Hurray! Aku BISA berdiri sendiri lo!

Hari ini aku udah mulai bisa berdiri sendiri lo..pegangan pinggiran crib..trus waktu Mom-mom tinggal bentar, balik-balik aku udah rambatan ke sisi lain crib...
Ada videonya lo! ;) tp 2GB..jd ndak berani di post disini...ntar kasihan yang di Indo kalo mau download..

Ini foto2 persiapan mau berdiri sendiri...jd begitu Mom-mom liat pose2ku seperti yang dibawah ini, Mom udah ada feeling kalo aku bakal nyoba berdiri sendiri, jd trus di video..eh beneran lo! aku berhasil berdiri sendiri! hore!!!

Pertama-tama duduk pegangan pinggiran crib, trus akhirnya bisa pegangan bagian atas rail crib! uhui!!!

More of my standing

Look at how happy I am.... I can stand holding on to my crib... HURRAY!!!

Charlene's new bedroom

Ni kamar baru Charlene ma crib Charlene yang kemarin tengah malam dirakit ma Dada sampe jam 2 pagi. Thank you Dada ;)











Pagi-pagi ma Mommy dibersihin trus dipasang asesorisnya..jadilah crib Charlene..trus langsung dipake bobok..enak..enak..enak...punya crib sendiri akhirnya...

Topi Belanda

Hari Sabtu main-main kerumah Opa Bob ma Oma Dorothy, Charlene coba-coba pake topi bergaya Belanda dulu ahhhhhhhhh...tapi kok melongo??? hehehe...
"HAH? apa Mom??" (kali mau ngomong gitu kali ya???) hahaha :D

Ngekek sampe mata ilang

Pas lagi main-main..Charlene ketawa ngekek sampe matane ilang... ada video-ne tapi sadar diri...di Indo internet lama..kasihan yang download, jadi liat foto aja yach...

Charlene's playpen

Kung ma Bo penasaran kan "kurungan" Charlene kaya apa? ini fotonya...

Picture 1: Charlene tidur di playpen (istilahnya Bobo: kurungan)

Picture 2: Playpen Charlene pake bed-cover bawa dr Indo (the party bear) ma buku dari kembaran "Joshua".

Foto yang pertama playpen ada di living room, foto yang kedua playpen di area kitchen..dipindah-pindah supaya Charlene bisa liat Mommy..soalnya kalo Charlene ndak isa liat Mom, Charlene langsung nangis!

My NEW crib...

Halo semua..ni aku di crib-ku yang baru lo ;D
Di crib ku yang baru ini juga aku duduk sendiri dengan tegaknya untuk pertama kalinya...UHUI!!!
Trus aku juga udah mau berdiri sendiri pegangan pinggiran crib, trus akhirnya difoto ma Mom-mom.
Liat deh my happy face ;)

Foto2 pas perjalanan

Ni foto2 pas di perjalanan yang belum sempet diupload di blog.
Charlene sepanjang perjalanan have fun banget main2...liat aja tambah "nakal"nya..yang lagi asik main





Begitu nyampe dirumah Pastor Zee, Charlene langsung main2 ma Kakak Cherissa ma Kakak Kayla. Cherissa yang gede, Kayla yang kecil.


Trus besok siangnya mandi di sink!!! asik! sampe ketiduran lo aku! tp begitu Dada ketawa liat aku tidur, aku langsung bangun kaget! hahaha :D

Visit to Marblehead

Hari Sabtu kemarin kita nyewa mobil pergi ke Marblehead tempat Opa Bob and Oma Dorothy. Sebelumnya kita mampir dulu ke local UCCIS dengan tujuan mau update data buat aplikasi lotere Green Card kita. eh..udah dibelain kesasar segala..ternyata sampe sana dibilang kalo salah gedung! weks!! gimana to?? ya udah akhirnya langsung bablas ke Marblehead!

Jadi ceritanya kita ngikutin GPS dr Iphone!!! (Gee...I got a new Iphone!...setelah penantian selama 2 tahun), tp berhubung ini ndak real time, jd kita kesasar karena gitu deh. Kalo liat di Iphone kayane nih belokan masih rodo jauh, eh ternyata udah kelewatan! agggggghhh...
yang bikin tambah parah tuh karena ada jalan2 yang one-way jadi ndak isa asal u-turn gitu deh.

Anyway, perjalanan ke Marblehead cenderung lebih smooth...ditengah jalan sih ujan..
And you know whaT!!!! Charlene suka banget tidur di car seat..ndak lama setelah mobil jalan dia langsung bobok! hahaha :D asal udah kenyang sih dia hepi2 aja...
Nyampe dirumah Opa&Oma, Charlene masih bobok...baru bangun kira2 waktu temen2 udah pada dateng...

Jeng Esti (sohib senasib sepenanggungan KESSAers 2005 yang sekarang udah jadi Ibu Diplomat di DC) dateng juga ma Romo Bagus... wah kita melepas kangen abis deh!
Ketemu juga ma Dicky, Mey and their beautiful girls...Hari, Valen n Nadine... Alvi juga (new KESSAer 2008).
Wah pokok-e nostalgia banget deh!

Yang terakhir foto session..eh ternyata Auntie Esti-nya nutupin Charlene yg lagi bobok di car seat! jadine Charlene cm keliatan foreheadnya doang di foto! (Duh...Auntie Esti gimana sih???????) hehehe...

Terakhir didepan pintu rumah Dorothy, kita berdua foto...difotoin ma Romo Bagus...

ngomong2 soal Romo Bagus, Koko hampir2 muntap..karena ternyata waktu mau sesi foto, Romo tu ngusek2 rambutku...aku rada ndak sadar karena tak pikir itu Esti or Koko...weleh! jebul-e Romo!!! Di mobil Koko langsung emosi bilang kalo itu ndak dirumah Bob & Dorothy udah diomel2in tuh!!

GAnti topik tentang weather..untung banget kita rent a car...ternyata sepanjang perjalanan pulang tu hujan deres...sampe2 liat sign di jalan tol juga mesti diperhatikan dengan seksama...
Lucunya nih begitu sampe rumah, Mey mandiin Charlene..trus tak suruh bobok..wong mata udah ngantuk gitu..eh ternyata Charlene ndak mau bobok..masih pengin main! nangis sampe lama...10 menit lebih...
kita finally decided untuk pick her up ya kita ternyata kok nangisnya lama...ndak kaya biasanya... begitu diangkat ma Koko, dia langsung senyum2 nakal gitu..trus kakinya entrok-entrokan!
dasar nih anak..maunya main! padahal udah kira2 jam 9 or 9.30an.

udah puas main..akhirnya ucek2 mata...hehehe..akhirnya ditidurin bobok juga nih anak...setelah kita berdua juga mapan tidur, dia liat kita juga tidur...mau tidur juga! hehehe...

Foto2 studio Charlene

Thanks to iiiiiiiiii....udah kirimin file foto2 Charlene ;)

Charlene kok susah bobok ya?

Akhir-akhir ini Charlene juga menolak tidur. biasanya dia kan kalo ngantuk trus bobok. well..pengecualian sih dia biasa nahan bobok kalo pas lagi jalan-jalan karena banyak yang bisa diliat tp terakhir ini meski kita stay dirumah Pastor terus, Charlene susah banget kalo disuruh bobok.
padahal udah ngantuk berat tp begitu Mey tinggal keluar kamar or bahkan kalo Mey masih didalam kamar, tp lagi do something with the computer, dia langsung bangun manggil-manggil dan maunya turun dari ranjang dan ikutan "main".
Barusan berhasil put her to bed, tp trus Mey juga mikir apa jangan2 dia udah mulai ngerasa ndak enak karena mau tumbuh gigi? jd dia mau tidur juga susah karena ngerasa sakit?? I don't really know how she feels about this.

Well..emang sih kalo malem dia basically tidur, meski bangun-bangun 2-3 kali (ndak biasanya sih! waktu di Indo, dia ndak pernah bangun tengah malem...basically uninterrupted sleep gitu).
yang pasti kalopun dia bangun, 2hari terakhir ini, habis minum susu, dia bobok lagi.
tapi kemarin malem dia bangun jam 4 pagi dan ngajak main. ndak enak karena dia habis pup, jd pantatnya kan ndak nyaman kalo dibawa tidur lagi.
habis diganti diaper, dia main2 bentar kira-kira 30menit-1jam, trus ngantuk bobok lagi. bentar banget! ndak ada 30menit!

Koko's first day of work (again)

Koko udah mulai kerja hari ini. Berangkat kerja dianterin ma Pastor Z. Kira2 jam 6 pagi Charlene bangun denger alarm hp Koko. biasa kan emang kita set alarm jam 6. Begitu denger bunyi hp, Charlene langsung opened her eyes widely and smiled to us. Basically kita main2 terus, well...minum susu sih pasti... sampe akhirnya jam 9.15an Charlene udah ngantuk banget trus dia sempet bobok kira2 30 menit trus udah deh main2 lagi.
Lucunya tuh waktu Pastor Z pulang habis anter Koko, Charlene liatin Pastor sampe kepalanya dan lehernya muter gitu...badannya juga ding...tapi begitu digendong ma Pastor, eh...malah nangis...tp habis itu liat2 lagi...sambil malu2 ngintip2 gitu...dasar nih anak! malu-malu mau...kalo dari jauh liatin terus, tp begitu deket eh malah nangis..

Oh iya...kita udah ada naksir 1 apartment, 2 bedrooms (so Charlene bakal dapet kamar sendiri), ada di second floor dari 2 family house. It's pretty nice.
We have talked to the owner and will see the apartment on our own besok hari kamis sore diatas jam 6.
waktu tadi brgkt ke kantor, Pastor sengaja lewatin ke jalannya itu, dan menurut Pastor, we should take that place. close to supermarket and the office too.

Koko malem ini pulang dari kantor jam 6 kurang, tp baru nyampe dirumah Pastor jam 8 lebih. Ternyata Koko nyasar! Nyasar 2 kali lagi, yang pertama salah naik jurusan bus dr Waltham ke Watertown. Yang ke-2 kesasar waktu mesti turun dr bus 52 ke Dedham Street. Alhasil malem itu Koko telpon Pastor Z minta tolong dijemput.
Ampun deh! hehehe..kasihan juga pulang-pulang sampe rumah udah babak belur badannya kesel...lama dijalannya bukan kerjanya :p
kayane enak deh kalo udah pindah yang deket kantor, jd ndak bete kelamaan habis dijalan :p

Our first Sunday back in Boston

Jam 4 pagi Charlene udah bangun dan ndak mau tidur lagi sampe akhirnya kita berdua mesti bangun dan main2 ma Charlene sampe akhirnya dia sendiri udah lemes dan tertidur jam 7.
Bobok kira2 30 menitan, Charlene bangun jam 7.30 trus main2 lagi.
Kira2 jam 8.30 Charlene mandi di sink rumah Pastor Z, hehehe.. ukurannya pas abis, bahkan Charlene sempet ketiduran waktu dimandiin di sink...
trus bangun kaget waktu kita semua notice dia tidur dan ketawa! hehehe...

mungkin karena perubahan cuaca dahi Charlene ma bahunya yang terbuka lebar merah2 gitu..tanya2 ma yang udah lama disini dibilang mungkin karena heat rash (maklum kering banget disini apalagi pas summer).
Selvy nyaranin dikasih lotion buat moisture kulit Charlene. on the way back to Pastor's house, kita dianterin Lukas trus mampir ke CVS cari ni lotion.
Ternyata Koko salah beli, yang diambil tu malah sabun mandi bukan lotion. padahal Koko juga udah beli sabun mandi khusus buat rash...hehehe...jadine punya 2 sabun mandi tapi beda merk, lotionnya malah kagak dapet.
akhirnya kita coba pakein baby cream yg bawa dr indo, eh ternyata bisa juga buat ngurangi rash, jd badan Charlene udah ndak merah2 lagi.
yang parah tu karena kita belum sempet unpack everything, sampe skrg kita belum temuin nail clipper Charlene, jd kuku dia panjang2 amat, malem kemarin waktu bobok, dia scratch punggung dia, eh tadi pagi waktu nge-cek ternyata merah2 luka gitu..aduh duh...kayane ntar malem ndak bisa ditunda lagi deh mesti cari tu nail clipper..kasihan kalo badannya luka2...

Charlene in action...

Look at how cute she is! She was about to eat and out of nowhere she posed. I grabbed my cellphone and there she was in action

I can crawl...

On Monday, 21st July, 2008 I crawl for the first time chasing my rolling hair lotion. That surprised mom, of course! Her almost-6-month baby girl crawled.
Well..I still had my stomach touch the floor but I did crawl for almost 1 meter.

The next morning, I performed in front of Dada ;) He was so thrilled that he was willing to wake up just to witness my crawling performance.

Smiley Charlene

These photos were taken early in the morning as she just woke up. As usual, she is so cheerful and generously smiles after a 12-hour uninterrupted sleep ^_^
Lucky me! that I could capture these precious moments

We are selling our home - anyone interested?

http://jakarta.craigslist.org/rfs/736748660.html

Brand new modernly furnished two-story minimalist home in Salatiga

With mountainous front view and a unique combination back scenery of hills and rice-field from the second floor, a total of 370m2 two-story furnished minimalist house in Salatiga, completely constructed in April 2008 built on 230m2 area, is irresistible. It requires lots of efforts to get your eyes off of the undeniably luxurious red-Ferrari kitchen set upon entering your new-to-be spacious shiny home-sweet-home. Welcomed by the impressive fresh green sofa bed on the second floor, a set of fantastic home theater will spoil you even more.


Serious buyers only
Contact: danikurnianto at gmail dot com
Check more pictures :
http://picasaweb.google.com/danikurnianto/SALEBrandNewModernlyFurnishedTwoStoryMinimalistHomeInSalatiga

With mom in Bandungan

Yesterday was my first day sleeping in a bed I didn't get used to. It's not my crib and had no saliva smell of mine :p
Last night I was awake from midnight 'till 4 in the morning. Dada and Mom were about to sleep after chatting with Uncle Dave, but ever since I was awake, they both had to, whether they liked it or not, open their eyes widely.
I was kind of sleepy when Dada took this picture, but my new green-frog teether kept me up.

My first night away from Dada

It's painful... I have been cranky all day long... Mom has to double her patience. It appeared that Dada didn't say anything to Charlene or kiss, so she must have missed her Dada...

"Bubur susu" (Milk poridge?)

Since June 1st, (Charlene turned 4 months), she started eating milk porridge. The first time was like ship wreck. I held Charlene on a standing position as Daniel fed her. My T-shirt and her shirt were covered with the spill of the porridge. Oh boy!!
It was so cute, but by the time Daniel was about to take pictures, Charlene refuses. She was too sleepy and covered her face instead.

The second day was another new experience. Daniel had got to play tennis. I had to feed her on my own. For the first two bites, I put her on her stroller but she protested by stretching her body here-and-there, kicking hardly and lifting up her butts.
I finally moved her to her bouncing chair. She was so thrilled this time. She knew she was about to eat and happily she was kicking (a different kind of kicking, of course).
It only took her 10 minutes this time.

After wiping her lips and chin, I took her to her bed, turned the AC on, had her drunk water to clean her mouth, held her for a little while...and zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.... She was sleeping until morning!!!

Roll over...Who says I can't???

Yep! I CAN roll over now, Dada n Mom ;)
It has been 2 or 3 days now. Charlene is able to roll over, but she still prefers lying on her stomach rather than her back.
Well..it's more comforting as some people and experts say.

Mom, let me hold my own bottle..I can do it!!

It was so cute. Yesterday at my parents' house, Charlene held her own bottle. My mom held the bottle at first and her hands started to join the bottle holding. Out of curiosity, I asked my mom to let her hands go....

SURPRISE!! Charlene held the bottle herself!!!

I had the picture in my cell... so cuteeeeeeeeeeeee

Bobok tengkurep sendiri aku!

Head up

Geeeeeeeeee..... DV2009!!! I am IN

What a surprisingly outstanding B-day gift from GOD!
On my B-day, I received an email notification addressed to Formulatrix, Inc. stating that I am IN the DV2009 (a.k.a. Green Card Lottery)
Hooray!!!! Rejoicing and Jumping like crazy!!!

When I was enjoying my motherhood with Charlene in my bedroom, Daniel was screaming and jumping like crazy. For sure, with BIG smile on his face, he told me that I was IN! Geeeeeeeee!!!!
Holding hand-in-hand, the three of us said grace to the LORD JESUS CHRIST!
Praise the LORD!

Sleep peacefully

I am so happy capturing this moment of her sleeping peacefully on my bed.
Look at her! What a cute little girl ;)


Thanks God for giving her to us

My baby understands!

After crying for about 30minutes, I came to her and whispered "how important it is for the three of us, Daniel, Charlene and me, to have her be an independent girl. She needs to learn to go to bed on her own instead of having me or other caregivers to hold her 'till she goes to sleep."

She understands!

A new car

After saving our money for years, thanks GOD! we are finally able to buy our own car. Of course, with the blessings of the Lord ;)

It's a used car but still decent

Discipline

I had to brave myself to see and listen to her cry. As today, the discipline worked out well. Charlene went to sleep finally after crying for about 30 minutes.
(Gotta go now.. change nappy)

Kung n Bo break the agreement

This morning Dada n Mom-mom went out for breakfast and home visit. Just before we left, Charlene was about to sleep but she peeked when mom was taking her blue jeans.
She immediately figured it out that mom was about to leave. She began cranky and asked for accompany. Though she had drunk enough, she wanted some more - wishing to keep me longer with her. Interestingly, she tried her best not to close her eyes since she knew I would leave her as soon as she closed her eyes :p What a clever little girl ;)

As we went back home, Charlene was on Bobo's embrace. Kung proudly told Mom that Charlene had been sleeping on her lap but as Bo held her, she was awake.
ARGggghhh...NO! Charlene was not supposed to be held in the morning during her sleep time.
As a result, Kung and Bo are not allowed to hold Charlene this evening (sort of punishment, I should say).
I should also be consistent with what me and my husband had agreed on ;)

Anyway, Charlene wanted to drink more, but after a few minutes, she threw the milk up.
I had to wipe her - all over her body - and finally changed her clothes, powdered her body and warmed her with the "minyak telon".
On my embrace, having me telling her that "Mom is here with you. Mom is not leaving you", within seconds, she slept ;)

Day 46

Today Mom is really in the mood of speaking English :p
Anyway, last night when Charlene went to bed, Dada n Mom-mom were having a serious discussion about how to discipline Charlene.
Lately, Mom had been really exhausted taking care of Charlene and Mom even rarely enjoyed her own time. Taking an enjoyable showering has been a privilege. Napping has ceased.
It almost seems and sounds that Mom's liberty has been robbed by Charlene :(
I know this isn't true. My liberty has NOT been robbed by my own child.

After reflecting and discussing this issue with my husband, we begin to realize that MAYBE so far I has *volunteered* giving my liberty to my own baby without realizing it. When she wants me to hold her, I answer her need by holding her 'till she goes to bed. In the middle of her sleeping, if she wakes up and demands another holding, I gives what she wants! OH boy!!!
This ends up of having me not having my own time.

We figured out that I need to be brave and strong enough to let her CRY as she doesn't get what she wants (me holding her, in this case).
I know it will be hard because deep inside my heart, it's heart-breaking to hear her crying so loud that my parents start to pity her. Usually, to evade hearing their granddaughter's cry, they go to the traditional market and/or sleep.

Anyway, today Charlene actually had slept for 30 minutes starting from 8.30 in the morning after taking a bath. However, at 9 she woke up and demanded me holding her. I refused and gave her pinky instead. Of course, consequently she cried out loud. She continued crying even after I changed her diapers, wiped her sweat. She even cried when my dad chatted with her and tried to sooth her by rocking her tiny little body. My mom finally couldn't hold herself of not holding her up. I warned her not to do that. She ended of holding Charlene for about 5 - 10 seconds, but then with the pinky inside her mouth, Charlene went to bed.

Hot, mom!!!!

Just today Charlene cried because of the hot weather. I didn't think of that first of all. I thought she was just trying to get my attention.
I let her cry for about 10 minutes. As I lifted her up to my embrace, I could see she was sweating. Poor my little girl... I am so sorry, dear....

Charlene's first angpao

Look! Here I am with my first angpao from Kung-Kung and Bo-Bo

Day 4

Charlene had been sleeping the whole day from 9.30 in the morning to 1.30 in the afternoon with no single break! After that, she had her milk time for about 30 minutes and went to bed for a second time today.
At around 5, she woke up and I fed her. I finally decided not to let her take another sleep this evening. I then got her to my mom and asked her help to keep Charlene awake at least up to 8 o'clock. For about 3 hours, Charlene (hardly) slept comfortably. Too many noises, I suppose!

At last!! Charlene had her milk at 8p.m. She stayed awake until 9.30p.m. as she fell asleep. This time, it was another long sleep of 3hours. In the middle of the night around 1.30, she woke up for her milk time. It was kinda tiring this time. She drank quite a lot, but then she threw it up. Her shirt and mine got wet, and her blanket did too. She opened her eyes widely and she barely slept for the next 1.5hours. Daniel volunteered to babysit Charlene during this time ;) which is very sweet of him. Well...I could barely sleep during those times but resting for a while helped a lot.

Luckily, at 3a.m., she felt asleep and that gave us a chance to sleep.................

At 5 in the morning (the next day, Feb 5th, 2008), Charlene woke up and she (again) couldn't sleep. She stayed awake although she had had her meal. The breast milk had been increasingly flowing. Mine even leaked and dropped though I did nothing.

Charlene Avery Kurnianto

Whew!!! PRAISE THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD!!!!
After a long tiring journey of ups-and-downs contractions over contractions for more than 36 hours, finally on February 1st, 2008 at 4.48p.m. local time, CHARLENE AVERY KURNIANTO, was born through a normal delivery at Bunda Maternity Hospital in Semarang.
She was 3.25kilograms and 51centimeters ;)

We stayed in the hospital for two nights after the delivery and headed home on Sunday, February 3rd, 2008 - which is, Daniel's birthday.
We stopped by at our future home-to-be :)

Charlene Avery Kurnianto

Setelah ditunggu 9 bulan... akhirnya lahir Charlene Avery Kurnianto, the great bless from GOD. She is sooooo cute......

Time : 16.48
Weight : 3.25 Kg
Length : 51 cm

So GREATTTTTTTTTTT..........!!!!

Shocking news

I am pretty surprised! My sister-in-law just got back from the hospital - having her womb's condition checked. Surprisingly, there was no opening although the water broke and she had got flex since yesterday. She then headed back home.

I begin to wonder now how about my case? I didn't feel hurt. Is it because I broke the curse of Eve? hehehe ;)

It's coming any time

My sister-in-law is now in hospital too. The water has started to leak since this morning and she has got the flex starting from last night. Baby "Joshua Alexander Kurniadi" will be born sometime today, I suppose.

Wow! I guess "Charlene Avery Kurnianto" doesn't want to be left alone. Just now, I started to have the flex. I called the doctor and asked his opinion of whether I should go to the hospital now or wait for stronger contraction to come. He was about to do the operation. Lucky me! I still had a chance to consult him. "It's about time", he said. "Once the contraction is going on every 10 minutes, go to the hospital and I'll see you there".

Just to make sure my condition is just perfect for the labor, I try my best to stand - I dried my hair standing, ironing the baby's clothes, etc.
Of course, to prepare myself better, I also re-read the pregnancy books I have been reading lately.
I took a notebook and a pen to keep track of the contractions going on.

Approaching the due date

Oh...I started to have a sense that the baby is coming out pretty soon.
This morning as I walked up Kauman Street with my mom and dad, I could feel the baby was pushing down and it started to hurt.
I got back home, Daniel was still sleeping. I crawled the bed and pulled the blanket - not to wake him up, I positioned my body to the left so the baby's feet wouldn't hurt my upper right ribs.
It worked out very well.

I, however, still felt the stomachache experience - as people say, that could be the sign of the first phase of contractions.
Minutes later, Daniel woke up and I told him to get ready to welcome the baby in days ;)
He was extremely excited. After taking a bath, the three of us (with the baby, for sure!) prayed together and he whispered to my stomach telling our little one that today was the 29th.
We have been telling our baby today's date so *she* (as the doctor says) keeps track of the dates. Funny, huh???

Every morning, our routine is to read her Biblical verses. I sometime feel that when she hasn't heard any of those, she is sad.... I find it interesting and comforting to know that she grows spiritually too ;)

My last day

January 25th, 2008 is my last day before my maternity leave starts on campus. I took the change to say "see you later" to some colleagues and friends.
Tomorrow is a new beginning.

Hopefully, I will be able to start the pregnancy class next week. At least, one class will help.
Wish me luck....

Terribly sleepy

This afternoon, I felt terribly sleepy. I sent a chatting message to Daniel if it was OK with him to nap. He strongly disapproved that idea.
I was a little bit upset (for sure!). We argued for quite some time, but still he held fast to his thought. He thought sleeping wouldn't ease my labor. I should have exercised more instead. Walking is what he recommends best (as some books do too).

Oh... I envy to other pregnancy women who could enjoy their pampering themselves with spas, massages, napping, etc during their third semester, especially approaching their due-date.
I, myself, still work on correcting students' thesis, doing laundry (our baby's clothes), etc.
To be honest, ever since I got pregnant, I only napped for more or less 5 times. (well..this might not be the exact number, but trust me...my fingers can still accommodate the frequency of my nap)

I do understand though that when he told me to exercise, he wanted it for my own good.
I just feel really exhausted now. My body is getting heavier to carry, I hardly sleep well especially at night and my back starts to hurt.
What I want is to rest just for a while........

Launching new website..... www.forindomfg.com

Hi All...

PT. Formulatrix Indonesia just launched a new website www.forindomfg.com
Check this out!

If you are looking for a manufacturing company to manufacture your parts (spare parts for industry, special customized parts) with high-precision (tolerance is less than 0.1mm), feel free to visit the website: www.forindomfg.com

Cheers!!!

My head is down now ^_^

Whew....Praise the LORD! We are so relieved knowing that the baby's head position is just right now! We figured this out during our last doctor visit on Saturday.
Daniel and I had been constantly telling the baby to move "her" head position starting from our last doctor visit. I also had to do some certain positions every morning and night to help the baby to move "her" head around easily.

The doctor says that the baby is going to be a baby girl.... but we never know for sure until the due date, don't we??
Anyway, we are more than thrilled having this baby inside me - regardless of the gender :p

Funny the way my mom made a promise to herself, say, "I will kiss you once your head position is just right". Finding out the right head position, she kissed my tummy and told the baby about her promise.
For the last few months, every morning (if she isn't away), she prepares a glass of milk for me - for the baby, she said. Sometime last month, she boiled traditional medicines of "thousands" of herbs to strengthen the baby. Well...I am exaggerating the "thousands" here.
It was OK! (I mean... It of course didn't taste as sweet as honey - what can you expect from traditional Chinese medicine??? To me, it was just fine.)
Right before I drank them, I told the baby that they were for our goodness. I did this simply because I started to notice that the baby has developed "alarming sensor" detecting foods and beverages. Once I drank not-too-fresh carrot juice, not after 10 minutes, I ran to the kitchen sink vomiting! At other times, when I ate a small bite of pineapple, soon I also experienced the same thing. It seemed like the baby was telling me, "Mommy, I don't want this!"
Anyway... I could just be my own feeling :p

Daniel's Personality

Kicking my rib, dear kid?

Our baby has a new routine now. He/she starts to enjoy kicking my right ribs. Somehow, it's kinda odd because whenever I tell him/her not to "hurt" me, he/she insists on doing it. However, when Daniel tells him/her to do the same thing of not "hurting" me, he/she immediately obeys the father's authority ;)

Uh....one more interesting thing the baby lately did was that he/she kept hiccups-ing every now and then. It's really cute!!! I am amazed at how God created this living being inside me..INCREDIBLE!!

What a sweet dinner

After work, Daniel got home, took a shower, and we rushed to Laras Asri for a special dinner in an event of our third wedding anniversary.
Both of us had a wonderful time. Before we started eating our dishes, Daniel held my hand and we prayed together. It was so sweet.

After all the heavy load at works, we rarely had a quality time together and so glad we finally had that chance ;)

Our wedding anniv...

Exactly today, November 21st, 2007 is our third wedding anniv.
Mom and Dad, my sista only sent out SMS(es) to us early in the morning. My uncle in Jakarta called at home to congratulate us but we left home already. I had a morning class to teach and Daniel drove me to campus and headed to office.

Two guys from the office chatted me and congratulated me too. They also asked whether I would be back helping at Forindo or not. Sadly, I had to say NO. I'd love to dedicate my everything to our baby (and babies??). It will be my privilege to be a full-time mom ;)

Talking about food... for dinner, Mom cooked special dishes for both of us: "Mie siram" with fried shrimps and eggs... Hmm...Yummy!

That's not the ending....
Late at night around 11 when I was sleeping, I was waken up by the sound of my SMS. It was from our beloved pastor in Boston, Pastor Zee, Buk-e (Kak Lita), and their two wonderful jewels: Cherissa and Kayla. It was so sweet that they remembered our wedding anniversary.

Bosen oi

Hari ini bosen banget ndak ngapa2in.....
Bahan revisi PIBBI ketinggalan di kampus, jadi ndak isa ngapa2in juga nih :( trus sekarang lagi bingung mau ngapain yach?
Berhubung ndak ngapa2in badan malah jadi pegel-pegel.

Trus ni Mey lagi mikir..la ntar kalo udah cuti hamil dari kampus, trus ndak ngapa2in piye no?? Udah bikin list mau ngapain setelah cuti, tapi paling isine yach jalan-jalan di pagi hari. La trus dari habis jalan-jalan pagi sampe malem ngapain yach???
Duh...bingung deh... Any thoughts???

Test - Is this working?

For quite some times, I have been trying to open the blogger but I have never managed for even once but now. I am currently using Daniel's laptop and it works out!! simply because it is set up automatically.

Whew... next time I try to open this using my laptop and/or others, the question is then "Will that work out well too?"

Anyway, we'll see....

My tummy is getting bigger

I feel like my tummy is getting bigger, Daniel thinks so too. Some others, however, don't seem to witness the changing size of my tummy.
My colleagues, for example, reasoned saying that my tummy is similarly like theirs. Oh boy!

Every time Daniel has a chance, he always gently touches my bigger tummy and whispers to our baby how much he loves him/her?? (A baby boy/ a baby girl??) - We don't know.
We still haven't come to a conclusion of checking the gender or not. On one hand, it is going to be a surprise! One the other hand, knowing the gender would give us more preparation.
Anyway, what's more important is to have a healthy baby - precious in God's eyes.

In turn, Daniel and I read the baby chapters of the Bible - God's beloved and dearest child in my womb is going to be strong in spirit - fear of God shall overfill him.

I am used to calling my dad and my mom as "Kung-kung" and "Bo-bo". My only sister as "A Yik". My oldest brother as "Tai Giok", etc.
Referent names from Daniel's side are much easier to remember. Daniel's dad is "Engkong". Daniel's brothers and sister are "Uncles" and "Auntie". It's pretty simple, isn't it?

I am expecting! Hurray! Praise the LORD ^_^

Last Wednesday, Daniel and I figured out that I am pregnant - a six-week pregnancy, said the doctor.
It was all started about a week ago, in the afternoon between 11 and 2, I always felt like I almost got fainted - black out, I should say. At first I thought perhaps it was just a PMS. Recalling my previous experience, it wasn't the way it used to be. I then told Daniel about it and we decided on Tuesday afternoon after lunch to buy a test pack.

On Wednesday morning around 6.30, I woke up and next thing is... Daniel jumped onto our bed and happily he said, "POSITIF! It's positif!" We then walked into our bathroom and checked the result. Indeed, it was positif!
Daniel was so thrilled, he decided to take a day off from work. I had a morning class to teach, so I rushed to campus. After my class, plenty of SMSes filled my cell. My dad-in-law called me on my cell congratulating me. I then called Daniel and we decided to check to a doctor and do some tests in Semarang.

On our way, I got nausea. We then decided to have lunch in Ungaran - just didn't want to have an empty stomach. Anyway..to cut the story short, in the doctor's room, we had an USG test. Praise the LORD! The fetal is in the womb. He/she/they??? (Who don't know) is so cute and tiny. It's so amazing looking at the creation of our great GOD.

Fussy girls in my IC class

Today when I was teaching IC, I was angry to a group of students (girls!!!)
Why girls are so fussy?
Anyway, to cut the story short, after conducting the quiz at the beginning of the meeting today, I had a short discussion of the quiz. All students were counting their own mistakes - how many correct and wrong answers - things like those.
I went on explaining and giving more examples and exercises (as they requested a week earlier). In the middle of my lecturing, I stopped and told the girls to just go outside the class if they wanted to chat in the class. Again, I reminded them strongly, if they'd like to stay in the classroom, they shouldn't have acted that way.

I intentionally didn't really look into their eyes as I explained to other kids. I skipped them. Even if I looked into their eyes - it's just a glance. This has happened repeatedly in my class. Last week, I remembered I also told them not to chat in the classroom. I guess they didn't take my reminder seriously. Well...I hope this time they will realize what they did wrong.

The lessons continued pretty well with the other students ;)
We went over some exercises - some students came forward and wrote their answers on the board and they got their answers correctly. Some other students were taking notes.
After the class, some students stayed for quite some time asking for more explanations and/or just chatting.

Sometime, I am just wondering. This trimester, these students' future is a mystery. It could be a new beginning of their college life. On the other hand, it could be the end of their college life at the English Department (aka. Drop Out).
We, teachers, have been trying our best to help, motivate, encourage, and support them in many ways, but some students are just too ignorant. Although we have been given many sources and/or materials, only few students really work on their best - showing good efforts of their share. The rest...I don't know... and I don't dare to imagine...what kind of life are they going to live in? - disappointment, for sure! Regret - no doubt for that!
Well... so far, I have done a lot to help them. Hopefully, they will soon realize that when I take a moment to talk to them giving them advice - that means, I still care about them! ;)

Kue Bandung batal deh...

What a pity!
Ko Dani wanted to eat some "Kue Bandung". Unfortunately, on our way back home, the kiosk wasn't open for business.

Fortunately, as we arrived back home, kinds of dishes are ready on our dining table. Fried noodles, snacks (rolade, bakwan mie, etc), "kacang panjang dimasak ma udang n taoco".
The taste wasn't so special but it was enough to fill our hungry stomach.
We were chatting for a while with Dad. Topic will be not far from food =)

In July, my sister is retiring

My one and only sister is retiring in July. She has been working like crazy for years and she needs to take a break for quite some time.
At first she was worried to let our parents know of her intention. Somehow, God surprised her!
Our dad's reaction was completely out of our mind. He supported her 100%. He patted on her back and longed the month of July to come. He is hoping to spending time with her during his retirement period.

Today, she told her supervisor. At first, she wasn't certain of her decision. I told her to look upon GOD and seek HIS answer. She then firmly said that it was God's will for her to retire.
If God says so, it's up to us to choose to trust or not to trust HIM. She chose to trust HIM.
I am proud of what she decides! She has chosen the best in her life - trusting GOD.

In the middle of July, she will be moving in to Salatiga. AHA! Full house! Dad, Mom, Koh Han (my oldest brother - who is still single, but no longer available), my sister (still single and available...anyone???), and of course, Koko and I.
Since Mom and Dad moved in, we got a lot of stuffs in the house. You name it! hehehe :p

Talking about retirement, Dad is still looking for a number of possibilities of spending his retirement period, starting from boarding house, public library, restaurant, property/ construction, pet shop, etc. He has got a lot in his mind.
Once he was thinking to work part-time in another company in Pekalongan. He went to meet the company owner, but he wasn't there.
4 out of his 5 kids object to his intention to work again. Strangely, my other brother said that he preferred to let our dad work in a factory than climbing a ladder and fell down. Well..one day, when he was fixing a lamp outside the house, he fell down from the ladder. The next day, dad told mom that his back was in pain.

Miss you, my blog

Whew..finally! I had a time to really relax (well..not necessarily relax because I still have a lot on my plates).
For the last few days, I had been trying to log in to this blog. Unfortunately, I completely forgot what the username and password was. Anyway, I figured it out now. Whew!!

I have got a lot of good news to tell:
Our parents from my side moved in with us.
Some may say that this is not good news because we are now living under the same roof. I have to say that let's see it from a positive point of view. We eat dinner at home - our mom cooks for us.
As I always budget a certain amount of money for dinner, I allocate the money to my mom to shop. Things are getting better ;) Eat more nutritious foods, spend quality time together and many more.

We are about to build our own home.
Once we prayed to God that we would like to have a home and a car for our future kids to take shelter from the burning sun, blowing and freezing wind at night....
We have been trying our best to save our money. For sure, tithing is a MUST. It's been our privillege to be able to save some of our money entrusted in our lives to also help others (funding missions, sponsoring our beloved brother to study at uni, etc). God has been good to us.
We are blessed to bless others and yes, that's true!
We are still lack of cash, but we keep our faith in HIM. He is our provider and as HIS words say everything is possible! AMIN! ^_^

Our sister-in-law is expecting.
They got married in November last year (2006) and just two weeks ago, cheerfully they let us know of the good news! Good for them! Congratulations!
On one hand, I am happy.... On the other hand, well...it's tiring for me, actually having my father-in-law "bugging" me with his questions of when we're going to have our own.
It's strange because he never directs the question to my hubby (which is his own son).
So one day, I sort of complained to him saying why didn't you help me out when he questioned me with that same-and-over question. Calmly, Daniel said, "Well....Why should that bother you? Just disregard that! Don't ever think about it seriously."
Deep inside my heart, I told myself not to take it seriously but another voice said that I should be respectively polite to my dad-in-law and that I shouldn't disregard him. I just can't dare to do thing like that.
At other time, when we were paying a visit to my sister-in-law, I shared my feeling to her. I told her things I need to say. Feeling relief, we went home as the clock suggested that it's time to go.
In our bedroom, I told my hubby that I intentionally shared my feeling to my sis-in-law because I know she will let my dad-in-law know of this. Hopefully, and I can only hope, that this pressure will cease pretty soon.
Honestly, I can't blame the fact that all parents would expect grandchildren from their own bloods (read: sons and daughters). It's just that when it's not yet HIS time, let's not push ourself that hard!

Above all, in everything that we have in our lives, we give thanks!
In everything that we haven't got, we give praises for He is a faithful God and our provider. He knows the BEST for us!
What we have in mind may not be as perfect as HIS thoughts/plans, so let's keep our eyes on HIM and walk in our FAITH in HIM! ^_^

Jeje's birthday gift

Today is Jeje's birthday, but we bought her a gift yesterday. We (Daniel and me) took her to the "Felicia" toy store in Salatiga.
She was so excited! Before we got off the car, I told Iva (Jeje's younger sister) that this time Jeje would choose her own birthday gift and that Iva's turn was next month. She agreed to that! - which made me really glad. She was quite strong head but I still wanted to let her know that this time was her sister's day!

We went around the store starting from the front door to the end of the store. Jeje (as well as Iva) were so excited! Their eyes were widely opened! hehehe :)
Jeje found a giant dolphin dool - blue and white. She loved it so much from the first sight. First of all, it was quite small (if compared to the extremely huge size), but then we looked around again...and found a bigger dolphin with a better texture of fur.
She hugged the doll really tight and she was smiling happily.
Daniel and me asked her if she would like others, firmly she said, "NO. I want this one - the dolphin".
Very well... Daniel finally paid for that, the salesperson put the dolphin is two plastic bags up side down. hehehe... Jeje held the doll as her parents finally got to the store. They asked her what she got. As her parents, intentionally Jeje would like to have "pig", but then after interacting with the dolphin, she seemed to fall in love with it.

We drove to have dinner from the store to "ayam bawang". It was unfortunate, the chicken breast was all sold out. No option! I got the thigh! Uh..hate it but nothing else to eat.

"RAKER" in Bandungan

Together with my colleagues, we left our beloved campus on Friday morning around 7 by cars. I was in the same car with Bu Andri, Bu Raema, Michelle, Bu Pur and her son named Lawang :)
On our way to Bandungan, we stop accross "Roncali" to pick up Victor.

Arriving there, we directly went to the meeting room ready to start our meeting. It was unfortunate that we forgot to bring along with us the box containing all the files for the meeting. I called Pak Hendro hoping to ask him favor to get the box, but I couldn't reach him on his cell.
VU called the administration officer asking whether the box was still in front of the administation building of the university. It was there! Thanks GOD!
Luckly, our rector (who is Anne's father) was still on the way to Bandungan. Anne called his dad to do us a favor. Whew.... what a relief!

The chairperson (VU) took action. We modified our schedule - snack came first! Well...no one was complaining, of course!
The whole meeting was packed. We rarely had free time - well....only one hour to check in, unpack our bags, take shower then head back to another sessions! hehehe...
That night on the same day, we were chatting by the pool. In the middle of nowhere, Victor and Rio jumped into the pool. Almost everyone screamed!
Bu Andri, Joseph, and some other lecturers went to Ambawara buying "jagung bakar" (Well...We can also call the words in quotations in English, but the culture carried in Indonesian expressions is deeper.)

Around 10, I was about to go to my room. On the way, however, I knocked on AI and Nn's room. We chatted for quite some time then I decided to just stay in my room.
Well...well...well... That was just a plan that never happened. Jos was still awake and we were chatting then Pak Anton came in and we stayed awake discussing many issues in the living room (was it a living room? I am not sure but I guess so. hehehe)
About an around later, Bu Ina came in and joined our discussion ' till midnight.

I excused myself first to go to bed at midnight after brushing my teeth, washing my face, and my hands plus feet. Of course, I prayed before I went to bed. I was afraid at first that I would sneeze like crazy due to my allergic to dust.
The next morning around 6, I opened my eyes and Bu Ina welcomed me "good morning". I was shocked at first. I didn't expect that she was already awake. hehehe...
Not long after that, she was all ready in her sports shoes, red back, neat and sporty walking around the hotel and up to the village.

After all the meetings, we finished up the "RAKER" with our usual tradition of taking photos. Someone (the hotel guest) walked by and Bu Ina requested him to take our photos - which is really good - everyone can be in the pic.
Lunch at "Rina Rini" restaurant was waiting for us. It wasn't really delicious but OK. I got home around 3 and called Koko on his cell. He was in the office waiting for me....hehehe... but I was at home.
We finally went out for lunch (he had lunch and I watched) hahaha =)
As we got home from lunch, I went to bed! I was so tired and taking a rest helped me a lot to refresh my body. Daniel was watching television when I woke up around 7 p.m.
We went to have dinner in "Beringin" restaurant that night. We order "ca kangkung" and "sup kepiting jagung". Yummy! These ones are much better than my lunch....

Snacking ;)

It has been years for me not to eat any snacks. This evening I had my snack time with "Lemonia Cookies" :p

Hm..it's yummy! I used to buy and eat the snacks with my one and only sister. It was years ago in our boarding house.
Now, I am having it with Daniel - my beloved hubby ;)

My puppy died

Yesterday night as Daniel drove to car in the garage, the puppy was somehow walking under the wheel. Accidently, "kelindes"!!!
I tried to take her into my embrace, but the bones were all broken. Her body turned into 2 parts :p

Hiks..hiks... We were so sad tonight! It was an accident right before we went to bad.

Boy! I miss Boston!

I don't know what trigger me to feel this way! But BOY! I miss Boston!
Suddenly I could feel my heart beat really fast thinking of Boston! ;)
It's kinda funny, huh! When I was in the United States, I also missed Salatiga - our memorable place - and everything in it.
I missed the food. Just mention it! "Bakmi Tek-tek, Pecel Madya, Mpek-mpek depan gereja Katholik St. Miki, etc." I missed the city as well as the people. Having my family close to me was a something special. It is still a something special to me now.

Now, it's fall there. I miss enjoying the falling leaves. I miss looking at different colors of leaves while waiting for my bus, walking to my campus or while I was on the bus.
It is cool there, but I miss walking hand-in-hand with my husband in the cold weather, to a Malay restaurant in Allston for a bowl of hot and sour soup - my hubby's fav.

I also miss playing around with the snow. I haven't had a chance to make my own snow angel (I wish I could do that!). I also missed seeing the snow falling down on my head, touching the wonderfully white snow, and walking outside in my red winter coat that I love best.
I hate the storm though. Koko still had to go to work though it was storming. I hate thinking about the fact that he had to walk for 10 minutes or so from the bus stop to his office in those stormy days.

It's kinda funny but I miss the Sunday School kids! I miss their smiles. I miss their hugs. They used to remind me of my nieces and my nephew.
Now, the only day I could meet my nieces is Sunday for an hour or so. It's hardly a case to meet my nephew - he is in Jakarta.
Seeing his face from the webcam has been a very reliefing experience.

Boy.... thinking about them makes me cry. Tears are falling from my eyes. An employee was passing by Koko's office and taking a peek of what I did - wiping my tears at the corners of my eyes.
OK! I'd better stop now ;)

A day of surprises!

Yes! I know you are raising your eyebrows reading my blog.
Yesterday the mouse trap got its victim! a flithy big black mouse!!!! Being trapped, the mouse pissed and snapped in the trap. It was so disgusting, I should say.
Zak told Daniel on skype and we weren't able to picture that 'till today we finally saw the dirty floor.

I couldn't stand with the flithy floor so I ended up cleaning the floor. I swept Daniel's office. Then, I got another surprise, a diet coke was "exploded" in the fridge. O boy! the fridge was so dirty that I finally took a few pieces of wet tissues and started to clean the fridge.
Whew.. it was so disgusting!

Thanks GOD! Finally at noon, the cleaning lady showed up. I asked her to start coming in to office everyday instead of once every two days. She agreed with a raise.
That's fine! We can still afford that!
I left for campus around 1 p.m. on "angkota" public transportation. As soon as I arrived on campus, I mailed the documents for import license. I then went to "Lippo Bank" to transfer payment. Unfortunately, I forgot the amount of money, I then called Daniel on his cell asking his favor to check the number.
Not only I transfered payment to INTEC, I also had a chance to change small amount of money from the bank. It is intended for tipping. Zak needs it eventually.

After that, I walked along the path to F building..to my office... checking my empty box, then calling the computer lab to book for my "Writing 4" class that was a horrible thing last Friday.
Today I was feeling no burden. A test for "Reading 3" class, which means no preparation...but a waiting correction soon! hehehe :)
A student came late because he thought the class was on the green grass like last week. Poor him! At first I was thinking to give me extra time but he finally finished the test on time, so I put off my intention.

I went back to Daniel's office and there my lunch was waiting! Well..it was not really appropriate "lunch time" actually. It was 4.30 p.m. You tell me...is it lunch?? hehehe...

Oh..I almost forget...today as I was in the angkota from campus, there was a patrol. The angkota's driver suddenly took a U-turn in the middle of the road avoiding the police officers. O boy! Everyone in the angkota was shocked!
The angkota violated the route and the traffic regulations! As a consequence, I had to walk at the back of "Taman Sari" Square. It was an OK walk though; not too far.

Writing 4 conference

This afternoon after my TFEC class, I hurried to go Daniel's office to get hooked to the internet connection to do my "Writing 4 conference class".
Some students are already online before the agreed time at 1.30 p.m.

Haven't had my lunch, I was kinda starving. I tried to eat but it didn't work out well. Some students kept bugging me with the questions of when to start the class, how to set the conference, why no one invite them, etc.
I was stressed out!!!

I thought my students knew how to do the conference, but my mistake! It was an absolute mistake!!! About half of the students are unfamiliar about it, not to mention, some other unpredictable "X" factors such as different version of yahoo, off lights, etc.

So I finally ended up to schedule another meeting with the students next week. Hopefully I can book the computer lab.