Monday, May 18, 2009

Back home in Jakarta at last!

We're HOME. We've been away for a month and Connor's changed a whole lot since he was last home.

We travelled home without Dear Hubby who still has to go for more check-ups before the doctor's satisfied he can travel. It was my first time travelling alone with the baby and I couldn't have done it without the help of some good samaritans and my baby sling.

We bought the baby sling in Singapore. The brand is Pupsik. Dear Hubby asked me why I had to buy something that sounded like doggy vomit. :)) I thought the designs were adorable and I had been thinking about getting one anyway. We just happened to stop at their stall in Vivo City, the salesgirl let me try one sling on and I ended up buying this one. Connor seemed to calm down when he's in it and I like it too because I can make eye contact easily with him. It made walking to the plane a breeze.

Once we landed, I was looking around for flight attendants to help me carry my hand luggage since I knew I couldn't reach my bags when I'm carrying the baby. All of them had vanished. But fate put next to a lovely couple who helped me get my bags and the hubby actually helped carry them all the way to Immigration.

There was a huge crowd just before the passport checkpoint and I was puzzled. Soekarno-Hatta isn't usually that crowded. If I were alone, I would have dutifully queued up like the dungu that I am. Thankfully I was with the couple, who were Indonesian and therefore not so dutiful at queueing up. ;) The hubby found out the queue was only for passengers of a particular flight who were getting sprayed with some disinfectant and found a space for me to squeeze past everyone. To the couple who helped the lady with the baby seated at 5D of flight GA869, I want to say thank you for your kindness... I am very grateful for your help.

Once we were safely in the car, I breathed a sigh of relief. Then a gasp of shock as my driver nonchalantly changed lanes without signalling, had to calm Connor when a passing ojek honked and vroomed past and groaned when my bones jarred as we hit a pothole.

Yep. We're home. :))

7 comments:

  1. Hi, just wondering if the pupsik was a good buy after using it for while? Is Connor comfy in it? How heavy is he at the moment and do you feel any strain on your back?

    I'm thinking of getting one also, but as the online shop is based in Sg, i can't try it on myself. I'm worried about purchasing the wrong size actually even though i know the website help you to measure yourself. Any pointers you can give based on what the salesperson told you?

    Thanks!!

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  2. Hi Grace, I actually like it very much. Was uncomfy at first but once I got used to it, I really liked it. I'm 165cm tall and I use an L-sized sling. Connors weighs about 9kg now.
    Connor likes being in it, the sling seems to help calm him down and keep him quiet. I don't use it for very long though so maybe that's why it doesn't strain my back. It's mainly to calm him down before I pop him back into stroller while we're out or when we get to places where I can't use a stroller.
    Afraid I can't give you pointers on which size will be better... I just tried on the L and it seemed right, so I bought it.
    If you are based here in Jkt, we could meet somewhere and you can try out my sling to see if it fits you.

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  3. Thanks so much. I bought it already! I'm 168cm and I bought the L. I hope it's the right size *gulp* heheh but it's too pretty! They don't have very nice choices in KL.

    I'm from KL actually :) but thanks anyway!

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  4. Grace.. you're welcome, hope you like the sling!

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  5. Hello Mrs. Top Monkey! Nice to hear you are back to your routine!

    My son literally lived in a ring sling the first five months. He was sleeping so badly during the day and they want mommy all the time. So I used to put him inside the sling and he could go to sleep. I also breastfeed sometimes inside the sling. It was really helpful when I needed to do some cleaning or cooking (we don't have maids in Europe ;-D) When he turned five months he began to be a bit to heavy but he started to be very interested in the floor, too. I used to put a blancket on the kitchen floor whith lots of kitchen stuff and I could finish some cooking. When he got tired and wanted mommy I put him inside the sling but at that time he was already having a sleeping timing and was not sleeping inside the sling. After he's got 6 months I bougth the best thing I have for baby/toddler: the Ergo Baby Carrier. We just loved it. He also spendt half of his life inside! hehe. In the evenings when we was cranky but I wanted to prepare some meals I put him inside the carrier in my back with a carrot in his hand and you couldn't hear him. I took him for some small walks with it and my husband could manage to use it (he was not very happy for the sling) Now in India we used it sooooo much. Even now he is 15 months but we still use it because we can't use a stroller here. Great for Airports (that baby-bjorn that is so popular is terrible for their backs and your backs and also terrible for their still little things when they are boys, you know what I mean...) and for shopping in street markets and vacations... Check out my pictures, I think there are some pictures with Felix inside the carrier. Take care!

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  6. Cris: If I'd known how useful a sling was, I would have bought it earlier. Nice to hear another mum has a positive experience with slings. I've also heard Babybjorns are very uncomfortable, so i'm glad I didn't get one!

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  7. Hi Mrs Top Monkey,

    I hope I am not intruding but I somehow found my way into your blog. Your husband's comment about Pupsik sounding like dog vomit tickled me crazy. =)) Glad to hear that our sling is working well for you! Do let us know if you have any feedback or questions!

    Su Ling
    www.pupsikstudio.com
    email: hello@pupsikstudio.com

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