Talk about being productive!

Boy.. how I love Digi. Never before I made so many layouts in just one week. Bless you.. all the people who create Digikits! There should be a special place for you in scrapbooking heaven. Do I love to exaggerate or what?

Anyway, here are some layouts I made:

I really want to capture Darrel's special relationship with his Grandpa. They are so close to each other. He even kinda forgets about me whenever Grandpa is around... Sigh... :D

Digikits used: Ettes & Co - Happiness; Marie Stones - Life's Simple Pleasures; DSP - Welcome Kit; Michelle Underwood - Bright Smiles: Miss Mint - Coordinated Kit Mommitude; Rhonna Farrer - September Freebies, Splish Splash.

This is my first attempt on a boyish layout. I've always been kinda girly and romantic (only scrapbooking wise.. on other aspects, it's completely the other way around). I love these pictures, they're just so funny. They were taken by my sister, Eunice, when she and my Mom were babysitting Darrel. At that time, he completely refused to take a nap and ended up falling asleep on his bike after playing all day long.

Digikits used: Emily Powers - Art Nation Blossom; Shabby Princess - Splendid, Moody Blues; Rhonna Farrer - True Dream, May Freebies.

I just love love love this picture of Darrel and Hardi. A moment truly worth remembering.

Digikits used: Betsy Tuma - Eloquent Autumn; Linda Walton - Oopsy Daisy; Shabby Princess - Harvest Spice, Vintage Florals; Anne Langpap - January Brown; Erica Hernandez - Vibe; Rhonna Farrer - September Freebies; Dawn Mills - Heritage; Veronica Ponce - Cottage Bluff.

Post-baby, I hardly ever made layouts of me and my husband. Talk about focus & priority shift post-baby, that's so true in every aspects - even scrapbooking! Anyway, something happened last week that reminded me to always make time for my marriage as well. So, in the act of reminiscing the past I skimmed through our old photo files (yup, they're no longer in albums) and found this picture, taken just last year on Hardi's 31st birthday.

Last year was a very busy-busy time for me as I was holding two responsibilities at the same time at the office. I had to work day and night (literally) and weekends too. So making time for family was a real struggle. As a surprise for Hardi's birthday, I made a reservation at Malya (now Padma) - a resort in Bandung for a quick getaway. We went straight to Bandung after I landed on Jakarta's airport from my business trip in Semarang. 3 cities in just one day, could you imagine? He didn't even have his bag packed when he picked me up at the airport, we bought all this clothes there. But it was a very good getaway, something that we both really needed. And it reminds me that no matter how busy I am, I should always always make time for my loved ones.

And then I found that quote to enjoy the little things in life, and then the papers and then the embellishments. Then everything just seemed to fit on its own accord. And voila... a little something to enjoy.

Digikits used: Linda Walton - Oopsy Daisy; Michelle Coleman - Bohemian Summer, Wild Sorbet; Marie Stones - Mother's Love.

Our Dreams came true

I made this layout as part of my preparation to explain about adoption to Darrel. It captures our journey from the first time I met him, the routine visits to the hospital - to the day we became the proud beaming parents we are today.

Adoption is not very common in Indonesia, many people still think of adopted children as 'second-class' and the fact that someone's adopted is often kept secret. To tell or not to tell was a dillema that my husband and I struggled with for quite sometime. Eventually, we decided it's best to let him know from the very early stage. I still go by the rules that honesty is the best policy.

I hope that when the time comes for Darrel to learn the fact that he's adopted, this will help him to see how much he is wanted and hoped for. No less than our own biological child, if someday we are blessed to have one.

Digikits used: Dawn-Mills Heritage Kit created by Snowsmoon's Design, Dream Acrylic from True Dream Digital Kit by Rhonna Farrer

Happy Birthday Darrel!

Happy birthday, baby!

And here is my wish for you - for today and all the days to come,

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow

And each road leads you where you want to go;

And if you’re faced with a choice and you have to choose,

I hope you choose the one that means the most to you,

And if one door opens to another door closed;

I hope you keep on walkin till’ you find the window

If it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,

My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

You dreams stay big, your worries stay small,

You never need to carry more than you can haul

And while you’re out there getting where you’re getting to

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too

Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back, but you never forget

All the ones who love you, in the place you left,

I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,

And you help somebody every chance you get

Oh, you find God’s grace in every mistake

And always give more than you can take

But more than anything, more than anything,

I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,

Yeah, this is my wish

~ from My Wish by Rascal Flatts ~

Love,

Mommy & Daddy

The Unsuccessful Photo Shoot

Went to the studio for Darrel's first photo shoot with high spirit. Afterall, he laughs all the time at home, so there shouldn't be any problem, right? Plus, I've packed along his favourite toys that never failed to make him laugh. I've also asked my Mom and my brother, Kenneth, to tag along to help make him laugh. See that I didn't even aim for a smile? I was so confident I was gonna get lots of laughter, an ear-to-ear grin at the worst scenario. I've got everything covered, this should be a piece of cake, we'd be done in a jiffy. Or so I thought...

Take one, ready, camera, go...

Me: Darrel, look at Mommy! Look what's Mommy got.... (waving a squishy & noisy plastic hammer with a frenzy)
Darrel: gazed intently at the cameraman after throwing me a scathing look which I'm pretty sure meant 'Ssh Mom, I've seen the hammer everyday... I want to concentrate on the weird thing that man's pointing at me!'

Take two...
Me: Peek a Boo! (from behind the giant lighting equipment - I have no idea what's the correct name for it)
Darrel: watched the lighting thingy in awe - 'Bright white light... how beautiful. Mom, stop... you're ruining my meditation.'

Take three, four, five and so forth... (I stopped counting already)
Me: Made funny faces, rolled around.. dribbled colourful ball, waved the squishy hammer again in desparate attempt for a smile... Just a smile, baby, pleaaaseeee.....

Darrel: watched me curiously - 'Mom... err, is something wrong with you? I think you need a nice warm bottle of milk to calm you down. Works for me all the time!'

Well, you get the idea....

Story of My Life

The first time we met....

Test of faith....

My own sweet happy ending...

Going Digital!

Yup, I've finally decided to go digital. With a baby to take care of, the phrase spare time has become unknown to me. So I decided to give digital scrapbooking a shot and realized that this is a perfect solution for me! It's cheap (with all that free stuffs floating around in the net), I don't have to worry about cleaning up the mess after my so-called creative process - which involves spreading my scrapbook supplies accross the entire room; I can prepare layouts during lunch time, I don't have to worry about making mistakes - three cheers for the undo button!. I won't have to interrupt my mother-son time with Darrel, which is so limited already. And my husband is definitely happy to see a steep decline in my credit card bills and the fact that he's finally able to see his computer - which was previously drowned by my papers, stickers, rub-ons, et cetera. So, everybody's happy. What an ideal solution! Anyway, this is one of the layout I created during my lunch time. Neat, right? Not that I intend to give up traditional scrapbooking entirely. I still love seeing a real- I can feel & touch- page, with dimension and textures. I'll still be doing that, only far less frequent.

Do you see how happy Darrel's expression is when he's playing with his daddy? I really love watching those two together. Ever experienced falling in love with a man over and over again? I've been experiencing that so often lately. I realize not many men will embrace a stranger's child as his own. I was the one who met Darrel first and fell instantly in love with him; and being my usual 'jump first - worry later' kind of person, did everything I could to take Darrel home as my son. Hardi's case was a bit different - in a nutshell: imagine coming home one day to find your wife beaming, holding a baby saying... honey, isn't he just adorable... and he's ours! Well, that's not exactly how it went - but you get the picture. And never once, did he hesitate. I still find that fact amazing and during my self-reflecting exercise (euphemism for day dreaming) I realized that deep down this was the reason I married him. The unquestionable kindness and decency in him, that I somehow knew I can always rely on. So, whenever I see them together, I could never help myself from smiling and thinking: I'm so blessed.

Finding our way back together

Through series of events too personal too share, we finally found our way back together. Your mother eventually decided to entrust you under our care. I really wish that someday you'd understand that you were not given to us because you were not loved, but because you are loved so deeply, more than herself. Someday, when you have children of your own, you will understand her sacrifice and what a selfless act it was.

My brother Kenneth wrote a poem about you, when we thought we had to let you go.

Mario the Baby

When you came into my life
To my tiny, boring life
When you were carried across the street
And you entered our bedroom's tiny sheet

I saw you and I was so happy
To see your cute face and big belly
When you first stayed at my home
All of our hearts become whole

The time when you slept and ate
And the time you cried and played
All those times made me happy
Like mother with her baby

So please come back to me
So you can play with me

And his wish, as well as ours, were granted. You've come back to us... as our son, Darrel Syauqi Darmadi. A healthy and happy boy who fills our home with a child's belly laugh - the most beautiful sound on earth - indeed.

Letting Go

I really hoped and prayed that you will be ours. When I held you in my arms, you fit right in. I can still remember how you always smiled when you woke up and saw me waiting by your crib, how you mumbled your baby talk that I could listened to for three hours straight. What it was liked to rock you to sleep, how you hummed along with me when I sang you a lullaby. How peaceful you looked when you slept in my arms. Those memories are engrained in my heart. The hospital found your mother. She was so afraid to come to the hospital because of the monstrous hospital bill. But the hospital finally let her pay on an installment basis. She would have to pay the debt for 21 years straight. I hope you know how much she loves you and how hard she works for you. She had an internal bleeding when she had you and couldn't work for 3 months. All those time you were always on her mind. As happy as I am that you both found each other, it broke my heart into pieces when I had to hand you over. I have never loved this much and never felt such pain. I once made a promise that if they found your mother and she wants to take care of you, I'll return you to her. Never thought I'd be asked to keep my promise in such a short time. I knew it would've been hard, I just didn't know it would be this hard. Your mother, Yanti, has a very big heart, she would still let me see you from time to time, for that I'm eternally grateful. Here's a picture of you and your mom, have a happy life, baby. I love you.

Love at First Sight

It was truly love at first sight. When I held you in my arms, I knew my life is finally complete. It's still a long and difficult road ahead that we have to go through before we can take you home, but baby, we are doing everything we can to get you home.

I used to wonder if there's anything or anyone in this world that I'd be willing to give my life for. Now I can say without hesitation - for you, I would.

He'd make a great Dad

With our adoption process starting to take a roll, my husband often fidgeted on whether or not he can be a good father. Seeing how natural he is with his nephews, I don't think he has anything to worry about. He'd be a GREAT father.

Being with you

Title: Being with you means being myself and K.N.O.W that I am loved.

I made this layout, well, at least the skeleton of this layout during lunchtime with my colleague, Dina Middin. Sssh, don't let our boss knows ^_^

Sweet Sunshine

Title: Sweet sunshine

Journaling:

Baby, when you smile you fill the room with sunshine.

Isn't she just lovely? This is my niece Isabelle Christy, the first daughter of my cousin, Naldo. She has the most beautiful smile that really brightens up the whole room. When I started to learn scrapbooking, I took tons of her picture. Actually, I still am, she's just so darn cute!

By the way, before I forget, if you see the swirls in my blog title and like them, they are the courtesy of Mel Rodicq. Thanks a lot Mel! If I were more skilled in photoshop, I'm sure it would've looked a whole lot better. But hey, mastering photoshop is one of my resolution for 2009. Anyway, if you're interested in seeing more beautiful work, please check out her website: http://www.melsbrushes.co.uk/ They're just lovely!

Let's enjoy our life together

Title: Let's enjoy our life together
Journaling:
For weeks I've been mourning and rambling about me not being pregnant. One day, out of the blue you sent me an email saying: "To enjoy & be grateful for what we have is the best way to spend this beautiful life that has been granted to us. There's nothing perfect in life. Which family is happier, one who is wealthy or a poor one? I think both have equal opportunity to be a happy family. Which family is happier, one with kids or without? This too, has equal opportunity to make a happy family. So to be happy in this life is not about what we have or not, but how we see them. Let's enjoy our life together!" All I could say is: Baby, I'm so blessed!

Need I say more? Thanks hon, you truly are my shelter in every storm.
Love ya!

Mom - always on the lookout

Title: Mom - always on the lookout
Journaling:
Mom, you're always on the lookout for us. Sometimes to the point that we'd roll our eyes & groan "Moommm..." But seeing this picture, I think I understand you a little bit more. When you've been looking out for someone since their first steps, I guess it becomes second nature. Love you, Mom! Elaine

I found this picture when I was skimming through old family albums one weekend. Somehow, I find it very touching. My mom is, as you could probably guess, the type of mom who fusses over the 4 of us most of the time. 'You shouldn't work that hard, take this vitamins I read that it's good, etc, etc...' You know what I mean? But seeing the picture gives me a glimpse, just a glimpse of motherhood. To think that she was only 23 when she had me. I'm turning 31 and if I had a baby right now, I'd be flabbergasted! So this one's for you, Mom!

And the story goes...

To be honest, I'm not much of a storyteller, which was why having a blog never occurred to me. Though I do enjoy reading other people's blog. Anyway, long story short: I came across a post from my scrapbook teacher, Ria Nirwana, that went like this:

Focus on the story
A story is becoming a story, only if you share it with others
By telling it
By writing it
So if you have a good enough story to tell, even if only a short one, which only your beloved could understand, tell it.

So I figured,why not? And here's my story...