Happy Thanksgiving!

It has been a crazy week and I have to admit that I almost felt like I was going nuts with both babies screaming, crying and seeking "urgent attention" at the same time. I suspect there is almost a conspiracy going on between them both. Plus there are tons of other small nitty gritties that cropped up over the week that had to be tended to. And for some strange reason, I have been feeling a compelling need to clear out my old stuff, particularly the wardrobe which is crazy cos that is the last thing I should be doing at a time like this. There were times when I feel like dropping everything and retreat to some mountain just to take a breath of fresh air and recharge. I need sleep...undisturbed sleep.

Despite everything over the past week, I am grateful to have a pocket of time this morning just to sit down for my quiet time and give thanks to God for all He has given me. At times like this, it is just so easy to be distracted and suck oneself into self-pity and self-absorption in our own little world and forget about all that He has so freely given us; Food, a home, a healthy body, loved ones...things we often take for granted.

While browsing through some of my favourite Christian blogs and website this morning, I am reminded of the verse in I Thessalonians 5:18 which says,

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

I know that there are many mommies out there going through the same lack of sleep and adjustments as myself and I just want to say "Hang on"! Here is a little something I have been listening to this morning that I would like to share with you and hope you will be able to seek comfort in.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

xxoxo Su Ling

(click on "Pop-Out Player" to listen)

How to wear your Pupsik Pouch (NEW instructional video)

We have finally got down to improving our instructional videos to guide mommies using the pouch for the first time.

This video shows you how you should wear your pouch correctly. It is quite easy once you get the hang of it.

The padding should be facing out if you are doing the cradle/kangaroo carry. For the front/hip carry, the padding is placed inside under baby's knees to cushion them.\

For more detailed videos, please visit instructional page on the main website.

Cradle Carry (NEW instructional video)

Here is me, showing how to do the cradle carry on a (large) newborn baby. a.k.a Nadya at 6 weeks.

I consider the cradle carry more challenging, compared to the kangaroo and hip carry, as baby is still relatively small and fragile. The pouch is might to be quite snug when baby is inside. And especially with the postpartum tummy in the first few weeks after delivery, many mommies think the pouch is too small when it is actually the right size. We usually encourage mums to be patient when learning how to use the pouch but are happy to do an exchange, if required. Generally, a pouch is the right size when the lowest point of the pouch is 1-3 inches under your belly button.

As with all things, it will be a breeze once you get the hang of how to place and remove baby from the pouch for the cradle carry. Just remember safety first and always support a newborn's neck and make sure there is good airflow to baby's face. Also, practice when baby is in a good mood, not when he is screaming his lungs out to be fed.

The cradle carry is perfect when you need your hands free to do simple things like surf the web or go shopping! The snug feeling also helps calm babies down as it mimics the feeling of being in the womb.

Some Helful Tips for doing the Cradle Carry

1. Make sure that baby's legs are slightly crossed before putting in the pouch

2. You should have the padding facing out and the seam of the pouch at the lowest point and positioned directly in front of you.

3. The curved seam of the pouch is where the pouch is the biggest. Position baby's bum where the seam of the pouch is and drop baby's bum in first. Use the padding as a handle to help position correctly.

Pre-Christmas Sale!

We are doing a pre-Christmas sale and giving 15% off all our Mom-Agendas on Pupsik Studio. Limited stocks available so get one for your family to get organised in 2009! The agendas run from August 2008 to Dec 2009 so you can start using them now. It will make a perfect gift for a busy mom or wife (husbands...hint hint).

We will include a complimentary gift wrap for all Mom-agendas bought during this sale. If you wish to have your agenda wrapped with a gift tag, simply leave a message at the comment section at check out.

To order, click here.

$600 Puj Giveaway

I had posted about the innovative tubs by Puj in a previous post. I am excited to share that Puj is doing a giveaway of Puj products worth $600 to our readers. To stand a chance to win, simply enter your email address in the top right column of this blog!

Rent-a-Toy

It has been really hectic over the last few days as we prepared and celebrated Vera's 2nd birthday and Nadya's 1st month over the weekend. It is always nice to have family and friends over to our home and watching the children having a great time.For the party this year, we rented a few equipment from this wonderful online store in Singapore called Rent-a-toy. Wonderful service and very affordable too! I felt obliged to share with other mommies on Pupsik about them to help spread the word so that they are able to continue expanding their business and keep their cost low. We rented this which was a hit with the kids from 1 to 8 years old.

I really think it is a wonderful business concept to rent these toys since most of these equipment require a lot of storage space and children grow tired of them too fast to make buying worthwhile. A fantastic find! The toys were in very good and clean condition and they even delivery free for orders above $40! Perfect for children parties.

I know there are a lot of mommies and daddies reading this blog and hope to share more of these fantastic finds in the coming months. If you know of a website that offers products, services and websites that may interest us all and would like to share, do email me at hello@pupsikstudio.com. Thanks!

Puj Tub

Katie, the very creative designer behind Puj who is also a stay-home mom to 2 boys, emailed me recently to let me know about one of her latest design - the Puj Tub.

The Puj Tub is a super soft infant bathtub that fits in your bathroom sink. And it hangs and stores flat once you're done! This clever invention definitely revolutionizes the baby bathing experience! Bathing an infant has never looked so easy! No more leaning over the bathtub stressing your knees, neck, and back.

The lovely Katie has offered readers of Pupsik 20% off the total purchase at their online store. Simply enter the promo code "pupsik" at checkout. Any international orders can be emailed to sales@pujbaby.com to enjoy your 20% discount. Thanks Katie!

Hot Soup

Anyone wants to engage me to do an ad for hot soup?

Little Stock Delivery Bag

It is amazing how many wonderful new products emerge on the market for pregnant moms and babies. Like the Little Stock Delivery Bag that takes care of everything that you could possibly need (and more) when you check into hospital to welcome your little bundle of joy.

This pre-packed bag include items for the birth experience (massage oil, preggie pops), for Mom’s stay (nursing nightgown, slippers, organic toiletries), a toiletry bag for Dad’s stay, a going-home blanket for baby, and things you need for breastfeeding (nursing bra, nipple cream).

New Collection at Sparklethots

Work and Stay-At-Home mom, Ruth, of Sparkle Thots has told me that she has just restocked her online shop with lots a brand new collection of pearls, silver and gold items. Many of the items would be very pretty and would be perfect as a gift or for adorning a bride and wedding entourage on her special day.

If you like any of the items, you will be happy to know that Sparkle Thots is doing a FREE SHIPPING promotion. Just spend above SGD $50 to receive this offer. Enter code [GIFTED08] upon check out.

(above) Drop of Golden Sun (SGD$45)

Contrasting schedules

With the blink of an eye and Nadya will soon be 1 month old. It has been quite a crazy month and each day just whizzes pass faster than the speed of light.

There is very little distinction between night and day for me. I am nursing Nadya every three hours, with each session lasting 40 mins to 1 hour. Which means that if I am lucky, I get 2 hours off each time to tend to Vera, answer emails, fulfil orders, blog, take a nap, eat, visit the loo etc...

We have not introduced expressed breast milk in the bottle with Nadya yet as I want to feed her direct for as long as I can. You can call me a "purist" in that sense but I believe the skin-to-skin contact and 1-to-1 time I have while nursing Nadya is very important. This is "our time" when I can enjoy bonding and getting to know her.

I was clearing out my old diaries just the other day and came across Vera's feeding "log book" which I recorded 2 years ago. I remember how stressed out I was then, trying to establish a schedule in the beginning, 20 mins each side, 40 minutes each time, every 3 hours. It was really hard, especially for a 1st time mom who gets grouchy when she doesn't get enough sleep (see below).

(above): Typical feeding schedule - click image to enlarge. It is pretty much the same schedule I am keeping with Nadya now although I am not writing it down. I recorded everything down back then as it was hard at times trying to remember how long I had fed and which side I last fed on. I actually also invented a code to record the time of feed, which breast I last fed on etc and was very close to inventing a stop watch just for recording the nursing time. I settled for a $2 kitchen timer in the end. As you can see, it is a 24/7 job.

Contrast the schedule above to the working schedule I had just before giving birth (see below). This is proof that being a full-time mom is really more taxing than a full-time job!! Say goodbye to leave, holidays etc!!

(above) Typical work schedule at the office before having kids - click image to enlarge. Ok, my time is up! I believe I am being called for another feed...

Our first shopping trip out

We decided that I was tired of staying home one day and decided to make a trip to Tangs to get this (have been eyeing this for the longest time). Here is Dada, carrying Nadya in the very macho Pink Dotties pouch (one of our best sellers). He drew many stares from the crowd which I am glad he was quite oblivious to. And quite naturally, Nadya slept like a doll in the cradle carry.

Pupsik™ Studio - featured in Mother & Baby magazine

Pupsik™ Studio is delighted to be in the November 2008 issue of Mother & Baby (click image above to enlarge). We are featured in the "Gotta Get it" page of this month's issue.

Thank you Mother & Baby magazine for supporting and featuring us! There is a little surprise in this month's issue that we are giving away to readers of Mother & Baby. Do check it out and don't miss it!