Boys Will Be Boys

I have to look for presents for baby boys. I'm godmother to my friend's baby, my other godson is turning one and another baby of my friend is celebrating his birthday too! This changes my shopping routine a bit... no more ruffles, lace or pop sleeves this time. And of course, I always opt to buy clothes as presents... toys are too bulky to send anyway.

On my way to work, I passed by Paul Frank Industries which was a block away from my office. The window display was inviting and I found myself going inside. I had to check their infant line, Small Paul and boy the stuff were really cute, especially for boys! But I found that they were way overpriced...600 hkd for a camouflage onesie! I liked their hooded jackets and printed shirts too. Sigh, I wish I was paid much higher so I can afford them all. Hmm... I need to work harder!

Wanted to show you some pics of the stuff I saw and found that Small Paul was cheaper online at oliebollen.com. Hurray!

This rocker jacket is so cool with the mohawk hood...


Love the colors on this camo print hoodie too, so cute with jeans and sneakers...


They got cute onesies too and this is perfect for babies who love their tunes...


Or those for those who are teething...


If you want a cheaper alternative, my friend just told me about Agoo, a new funky line for babies from the Philippines. Too bad they are only for babies 0- 9 months (2 babies I'm getting gifts for are turning one!) They don't have a store yet but you can check their stuff on Multiply. Take advantage of their sale, some onesies are only around 50hkd or US$6. Not bad!





Now who said dressing up a baby boy is not fun?

Double Trouble

I wouldn't know what to do if I had twins. I guess no mom is really prepared for two babies right away and is just forced to deal with the situation when it comes. One of my best friends in Manila had two boys 6 or 7 years ago... (gosh! I am such a bad godmother, I don't even know how old they are). She was telling me it was a riot at home, especially when they started running, shouting and hurting each other. Oh no! But, when I see her she is always glowing and is very happy so I guess it's not that bad after all. I guess there's no need to worry anymore about playgroups if you have two!

But most worry that seeing double also means double in costs. Ouch! Don't you wish everything for sale was buy one, take one? Having twins does not necessarily mean buying two of the same thing. Thank God! At least the concept of sharing is learned at a very young age... sharing mom's milk, dad's pocket money, hopefully just not the same boyfriend/girlfriend when they grow older!

And since Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick are expecting twin daughters from a surrogate mother, Brangelina have Vivienne and Knox and J.Lo and Marc Anthony have Emme and Max, twins are IN!

Let's go through some of the cool products for twins on the market...

Who says you can't carry both babies at the same time on your chest? Weego developed a baby carrier for twins. I love the plaid design, reminds me of Ralph Lauren. If grandma borrowed one baby, you can just slip a doll into the other pocket...


Of course, there's always the double buggy. Too bad there is no double Quinny or Bugaboo yet, but at least there is a double Maclaren. Saw one at the Elements mall last weekend and the two baby boys looked so cute wearing the same clothes, sucking on the same dummy and holding the same stuffed doll.


There are also some twin cribs, if you want babies to sleep close to each other. Some just buy separate beds but I kinda like the idea of them under the canopy. How sweet!


The easiest stuff to buy for twins are clothing, I saw a mom just buy two of several items in H&M one day... I wonder how much her bill was. Good thing there's H&M! If I had twins though, I don't think I'll be dressing them up in the same clothes all the time. I can't help but laugh at these twin onesies though...


Graco also has a twin bassinet/playpen, at least there's something babies can finally share now without using up too much space. Just hope the babies don't get into a wrestling match in there!


And if you are worried about nursing the two babies together without playing favorites, check out this nursing pillow for twins from Double Blessings.

Pardon My French (Once Again)!

I just read about a sale on Bonpoint's sale at Gilt Groupe this week. I never heard of this brand before but when I searched for it online, I was in-love! Tell me you aren't! The French has done it again... Bravo!

Dwell on the Past

Hautelook just sent an email about Cynthia Rowley's Dwell Studio for Baby. I did an internship with Cynthia Rowley when I lived in New York six years ago. It was only a month but it was unforgettable. I just loved her... her clothes and shoes just reflects her fun character. Bright colors, swirls, polka dots.... that's her signature! She would even come to work wearing pigtails. What a great experience!

If you are planning to spice up baby's room, why not go for her contemporary beddings? Perfect if you feel you are tired of the girlie pinks and baby blues. Hurry up as there are exactly 29 hours left for this sale... most items are 75% off, now isn't that a good deal? Can you tell I worked for her before? Too much brand loyalty!

Chocolate Motif Bed Skirt

Oval Motif Crib Set

Gio Lemon Crib Set

Cowboy Crib Set

Personalize It

There's nothing better than a gift that's personalized, especially for a newborn baby. Or if you can't wait for someone to give you one, why not have one made yourself? I want to get them all!

I like the charms on this keychain. Would be great to use for my house keys to make sure I don't forget that I have a baby to go home too, especially on a Friday night.


I think my baby is too old to wear this so I might just skip this one. Cute for baby to wear when going to playgroup, there's no way you can bring home the wrong baby if the name is spelled out at the bottom.



Personalized onesies are also a great gift, I particularly like this one because it looks like a uniform for little babies working at a gas station. Umm, child labor?


Babies love their pillows, this is definitely one to keep forever. I'm not sure how it would smell years later. Ewww!


During my mom's time it was trendy to have first baby's shoes dipped in bronze, she had mine done but I don't know where it is now. Hmm... can you pawn bronze, I don't think so? You can opt for ceramic so you don't get tempted to do so.


For my daughter's first birthday, I was asking my sister to get her a personalized book but she couldn't fine one. Just saw one this morning at Pottery Barn Kids. Now you can read to your baby her own story, just make sure it has a happy ending!


In case you have twins, it would be nice to have their stuff monogramed so you know who owns what (especially if you suspect baby has herpes... este colds). I particularly liked the baby more than the towel in this photo.


Another cool idea is to engrave a silver cup. Looks like something you can find from grandma's treasure chest. If you like silver, you can also check out Tiffany & Co. other gift ideas. Just don't ask me about the price!

Stepmom

My first few months of being a mom was not when my daughter was born. It was back in February 2008 when I met my husband's son. I was sleeping in my hubby's (boyfriend's back then) room after a big night (day after Valentine's Day) when I hear d a voice of a little boy. "Thank you," Ollie whispered in my ear after seeing the remote control Ferrari car I got him. He just flew in from Paris to visit his Daddy for his school break. From that day onwards, I bore myself a son minus the labor and all.

When I fell pregnant, he was my biggest concern (well aside from my father). I was scared about how he would feel, how he would treat my little baby... I have a couple of half-brothers and sisters too and unfortunately, we do not have a good relationship. I guess I was scared of karma where he would be treating his little sister like how I treated my half-sisters. Oops!

We told the little boy that he would be having a sister when we left for Bangkok for some R & R. I felt so bad because he started crying and said he did not want to have two mothers. His father needed to explain that that is not the case and assured him that everything will stay the same. Good thing, we managed to have a good time still.

A couple of months later, after I gave birth, he flew again from Paris to see his new sister. To my surprise, he was in-love with her like how I was. I was so touched when he asked us if he can marry her in the future because he loves her so much. He even carried her and fed her milk (he's only 8). And my daughter loved it too, I have pictures to prove it!

Now that he is back in Paris, they see each other on Skype regularly, he sees her walk, play, giggle and babble. I can't wait for them to be together again this year. For me, he is not my daughter's stepbrother... he's her older brother. And I consider him my son, not my stepson I am sure my hubby's ex would be uncomfortable hearing that but I'm sure she would be treating my daughter as if it were hers too (she also sees my baby on Skype).

On that note, I think topmodel Gisele Bundchen is doing a fantastic job with her husband's son, John. She said she felt that he was hers from the first time she saw him (same here!) I just hope it's more than a PR exercise...

Music to Baby's Ears

Some say that it would be good to listen to classical music when pregnant. Yes, the baby will be soothed by the tunes and will probably end up liking classical music when older. However, baby won't necessarily become smarter. The Mozart Effect has been debunked so I'm glad I didn't waste my time listening to music I didn't fancy. Actually, I hardly listened to music at all. But, I danced a lot and went to the club from time to time (but stayed away from alcohol and smoke of course).

Now that baby is growing older, she is becoming more and more interested in music. The only music she listened to in the beginning was the music from her Fisherprice Rainforest mobile and probably her Baby Einstein and Fisher Price DVDs (she loved the jingles of the ads as well). But as soon as she's been watching the Boogie Beebies programs, she's been dancing more and more. In case you are not familiar with the show, the hosts teach the kids some dance moves and my daughter just loves it! I find it funny that when she dances, she raises her hands like I do. I guess she got that from me. She likes singing too, sometimes she hums to music. Now, that I don't know where she got that from because my voice is just terrible (think Cameron Diaz in My Best Friend's Wedding).

I think I should enroll her in Kindermusik soon, especially since I am at work and she only has her nanny to play with now. I heard some good reviews about this program and I am becoming more and more convinced to try it. In the meantime, I plan to get her some more musical toys to play with.

Okay, this music bag by Chicco is not exactly a musical toy but isn't it cute? It even has a case for an ipod. My 4 year old niece already has her own ipod with all the Hannah Montana tunes, can you believe?


This Fisherprice piano is also cute, it even matches her current crib mobile.


When baby was in Manila, she watched some Barney DVDs with her cousin and they told me she just loved it. Nothing close to Guitar Hero but I think she can start with this one.


I just find this birdhouse xylophone by Lamaze so cute. I hope she doesn't slap the bird instead of the notes...


My daughter actually has this Leap Frog maracas already but I recommend that other moms get it. It is also bilingual (hers is English and French and there's also an English-Spanish version) like all Leap Frog products.


Perhaps our kids can form a band after? We can be the back-up dancers.

Pay it Forward

I keep on mentioning that it's Mother's Day and stressing the fact that I should be receiving something on this occasion. What I have forgotten is that I am a daughter too, meaning I need to get my mom something... not because she asked for one but because she deserves it!

After my sleepless nights feeding baby and all the countless chores, I just realized how much sacrifice my mom made for me and my siblings. I'm complaining now when I only have one daughter to look after while she had three. I remember my dad telling me after an argument with them, "When you become a parent, you will understand..." and yes, now I definitely get it! Parenting is such an selfless act, painful but very fulfilling!

Now that I have a daughter, I talk to my mom about my needs, my baby, my new life. Have I had the time to ask her how she's doing, how she feels, what her fears and concerns are? Nope! I'm guilty for taking her for granted. When times of trouble, it's so easy to call Mom for help... I need the boogie wipes can you send me some? Can you get me something at Baby Gap? Please pass by Abercrombie and Fitch. Can you send me some cash, I'm broke? I'm doomed if my daughter turned out like me.

I haven't told my mom that I loved her in ages, yet I tell my daughter that more than ten times a day. Plus given the distance of Hong Kong and San Francisco, there hasn't been a chance for me to kiss her either. I feel that for this Mother's Day, I owe my mom something really special (damn, I missed the Chopard private sale last week). I came across this book Because I Love Her which are essays on mother-daughter relationships which could be a really touching gift. I also want to send her a nice picture frame of my daughter. Perhaps throw in some flowers too? I think she would really be happy.



Yesterday, I told my daughter that whenever she would be needing help from me, I would always be there for her. She just continued playing... I don't think she will truly understand what that means til she becomes a mother one day too...

Catching up on Zzzs

Apparently, blogs by Moms are becoming more and more popular nowadays. For new moms who have no idea about what to buy for baby, need advice on parenting or simply just need to relate to other moms, they refer to blogs by fellow mothers. In my case, even if my Mom was around, I don't think she knew which is better, the Quinny or Bugaboo. So when baby was sleeping, I would surf about everything from baby clothes, baby rashes (although medical advice should not be seeked online), and baby recipes. Since my mom was in a different timezone, I couldn't just call her when something comes up.

After reading these blogs for almost a year now, I decided to write my own, and now you are reading mine! Some moms just feel too tired to go online or just don't fancy computers... well, if you are one of those, there's a book called Sleep is for the Weak which is written by fellow mombloggers. I want to get a copy of this book so I can start thinking about writing my own (as if), like I had the time... but then again, Sleep is for the Weak so maybe I should... go to work the whole day, rush to go home to see baby after, hit the gym when she is sleeping, eat little for dinner, and write a book throughout the night, and have sex with hubby? Umm, I don't think so!

Read this article on Why Mom Blogs...

Need a Little Perk?

Finally, a solution to sagging breasts for breastfeeding moms, Bring it Up, instant breast lifts! There's no need to complain about breasts that are uneven anymore. Gives moms' breasts a little perk without having to going to the plastic surgeon, cool! And very cheap too for US$19.99!


Seriously, I think moms who breastfeed should be given some sort of trophy for:

1) waking up every 2 hours to feed their baby
2) enduring the pain of breastfeeding (sore nipples, engorgement, etc.)
3) being selfless and on call whenever baby is hungry and revolving life around baby's sked
4) giving up alcohol, oysters, etc.
5) having to breastfeed in public and get the stares from impolite people

They do deserve, at the very least, to have nice boobs again! I only breastfed for 2 months. Since I was going back to work, I had to feed baby formula since I was not comfortable expressing milk in the office bathroom. Also, my daughter always hungry and she would bite my nipples, ouch! I even bought those nipple protection gels at Chicco and had to refer to a lactation consultant for advise on better latching. In the end, she was more satisfied with formula so at least that made me happy. Since my hubby and I were both fed with milk from the can when we were kids, we didn't see any reason why we couldn't feed the same to our child. Luckily, she only got sick once before she turned one so she is pretty much healthy!

Even if I fed for only 2 months, my breasts did sag a bit (and became smaller after, sigh!) so I think I could use Bring it Up. I wonder if it can make my boobs look bigger too... now, that would be nice!

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

Shucks, the more I know I need to go on a diet, the more I eat! I've been on junk food heaven today... instant noodles, cheetos, coca-cola, oreo! I'm probably PMSing, craving for all kinds of stuff. And, no, I am not pregnant again! One thing I have been craving about are my friend's cupcakes. She made them for my daughter's birthday and they were so yummy! The cake is moist and the icing is really sweet! I'm such a sweet tooth so cake, ice cream and chocolate are my weaknesses.

My friend who is a flight attendant for Cathay Pacific discovered that baking is her passion and I am proud to be her first customer. I can't wait to find an excuse for me to order some cakes again. My daughter's second birthday is not til next year... hmm, let me think what occasion is next! For those who would like homemade cakes for their children's, hubby's, boss' or friend's birthday, let me know and I will give you her number... as long as I have a slice too!

Shades of Summer

Okay, I know now's not the best time to write about sunglasses since it pouring rain outside (at least in Hong Kong). But, summer is here and it's been getting hot recently. What I like about this weather is the fact that I can wear tank tops, flip flops and sunglasses. Although, I always find it hard to find a pair that suits the shape of my face. I don't have a prominent nose to hold it. Bugger...

Wearing shades gives me the feeling of anonymity (although people recognize me anyway) so it's helpful when going to the grocery and I don't feel like dressing up, going to the park and I don't want to mingle with other moms or helpers for that matter, and when my eyebags are big from the party the night before.

It's time to throw away my Oakleys and find myself a pair that's both stylish and timeless. Check out some of the eyewear celebrities have been wearing recently...

Chloe does not only have handbags that are to- die-for but their eyewear is stylish too. Jessica Alba wears this oversized one while Naomi Campbell is wearing the famous myrtle. I wonder if those big ones suit my small face...

Another famous brand for sunglasses is Tom Ford. I love the aviator ones on Cheryl Cole and the oversized one on the model below. Can I have both? Again, not sure if it will suit me.

Okay, I don't really fancy the glasses Angelina Jolie is wearing in this pic but I just like the photo, haha! She is wearing Versace in this one, not exactly my fave brand.

And who says only mommy needs to wear shades? Check out the ones from Gap and Baby Banz. It's supposed to be for UV protection but I don't think I'll buy them just yet. Besides, they look better on boys, don't you think?