Mommy has a little helper!!

I was so surprised to see what caleb was doing.
yesterday was the first time I saw him mopping his playmat and continued to mop the door mat!!
yea.. door mat!! I told him that he didn't have to mop the door mat but he kept doing it
I was surprised because I never teach him house cleaning
but I guess he learns by seeing me doing it
the bad thing is he always takes his pigeon baby wipes to mop!
so wasted, right ... ^^
and today I taught him to wipe the table instead of door mat
and then when I was mopping the floor with my magic clean
he saw me and asked to hold it and so i taught him to mop the floor too hehehe..
he is also at the stage where he loves to throw his toys out and then put them back to the box
my smart little helper..so proud of him! :)

the wife finally had REAL FUN

Thanks to my dear hubby who MADE me go out and have fun with my 2 ladies :)
If he didn't push me to go out, I wouldn't have the fun that I need
I mean this is like my first time going out with my ladies friends since I have Caleb..and it felt so good... it felt good to wear clothes that I can't wear if I go out with Caleb..you know those wide or V neck that can be pulled easily by Caleb when I carry him..and it felt good to know that I can stay in my seat without having to attend to my bored baby who needs to walk around and also to finish my meal and drink without rushing ^^
mothers do need to get away from their babies sometimes...YES, they do!! it's a need!
really..you need to have some balance in your life to keep you sane, out from your routine..

So really thanks to my best gals too: Lisa and Maria.. for giving their time for this outing according to my timing... hee... I wanted to have dinner with them actually..but couldn't leave my hubby with caleb for a solid 3 hours..that's a very long time for my hubby hehehe..I've never left him alone with Caleb that long..so I told them I can only make it by 8pm.
we had our starbucks and continued to shokudo :)

really had a good catch up and updates with each other!

and please...to 'u know who u are'... I know you follow my blog..please don't be scared when u read my posts about raising a child! I did write that it's been abundant joy too to have a child, didn't I? u know..despite the sacrifice you'll have to make..but still...children are such blessings in our life...and get maried is FANTASTIC.. I love being married..seriously!
so.."u know who u are"...get married and have children please...ASAP!!!
you know where to send the invitation :)

eating problem...xcuse me? what problem??

hahahaha... hmm I do sound really boasting saying this..
but no...actually I went through difficult time with Caleb's appetite..and it was TOUGH!
I prayed and tried everything...

and finally...I reach to a stage where eating has been better..it has never been better like this before.

Well..as you know, caleb was a fan of cereal..those baby food packed in a box, sold in a supermarket..very easy to prapare, saves your time..and doctor said dont worry about the nutrients coz cereals also have good nutritients.. but I would still love to see my boy eating what I eat: rice and real meat,vege, etc

and after trying lots of lots recipees...I found out that Caleb loves RICE and hates PORRIDGE!!
I started on rice when he was 11 months, and he took rice very well (like eating peanuts!!) but he just wanted rice only without the meat.
But I still think this is a breakthrough...
so my friend Lisa (Alicia's mom) gave me a recipee...she said when alicia started to refuse eating anything with chicken stock and porridge..she started to cook it in different way..so no soup..just fry the meat and vege with onion.
and so I tried...
First week..Caleb cried the whole meal time and refused to eat...so I gave up and just let him the rice only..
Second week...there was a bit improvement. he refused first few spoons with crying and spit outs..but after that he was willing to open his mouth and ate a few more spoons
Third week..which is this week...he doesn't cry anymore! he just spits out the first and second spoon (sometimes only 1st spoon), and then he eats it happily and finish it!!! The first time he finish the meal (rice and chicken+vege)..I was like "did he just finish it??" I didnt want to be too happy and then the next day I found out that it was just a 1 time success..so I waited. and today is the 3rd time he finish his meal...fed him without trouble and I am SOOO happy!!!
he's not only eating well..but eat healthy food!! my cooking!! I mean..those meat, beef, vege... and he eats fruits 2 servings per day...and yoghurt...and milk is doing well too...I really have peace of mind knowing he gets good nutrients.
Now cereal is only for breakfast and when we go out. I plan to change his breakfast menu with real cereal like cornflakes with milk and honey?? we'll see..

well..mothers out there..just dont give up, okay... when your baby has eating problem/lack of appetite/fussiness...just hang in there..PRAY and KEEP trying...you'll get there someday..

Happy growing, Caleb!

I am so very proud of my boy.
He has learned so well these days.
First he knows that when he meets new people (Even on street), he will smile and say hi (he will wave his hand if I ask him to say hi to a person)
and then he learns to understand and follow instruction..like no, give me this and that, kiss mommy and kiss daddy.. at this age he has understood alot of thing now..more than I expect him to understand.
and most of the time..he is being obedient. Mostly he will stop doing whatever he is doing when I say 'No'. Not always...but mostly he will..

and lately he learns that when I say 'very good' that means I give him a praise and he deserves to be happy..so he will clap his hand :D

Also..new skill..he knows what HEAD is.. so when I say "show me your head"..he will put his hand on his head and then he will clap his hands :D

and..he walks better and better now.. he prefers walking than crawling now! soon will be a bye-bye to crawling days!!
Mommy is so proud of you, kay :)

When hubby is on ministry

when he is on ministry..WL lah..Kotbah lah dll...there will always be challenges that I have to face!

Seperti hari ini aja...hubby WL kan... jadi dari kmrn malem aku uda harus siapin smua keperluan Caleb utk besok paginya and harus bener2 organize supaya besok gak telat dateng gereja..jadi udah repot banget...capek lagi kan abis pulang gennext...ini saat2nya hrs jaga hati krn biasanya kalo uda capek kan gampang emosi..and when someone is serving, pasti banyak serangan2 makanya kudu jaga hati...gak jarang istri n anak jd kena serang kan..

dan hari ini capekkk banget...nih ya kronologisnya:
*make sure caleb bangun agak siangan...supaya dia cukup tidur, dan ga kecapekan di grj krn semalem pulang telat dari gennext...nah itu uda deg2an..takut dia bangun lbh awal...jadi dari jam 7.20 uda tepok2in pantatnya supaya tidurnya lamaan...akhirnya berhasil...dia bangun 8.20 phew...lega...on schedule!
*trus acara berikutnya...suapin caleb, mandiin dia and then aku mandi n siap2...liatin jam mulu...kalo bisa slese jam 9 bisa naek mrt...kalo lewat jam 9, naek taxi...akhirnya naek taxi juga...
tapi asli capek banget buru2 mulu...mana barang yg mau dibawa banyak bener..
*telp taxi susah bangettt....daerah rumah kalo jam2 pagi gini jarang taxi...setelah 15 menit baru dapet taxi...aduhh uda panik banget kalo ga dapet taxi, mesti naek mrt lebih telat lagi dong...
karena paniknya bukan karena ngga enak telat ke grj..tapi krn caleb harus tidur by 10 am..which is pas kebaktian mulai..jadi kalo aku nyampe grj telat, caleb juga tidurnya siangnya telat...takut cranky aja kalo telat tidur...krn dia ga mau ditidurin di taxi/mrt...yang ada slm perjalanan dia bisa rewel juga krn ngantuk!!!
* di taxi sibuk entertain caleb supaya ga bosen...haduhhh pengen cepet sampe aja...dan berdoa ngga macet di CTE
pas di taxi sempet termenung n berpikir..kok dari pagi isinya buru2 dan deg2an mulu hati ini...and selalu begini kalo suami pelayanan and aku harus berangkat sendiri sama Caleb..really, it's not easy...walau in the end smuanya lancar...but really..it's not easy..
*nyampe gereja on time akhirnya...skrg kasih caleb minum susu sblm nap...deg2an juga..mau gak yaaaa...soalnya di grj dia banyak distraction..kadang suka ga mau minum susu...untung tadi mau sih...
*trus akhirnya waktunya nidurin dia juga...caleb lebih gampang tidur kalo ada musik..walau musiknya keras banget dia tetep bisa tidur..TAPII hari ini dia susah banget tidurnya...uda hampir tutup mata..eh denger suara daddy-nya ngomong, dia melek lagi...trus transisi antara 1 lagu ke lagu lainnya..jemaat kan tepuk tangan tuh...caleb melek lagi...haizzz selama 30 menit gendongin dia..pegelll banget..uda gak kuat jujur aja...asli BERATT banget...uda pengen nangis saking ga kuatnya..tapi mo gimana...ga bole give up...karena ini anak uda ngantuk banget krn uda yawning bbrp kali...kalo sampe ga ditidurin saat itu juga bisa cranky...akhirnya paksa2in...
untung merem juga pas lagu worship terakhir...phew...

aduhh yah gitu deh perjuangan kalo suami lagi pelayanan...berasa sendirian jagain anak...
capeknya bukan di fisik aja..tapi krn deg2an ngeburu waktu itu loh yang bikin pressure dan capeknya ngalir ke badan juga akhirnya...
tapi setelah hubby selesai pelayanan..langsung lega...and seneng bisa have fun sama temen2...dan akhirnya bisa melupakan semua tantangan tadi :)

I am doing my role

Banyak orang yang ngga pernah ngerasain ngurus anak sendiri, ngga punya maid pula..dengan gampangnya menilai orang lain yah..

aku sendiri pernah loh comment something yg skrg aku pikir2 mestinya ngga boleh lah ngomong gitu..
dulu..pas belom hamil...denger cerita ada temen yg kayak cuek banget sama anaknya...ini orang emang ngurus anak sendiri and ga punya maid juga...katanya kadang kalo anaknya nangis, dicuekin gitu..mamanya malah nongkrong depan internet..
pas denger gitu...aku n temen lgs berkomen...ihhh kok mamanya gitu sihhh

tapi tau ngga...setelah ngerasain sendiri...kadang2 kita yg 24 jam ngurusin anak, rumah, suami...bisa jenuh juga loh...kita tuh ngga punya kebebasan mau ngapa2in..smuanya depends on situation...mau pergi aja liat jadwal tidur n makan anak...mau makan pun hrs gantian, krn kalo anak bosen hrs entertain...dsb dsb yang ngga bisa di-describe satu per satu...diceritain pun percuma..harus alami sendiri..baru deh ngerti gimana rasanya
aku sendiri kalo lg jenuh bgt...jaga caleb jg sambil ber FB...kalo caleb nangis...sering juga aku rada cuekin...krn nangisnya bukan nangis beneran...nangis complain for my attention gitu...jangankan main FB, kita masak di dapur ato pipis aja, caleb nya protes...
krn masa2 10 bulan- 18 bulan tuh ada yg namanya separation anxiety...dan menurutku nangis2 dikit dibiarin gpp..kita juga manusia, perlu refreshing so we get our senses back, just balance everything in our life...a little bit of crying wont hurt him..dan bagus melatih dia utk bisa independent...tau gak kalo baby juga butuh and hrs dilatih utk bisa punya independent play time..jadi ga harus tiap kali main ditemenin..for caleb, his independent play time is always after his meal..for around 20-30 mins..most of the times, he's doing very well :)

another thing...
when we go out for outing...jangan kaget kalo liat suamiku yang lebih banyak gendong, main, and tidurin caleb (tapi kalo suapin caleb sih tetep hrs mamanya...krn daddynya ngga bisa hehehe).
My hubby is a very thoughtful husband..and I'm thankful to have him...dia bilang dia ngerti jenuhnya aku di rumah semingguan ngurusin anak..and he knows that my life has changed alot ever since caleb was born..so he wants to make sure that whenever we go out for outing, I have to have fun and enjoy...so he will try his best to take care of Caleb.. (but of course, aku ngga bisa sepenuhnya lepas tanggung jawab..kalo ngga caleb nya mau sama mommy-nya..ya mommynya kangen juga kalo ngga main sama caleb sama skali hehehe..)
cuman...ada aja orang yang ngga bakal ngerti and bisanya cuma menilai dan menilai...mungkin mereka pikir..that i'm not doing my job/role as a mom..and let santo do all my job...maybe people saw santo putting caleb to sleep sambil gendongin dia...or when we eat, and caleb is bored..santo will carry him and take him outside for a walk...
i know that maybe some people will think..why not let the mother do it???

you know... it's okay for whatever you think..cause I know not many people can understand what mothers like me are going through...you can say whatever you want in your mind, your heart...or even make a direct comment to me... but I also feel I've no obligation to explain everything...what for? you won't understand...unless you're going through what I am too..

here are some comments I found on the motherhood forum..and all these words came from mothers who take care of their own child without the help of a maid:

"Feel the same way abt not having much 'me' time."

"where got time to go movie. same here, hb think watch from internet or DVD is much cheaper & comfortable. Besides, bb is with us, anything we can attend him immediately, & if we're tired can immediately go to bed.... last time,i can stay up late night then go to bed, now cannot tahan... ard 11++ already very sleeping .... battery flat after a day of work & taking care bb at night .... battery flat after a day of work & take care of bb... wrinkles & white hair getting more ...sop sop "

"every since have a baby, I've lost all my social time.... long time didn't go for movie & holidays How I wish to"

and this is from a mother who used to take care her child alone but now she's working:

"i know what is the feeling like of facing my kids the whole day. Generally it's enough to drive me crazy, so it's a good thing that i'm working. At least when i go home after work, i'll be so happy to see them and play with them!"

and mothers out there...I know what you're talking about..I do understand :)
you're not alone.. and thank God I read your comments too..so I know I'm not alone too!

listen to Him

ini kejadian bulan december sih..I'd like to share it here sblm lupa lagi krn dulu sempet kepikir mau share tapi kok ga ditulis juga hehe..

well...ceritanya my hubby tuh lagi nunggu kiriman barang dari indo..barang yg emang uda mepet banget due-nya utk dikasih ke customernya..akhirnya barang itu emang nyampe tepat waktu..
pagi2 jam 10 uda dikirim ke rumah and aku udah sign juga..
nahh..since uda dikirim..aku pikir udah aman, bisa aku tinggal pergi ke mall ama caleb..ngga usah nunggu di rumah lagi...

sepulang dari mall..aku sempet check mailbox di bawah sblm naik ke lift...nah pas itu keluarlah orang singapore post office dari lift..bawa box gede yg box nya tuh persis kayak box yang tadi pagi dikirim ke rumah...hati kecilku bilang..go to that postman and ask him box nya itu buat siapa..
tapi aku pikir2 lagi..gak mungkin lah..barang suami uda dikirim tadi pagi, uda aku sign..pasti itu punya org lain..ngapain postman dateng 2x utk ngirim 1 barang..waktunya juga jauh bgt jam 10 pagi sama jam 4 sore..tapi again ada suara lagi yg suruh aku to just go and ask him...tapi aku tetep aja ngeyel ngga mau..buat apa..lagian by that time postman nya udah masuk ke mobil, and barangnya jg udah di dalem mobilnya..
akhirnya aku naek ke atas..and sampe depan rumah...aku liat ada surat kuning2...aku baca:
"failure delivery notice"
hahhh??!!!! lgs mulai dag dig dug...masak bener nih yg tadi buat aku??? tapi tadi kan uda dikirim...
akhirnya aku telp hubby..and dia blg iya emang supposed to be 2 boxes yg dikirim...wadohhhh...
dia jg uda panik..krn customernya mau ambil malem ini juga...
lgs aku telp kantor pos...and sebenernya yahhh bukan salah aku lohhhh...(defending nih yahh hahaha)...tapi iya kannn....kalo 2 boxes knp kirimnya beda jam dlm 1 hari..i suspect postman-nya yg emang ketinggalan 1 box makanya dia balik lagi sorenya..
cuma orang customer service bilang dia ga bisa bantu apa2..krn kalo uda fail delivered ya mesti collect sendiri ke kantor pusat di paya lebar..dan baru bisa collect plg cepet 3 hari...haaaaaa..... customer bisa marah donggg!!! aduhh bener ngrasa bersalah bangetttt
dan yg lbh kesel lg..pas aku telp itu skitar 15 menit stlh aku liat postman itu naek mobil..mestinya belom jauh donggg...tapi tetep aja customer service bilang sopirnya ga bisa balik lg :(

langsung ke kamar doa deh...baru tau..sebenernya itu Roh Kudus udah kasi tau...emang keliatannya gak masuk akal..tadi uda dikirim ngapain tanya postmannya lagi...it just didn't make sense right...tapiii nyesel deh skrg..tau gitu nanya aja...

akhirnya...stlh doa, minta ampun hehe..and berserah...
besokannya coba ke paya lebar...puji Tuhan dpt pinjeman mobil juga!
and praise God even more...our box is there..padahal dibilang 3 hari kan...
phew...lega...customer pun jd gak terlalu bete krn cuma telat sehari doang and pas dia liat barangnya dia jg puas...jd gak sempet ngomel juga ehhehehe

well...moral of the story...
kita..as a wife who prays (we have a role to pray for the family...we are the pillars!), we are equipped by the Holy Spirit...to have wisdom, to prevent wrong things, to do what's right for our family..esp for our spouse.. behind a man's success, it is us the woman who make them bright..so if we dont pray..if we don't have the Holy Spirit..we wont be strong enough to be a pillar for our family.
My mistake is that I fail to recognize His voice..and but I am thankful that God allowed me to fail to listen so that next time I won't fail again..

^_^

the wife's diary

baru bener2 nyadar kalo sebenernya nama blog ini adalah the wife's diary tapi kok selalu ceritanya ttg being a mom ^^
well, setaon kmrn emang overwhelmed kali ya...having a baby gitu lohhh..raise him by my own sweat lagi!! all my challenged and victory jadi berpusat seputar anak..
now it's 1 year past already...I am more than willing to be fair focusing on both of my roles..as a mom and as a wife...and through this blog, I wish to bless those who need advice, info, encouragement, or just to have fun reading and kill time haha..

I've actually got lots of stories to tell..but really have to compete with time to post them..

let's start with one..

hari ini lagi2 I miss my grandma deeply (my dad's mom)...she passed away when I was in primary 6 but through this years..I have occasionally missed her.
and today I have a sudden remembrance of her..when I was very little..I stayed over her place ans slept on her bed beside her.. and I woke up to find her praying...She always prayed every morning..in a language that I didn't understand...of course she prayed in spirit, I didn't know that..I believe that her spirit prayed for her family, for her grandchildren...for those she loved...to be saved.
and many years later after she died, my family received Jesus as our saviour.
I come to understand..that it is so possible that we are now saved because of her prayer.
She had sowed through her prayer, although when she was alive, she didn't witness us received Jesus..but what was sowed, had been reaped!

I'd like to encourage us to always pray for our loved ones..
we may not know when our prayer is answered..we may not be the one who will reap what we sow..but definetely it will be reaped! For prayer works!

Yak 5:16 Doa orang yang benar, apabila dengan yakin didoakan, sangat besar kuasanya

one of my fave moments

~big boy~

this is taken just recently..
seeing him holding his own bottle and brushing his own teeth
makes him look like a big boy already :)
and as a mom, I am proud of him
just like the first time he rolled over, first time crawling..
holding a bottle by himself is also a milestone for me
and makes me proud and happy :)