasa kuat, maksa jalan dikit lagi buat mampir ke Ocha di lantai 1, abis banyak yg. bilang kalo di sini termasuk paling murah, walopun dah gak bisa ditawar lagi (entah deh, apa ada yg. pernah berhasil nawar? mungkin mesti langganan dulu). Nanyain lagi harga ayunan bayi Fisher-Price, 590rb … Heeeeh? Tapi bener2 yg. punya bilang gak boleh ditawar lagi … Hubby iseng nanyain harga perlak yg. sama (dah beli di Baby’s Palace), hehe, emang lebih murah deh, malah ampir cuma setengah harga dari yg. kita bayar, hihihihi … Langsung hubby gak minat nawar lagi tuh, malah sibuk sendiri beli es krim Ben & Jerry. Yah, jadi bikin note deh, next time balik2nya dah pasti ke Ocha aja …

This time, Baby K dah dapet tambahan:

popok (kaus/katun) 1 lusin;

bedong (katun) 4 pc;

perlak karet 2pc;

baju kaus tangan pendek 1/2 lusin;

baju kaus tangan panjang 1/2 lusin;

setelan selimut + babysuit + topi + booties;

sarung tangan dan kaki 1 set;

gurita perekat 1/2 lusin;

babysuit 4 pc;

alas ompol (flanel) 1 lusin;

disposable diaper newborn Goon 1 pack;

toiletries (wash, shampoo, lotion, cream) – travel size;

semuanya sekitar 620rb-an. Ternyata masih rada mahal juga sih, karena sebagian beli di Baby’s Palace yang ternyata muahaaaaaal! Yah, at least kan besok2 dah ngerti mesti kemana … Dapet setelan (rencananya buat nanti Baby K pulang dari RS, tapi ternyata kok setelah dibuka lha bodysuit-nya gede banget? malah lebih pas buat yg. dah 3-6 bulan kali) di Ocha, lucu … Sempet bingung karena tadinya pengen beli yg. pink, eh kok malah ragu2 akhirnya beli yg. kuning aja … Hihihi … Well, that’s about it untuk essential-nya Baby K yg. mau disiapin buat keperluan lahiran dan first week lah … Tinggal mommy-nya aja nih masih mesti beli daster ama nursing bra. Tapi kan bisa nitip aja, gak perlu turun belanja sendiri lagi … Yayyyy! Jadi sekarang bisa rada lega deh, gak perlu bolak-balik belanja lagi, tinggal bolak-balik control ob-gyn aja ama kalo bisa ikutan kelas antenatal ama senam hamil en’ banyakin relaksasi di rumah alias pijat2. Langsung aja begitu kelar belanja2, ngendon dulu di rumah me mum, manggil terapis dari tempat refleksi Ka’Ki’Ku (memang namanya lhoooh …) di Benhil trus dipijat deh kaki dan tangan sekitar 1.5 jam sambil tiduran … Dah kelar sih rasanya biasa2 aja, gak spektakular banget lah … tapi ternyata efeknya lumayan, soalnya tidur malam langsung pulas banget!!! Biasanya pasti kebangun 2–3 kali either buat ke toilet, sekedar kelaperan ato yg. paling payah lagi kumat heartburn-nya … Awful …

Praying For Time

These are the days of the open hand

They will not be the last

Look around now

These are the days of the beggars and the choosers

This is the year of the hungry man

Whose place is in the past

Hand in hand with ignorance

And legitimate excuses

The rich declare themselves poor

And most of us are not sure

If we have too much

But we’ll take our chances

Because God’s stopped keeping scores

I guess somewhere along the way

He must have let us all out to play

Turned His back and all God’s children

Crept out the back door

And it’s hard to love, there’s so much to hate

Hanging on to hope, when there’s no hope to speak of

And the wounded skies above say it’s much too late

Well maybe we should all be praying for time

These are the days of the empty hand

Oh you hold on to what you can

And charity is a coat you wear twice a year

This is the year of the guilty man

Your television takes a stand

And you find that what was over there is over here

So you scream from behind your door

Say what’s mine is mine and not yours

I may have too much but I’ll take my chances

Cause God’s stopped keeping scores

And you cling to the things they sold you

Did you cover your eyes when they told you

That he can’t come back

Cause he has no children to come back for

It’s hard to love, there’s so much to hate

Hanging on to hope, when there’s no hope to speak of

And the wounded skies above say it’s much much too late

So maybe we should all be praying for time

[George Michael]

We do know that one or more of the followings:

The Beggars;

The Choosers;

The Hungry Man;

The Empty Hand;

The Guilty Man;

can easily represent ourself, right?

Happy New Year 2008 folks …

So, ‘tis a season to be jolly katanya … Nungguin year end’s sale, tapi giliran dah nyampe penghujung taun malah disetrap gak boleh keseringan jalan2 ama me mum and hubby. Me mum’s worry about my placenta previa and hubby’s worry about the fact than I’ve been having leg cramps more and more often and severe (one time I could see the foot actually turn almost like the way young Linda Blair’s head turned in The Exorcist!). And of course everyone else’s worry about Baby K. All this attention is very sweet indeed, but rather frustrating for me. Pengen ngasih tugas shopping ke hubby, tapi beliau itu sekarang suka irit gak ketulungan nanti gak jelas Baby K dibeliin barang berdasarkan konsep ‘kalo bayi gak usah dibeliin yg macem2 ato yg mahal2 karena toh cepet gede’ yg walopun emang bener dan rasional pemikirannya tapi tetep aja I’m a picky user so it’s either comfortable to wear or no thanks … Dan kemaren aja liat2 baju bayi di Pasaraya Grande, iiiihhh … Gak bisa dibilang murah tapi tetep aja bahannya berasa gak nyaman … Even I wouldn’t want to wear them … Tadinya me mum sempat comment kalo gak perlu jauh2 nanti shopping ke Singapore buat Baby K, tapi akhirnya berhasil juga diriku meyakinkannya bahwa emang bener deh, ada harga ada kualitas … Kemarin Baby K dibawain jaket mungil buatan Jepang hasil nitip ke calon omi-nya dan dihitung2 harganya sekitar 180rb-an (errrrr, please don’t tell hubby, since he’d likely be too upset on hearing that and I can vividly imagine his rambling about how little baby always grows too fast and that piece of clothing may not fit her for more than just a month-time and so on and so on and so on), but it’s so darn cute and soft! Yeah, at least kalo pun bakalan cuma dipakai sebulan – dua bulan tetep bisa dijadiin kenang2an toh, missal digantung jadi pajangan gitu di nursery … Or I might just want another baby girl within another year or two, heheh … However, word of advice, don’t follow my way of thinking particularly in this matter … Kemaren visit Mothercare beliin hadiah buat a friend who’s just had her baby, I ended up spending about 350K just for a very small rattan basket with a pack of 5 bibs and three bottles of baby shampoo, oil and powder. Then another friend laughed at my shopping bag and told me that for that same amount I should’ve gotten loads of similar stuff or even better functional item that could definitely last awhile longer than three bottles of baby toiletries. Hah! Tentunya langsung berkelit bahwa that sort of stupid decision I made doesn’t count since I’m pregnant at the time so I guess it’s sort of like making a decision under the influence of heavy medication. Yeah, being pregger’s made me do stupid things or take stupid decisions plainly because I can’t seem to think clearly … I suppose it could be an effect of my lack of sleep … or perhaps excessive calories intake …

The thing is, I don’t feel I eat too much since I’ve been constantly hungry … Yet I’m expanding more and more like a confused mixture of a cow and a pig … Let’s see for instance on this weekend: I had half of a single plate of cheese sponge cake (and it’s not even a yummy one, darn that stupid café at McDonald Sarinah Thamrin!) with 250ml pack of chocolate milk at 6am; a portion of fried noodle with nasi kuning and very small piece of chicken with 500ml bottle of green tea (less sugar version) at 10.30am; a single beef burger (no cheese – no mayo version), again with another 500ml bottle of green tea (less sugar version) at 1.30pm (errrr, OK, so I guess I’m starting to see where I went wrong here …); 250ml pack of chocolate milk at 2.30pm; then another portion of white rice with beef and liver at 7pm. After that, just loads of water. OK, was that like, a gazillion calories intake? I got like 480 cal from the beverages (yeah, mommy really need to consider to cut on those sweet beverages!), I’d say the cake gave like 600 cal, the single burger might contribute like 1,000 (hey! no cheese – no mayo, remember!?), the brunch could as well contributed another 800 … Oh, shoot! Indeed, mommy had consumed way over the 2500 cal required amount for preggers … Ooopppsss … No wonder I’ve become this new breed of a human cow-pig. Weight almost as a cow and blushing pink round-shape appearance most of the time. Gaaaaaaah …