Welcome to our world, little princess

She has arrived.... Our forever beautiful gift from God has been delivered on Monday morning.

Amaira Jasmine Prestaka

Bali, April 16, 2012, 8.38 am

The Overdue, Undisclosed Yearning Will Be Over

For years, my hubby and I quietly desired a baby girl. However, we understood, it will not be that simple. We initially plan to only have 2 kids. These boys are simply great gifts from God, they are good boys, smart and always make us proud. We often encountered people said to us, that we should have a third one, daughter that is. I would always said to those nosy people, nope, two is enough. Boys and girls are just the same, they are all responsibilities God trust us to take care of.

So, when after Eid last year, I found out that I missed my period and the test pack gave positive sign, our yearning for Daddy's little girl occur again. We've always pray for a healthy baby and not expecting that this little one will be a girl for us. Two USGs (2D version) showed that it's a girl. Still we did not want to believe it 100%. Last month, I had 4D USG, and the OBGYN clearly said it is 99.99% a girl.

After that confirmation, the shopping trip to Mothercare has been focused on girls' stuff. So many cute items there. Abdes has designed the room next door to be this little one's room, plus our working space, not very baby style, as we don't want it to be a very 'baby zone' :)

The two boys are so excited to welcome their little sister. Getar always wonders how this baby will look like and act. He's 12, a young man, sometimes shyly said that he wanted to feel the bump. Alarik has been imagining to carry the baby, he loves to put his head on the big bump and feels the baby's quickening. He even often acts as if he's helping me bathing the baby, and even feed the baby. He constantly reminds me to hold the baby carefully once she's born and I should take the baby to his school.

Ah well... Monday is the big day, by the way. As I could not deliver the baby in normal way, tried twice, but failed, c-section is the only option. We have scheduled it to be on Monday. Baby name? It's ready. We'll announce it soon she arrives to this world.

Wish me luck. Hope all goes well. I am hoping that post-op would not be too painful, and quick recovery for me. I hope I can successfully breast-feed this little one, just like my two other children; exclusively for 4-6 months, and continue until 2 years of age.

I just can't wait to hold and kiss you, baby Girl.

A Start of of a New Beginning

...and the belly is getting bigger. The quickening, it's the baby's movements in the womb, starts to be stronger. My steps upstairs to my room are getting slower. I started to spend longer time in the closet selecting what to wear today.

Exercise? Sure I do it every other day. If not swimming, I do yoga or pilates. I try to eat healthy in good portion, meaning not too much. Morning sickness has diminished, though I often feel nausea after I take the DHA pill.

Four months to go. It feels that my delivery time is still far ahead, but I try to enjoy the moments. The moments of being pregnant with two sons. Yup! Starting May 2012, my life, our family's life, will be totally changed!

I will soon be a mother of 3!!! By the time I hit 35, I will have three children. Whew... Saying it out loud feels weird, in a funny, proud kind of way.

I am a proud Mama of Getar and Alarik, and really excited to welcome the new addition to our family. I am happily married to Abdes for 13 years, being best friends for 16 years.

Year 2012, I am embracing you with open heart. I am ready with whatever challenges and opportunities that will come to me and my family, no matter what the Mayan prophecy had said. I am grateful for what I have for now, for what powers I have to live our lives. I believe The Almighty has written a path for me to live. All I have to do is just do good to myself, my family and to my surroundings.

May 2012 is a lovely year for all of us that will lead to a happy and prosperous life.

I am baaaackkk.....!!!

Yup, I am back to my blog page after, gosh...more than 3 months. There have been a lot of things happened in my life.

First, we had a wonderful family trip, with the in-laws, to North Sumatra.
Second, business has been running pretty busy after the Eid holiday.
Third and last.... *drum roll*, I am expecting our third child!!!

The last happening was the main reason I haven't blog. Every spare time has been rather spent on the bed, or in front of the TV. Now, the pregnancy has started to be more enjoyable, even I still experience nausea beyond the first trimester.

OK, as I promised in my last post, I will share photos of our trip to North Sumatra. From Bali, we spent one night at my in-laws, then off we went to Medan. It was a big group. Total 14 pax! Yup, the more the merrier. It was the first big trip with my husband's parents, his sisters + spouse + children. We spent 2 nights at Medan, then we went to Siantar for one night, stopped over at Tebingtinggi, one night at Parapat/Lake Toba, went to explore a bit of Samosir island, stopped over at Berastagi, then spent the last night at Medan, before left the city to Jakarta.

I had pretty much high expectation on the culinary tourism from this trip, and low expectation on the service or hospitality. Well, that's quite right. The hospitality of people there is far below any service we can get in Bali. Services at hotels, restaurants, public places were not very warm, though not bad at all. They are kind people, but serving with smiley face was just not in their blood.

Food? Super fantastic. All of us enjoyed the food so much, expect me. Hahahaha. I felt weird at first, wondering why everybody loved all the food. I found out the answer on our first night at Parapat, when we stayed at Lake Toba Hotel. I realized I hadn't got my period for the past one month (I did one full month of fasting!). Voila! Positive result on the test pack. That's why my taste bud had been abnormal, and I became fatigue pretty easily. Yeay! Unexpected blessings...

So, here are the photos that I've taken mostly from my Blackberry camera. Enjoy...

Welcome to Medan!

Dressed up in Kebaya for family gathering in conjunction with Eid celebration. That handsome young man is my first son.

Posed in front of the hotel where we stayed in Medan, with my sister-in-laws.

The street food stalls are so tempting...

Lemang, made of sticky rice, in combination with Sari Kaya, a concoction of coconut milk+palm sugar + egg, is super perfect at Tebing Tinggi. Gotta try!

This is the ultimate public transportation in North Sumatra. Count how many passengers can this motor-taxi take!

These are the grand children of my in-laws. The two boys, one in pajamas (but with sneakers on) and one with shawl, are mine.

During this trip, hubby couldn't let go of his Olympus EP3. Even a 'not so normal' view would be his object.

On the boat, on our way to Samosir island.

The traditional house at Samosir. This is where the 'Sigale-gale' live puppet show is regularly shown. Gotta try if you come with a group of friends to Samosir. You will experience the 'Manortor' dance, and wear the "Ulos' fabric. Some Rp amount of donation is expected (couldn't remember the amount).

The view of Toba Lake from top. We took the not common street to go to Berastagi. When we stopped at this area to take some photos, we could clearly hear the sound of "Uwuk..uwuwkk...", the shoutings of Siamang (black furred, tailless gibbons, native in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Thailand) in the woods.

This is our family photo opportunity, on the BSA, Becak Siantar Asli (Original Siantar Motor Taxi). The motor used for this taxi is a classic UK-made motor. Totally cool. The taxi riders definitely do not want to loose their coolness, so they pick a genuine masculine ride!

This last photo, including our family photo on BSA, were taken with the cool Olympus EP3. Hubby took this picture, perfectly portraying the beautiful view around Toba Lake.

Si Ndut mau bergaya?

Tips dari www.maternityandstyle.com..... berguna untuk nyonya ndut yang tetep mau gaya....

One word: cleavage. Pregnancy provides the best opportunity you'll ever have to flaunt your increased cleavage, so try wearing scoop-neck t-shirts or sweaters.
Try synthetic materials. Wear pants made of synthetic materials that stretch to fit your new curves.
Think a little tighter. Over-sized, baggy clothes create a bulky look. For a sexier style that slims your silhouette and emphasizes your features that aren't expanding, wear snug-sleeved tops, skinnier pants, and knits that stretch to fit your form. These are both sexy and feminine.
Dark Colors. Dark colors are slimming, so choose pants, skirts, and dresses in classic hues such as black, brown, navy, wine, forest green, and dark gray.
Stripes. Avoid horizontal stripes, which will make you look wider than you really are.

We're expecting baby....

Waktu hamil anak pertama, saya dan hubby sepakat untuk menjaga kejutan jender bayi kami. Tapi lain halnya dengan kehamilan kedua ini. Ini gara-gara ada bias dengan harapan, keinginan dan tebak-tebak buah manggis :)

Akhirnya, pas kunjungan ke OB kemarin, setelah mengintip kondisi si baby yang insya Allah sehat dan lengkap....kami akhirnya bertanya kepada dokter, apa jender bayi yang sedang dikandung.
Si dokter dengan tenangnya mencari-cari petunjuk di layar mesin ultrasound....menyorot sebuah organ yang menunjukkan bahwa....

He..he..he... Ternyata hasil intipan dokter itu 180 derajat berbeda dengan tebakan teman-teman dan keluarga.

Maternity Dress

How a pregnant mom can still look chic in 'kebaya', the Indonesian national dress? The answer is...
:)

Ibu Hamil dan Pasangannya

Bersyukurlah ibu hamil yang memiliki pasangan (resmi) dan disayangi oleh si dia tersebut.

Seperti juga dengan diri saya, yang sedang berbadan dua dan disayangi oleh pasangan saya. Memang sih, di awal-awal minggu kehamilan, si dia sempat kurang sensitif dengan perubahan emosi yang terjadi pada diri saya. Untungnya, si dia cepat sadar dan minta maaf kalau membuat emosi ibu hamil tambah kacau. Maklumlah, katanya, sudah lama gak mendampingi ibu hamil. Ya gitu deh, gara-gara jarak kehamilan pertama dan kedua yang sampai enam tahun lebih. Semua seperti kejadian pertama lagi! Termasuk adaptasi pasangan dengan ibu hamil. Untungnya, sekarang sudah berjalan baik. Ibu hamil sudah tidak terlalu sensitif lagi dan si dia pun selalu penuh perhatian.

Oya, kehamilan kali ini, agak berbeda dengan kasus kehamilan pertama. Dulu, seringkali saya tidak suka berada dekat-dekat dengan si dia. Entah karena apa. Tapi sekarang, kebalikannya. Hormonnya beda kali, ya….

Soal makanan (iya, lagi-lagi!), si dia selalu berusaha memenuhi keinginan ibu hamil. Mau spaghetti….ok. Mau steak….ok. Nggak mau makanan Padang, ok gak jadi ke resto minang. Males masak, hayo aja kita ke resto. Tapi…. Itu hanya terbatas pada wilayah Denpasar dan sekitarnya saja. Tidak berlaku lintas kota lintas provinsi. He…he…he… Pho idaman saya, ternyata, tidak menjadi buah tangan si dia yang baru kembali dari sales call di Jakarta. “Bawa pho pake tupperware?” begitu si dia balik bertanya pas saya tanyakan tentang pho. “Gak mungkin banget deh, saya bawa-bawa tupperware isi pho!” Ha..ha..ha…Emang sih, kasian banget, kalau si dia mesti keliling nyariin pho, sementara dia pun di Jakarta super sibuk.

Eh, tapi sesibuk-sibuknya si dia di Jakarta, tetap saja dia membawa buah tangan untuk ibu hamil. Saya dibawakan celana (gaya) khas ibu hamil dan kamisol, plus cheese stick yang enak dan kurma Tunisia yang juga enak banget. Jadi, gak masalah lah, soal tidak adanya pho, yang penting si dia cepat kembali, membawa oleh-oleh dan berada dekat dengan si ibu hamil.

Makanan dan Ibu Hamil

Katanya kalo lagi hamil, mesti makan dua porsi setiap sesinya. “Kan, makan buat berdua”, begitu kata orang-orang.

Hmmm….. kalau begitu badan si ibu hamil otomatis bakal super bengkak, duuoonggg!!! Soalnya, si baby kan gak perlu kalori sebanyak ibunya.

Kata sumber ilmiah, yang sayangnya saya lupa referensinya, ibu hamil hanya perlu tambahan 500 kalori dari 2100 kalori standar (harian). Jadi, ibu hamil gak perlu otomatis nambah makan banyak-banyak dan jadi gemuk (dan tidak cantik, he…he…he…), dengan alasan “kan lagi hamil!”.

Gitu deh… pembenaran atas pola makan yang sedang saya alami sekarang ini. Gak terlalu doyan makan banyak, gak doyan nasi, gak terlalu demen ngemil, dan malahan gak terlalu ngidam rujak. Soal makanan, saya senang makanan simpel dan tidak terlalu berbumbu ‘medok’. Senengnya makan di tempat yang bersih dan rapi, alias…resto yang pricetag makanannya agak mahal. Bukan karena sok kaya, melainkan karena gak tahan sama kejorokan warung dan kantin. Kalo gitu, malahan gak jadi makan….tapi jadi super nausea! Kadang saya mau juga sih, sama makanan kampung. Itu kalo udah kepepet, alias sadar diri kalo terus-terusan makan di resto bagus, kantong bisa jebol. Tabungan buat kelahiran si baby bisa amburadul dong.

Oya, soal makanan idaman, yang belum kesampaian kan si Pho, ada lagi tambahannya nih. Yaitu….Mrs. Winner’s chicken!!!! Uhuy banget deh. Pake mac & cheese, green beans, plus jalapenos pickle. (pasti deh, Bunda Bintang ketawa geli, ngebayangin ibu hamil di Bali ngidamin ayam soulfood yang berkalori tinggi! Bun, waktu nelpon saya minggu kemarin, makanan ini belum teridam-idam. Tiba2 aja karena bosen sama ayam KFC, jadi teringat sama ayamnya Bu Pemenang!)

Trus, jadi inget sama komentarnya Mama Michael & Ryan, yang kangen sama baso Abang-abang di Indo. Saya malah gak berani, Mama M &R! Ini gara-gara tayangan investigasi salah satu stasiun tivi swasta Indo, yang menemukan ada seorang pedagang baso (kios) di Jakarta, asli, menggunakan daging tikus sebagai oplosan baso sapinya. Di tivi, dikasi liat tuh, perburuan tikus di sawah, proses mencincang dst. Si Abang baso ini malah gak bilang sama sekali ke bini dan anak2nya. Tega benerrr! Ya gitu deh…saya jadi parno makan baso yang sembarangan.

Di minggu ke-15 kehamilan saya ini, gara-gara makannya gak banyak, perut memang tidak mblendung gede. Kalau pake jins hipster plus kemeja kerja, ya agak-agak gak kelihatan hamil. Kalau lagi centil, baru deh, jalan-jalan pake babydoll atau kamisol plus kardigan. Baru deh keliatan. Kata artikel di majalah Mother & Baby versi Indonesia, kalau hamil baby perempuan, katanya siiih…, makannya tidak sebanyak kalau lagi hamil baby laki. He..he…he… Katanya lho… Pembuktiannya, kita tunggu bulan Maret nanti, insya Allah, nunggu kelahiran si baby dalam perut saya ini.

Now...here's the good news

I haven't been feeling good lately. Since mid July, my body was not ok. Nausea, morning sickness, lack of energy....
A-ha! Y'all can guess what's happening, right?
Yes, I am pregnant, again. This is the second one, since more than 6 years. After all these years, now Abdes and I decided that plan of having our second child might be plausible. Waited for two months...after negative result came up in the home-test, then we got the good news.

Eventually, being pregnant does not always equal being pleasant. During the first two months, bed was my favorite place. Kitchen was the place I disliked. Thankfully, my workload was not hectic, so I can enjoy more lazy time at my own pace.

Now I feel much better. The pregnancy has been 11-weeks. I haven't gone to my OBGYN yet. I've scheduled it on Monday at 5 pm. According to my count, the due date will be March 30, 2007. Well, interestingly, if it will be right, the baby's birthday will be on the same months as Abdes and Attarilan. Ha!

About food, I do not like rice lately. I prefer rice cake (ketupat, in Indonesian), pasta, bread, paratta, french-fries. The only food that I would pay a lot to eat it, coz I ain't gettin' it here in Bali, is...Pho-hoa!!!! Yes, vietnamese noodles, with beef steaks, coriander leaves, jalapenos.... Ayayay.... Too bad the Pho-Hoa restaurant in Bali had gone bancrupt years ago coz the investor has been prosecuted due to corruption :(

Alright... wish me luck with my Pho-hunting. If you know a Vietnamese restaurant here in Bali, please let me know....