USG 4D - 24 weeks

Halo semuanya! We are back! :)

Setelah 3 minggu traveling ke Kamboja, Laos, Indonesia, akhirnya Sabtu kemaren kita balik and mendarat dengan selamat di kota Melbourne (plus disambut cuaca panas Melbourne yang lebih dari 40 derajat, haha..)

Bersyukur banget buat penyertaan Tuhan selama kami traveling, khususnya selama di pesawat juga, apalagi dalam keadaan hamil.. Bersyukur bisa makan yang banyak, padahal sebelum berangkat lagi susah banget makan and muntah-muntah terus.. Kayaknya memang kangen sama makanan Indo :p Akhirnya semua makanan yang aku pengen bisa kesampean, hehe.. Seneng juga bisa ngumpul lagi sama keluarga and temen-temen di Jakarta setelah hampir 2 tahun gak ketemu :)

Pas di Jakarta kita juga sempet iseng nyoba USG 4D, karena kalo di Aussie kan rada mahal. Kita coba ke satu klinik and harganya cuma Rp 350.000,-. Tujuannya memang karena iseng doang pengen liat si baby and supaya bisa dapet foto yang lebih jelas buat kenang-kenangan, hehe.. And ini dia beberapa hasil fotonya..

Lucu ya, hihi.. Seneng bisa liat dia gerak-gerak (kita dapet videonya juga), and makin jelas keliatan kalo gendernya memang cowoq :) Trus sempet dicek juga berat badannya.. Ternyata berat badannya malah kelebihan, haha.. Harusnya 600 gram, dia beratnya udah 700 gram.. Thanks God deh, karena aku pikir malah kurang berat badannya.. Eh ternyata udah gede juga dia, wkwkwk..

Waktu di Jakarta juga sekalian belanja barang-barang baby, banyak juga sampe 2 koper.. Welcome to parenthood! Haha.. Thank you buat daddy DM yang udah susah payah angkatin koper-kopernya.. We love you, daddy.. Hihi.. :p

Pokoknya bersyukur banget, meskipun masih dalam kandungan, si baby udah bisa ikut kita pelayanan and jalan-jalan juga ke banyak negara. Gak pernah ada masalah juga sama soal makanan, gak pernah sakit perut or diare dll. Good boy :) Aku juga masih bisa ikut pelayanan ke kampung-kampung and naik mobil ke tempat yang jauh, padahal jalanannya pada rusak and gak mulus.. Penyertaan Tuhan luar biasa pokoknya..

Can't wait to see you soon, baby! Mommy udah berasa kamu nendang-nendang terus nih tiap hari.. Sabar ya sekitar 3 bulanan lagi kamu udah bisa keluar, hehe.. We love you so much! xoxo

So... Boy or Girl?

What do you think? :)

***

Yesterday was the day that we had been waiting for! The day when we could see our little baby again on the screen, to make sure that everything is fine, and the most exciting thing was to find out the gender :)

The USG process this time took a longer time because they need to check all parts of the baby's body one by one from head to toes, even the inside parts like brain, heart, kidney and all the bones.. which is very amazing to see.. and thank God that everything looks normal..

So after they finished checking everything.. jeng.. jeng.. jeng.. it was the time to find out baby's gender. Before that, they asked us first if we want to know or if we want to keep it as a secret.. And of course, we want to know! Haha.. So finally we found out that we are having.. a.. baby boy! Yay! He is a little version of DM.. DM Junior.. :) :) :)

We love you so much, our son! Mommy already had a strong feeling before that you must be a boy.. a strong boy who loves the Lord and you will grow to become a Godly man like your daddy :) You will grow as a man who will bring impact to your generation, you will love the nations and have compassion for the lost souls.. I also have prepared a name for you, but haven't discussed it with your daddy yet :p

So excited that next week we will travel together to Cambodia as a family, we will serve God together and you'll be the youngest missionary in this team, hehe.. I pray that you'll also experience God through this trip.. Since in the womb, you will have a heart for a mission and you can also learn from your daddy how to lead the team.. You're gonna be a future leader :)

God bless you, my son.. I love you.. xoxo

***

5 

“Before I shaped you in the womb,
I knew all about you.

Before you saw the light of day,
I had holy plans for you:
A prophet to the nations—

that’s what I had in mind for you.”

(Jeremiah 1:5, MSG)

First Hospital Experience

Seumur hidup, aku belom pernah dirawat di rumah sakit. Kalo ngunjungin orang di rumah sakit sih sering, hehe.. Akhirnya bulan lalu, tepatnya hari Kamis tanggal 22 Oktober 2015, untuk pertama kalinya aku ngerasain yang namanya dirawat di rumah sakit.. Wah koq bisa?!

Jadi ceritanya, yang pasti berhubungan sama soal kehamilan aku saat ini. Pas masuk week 14, aku ngerasa kondisi aku mulai sehat, muntah-muntah udah berkurang and udah seneng pokoknya karena masa-masa gak enaknya udah mulai lewat. But ternyata seminggu kemudian, pas masuk week 15, aku mulai muntah-muntah parah lagi, bahkan lebih parah dari yang sebelumnya..

Selama seminggu, apapun yang aku makan and aku minum pasti keluar, jadi bener-bener gak ada yang bisa masuk. Banyak orang yang saranin untuk coba makan ini or minum itu, but tetep semuanya gak bisa. Makanan yang biasanya bisa masuk, kali ini juga gak bisa masuk semua. Bener-bener seminggu yang WOW banget pokoknya. Aku sampe bener-bener lemes and gak tau musti ngapain lagi. Bahkan sempet muntah bercampur darah juga, saking udah keseringan muntahnya.

Awalnya hari itu kita cuma rencana ke dokter, dikasih resep obat, cek darah trus pulang. But selama perjalanan pulang, aku udah bener-bener gak tahan rasanya. Kalo minum obat juga belom tentu obatnya bisa masuk, karena minum air aja gak bisa. Akhirnya pas di jalan aku bilang ke DM, "Hon, kita coba ke hospital aja.. Kayaknya better di-infus.." Soalnya kalo gak ada cairan dalam tubuh nanti bisa bahaya.. Aku juga ngerasa dalam keadaan kayak gini, daripada lemes-lemes di rumah, kayaknya aku better dirawat di hospital.

Akhirnya kita coba ke hospital, ke bagian emergency. Kita sempet nunggu lumayan lama, karena kondisi aku gak termasuk emergency yang gawat darurat tingkat tinggi. Hospital juga saat itu lagi lumayan rame, jadi mereka harus prioritasin dulu orang-orang yang kondisinya parah (yang kecelakaan, luka parah, yang dateng pake ambulance, dll.) Aku juga sampe sempet tidur-tiduran dulu di ruang tunggu. Eh pas kita lagi mikir mo pulang, tiba-tiba dipanggil masuk sama salah satu dokter.

Di ruang emergency, aku langsung dikasih infus and injection obat juga supaya gak muntah-muntah lagi. Abis itu baru dipindahin ke kamar. Awalnya kita pikir bakal cepet and bisa langsung pulang, but mereka saranin untuk aku stay semalem sambil terus di-infus. Jadi malem itu DM harus pulang and aku stay di hospital. Fyi, karena aku udah resident and punya kartu Medicare, jadi semua fasilitas di public hospital gratis, kita gak perlu bayar apa-apa, enak ya, haha.. Nanti aku juga bakal lahiran di hospital yang sama, semuanya gratis :p

Anyway, pengalaman pertama aku di hospital, it wasn't bad at all.. Aku malah ngerasa relax and enjoy, serasa lagi nginep di hotel, haha.. Mungkin karena aku di sana cuma buat di-infus doang (bukan buat operasi or hal-hal serem lainnya :p) And seneng banget sama service and orang-orang di sana. Malem itu aku udah berhenti muntah, mulai bisa ngemil and minum juga. Pagi-pagi pas dikasih breakfast juga udah mulai bisa makan. Setelah di-infus cairan 3 liter, rasanya memang jadi lebih seger.

So besoknya, pagi-pagi DM udah dateng dengan tampang yang masih ngantuk, haha.. Dia ambil off kerja hari itu. And setelah dokter cek kondisi aku, sekitar jam 10 pagi gitu aku udah boleh pulang. Jadi gitu deh cerita pengalaman pertama aku di rumah sakit, hehe.. It was an unforgetable moment for me :) God is good.. All the time..

Thursday (22/10/2015) @ Werribee Mercy Hospital

God can heal our sickness and pain. Because He is God. But sometimes He allows us to go through all the sickness and pain, because He wants us to learn to go through the hard times with Him, not only in a good times.

Miracle is not only when God heals you. But when you are able to worship God in the midst of your sickness and pain, it is a miracle :)

"I thank You, God for all my sickness and pain, because through all of these I can experience You more and learn to walk with You in a deeper level. I love You!" ♡

Peran Suami dan Calon Ayah

Post kali ini aku tulis buat para suami, khususnya para suami yang istrinya lagi hamil or berencana untuk hamil, hehe.. Peran kalian itu sangat penting, bukan cuma nanti pas bayinya udah lahir, tapi juga di masa-masa kehamilan :)

Selama 4 bulan terakhir ini, aku ngerasain banget pentingnya peranan DM sebagai suami dan juga calon ayah. Terutama buat aku yang jauh dari keluarga and orang tua, plus tinggal di negara yang gak ada pembantu juga, hehe.. DM harus bener-bener jalanin peranan ganda :p Gak kebayang deh kalo gak ada DM and aku harus bener-bener jalanin semua ini sendirian.. (But buat para single moms, pasti ada kekuatan and anugerah khusus dari Tuhan yang akan memampukan kalian :))

Pas masuk kehamilan minggu ke-7, aku udah mulai suka mabok and gak bisa masak (sampe sekarang). Alhasil, tiap pulang kerja, DM harus mulai masuk dapur or harus beli makanan di luar. Itupun kadang-kadang belom tentu bisa aku makan, jadi dia harus pergi lagi cari makanan yang laen.

Masuk minggu ke-9, aku bukan cuma gak bisa masak, tapi aku harus bed-rest karena lemes. Kerjaan rumah, piring kotor, laundry, semua jadi terbengkalai, haha.. Mau ga mau, DM yang turun tangan juga :p Untungnya kita belom punya anak, itu beda cerita lagi nanti, mungkin pas hamil yang berikutnya, wkwkwk.. Ya berdoa aja supaya hamil berikutnya gak separah ini sicknessnya.. (Amin!)

Aku juga dulu biasanya selalu pijet (massage) si DM hampir setiap hari, dia paling seneng dipijet soalnya. But sejak hamil, udah gak bisa lagi, tenaganya juga gak ada, haha.. Malah sebaliknya, sekarang jadi dia yang sering mijetin aku :p

Trus ada juga acara-acara or kegiatan-kegiatan yang kadang DM harus cancel, karena dia harus stay di rumah. Or harus ambil off kerja kalo kondisi aku lagi parah banget. Kayak misalnya kemaren ini waktu aku sempet di-infus di hospital (nanti ya kapan-kapan aku post cerita lengkapnya, hehe..) He is not only my husband, but he is my best friend :)

Selain itu, suami juga harus hadepin mood istri yang suka gak jelas pada saat hamil, terutama di trimester pertama. Kalo tidur juga mungkin gak mau deket-deket, karena gak tahan sama bau suami, haha.. Tengah malem kadang istri gak bisa tidur, cari posisi yang enak, bolak-balik ke toilet, atau tiba-tiba laper jam 2 pagi.. Aku inget banget si DM pernah kanget kebangun gara-gara denger aku berisik makan biskuit jam 3 pagi, maklum dia tipe orang yang kalo tidur harus tenang soalnya, gak boleh ada suara apa-apa, haha.. And sometimes dalam kondisi kayak gini, suami juga harus "berkorban" and menahan diri untuk tidak berhubungan sex, karena mungkin si istri lagi bergumul berat sama morning sicknessnya and suami harus menunggu sampe si istri bener-bener oke kondisinya. Luar biasa deh pengorbanan and peranan kalian as a husband :)

But coba liat masa-masa ini sebagai kesempatan untuk kalian show your action of love to your wife, because she really needs you and your support. Jangan biarin istri kalian berjuang sendirian. Kalo kata DM, "Berani berbuat, harus berani bertanggung-jawab.." Haha.. And selama masa kehamilan ini, aku juga bisa ngerasain hubungan suami-istri yang semakin kuat, karena kita harus lewatin semua proses ini sama-sama.. Aku juga bisa liat lebih banyak lagi sisi-sisi positif dari DM, sebagai pria yang bisa diandalkan and dipercaya untuk kelak jadi seorang ayah :)

So, I just wanna say a big THANK YOU to my wonderful husband.. You are awesome, and I love you so much!! xoxo

Now I Know... :)

Setelah 26 tahun menjalani dunia persilatan sebagai orang single (apa coba, haha..) sekitar 1,5 tahun menjalani dunia pacaran (khususnya pacaran jarak jauh) and almost 2 tahun menjalani dunia pernikahan, sekarang aku lagi masuk and menjalani yang namanya dunia kehamilan, haha.. Dunia yang baru yang harus aku jalanin sebelum aku masuk ke yang namanya dunia parenting.. Setiap fase dalam hidup kita itu seru, and kita gak bakal bisa share ke orang lain kalo kita belom pernah ngalamin and belom pernah ada di fase tersebut :)

Jadi sorry nih kalo blog aku sekarang ini lagi penuh sama post soal kehamilan, haha.. because that's where I am in right now :)

Ngomongin soal kehamilan, aku bukan termasuk orang yang banyak pengetahuan soal ini. Soalnya dulu waktu single kan aku senengnya baca buku-buku soal singleness, relationship, marriage.. jadi lumayan ahli lah kalo ngomongin soal hubungan, haha.. But kalo bahas soal kehamilan, aku cuma tau yang umum-umum aja, yang biasanya kita sering denger dari orang-orang.. Kayak misalnya, nanti pas hamil bakalan ngidam kepengen makan ini or makan itu.. Atau nanti pas hamil bakal ada yang namanya morning sickness.. But aku gak pernah tau hal-hal yang terlalu details soal kehamilan.. And gak pernah ada gambaran juga hal apa aja yang bakal terjadi selama aku hamil..

Aku gak pernah banyak tau juga tentang yang namanya miscarriage atau keguguran. Sampe aku ngalamin and lewatin fase itu, baru deh aku jadi belajar banyak tentang keguguran and jadi bisa share pengalaman aku ke orang lain juga.

Dunia kehamilan itu unik. Setiap orang pasti punya ceritanya sendiri-sendiri. Sejak hamil, aku baru tau and bisa ngerasain betapa luar biasa sensitif nya panca indra kita, hahaha.. Buat beberapa orang (termasuk aku) first, kita jadi sensitif banget sama bau. Bau dari kejauhan aja bisa kecium. And rata-rata semua bau bikin kita mabok, wkwkwk.. Bau makanan, apalagi bau nasi yang baru dimasak (pokoknya aku harus ngumpet di kamar kalo DM lagi masak), bau sabun, shampoo, perfume, lotion, termasuk bau suami, haha.. Selama seminggu ini juga lagi ada tukang di rumah yang benerin kamar mandi, rumah jadi berdebu and bau cat, bikin tambah mabok deh.. Gak kebayang gimana ibu-ibu hamil yang saat ini ada di Kalimantan Tengah yang tiap hari harus bergumul sama kabut asap (I'm praying for you all! Supaya Tuhan kasih kekuatan. Amin.)

Kedua, jadi sensitif sama rasa.. Makanan yang biasanya doyan, jadi gak doyan lagi. Aku juga jadi tau kalo ternyata pas hamil kita jadi sensitif banget sama rasa odol. Harus gonta-ganti odol, cari rasa yang bikin kita gak eneg. Aku juga sikat gigi jadi cuma sehari sekali, karena suka takut muntah. Buat sikat gigi aja kayaknya penuh perjuangan :p Ketiga, jadi suka sensitif sama bunyi.. jadi lebih gampang kaget or deg-degan.. gak suka denger yang kenceng-kenceng atau yang bikin tegang.. Mungkin karena sekarang jantungnya udah ada dua kali ya, haha.. Keempat, aku juga jadi ga suka kena air.. Makanya jadi rada males mandi, apalagi keramas :p Ga tau kenapa bisa begitu, wkwkwk.. But sekali lagi, tiap orang gak selalu alamin hal yang sama, that's why hamil itu unik :)

Selain itu, aku juga jadi tau and mulai ikutin perkembangan bayi di dalam kandungan setiap minggunya. Jadi lebih banyak tau juga soal ultrasound and test-test apa aja yang harus kita lewatin. Tau tempat-tempat USG yang gratisan juga, wkwkwk.. Mulai banyak baca buku tentang kehamilan and proses lahiran. Rasanya ya bener-bener kayak masuk ke dunia yang baru. So, never stop learning and enjoy every season in your life :)

Terakhir, jangan pernah banding-bandingin kehamilan kita sama kehamilan orang lain. For me, kehamilan aku kali ini sickness nya termasuk lumayan parah. Kalo mo liat orang lain, banyak banget yang proses hamilnya lebih gampang dari ini, tapi ada juga yang malah lebih parah. Semua itu kedaulatan Tuhan, hehe.. But at the end, kita semua sama-sama dipanggil Tuhan untuk jadi seorang ibu. We have a very special calling.. Mo gampang or susah prosesnya, mo lebih gede or lebih kecil perutnya, wkwkwk.. ga usah liat kiri-kanan, just run your race sampe ke garis finish! :)

Intinya, meskipun proses hamil itu luar biasa, aku gak kapok koq untuk hamil lagi nantinya, hihi.. kalo bisa sih kepengen minimal punya 2 anak (3 sih kalo bisa :p) DM selalu bilang, "Dasar, yang ini aja belom keluar, udah mikirin yang berikutnya.." haha..

So buat ibu-ibu yang lagi hamil juga, sama-sama semangat ya.. Inget kalo kita hamil bukan cuma sekedar untuk punya anak, but kita lagi menjalani panggilan Tuhan untuk melahirkan suatu generasi yang baru.. Jadi kita gak boleh nyerah and harus berani untuk bayar harganya.. Terus doain supaya anak kita bukan cuma jadi kuat and sehat, tapi juga bisa jadi dampak and pengubah sejarah nantinya di generasi mereka.. Amin.

Now I know that pregnancy is a beautiful calling from God :)

Curhatan Ibu Hamil (Part 2)

Masuk 14 weeks pregnancy, my condition is getting better. Biasanya dalam sehari aku bisa muntah lebih dari 5x. Sekarang dalam sehari cuma muntah 1x pas bangun tidur. Udah mulai bisa makan juga, meskipun belom terlalu nafsu makan. Belom ngidam-ngidam lagi, hehe.. And mulai ada sedikit tenaga juga, meskipun belom 100%. At least, udah gak separah yang kemaren-kemaren :) Thank you buat temen-temen gereja yang sempet dateng, yang udah masak and bawain makanan macem-macem, plus yang udah doain juga.. Thank you so much.. I'm so blessed!

Minggu ini juga mulai berasa makin excited.. 3 hari yang lalu pertama kalinya kita ketemu midwife (first appointment) di Werribee Mercy Hospital, tempat nanti lahiran. And thanks God semua urusan hospital, paper work dll uda beres. Bakal balik lagi bulan depan, plus bakal USG to find out the baby's gender (can't wait!) yay! :)

Aku juga mulai banyak baca buku and informasi tentang proses lahiran, breastfeeding, dll. So many new things to learn.. Mulai banyak bekalin diri dari sekarang and seru juga ternyata :) Thank you juga buat ci Lia yang bakal guide aku terus and jadi sumber informasi sampe nanti aku lahiran, haha.. I said to her that she is my mentor for life! Ci Lia bukan cuma mentor aku pas aku masih SMA, but dia mentor aku terus waktu aku single, lagi doain pasangan, waktu aku married, setelah married, sampe aku sekarang hamil, sampe nanti aku punya anak and hopefully sampe aku tua.. Bener-bener hubungan yang "langka" kayak gini harus terus dijaga :) I love you, ci..

Anyway, hal excited lainnya, aku juga udah mulai bikin shopping list buat barang-barang baby, hehe.. Rencana pengen belanja nanti bulan Desember pas balik ke Indo. Wah jadi ga sabar pengen cepet balik Indo.. Udah hampir 2 tahun nih gak pulang.. Feeling so home-sick :'( Apalagi selama hamil, jadi makin berasa home-sick.. Terutama karena jauh dari family and ortu.. Kalo di Indo, mo makan apa-apa juga jauh lebih gampang, banyak banget yang jualan di deket rumah, haha.. Trus cuaca dingin di sini juga sempet bikin home-sick, but thanks God sekarang udah mulai panas karena udah spring :)

Sekian dulu deh curhatan ibu hamil kali ini.. Random banget ya curhatnya, haha.. Mo minum susu dulu nih sambil dengerin musik instrument, tiap hari dikasih denger musik biar baby-nya happy di dalem, hehe.. See you next time :)

Week 12 - Third USG

Akhirnya hari ini aku lumayan ada tenaga buat bisa nge-blog. Udah sekitar sebulan lebih aku bener-bener lemes and cuma bisa bed rest aja di rumah. Thanks God hari ini bisa bangun dengan kondisi yang agak better, gak muntah-muntah and bisa mulai makan sedikit-sedikit. Hopefully will get better day by day :)

Anyway, besok the baby will be 13 weeks.. Horay! And hari Jumat yang lalu kita sempet USG lagi (12 weeks scan) and it was sooo amazing!! Baby nya udah bisa keliatan jelas sekarang.. We can see the face, the hands, feet, tiny little fingers, semua bagian badannya.. and everything looks perfect (cuma gender-nya aja yang belom bisa ketauan, hehe.. Sabar ya, 2 bulan lagi baru bisa ketauan :p) And selama USG, baby nya juga gerak-gerak terus di dalem.. Tangannya juga sempet goyang-goyang, maybe mau say Hi to daddy, hehe.. Si DM juga sampe seru sendiri ngeliatin di layar. And it was a very precious moment. Aku juga terharu pas liat si baby, sampe mo nangis rasanya.. So happy to know that there is a special miracle inside me and the baby is doing really well :')

Here is my prayer for you, baby...

God grant you peace

In the midst of a storm.

May God give you strength even

When you're forlorn.

May you answer the door when

Jesus comes knocking.

May wisdom guide when

Your mouth is talking.

May discretion protect you

And keep you pure.

May you never stumble

Or fall for a lure.

May your heart remain humble

To the very end.

May uprightness and truth

Be what you defend.

May the world not ensnare

Or change who you are.

May the light that's within you

Shine like the stars.

May angels surround you

Body, spirit, mind.

May favor and peace be yours to find.

May rejection and pain

Never reach you.

May your spirit grow bold

For what you're called to.

(A Mother's Prayer - Rachel Aldous)

Curhatan Ibu Hamil (Part 1)

Udah sekitar 2 minggu, aku lebih banyak bed rest di rumah. Karena mau ngapa-ngapain juga gak bisa, apalagi yang namanya masak di dapur. Tiap kali abis masak pasti langsung muntah-muntah gak jelas, haha.. And aku juga gak bisa makan masakan yang aku masak, udah mual duluan rasanya. Jadi si DM deh yang makannya banyak :p And mau gak mau si DM harus mulai sering masuk dapur.. bersyukur punya suami yang bisa masak, apalagi kita tinggal jauh dari orang tua. It's really good kalo dua-duanya bisa masak :)

Bersyukur juga karena sekolah aku udah selesai!! Akhirnya.. so it's a perfect timing for me to have a rest, and gak perlu stress lagi sama urusan sekolahan. Hari-hari terakhir aku work placement di childcare, it was really hard karena aku selalu morning sickness and gak bisa makan. Apalagi harus berangkat pagi-pagi naik bus pas winter.. But thank God semua placement and assignments sudah berakhir :)

So anyway, daripada aku bengong di rumah, mendingan aku pake waktu aku buat banyak baca buku and buat nulis blog, cerita-cerita tentang perkembangan si baby and tentang kehamilan aku yang kedua ini, hehe..

Setelah kejadian miscarriage (alias keguguran) tanggal 24 Maret yang lalu, dokter bilang kalo aku boleh hamil lagi sekitar 2-3 bulan ke depan. But saat itu aku gak kepikiran untuk hamil dulu, rencananya tahun depan aja or after kita travelling bulan Nov-Dec nanti. But ternyata Tuhan punya rencana lain, hehe..

Di bulan July, aku telat dateng bulan. Padahal sejak keguguran, dateng bulan aku langsung teratur lagi. Dari sejak itu aku udah ada feeling kalo aku kayaknya hamil :) Akhirnya tanggal 29 July, aku coba pregnancy test di rumah and hasilnya positif! Yay! And aku langsung kasi tau ke DM juga yang saat itu memang lagi di rumah. Beberapa hari kemudian, just to make sure, aku coba tes lagi, haha.. And memang bener hasilnya positif :)

Kita baru ke dokter seminggu kemudian, karena masih early juga jadi kita gak mau terlalu buru-buru. Blood test and hasilnya positif.. Yay! We are so happy and excited :) So far kita udah 2x USG. Pertama USG waktu babynya 6 weeks 2 days, buat denger heartbeat nya. Babynya belom keliatan, tapi yang pasti cuma ada 1, haha.. USG kedua waktu babynya 8 weeks 6 days, babynya sekitar 2.1 cm and heartbeatnya juga makin kenceng :) Hebat ya baby sekecil gitu tapi semua anggota tubuhnya udah lengkap and udah bisa berfungsi.. So hari ini babynya sekitar 9 weeks 4 days :)

And so far kita gak ada perubahan rencana untuk tetep travelling Nov-Dec nanti ke Kamboja, Laos & Indonesia. By that time usia baby maybe sekitar 5 bulan. So doain aja supaya Tuhan kasih kekuatan and supaya si baby bisa ikut mission trip dari sejak dia masih di kandungan, the youngest missionary, hehe.. and terutama supaya nanti aku udah gak mual-mual or morning sickness lagi kayak di first trimester ini. AMIN!!

So segitu dulu deh curhatan ibu hamilnya, hehe.. Nanti kapan-kapan lanjut lagi ya.. :)

The Joy of Pregnancy

Masa-masa kehamilan itu masa-masa yang luar biasa. Dalam setiap minggu (selama 36-40 minggu) kita akan ngalamin tahap yang beda-beda. Setiap orang juga pasti akan punya pengalaman yang beda-beda. Ada yang selama hamil 9 bulan semuanya berjalan normal-normal aja, tapi ada juga yang selama 9 bulan bener-bener harus bed rest dan gak bisa ngapa-ngapain. Kehamilan anak pertama, kedua, ketiga dan seterusnya pun akan punya pengalaman and cerita yang beda-beda :)

Buat aku, dalam masa 3 bulan pertama ini (first trimester) awalnya fine-fine aja.. and nafsu makannya luar biasa. Ngidam macem-macem, dari makanan Indo, makanan bule, makanan Jepang, makanan Italy, makanan Malaysia, Chinese food, pokoknya banyak maunya, haha.. And bersyukur punya suami yang rela nurutin semuanya :p (Thank you sayang..)

But kira-kira 2 minggu terakhir ini, semuanya berubah 180 derajat. Aku mulai morning sickness, mual, muntah-muntah, bukan cuma pagi doang tapi kadang bisa seharian, and udah ga bisa ngeliat or nyium bau makanan sama sekali. Dalam keadaan kayak gini, mo ditawarin makanan yang paling enak pun rasanya ga mau, haha.. Suami juga jadi bingung mo kasih makan apa. But aku selalu coba mikir positif aja that morning sickness is a good sign that the baby is growing inside. That kind of thinking bisa tetep bikin aku sukacita meskipun dalam kondisi yang gak enak buat aku, tapi yang penting baby nya bertumbuh normal (apalagi dulu aku pernah punya pengalaman keguguran).

Rabu kemarin we had a second USG.. and seneng banget to know that the baby is growing bigger and the heartbeat is getting stronger :) Sebelum USG, aku pake acara muntah-muntah dulu lagi, that's why hasil USG nya jadi rada blur, haha.. But orangnya bilang: "It's ok if you throw up or feel sickness, that means your baby is growing.." Itulah the joy of pregnancy.

Jadi sama kayak Tuhan Yesus.. He is willing to suffer, as long as we (His children) are saved and can have an eternal life. There is joy in suffering :)

So buat ibu-ibu yang saat ini lagi dalam masa kehamilan, yuk berjuang sama-sama and buat ibu-ibu yang udah punya anak, kalo mau sharing pengalamannya juga boleh.. And please keep us in your prayer.. Thank you :)

6 Years of THE PRESENT

Happy 6th Birthday to my blog! Hehe..

Aku mau bersyukur sama Tuhan buat adanya blog THE PRESENT ini sampe saat ini. It really helps me a lot (terutama sejak aku pindah ke Melbourne, jauh dari keluarga and temen-temen) to share my life story and to share what God has done in my life to others. Salah satu cara yang Tuhan pake untuk aku tetep bisa melayani orang-orang yang jauh di sana.. :)

Sama seperti tahun lalu, kalo ada kesaksian / feedback mengenai blog ini, please leave a comment or lewat email juga bisa ke mizz_purplezz@yahoo.com, terutama kalo boleh aku pengen denger "suara" dari para silent readers selama ini, supaya bisa sekalian kenalan juga, hehe..

Thank YOU for following and reading this blog.. To GOD be the glory!

Pregnancy After Miscarriage

Pregnancy after having an experience of miscarriage is not easy, especially if it happened to your first one. You will struggle with a fear of loss. Some people maybe even decided that they don't want to get pregnant anymore. And a lot of people keep saying to me, "You have to be more careful this time, because you had miscarriage before."

But during this 2nd pregnancy, I can feel how God always strengthen me through His words. One thing that I believe, God has a special plan and a special purpose for every pregnancy. Every pregnancy is different. Your 2nd pregnancy is not gonna be the same as your 1st one.. And your 3rd pregnancy is not gonna be the same as your 1st or 2nd one.. For example, in my 1st pregnancy I never had morning sickness at all. But now in my 2nd pregnancy, I can get morning sickness almost everyday. In my 1st pregnancy there were 2 sacks but only 1 baby in my womb. Now in my 2nd pregnancy there is only 1 sack and 1 baby.. Every pregnancy and every baby is unique :)

Last week my husband and I had a little chat with Ps. Glenn Maloney from Canberra. We told him about my pregnancy and also my experience of miscarriage. Before he prayed for us, he shared to us a story about one lady who had experience miscarriage 10 times! (Yes.. 10 times!! Wow..) But then, this couple came to Ps. Glenn and they prayed together. Not long after that, they were expecting and now they are having a baby boy :) Praise the Lord! There is always a new hope in Jesus! Nothing is impossible in Him.. That's why we need to live in faith, not in fear, and don't live in the past.. Because God has prepared something new for us.. AMEN!

Jeremiah 29:11New International Version (NIV)

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

For all the wives and moms who is also struggling in the same thing right now, let's overcome our fears together and let's walk by faith in Him. God bless you and your pregnancy.. xoxo

Expecting Another Miracle ♡

Hello all! Finally I'm back to the blogger's world :)

These last 2 months I've been really busy with my study.. But thanks God, by His grace, everything is almost done. I'm so grateful to have a God and a husband who always support me, especially in the time when I almost gave up. Hopefully after this I can have more time to write my blog again.. Yay! :p

***

This year is truly a year of miracle for me and my husband. As all of you know (I assume that all of you have read the story about Our Little Miracle, who is in Heaven now with Jesus) 5 months ago we had to surrender our first child to Jesus. It wasn't an easy moment, but it was a very precious moment between me, God and my husband. An unforgetable one!

And yes, right now we are expecting another miracle from God.. Miracle is going to have a sibling :) We are so happy and excited about it! We already had the first USG this week and listened to the baby's heartbeat.. We were so amazed to see how God created a very strong heartbeat in a such tiny little baby.. There is a miracle inside me :) We love you, baby.. xoxo

"After having an experience of miscarriage, do you feel worry about your 2nd pregnancy?" Of course yes.. But once again, I have to always remind myself that this baby is not mine. Everything that I have belongs to God and He is the One who is in control of everything. This kind of thinking can make us still and rest in Him :)

So, please support my 2nd pregnancy in your prayer..

God is good all the time.. And all the time God is good.. ♡

Love In Action

1JOHN 3:18

Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

This is one of the "project" that we are doing together as a church this month. We call it "Love In Action". And I also want to encourage all of us to involve in it. This is not only for our church, but actually God has called all of us as His children to show His love to the world and to the people around us everyday.

Here is just some example of the actions that you can do:

Let's think of one person who you want to bless today, pray for them and ask God what you should do to show the love in action. Maybe it's just a simple thing, but I'm sure it will be a great blessing for the people who receive it :) Let's stop thinking about ourselves, and start becoming a blessing for others.. xoxo

Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:16, NIV

Prayer For Your Husband

(From "Wife After God" book by Jennifer Smith)

***

Dear Lord,

Thank you for my husband. Thank you for his heart, his health, and his love for me. I lift him up to you and ask that you would bless him. Use people around him, including me to affirm him.

I pray that he would be encouraged to seek after you and lead like Jesus. May your Holy Spirit transform his character so that he reflects you Lord.

Help him improve in the areas he is weak and continue to strengthen him each day. May he draw close to you Lord and may your will be evident in his life.

I pray against the powers of this dark world, I pray against temptations, I pray against the schemes of the enemy that try to attack my husband. I pray for protection in Jesus name!

Reveal to him your wisdom and your truths. May his soul know you well. I pray that I can help him and inspire him everyday.

In Jesus' name, AMEN!

***

Spend time praying for your husband. Share with God why you are thankful for him, lift up any needs he may have, pray for his character to reflect Christ, and petition God to protect him.

My Life in Melbourne (Part 5)

Udah hampir 18 bulan tinggal di Melbourne and so far belum pernah balik ke Indo. Kangen or home-sick sama Jakarta sih pasti.. But I know that Melbourne is my home now and aku harus bisa belajar untuk bersyukur di mana pun Tuhan tempatkan aku untuk tinggal saat ini. Aku juga bersyukur karena selama + 18 bulan ini udah banyak banget pengalaman suka-duka yang aku alamin bersama Tuhan and bersama suami.. Mulai dari pernikahan kami, pindahan rumah, bisa punya pengalaman kerja plus bisa sekolah juga di Melbourne, kenal banyak orang-orang baru, punya gereja lokal baru, dan juga kejadian misscarriage (keguguran) yang gak bakal terlupakan.. Through every season, God is so faithful to us!

Another exciting thing yang terjadi di awal bulan June ini, God added a new member in our family and in our house :) Her name is Stefanny, dia salah satu anak binaan aku dulu waktu di Indo dan dia dapet kesempatan untuk tinggal di Aussie selama 1 tahun (working holiday visa). Seneng banget rasanya bisa punya temen dari Indo yang dateng ke sini, and we treat her as our family member, as our little sister and our "daughter" in Christ, hehe..

She has stayed with us for almost 2 weeks, and please pray so she can get a job soon. Becoming her host jadi bikin aku inget pengalaman aku dulu waktu tinggal 1 tahun di Amrik with my host family.. what a precious experience.. Who knows nanti after Stefanny, ada anak muda lainnya lagi yang bakal Tuhan kirimin ke sini to stay with us.. Hayo, siapa yang mo ke sini? :p

Marriage life is also wonderful.. Meskipun banyak ups and downs nya kayak roller-coaster (haha..) tapi seru, and makin hari malah makin tambah sayang rasanya (uhuy!) But tetep terus support kami dalam doa ya, supaya pernikahan kami bisa terus menjadi berkat buat orang lain. Doain juga supaya aku bisa cepet lulus sekolah nih (udah gak sabar pengen cepet2 selesai rasanya, haha..)

Oya satu hal lagi yang bikin excited di bulan ini.. Hillsong Conference 2015!! Impian aku dari dulu yang soon bakal jadi kenyataan, hehe.. I will post about it later, ok :)

I miss you so much, Indonesia! I will see you in December! xoxo

Your Spouse Is A Gift

(From "Wife After God" book by Jennifer Smith)

Your husband is a gift from God...

It is important to see your husband and yourself as gifts to each other everyday you have together, for that will influence how you treat each other.

The marriage relationship is also a magnificent gift in that you and your husband have the opportunity to bless to others. Your marriage is a ministry where you and your husband can work together as a team to fulfill the needs of people around you, to show hospitality, to pray for people, to show compassion, to love by reflecting Christ's love as you mirror His image.

Dear Lord,

Thank you so much for the gift you have blessed me with, my husband and our marriage. Please forgive me for not always receiving this gift with thankfulness and joy. I pray that you would transform my heart and my perspective so that I may always recognize this powerful gift.

I desire to have a deep appreciation for my husband that helps me treat him really good. May your Holy Spirit remind me daily of this precious gift. I pray for my husband to understand that I am a gift, as well. Reveal to him this truth like you revealed it to me.

Thank you for caring about us so much that you would give us the opportunity to experience marriage. May we live as a team to minister to others. May our hearts be sensitive to where you are calling us and to whom you are asking us to bless. May we be prepared to give as you ask of us, regardless of how big or small. I pray that others would see your love story reflected through our love.

In Jesus's name, AMEN!


When you see your husband next, picture God handling him to you as a gift, and receive your gift by hugging your husband.

What's The Most Important?

Beberapa waktu yang lalu (waktu lagi saat teduh kalo ga salah), aku dan suami sempet diskusi tentang earthquake yang terjadi di Nepal plus sambil ngebayangin gimana ya kalo misalnya kita yang ada di posisi mereka..

Dalam sekejap semua yang kita punya hilang.. rumah, uang, baju, sepatu, pokoknya semua harta benda yang selama ini kita udah susah payah beli and kumpulin tiba-tiba hilang lenyap dalam sekejap.. Pernah ga ngebayangin kayak gitu? That must be really hard.. but aku yakin dalam situasi kayak gitu kita jadi mengerti what is actually the most important things in life.. Orang-orang yang lagi dalam bencana, ga mungkin mikirin baju or sepatu yang baru mereka beli, or mikirin karir mereka, popularitas dll. Kalo menurut aku ada 2 hal paling penting yang pasti langsung muncul saat itu..

***

1. KESELAMATAN. Bukan cuma keselamatan jasmani, tapi juga keselamatan rohani kita. Sama seperti orang-orang yang ada di dalam pesawat terbang. Aku inget banget di tahun 2012, aku pernah naik pesawat (sendirian) dari Jakarta ke Bangkok. And itu penerbangan paling ngeri yang pernah aku alamin so far.. di tengah-tengah perjalanan, pesawatnya sempet goyang dan kita bisa berasa kalo itu pesawat kayak lagi going down, mau jatuh ke bawah. Orang-orang udah pada panik, ada yang sampe nangis, jantung udah pada deg-degan and semuanya langsung pada berdoa.. Aku bisa denger orang di belakang aku ada yang langsung teriak-teriak, "Jesus!!" And buat aku pribadi, aku juga jadi bisa ngerasain kalo di saat itu bener-bener ga ada hal lain yg lebih penting dari keselamatan. Semua orang juga pasti langsung jadi mikir, apa yang bakal terjadi nanti kalo mereka ga selamat. Aku waktu itu juga doa, but doanya gini.. "Lord, is it time for me to see You face to face?" But ternyata belom waktunya, hehe.. Tuhan belom selesai beurusan sama hidup aku :p But di saat itu Tuhan cuma ingetin kalo ga ada hal lain yang lebih penting dari keselamatan (hidup kekal) yang kita peroleh di dalam Kristus. Hubungan kita dengan Kristus itulah yang terpenting!

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:37-38)

2. PEOPLE. Hal kedua selain keselamatan, kita pasti akan langsung mikirin orang-orang yang penting dalam hidup kita. Kita akan berusaha sebisa mungkin untuk menolong mereka supaya bisa selamat dari bencana. Suami-istri yang lagi berantem, mungkin bisa langsung jadi baikan and maaf-maafan kali ya, haha.. And pasti ada orang-orang yang nyesel juga karena selama ini mereka terlalu sibuk and gak spend more time with their spouse or their family. Aku bilang ke DM, kalo sampe kita ada di posisi orang-orang yang ngalamin earthquake, di saat kita udah ga punya apa-apa lagi.. "one thing that I want is I want to be with you." :)

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:39)

#Selfie Generation

A selfie is a self-photograph, a style of portraiture that became popular in the 2000s. Selfies are often shared on social networking services such as Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Snapchat, Tumblr, Twitter and MySpace. They are usually flattering and made to appear casual. -Wikipedia

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When I grew up as a kid and as a teenager, I never heard the word #selfie before. I even didn't have a mobile phone.. until I was in the senior high school.. but I never used it, I just left it at home because I didn't need it at all and not many people had it. At that time we only used mobile phone to call someone (no SMS, no camera, no social media, no applications, and no touch screen of course, we can touch but nothing happen, haha..) And I still remember when the first time I received an SMS from the provider, I was so surprised.. "Wow, what is this??" :p

I also remember at that time, it was so hard to get an internet connection. I need to go to a place called "warnet" (warung internet) and I need to pay to use their computers to check my email, or sometimes I did chatting with mIRC.. It was so exciting because we were able to use the internet only once in a while.. Hmm.. I'm kinda miss those old times.. LOL.

But now.. internet and social media is everywhere! Mobile phones has replaced so many things in our lives (cameras, books, letters, radios, video games, even Bibles) so everywhere we go, we won't forget to bring our mobile phones. (But honestly, until now I still love and prefer to read my Bible book than the one in my phone :p) Technology is good.. but we also need to be careful with it..

#Selfie is one of the most popular things these days. We live in a #selfie generation. There is nothing wrong with #selfie, but we need to be wise. We have to know that there are things that we need to keep it just for ourself and we don't need to share it on the social media. We have to check our heart and our motivation, "Do I need to post and share this to others?" "Do I only want to impress people, or do I want to impact people through this posting?" "Do I only want to prove myself in front of public?"

Being constantly connected via technology is exhausting and unhealthy. I’m a recovering iPhone addict, but I’m learning that when I can shut down my phone and computer for extended periods of time, I’m more present in the moment and have more focus. When you do use social media, use it as a way to encourage people; not a way to try and impress people. -Dave Willis

I told my husband few days ago that I really really want to be careful with what I post on social media. I don't want to post something just for my own advantage, but I want to bless others and I want to impact people's lives. There are some pictures and moments that I will keep just for myself, or just between me and my husband (for example, we use "Between" application just for both of us).

I know it must be hard to stop posting something that we like to post; something that can make us look good, make people think positive about us, or maybe can make other people jealous :p But let's see what kind of example that Christ has done for us:

Philippians 2:3-8, MSG

Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

Christ lived a #selfless life, and he also died #selfless. Can you see the difference?

Let's become a #selfless generation.. and not a #selfie or #selfish generation.. :)

***

I want to live to impact, not to impress..

I want to live to influence and inspire, not to intimidate..

Because..

My life is not about ME..

It is about GOD..