The Life Giving Home: Part 2 Seasons of Home (excerpts)

 January 
Creating a Framework For Home: Rhythms, Routines and Rituals 

Planning daily rhythms - meals, devotions, cleanup, bedtime routines - should take into consideration the abilities and personalities of everyone who lives in the home. 

Am I doing something now that doesn't need to be done? How can I simplify my work to provide more time to do what I value most? I want to avoid "mile-wide and inch-deep" commitments and commit to a few activities that are central to my values. 

What daily and weekly rituals will bring pleasure and mark important areas in which I can invest my moments?

Whatever your household or season of life, make your plans according to your needs, circumstances, life stage, and personality so that your home can thrive in sync with your own preferences. You will only find your plans sustainable if they fit you as well as those who live in your home. 

Decluttering the Soul: I also try to identify ways I have missed my goals and ways I want to strengthen my commitments in the major areas of my life - physical (diet and exercise), emotional (my relationship with Clay, the kids, my friends, and our a quite time, what I will study or read in the Bible, ways I want to grow) . I choose one or two areas I will concentrate on during the following year and find a pertinent Bible verse to memorize as a support.   

The Life Giving Home: Part 1 Thinking about Home (excerpt)

By: Sally and Sarah Clarkson

The very richness of this room brings life to my soul, and that is what this book is all about - how to create a home that nourishes, nurtures, and sustains life and beauty. It is all about how to order your living space and what happens there to embody the joy and beauty of God's own spirit. 

If we look at the lovely world that God has designed for us, we can see a pattern for what He has always intended for us - a home environment filled with color and creativity and order, a welcoming provider of laughter and refuge, a space where memories are made and shared. Instead of creating us to live in a house of weariness and colorlessness, God has made us to live in a home full of soul-beautiful elements. 

Give foundations of strength and inspiration to these precious ones, but give them wings as well. Prepare them to take risks, to live by faith, so that they can take the messages and cherished values they learned at home and share them with a hurting world. And so our home becoming a launching pad, a place of blessing, as we sent our beloved children on their way - hopefully strong, whole, and secure in the ideals, faith and values that truly matter. 

Part1: Thinking about Home 

1. A Lifegiving Legacy 

As I toured Biltmore, my imagination and vision were once again piqued by the idea of intentionally making my home a holding place for all that is beautiful, good, holy, and foundational to life - a place where those I love always feel like they belong, a place of freedom and grace that launches them into the persons they were made to be, a place of becoming. In the midst of demanding, constantly pressured lives, we all need refresher courses from time to time about what we are building and why we must be intentional about doing it. 

"All people need a place where their roots can grow deep and they always feel like they belong and have a loving refuge. And all people need a place that gives wings to their dreams, nurturing possibilities of who they might become."

Family was God's original organization scheme for society, and home was the laboratory where human beings could learn to glorify God through the work, relationships, and purposes of their lives. Home would be the place where love for God and commitment to His purposes would be passed down from one generation to another.

Homemaking - not in the sense of housekeeping, but in the broader sense of cultivating the life of a home - has to be done on purpose. 

The essence of home, you see, is not necessarily a structure. What makes a home is the life shared there, wherever they may be. And cultivating the life of home requires intentionality, planning, and design. There must be someone (or several someones) to craft the life, the beauty, the love, and the inspiration that overflows from that place. 

Because of our missionary, job-oriented lives, Clay and I knew from the beginning that we would probably not have a static homestead where we could congregate over our life as a family. So we focused on creating home out of less tangible materials - traditions, habits, rhythms, experiences, and values. 

Creating a lifegiving home, then, is a long process taken one step, one season at a time. 

The intentionality of seeking to build my home piece by piece, day by day, as moved me and my family toward the goal of creating a great legacy of healthy people who live and grow within its walls. 

Home should be the very best place ever to be. 

2. Made for Home 

We don't have to have a perfect family, a healthy background. We don't have to have lived in one place. We don't have to own a mansion or even a house. Nothing required for the making of home except a heart that loves God, an imagination fired by His Spirit, and hands ready to create. And, well, a bit of courage, spaces and fill them. But when we do, the Kingdom comes in the homes we make as the love of God becomes flesh in our lives once more. 

I'm still holding out for a cottage with a garden someday, but until then, I know that each new little student room is my space of possible creation. 

As I order and hope, fill and form, the Holy Spirit is renewing one more corner of the world. Here, in my room, the fallen stuff of the broken earth is being formed back into love, into home. There's no place like it. 

3. A Symphony of Grace 

- The Music of Welcome: We always try to write the name of those we know will be entering our home. 

We want all who enter our little kingdom - family, friends, and guests - to know that they are welcome and cherished in this sacred place we call home. 

- The Music of Safety: I try to ensure that wisdom, truth and the reality of God's grace are kept within and that my home is a haven from the destructive voices of the outside world. 

In order to protect ourselves and others from finding menacing influences, as much as possible, we must purpose ways to keep our homes as havens of all that is good, pure, innocent, and excellent. If the Lord guards our own coming and going, so we should be guards over what is allowed into our homes. 

- The Music of Knowledge and Wisdom: As a young woman, I began to picture my children's hearts as treasure chests of a different sort, and I vowed to fill them with intrinsic treasures: the best stories, memorized Scripture, priceless images of classical art, excellent books, memories from great feasts enjoyed together and special days celebrated, great Bible stories and wisdom passages, plus heart photographs of love given, holiday cherished, lesson learned. 

- The Music of Beauty: We honor Him when we make beauty a priority in our homes. 

- The Music of Relationship: Relationships are the core focus of celebrating life together in a place. Consequently, the desire to create spaces for friendship, companionship, and fellowship, influenced many of our home choices - even the furniture we bought, where we placed it, and how we used it. 

- The Music of Nourishment: I believe every meal should be a celebration of life itself as we break bread and enter fellowship together. And the way those meals are planned, prepared, and served enhances the connection and the celebration. Every meal, in other words, should be a feast for the senses and the spirit. 

- The Music of Rest: - a personalized space for each occupant (in a bedroom) 

Having home that tells a great story happens over time as we mature, refine, create, and love. 

I hope you will have that experience as well. Whatever your taste, preferences, and style, you have the freedom to create your own home art and make your dwelling a place that is distinctively yours - a place of comfort, safety, and delight for you and everyone who steps inside your door. 

4. The Rhythms of Incarnation 

A Renewed Awareness 
If we want to embody the life of God in our homes, we need to understand what God intended human life to be, and we also need to be aware of what distracts us from that intention or diminishes it in our lives. 

A Scrambled Consciousness
The rhythms of earth and body require me to sleep. The limitations of my physical senses mean I can only hear so  many voices, so many words at one time. But the online world is unresting. 

We can only create what we have imagined. We can only embody the life of God if we have internally known and tasted His goodness. 

If the precious, limited hours of my day are used bit by bit in scanning information. I will have less and less time for the attentive, slow, good work of creativity, conversation, and connection that real people and real homes require. 
If my awareness of space is concentrated on a screen, my home will reflect the absence of my attention, my creativity, and ultimately, my love. 

We cannot change the world if we cannot incarnate God's live in our own most ordinary spaces and hours. Homemaking must be understood as a potent Kingdom endeavor, not merely a domestic task. Homemaking requires a willed creativity, a conscious diligence, because we are called to create new life and challenged to do it in the midst of a world that actively resists us in this endeavor. 

(Sora's) 7 months BLW

Ah! We are here, BLW Sora masi terus berjalan, puji Tuhan!

Saya share pengalaman bulan pertama BLW disini, saat umur Sora 6 bulan.

A quick update of his 7mos BLW ~
Okay, pas umur 7 bulan.. kami sempet liburan di Jakarta hampir 2 minggu.
Nah di Jakarta means bukan rumah sendiri, sehingga peralatan seadanya, tapi karena makanan Sora tidak rempong, panci dan rice cooker cukuplah untuk steam sayur2an.

Sora dibeliin high chair lagi di Jakarta (kalo sampe kepepet ga ada high chair, mgkn bisa coba dudukin di stroller), siap2 aja stroller kotor tapi ;p so pilih2 deh makanan yang ga terlalu mengotori.

Saya masi kasi makanan2 yang Sora sudah makan dari 6 bulan:
Steamed: carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, yam, potato, labu siam (chayote), pear.
Raw: papaya, banana, avocado, cucumber, melon.

Makanan baru tuk si 7 bulan Sora:
Red dragon fruit
Chinese new year means jeruk! Segala jeruk dia suka... diisep sampai bikin orang ngiler
Steamed salmon
Egg, fyi, alergi telur ada di putihnya ~ jadi kalau ada riwayat alergi, kasi kuningnya dulu.. or no harm to wait :) boiled or steamed.
Baby corn
RICE! entah dalam bentuk biji atau saya bentuk jadi rice ball.
dan karena di Jakarta, jadi sering makan keluar.. kalo lagi di resto - saya kasi Sora sayur ijo yang saya dah cuci dengan air panas, doyan2 aja tuh :D
Sisanya masi makanan yg sama seperti yang lalu.

Jadwal makan.. tetap diusahakan 3-4 kali (breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner) tapi kenyataannya masi kurang rutin. Karena 7 bulan ini cukup mobile, so we were not able to set a routine for Sora. Apalagi kalo lagi banyak di luar rumah...jadwal makan Sora jadi berantakan, dan Sora pun "makan" seadanya (maaf yah nak...)

Oh, sedikit info, karena saya exclusive pumping ~ jadi kepantau memang berapa ml susu yang Sora minum, di umur 7 bulan Sora minum sekitar 800-900 ml kurang lebih per hari. Kalau kata kellymom sih kebutuhan asi 7 bulan sekitar 875 ml, so yeah, I am happy enough. haha :D

One of Sora memorable days, when I was more confirmed that blw really2 worked, Sora could finish the whole carrot that day! And yeah, that was the rice ball I mentioned above! 

Super seru makan red dragon fruit 

Saya sangat senang melihat progress Sora, kemampuan mengunyah semakin baik.. Sora bisa atur cara pegang makanan, cara memakannya. Dan Sora sangat konsentrasi ketika makan, sangat menikmati..
Walaupun ada hari2, dimana he seemed not interested in eating, entah lagi cape, lagi ngantuk... so mama hanya bisa bersedih hati, membereskan berantakan yg Sora bikin (padahal makannya dikiiiittt) dan mencoba lagi lagi dan lagi.
So, so far our blw kept going, and again, tidak ada target, ikutin pace dan kemampuan Sora, jadikan saat makan adalah saat yang menyenangkan buat Sora dan tentunya buat mamanya juga.

Will update the 8mos BLW too :)

(Sora's) Breastfeeding Journey: Before Exclusive Pumping

Sora is now 8 months and 2 weeks.
I still "breastfeed" him through bottle. It wasn't like that before. I had amazing 3 months, having Sora latch on.

How I ended up being an exclusive pumper?
The answer is: I don't know.

But let me share my breastfeeding journey sebelum ini ....entah apakah karena alasan-alasan ini membuat Sora tidak mau latch on lagi.

1. Hari-hari pertama breastfeeding
Hmm..sejujurnya saya sempat kuatir karena saya tidak dapat kesempatan tuk IMD (inisiasi menyusui dini), karena proses bersalin yang terlalu lama, jadi begitu lahir, Sora langsung dibawa ke pediatric (saya juga kurang jelas diapain itu dia).. sekitar 4 jam kemudian, pangeranku diantarkan ...dan inilah saat yang menegangkan!!!!!!!
Awwwww...Sora menyusu dengan sangat sempurna! Saya bisa dengar suara glek glek glek-nya~ dan I didn't feel any pain at all! I really really praised the Lord.
I could see my colostrum.. breastfeeding was so amazing..like seriously!! SO AMAZING

Awal2 mostly Sora nyusu 2 jam sekali, seperti newborn pada umumnya.
Dan saya juga sangat bersyukur, tengah malam..Sora hanya menyusu dan bobo lagi, ga pake acara begadang2 ~

Saya ingat cerita teman saya yang bilang, breastfeeding lebih menyakitkan dari melahirkan.
So, setiap kali dada sudah terasa bengkak dan keras, saya selalu pijat2.. sampai akirnya di hari ke-5 saya mulai pompa sesekali, belum rutin, karena Sora masi selalu latch on.
So far saya belum pernah sampai kesakitan sekali or sekeras2 batu.. thank God!

2. Sora was introduced to bottle and pacifier when he was 4 weeks.
Saya ikut grup breastfeeding mums (singapore based) and berulang kali diingatkan tuk introduce bottle around 4-6 weeks. Karena saya harus balik kerja ketika Sora 7 weeks, I thought  I could start to introduce when he was 4 weeks, maybe only once a day, supaya Sora terbiasa ketika nanti saya balik kerja.
Dan dengan mudahnya Sora menyusu dari botol, tanpa drama sama sekali.
Hati saya tiba2 sedih, takut Sora ga mau latch on lagi... tapi... tidak terjadi, Sora tetap  menyusu dengan normal. Ah thank God!

Awal2 saya pakai chuchu training teat - lalu setelah beberapa lama, flow nya terlalu cepat, jadilah saya ganti pigeon peristaltic nipple .
Setelah diganti, Sora keliatan semakin mudah nyusu-nya.. dan setelah saya lihat2 dot chuchu itu emang dah rusak, jadi perlu diganti.

3. Saat Sora 7 weeks, saya kembali kerja. Mostly Sora latch on ketika di rumah, dan hanya botol ketika saya ga ada. Tapi ada waktu dimana sudah terlanjur susu dipanaskan, dan saya sudah pulang, karena sayang susunya ~ then tetaplah Sora nyusu dari botol saat saya di rumah.

4. TIBA2...pas Sora pas 3 bulan TIBA2 he rejected my breasts!
He cried out loud setiap kali saya mau nyusuin.. Hati saya hancur berkeping2... saya serasa tertolak dan tak diinginkan. Sedih sedih sedih dan hancur. Mungkin ada sekitar 1 bulan, saya cukup depresi, kept on trying. Dan sejak itulah, saya mulai full pompa ~ kecuali tengah malam, Sora masi mau dream feeding.. but again, suddenly when he was 6 months, he even rejected my breasts when he was sleeping!

So, kenapa tiba2 Sora menolak latch on? I don't know.
Apa karena saya ganti dot? I don't know
Apa karena I was around ketika Sora disusuin? I don't know (banyak yang bilang, kalo sebaiknya mama tidak berada di dekat bayi ketika bayi lagi disusuin pakai botol)

Until now, I don't know what I would've done differently.

Yeah, it was so painful and depressing when your baby rejected your breasts!
It is so tiring when you have to pump instead of latching on (though I heard banyak juga pengalaman latch on yang melelahkan, not in my case though).
I miss latching on soooooooo much!!! I miss him!
Setelah berhari2, saya mengalami depresi ... nangis2 tak berhenti, saya decided.. okay! He just rejected my breasts, not me! Though I miss latching on, at least I had it before.
There were several nights, when Sora started to reject my breasts even when he was sleeping, I really couldn't sleep at all.. saya selalu berjaga2 supaya bisa menyusui Sora di kala dia sangat pulas supaya dia tidak sadar. Dan akirnya saya capeeeeeeeee ga kira2. Dan saya berpikir.. "inikah bonding yang saya inginkan?" "toh Sora didn't even realize he was sucking my nipple" So, I said, that's it, I need my sleep.. I gave up, I needed to give him bottle instead!
Oh yeah, another depressing moment... and itulah saat supply saya semakin sedikit.
Karena biar bagaimanapun latching on akan produksi lebih banyak dari pompa, karena sedotan bayi paling mutakhir tuk membuat dada ibu kosong.

Dulu saya bercita2 mau nyusuin sampai 2 tahun, sekarang sejujur2nya dengan kondisi seperti ini.. saya tidak tahu sampai kapan supply ini masi ada.. dan sampai kapan saya sanggup bertahan.
Karena really, begitu banyak hal yang dikorbankan dengan pompa 4-5 kali sehari, belum lagi sakitnya.. duuh duh duh!
But we'll see.. I say, yes, one pump at at time! and all by His grace.

To be able tuk nyusuin Sora dengan mudahnya di awal, surely was a blessing for me and for Sora of course.
Tuk mengalami masa2 berat "penolakan" dari Sora pun, adalah saya percaya a blessing in disguise.
I can't really see now, but one thing I know for sure - my breastfeeding experience so far - either fully latch on, pumping at work or exclusive pumping, made me realize.. how I am nothing, even though the breastmilk comes out from my breasts, it is actually not from me, all from God. Dan saya tidak berkuasa sedikitpun. Really, kalo ada hal yang sangat pelajari dari motherhood, it humbles me dan membuat saya sangat belajar bahwa I need Him every second. Dan breastfeeding (one part of motherhood) taught me the same, it humbles me that no matter how hard I tried, it all depends on Him .. and yes I need Him every second, I need Him every pumping to have this ultimate joy, the strength to pump 4-5 times a day (sometimes in the middle of the night), the love to give the best for my baby and you know to always give thanks while doing it, no matter how hard it is. Like any other things in my life, God made this possible, God made this a wonderful journey and God gives me hope to keep doing it until my last drop or until we say "it is enough" for whatever reasons (dunno yet). I can do all things (all pumping sessions) with God who strengthens me, indeed.

What I would suggest to other exclusive pumpers, next! Stay tuned :)

(Sora's) Introduction to BLW

I waited until Sora (almost) 6 months to introduce him to solids.
BLW, baby-led weaning, was my (first) choice.

And it has been 2 weeks (after Sora could sit by himself), Sora has been "eating" solids.

Tuk yang belum terlalu familiar dengan BLW (baby-led weaning) bisa search lebih lanjut di sini  and could even explored deeper by reading the book.

A very simple explanation adalah bayi tidak disuapin, tapi membiarkan bayi makan sendiri.
Makannya apa? makan seperti orang dewasa (namun tentu ada aturannya - no salt, no sugar, no alcohol, caffeine dan strictly bukan makanan yg bisa bikin choking, model kacang yang keras)

Alasan kenapa saya decided to try BLW adalah  I love the idea Sora bisa belajar dan explore tentang makanan by himself - bisa menikmati makan tanpa harus dipaksa model kapal terbang masuk ke mulut.
Di BLW, foods before one is for fun, so - kebutuhan utama Sora adalah dari asi. (I love this idea too) gradually meningkat tho, by 9 months.

And, sejujurnya ada juga alasan, tuk mengurangi kerjaan saya, karena saya exclusive pumper, harus pompa sehari 4x, masing2 30 menit minimal. Itu pun sudah harus pintar2 mengatur waktu sambil jaga Sora, sambil pompa dan mengerjakan hal yang lain.
So, I thought, it would be great - kalo Sora could eat what we eat. (with some restriction tho~)

But again, memulai BLW ini saya tidak ada ekspektasi dan beban. Saya menyadari tiap anak berbeda, bisa jadi Sora tidak bisa gaya BLW dan saya perlu bikin puree dan menyuapi Sora. Kalau memang, BLW doesn't work for Sora, of course, saya ga akan paksa :)

Why don't we give it a try? I thought...

How did it start?
(Disclaimer: saya menulis ini berdasarkan pengalaman saya dengan Sora, bukan karena saya ahli. So, kalo ada yang mau coba, please do read the book to equip you better) 

1. Saya tunggu sampai Sora 6 bulan.. eehh tapi si anak saya satu ini, seminggu sebelum 6 bulan, tiba2 duduk tegak sendiri (sebelum2nya duduk tegak tapi didudukin, dan saya belum berani).

tampang anak bingung "ih kok saya bisa duduk sendiri sih?"

Langsung si mama Sora excited and kasi steamed wortel besok-nya. :D
Kenapa harus 6 bulan? Karena pencernaan bayi sebelum 6 bulan masi tidak sempurna dan belum bisa mencerna makanan selain susu. Atau untuk lebih jelas, baca di sini 

2. Baca, baca ... dan banyak baca. (dan bertanya)
Saya browsed banyak ttg BLW, ikut grup BLW juga..bahkan sering baca hal2 berulang2 tentang BLW. Tanya2 teman yang sukses dan gagal BLW.
Dan menurut saya, baca di internet saya tidak cukup.. Perlu baca bukunya. (saya ga dapat komisi apa2 dari buku ini loh, en saya pun pinjam di library).
Kenapa perlu baca bukunya? Lebih meyakinkan dan bisa dipertanggungjawabkan karena orang can write anything di internet, tapi tuk buku perlu waktu dan approval.
Dan tuk saya pribadi, setelah baca bukunya, saya jadi lebih clear - dan menurut saya BLW lebih make sense :)

3. Mulai dengan 1 macam makanan untuk beberapa hari. (2-3 hari)
Untuk kasus Sora, saya pertama kali coba kasi steamed wortel 2 hari.. eh tapi besok nya saya pegi high tea dan cuma ada timun yg bisa Sora "makan" dan beberapa hari kemudian, kami pergi berlibur ... dan jadinya saya explore banyak makanan tuk Sora.
Dengan kata lain, saya skipped tes makanan itu. Karena, keluarga saya tidak ada riwayat alergi.
Kalau ada riwayat alergi, sebaiknya coba 1 makanan dulu supaya bisa tahu apa yang trigger alergi nya.

4. Mengerti perbedaan gagging and choking. 
Walaupun untuk anak yang start BLW dari awal, resiko tersedak nya sangat kecil, kita tetap perlu belajar bedanya gag and choke. Kenapa resiko nya kecil: karena dari awal, bayi sudah belajar mengontrol makanannya dan play with the food in his mouth. Beda hal nya kalo terbiasa puree, bayi terbiasa menelan langsung tanpa mengunyah, sehingga ketika mulai makan yg real solids, tendency nya pun akan langsung menelan.

Tersedak itu choke - dimana makanan masuk ke lubang pernapasan, membuat bayi tidak bisa bernapas.
Naahhh dan ini pun kita ngerti cara membantu bayi yang tersedak.
Again, banyak baca tentang ini... banyak belajar!
Nah.... gag ... "saya ga tau bahasa Indonesia-nya", itu usaha si bayi mengeluarkan makanan yang terlalu besar. Jadi si bayi bakal batuk2 ato owek owekkk.. buat keluarin makanan. Gagging itu wajar, dan seharusnya saat gagging kita ga perlu panik.
Kalau sudah terlihat kesulitan bernafas dan tidak bersuara, itu tersedak.

5. Never ever leave your baby alone when he is eating!

6. Jangan paksakan si baby menghabiskan porsi yg sudah kita siapkan. Ikuti kemampuan dan porsinya.

And, here is the most exciting part (for me!) ...

Pengalaman Sora dgn BLW for the first two weeks ~ 

1. Foods:
Steamed: carrot, broccoli, pumpkin, yam, potato, labu siam (chayote), pear.
Raw: papaya, banana, avocado, cucumber, melon.
Btw, saya selalu steam bareng masak nasi di rice cooker.
Dan baru hari ini, saya coba kasi home-made pancake (ya ampun si Sora suka donk!!)

2. Sehari makan 3-4 kali.
Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner.
30 minutes to 1 hour after breastmilk!
Why? karena kebutuhan utama nutrisi Sora sekarang tetap dari susu, sehingga makanan2 itu tuk Sora belajar tekstur, rasa saja.. bukan jadi kebutuhan kalori dan nutrisi utamanya.

3. Saya usahakan Sora dalam keadaan gembira dan tidak ngantuk, supaya Sora bisa enjoy eating time.

4. Sora selalu makan pake singlet ato ga pake baju :$ supaya ga merusak baju2 dia, sekalian Sora facial buah2an :D

5. Makanan ditaroh di tray aja - ga di piring. Karena kalo di piring, piring juga bisa dimakan :$ 

I thank God, actually, our first two weeks experience has been good.
Though I expected to be super messy, but it turned out - not too much!
Sora could handle the foods well, aim to his mouth very well.
ya tumpah2 mah adaa... tapi menurut saja, itu sangat wajar!
Dan kebahagiaan adalah ketika melihat benda2 baru di poop Sora :D

Dan sejak Sora mulai solid, ya saya jadi ikutan sehat deh makan buah2an dan sayur2an steam... sering juga makan bekas lepehan Sora.. (sayang kannnn? mending mama makan daripada dibuang)

Awal2, Sora pegang2 dan masuk2in aja ke mulut.. namun hari makin hari mulai konsen makan... mengunyah.... seperti hari ini, Sora berhasil makan 3/4 pisang ukuran biasa saat mama lunch di Din Tai Fung during lunch time, 2/3 papaya seukuran yang biasa di jual di food court during afternoon snack - by himself

muka anak hepi dapat maenan baru "wortel" - @ first day of BLW 

Sora pretty loves papaya, I can tell .. day by day, more papaya actually came in :D 

Sora's attempt to eat and facial at the same time 

Berdasarkan pengalaman 2 minggu terakhir ini:

1. Avocado sangat2 lembut, dan enaakk :D bagus tuk coba dan gampang siapinnya ga perlu diapa2in lagi. 

2. Papaya.. karena saya takuuuut banget Sora jadi sembelit karena mulai makan solids, saya selalu kasi papaya setidaknya 2 hari sekali. ah dan thank God, Sora suka papaya, seperti papa dan mamanya. 

3. Timun, makanan tuk snack - kalo lagi jalan2 dan si anak iseng, kasi timun aja - soalnya ga terlalu berantakan, dan warnanya pun bening2. 

4. Brokoli, entah kenapa Sora suka banget tuh .. mungkin karena bentuknya yang lucu seperti pohon, tapi hati2 brokoli berantakan... siap2 ujan daun brokoli ya... 

5. Pisang karena super licin, kulitnya jangan dikupas semua (tapi cuci bersih dulu ya) - jadi bagian dengan kulit bisa dijadikan pegangan. Tapi sekarang sih Sora dah lebih bisa pegang pisang tanpa kulit, awal2 aja cukup licin. Btw, noda bekas pisang bisa bikin baju jadi hitam, jadi harus extra cepat2 bersihinnya.
6. Labu siam. Salah satu favorit Sora, dan enak loh lembek2.. aduh emang anak mama deh, sama doyannya.

Hari demi hari, perhatikan kemampuan si anak.. dengan begitu saya sesuaikan potongan yang nyaman untuk Sora. 

Kalau besar, Sora bisa pegang dua tangan - kadang tetap ditaroh di meja dan dia dekatkan mulutnya ke meja.. 

Kalau cukup kecil, Sora pegang 1 tangan dan makan seperti pegang stick gitu. 

Saya sih ngerasa hal ini tidak terlalu ada aturan, sesuaiin aja dengan si anak.. makanya kita perlu perhatikan dan tidak pernah tinggalkan dia ketika dia makan. Bukan hanya tuk alasan safety, tapi jg tuk semakin mengenal preference anak kita. 

Oh yah, tambahan.. karena hari2 Sora pertama BLW, we spent di Clubmed Cherating - jadi kami punya kesempatan tuk explore banyak banget makanan... daaaannn karena itu hari2 pertama means banyak banget makanan yg jatuh di lantai.. 

Well, ini bukan keharusan sih, tapi untuk courtesy saja (dan kesian sama cleaning service nya donk)... kami membereskan remah2 itu supaya tidak menimbulkan kerusuhan.
So, kalo lagi jalan2 di luar (pengalaman baru 2 minggu sih), saya pilih makanan yg less rusuh - dan siap siaga membersihkan.

Dan saya pun sangat2 bersyukur, karena punya suami dan mama yang sangat mendukung! Mama saya lagi disini pas di awal2 kita start BLW .. walaupun awal2 sempet senewennnn...tapi lama2 si popo bisa melihat kalo BLW ini emang make sense, Sora ada progress dan actually bisa makan. We witnessed together kalo emang a baby without a tooth bisa actually bite with his gum, chew well and swallow safely :) that's why, my mom is getting less senewen each day .. and bahkan bisa do things yg diajarkan di buku BLW tanpa baca bukunya, i think simply because BLW is actually very natural thing to do.. and yeah right, nothing beats experience, my mom is surely an expert :D

Begitu dulu updatenya tuk 2 minggu ini, again... saya tidak ambisius ... haha. Saya akan ikuti dengan pace Sora. Let's pray for the best :D
Motherhood really2 humbles me... When we think that we know about our baby well, the following day... he changes into someone new! Motherhood constantly reminds me how I need Our Father's guidance every hour and every day.
Yes, I need Thee every hour :)
Sama halnya dengan BLW, every time I start - I pray kalo Tuhan yg jaga Sora, I pray that Sora bisa enjoy and figure out how to eat... dan biar hikmat Tuhan terus dilimpahkan tuk si clueless mama ini to do the next thing. 

Let's see how~~ :D