Tivoli Couture

I had wanted to share about the lovely creations from Tivoli Couture on Pupsik Studio for the longest time and I am glad I finally found the time to get down to it!

Founded by Stella Rubinshteyn, Tivoli Couture offers a wide range of children luxury items that are not only beautiful, but most importantly functional and practical too! An example of this is the Bandana Binky Bib, a unique and funky product thoughtfully designed by Stella. This is a bandana style bib with a removable attachment that holds babies' pacifiers and teething toys within reach. How cute and convenient!

And I love how they have not forgotten about the zonked out moms and dads with their specially designed lavender eye pillow that promises the ultimate in Rest & Relaxation. The pillows comes in designer's print on one side and reverses to a cuddly Minky back that's gentle on the eyes and rests comfortably to the contours of your face. The pillow can be chilled to relieve migranes and puffy eyes. Tivoli's Cuddle Bottle blanket is another product that is fun, functional and stylish. Made from minky fabrics. the little taggies stimulate baby's senses and entertain. The bottle holder also insulates and keeps the drinks warm longer.

There are lots more lovely products on their website so do check it out! If you are interested in a particular product and would like to order through Pupsik Studio, do drop me an email at hello@pupsikstudio.com.

Winner of the Vinyl Silhouettes Giveaway!

View video above to find out who the lucky winner for the decal giveaway sponsored by vinylsilhouttes is. Thanks to all who took part and congratulations to our winner!

Winner of the Henry Tianus Giveaway

The above were those who joined us for our Valentine's Giveaway sponsored by Henry Tianus !

Please view the video above to find out who our lucky winner is!

Congratulations Ms XX for winning a set of Flower Essence Eye Gel 5ml (worth $22) and Antioxidant Hydrating Cream 5ml (worth $16). You had written to let me know that you have very sensitive skin and have eczema on your face including your eye area. I understand that you have tried many skin care products but find them unsuitable.

I do hope your skin will take well to Henry Tianus' products just as mine did. You can collect your gift at Henry Tianus Suntec City booth (located just outside Carrefour) by letting the sales assistant know that you are our winner! Congrats again!

Ps: Thanks to all who joined in the fun for this giveaway. And not forgetting of course, our ever reliable assistant, Vera, for picking a winner and our lovely apprentice Nadya for being quiet throughout the process.

The winner of the Vinyl decal sponsored by vinylsilhouettes.com will be announced soon!

GIVEAWAY - Personalised Vinyl Silhouettes

For some reason, I can never get enough of decals. I guess my affection for it stems from my childhood obsession with stickers and pretty much everything that sticks. While there are quite a few decal design companies out there, I have not come across anything like Vinyl Silhouettes.

Vinyl Silhouettes is a new decal company that allows you to turn a personal photograph into a wall decal! With a growing popularity in silhouttes, these decals allow you to personalise and customise the look of your room in minutes.

You can choose to do a profile of your kiddo to immortalise his/her head, or go for a full body profile.

More lovely ideas on what you can do can be found here.

Vinyl Silhouettes will be giving a lucky reader of this blog the opportunity to do a custom head profile decal of one of your loved ones: child, pet etc. It can be any color and any size up to 30" tall! To enter, simply email me at ztansl@gmail.com with the subject heading "Vinyl Silhouettes" and tell me what you would like to turn into a decal. I will pick a winner at random on Friday, Feb 20th.

Thanks Vinyl Silhouettes for sponsoring this giveaway!

Nadya's 1st CNY

Someone puuleazzee save me from these adults!

Pupsik Studio Valentine's Day Giveway by Henry Tianus

I was doing my weekend grocery shopping at Suntec City some time ago when I came across a pushcart located just outside Carrefour selling a huge range of skincare products from England by Henry Tianus. Curious, I approached the sales person to enquire about this line of products that was new to me at that time.

The friendly and helpful person manning the booth that day was the owner (Grace) herself and she shared with me a few products which were highly recommended for people with ultra sensitive combination skin like mine. After a nice chat with Grace, I decided to give the products a try and bought the Rosewood Face Scrub and Flower Essence Rose Serum .

That evening, I excitedly applied my new purchases on my skin and was amazed at how well my usually fussy skin took to it. The face scrub did its thing by gently polishing away the dry and dull surface cells to reveal what I thought was a more radiant surface. The rose serum was quickly absorbed by my thristy skin and didn't leave any oily trace at all.

Happy with my new skincare discovery, I visited their online store and found out more about Henry Tianus. Turns out that Henry Tianus recently swept away 4 awards at the UK Natural Health Beauty Awards 2008 including the Best Natural Range, Best Wrinkle Zapper for Antioxidant Youthful Essence, Best Moisturiser for Dry Skin for Antioxidant Hydrating Cream and Best Eye Cream for Flower Essence Eye Gel. In Singapore, their Soothing Blemish Gel was voted the Best Blemish Gel at the CozyCot Holy Grail Award 2008.

I continued to notice a significant difference to my sensitive and easily dehydrated skin (too much air conditioning!) after trying a few other products from their range for dry skin (including the Antioxidant Hydrating Mask and the Antioxidant Hydrating Cream). I would highly recommend Henry Tianus to any person looking for a good skincare range.

In celebration of Valentines Day, Henry Tianus will be giving away a set of Flower Essence Eye Gel 5ml (worth $22) and Antioxidant Hydrating Cream 5ml (worth $16) to 1 lucky winner from this blog! To try and win this, simply email us at hello@pupsikstudio.com with the subject heading "Henry Tianus" and tell me why you deserve to win this giveaway. I will randomly pick a lucky winner for this! It will be fun to join so do email me to win! No harm trying, right?

Henry Tianus will also be offering 40% discount to all readers of Pupsik Studio with purchase of 2 items and above (retail size) purchased at the Henry Tianus booth at Suntec City, Level 1, Outside Carrefour. Items purchased must be of different product. Promotion is valid till 15 March 2009. Simply let the sales person know that you got to know them through Pupsik Studio to enjoy the 40% discount. Don't miss this opportunity to try this amazing product at this special promotion available only to Pupsik Studio blog readers.

Spread the word!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone! xoxo
Vera & Nadya
Pupsik Studio Models and Mascots (+ Ang Pao collecting Machines)

Belle & Dean now available on Pupsik Studio

I am a fan of cotton onesies. Not only are they comfortable for hot climates like Singapore, I find them extremely practical. You can wear them on its own or top it off with a skirt or pants. The best thing is that the snaps at the bottom keep the clothing in place, unlike a regular T-shirt that often runs up to expose the tummy.

I have been looking around for great looking onesies for our online store for the longest time when my prayers were answered by Belle & Dean. They had everything I was looking for in a cotton onesie. Comfort, design, versatility and affordability.

Made from organic cotton that is unbleached and undyed, these 100% organic cotton onesies are suitable for both boys and girls from newborn-24mths throughout the year. All Belle & Dean clothes are designed in-house. Their special prints, mostly of endangered animals and plants, are hand-drawn by Belle & Dean's co-founder, Issy, and screen printed by hand with environmentally friendly water-based ink to give a wonderfully soft and subtle finish.

Pupsik Studio is proud to retail Belle & Dean's most popular line of organic onesie at our online store here. Do feel free to shop around for more designs available in our store and contact us at hello@pupsikstudio.com if you have any questions about this product!

More "Pupsik in a Pouch" pics!

Here are more lovely pictures to share... This one is from Consuelo all the way from Italy. Here is the story of these sequence of pictures in her own words.

(above) This day Linda was little sad... she don't want walk, she want my arms... so I put her in the pupsik sling

in order to accommodate the kitchen ...

After a few minutes she returned smile

and finally the joy of all time!

Consuelo was so happy with our pouch carrier that she recently ordered another 2 pairs to be delivered to Italy. Thank you Consuelo for sending these lovely pics to us.

I hope to be able to share more lovely pictures and testimony I have received so do tune in the coming weeks to have a peek into the intimate babywearing journey of another parent and child!

Winners of the "Pupsik in a Pouch" Giveaway!

Finally, the moment we have all been waiting for...the results of the "Pupsik in a Pouch" giveaway!

First of all, thank you all so much again for taking the time to send in your pictures. It is really encouraging to see how our pouches have been an integral part of your lives as a busy parent and to hear how much your babies enjoy living in a Pupsik pouch! I am a firm believer that carrying your baby in a soft carrier like a Pupsik pouch not only helps your life as a busy parent, it also facilitates bonding with your child and allows them to grow up happier and more confident. It is so wonderful that so many moms, dads and babies out there can testify to the many benefits of babywearing and I am only too glad to have this opportunity to share this amazing product on Pupsik Studio.

Ok, before I rattle on and on about babywearing, lets get straight to business!

Believe me when I say it was so tough selecting 3 winners for the giveaway. After much deliberation, we finally settled on 3 entries which we thought had that little special touch.

The 1st winner is.....drumroll.....Yuling and Andy wearing baby Raeann!

We felt that this entry had extra points for winning because it was a daddy using our pouch and I always say there is nothing more manly than a man slinging his baby and going gai-gai (see pic above). We also love that Yuling shared her pictures with a poetic testimony that rhymes(!):

I love that he loves to sling our girl,
Despite it being too tight (it's meant for me, you see! :p).
We get stares one too many,
But he says, "Let it be".
So we go romping about town,
With Raeann snug in our pouch.
Hands-free, hassle-free,
Like a joey safe and sound.
That's why we love Pupsik,Warm and pretty and so lovely!

Thank you Yuling for sharing these lovely pictures! Congratulations on being our first winner!

The second winner is the entry sent by Kwan Chiao Chyi and her lovely baby Hannah Tan Hui En. (above) Chiao Chyi and Hannah at the zoo. Here is what Chiao Chyi has to share about the Pupsik pouch.

I like the Pupsik pouch because

1. It is fuss free. It takes awhile to get the hang of it but it's really easy once you're used to it. There is nothing to pull and no extra cloth hanging out.

2. My daughter loves it. She sees the world through my perspective. Her favourite was the kangaroo carry when she was 3-5 months old. She could look out at the world with me just right with her. Now her legs have to hang out but she likes it all the same.

3. My hands are free for shopping, browsing and getting stuff even while I'm carrying my baby. I have my daughter close to me while I'm out and about...and she'll always be ready for a hug.

4. The design and material - trendy, stretchy and comfy

What delighted us most about Chiao Chyi's entry was that she shared pictures of her mother and mother-in-law (see pic above) both using the pouch to carry Hannah. How sweet is that? Thank you Chiao Chyi for sharing these lovely pictures! Congratulations on being our second winner!

Our third winner is from Josie Quak carrying Jey. Josie actually took the time to submit her pictures in the form of a collage to share how the pouch has been a part of Jey's life! The collage is lovingly entitled "Pouch Story".

A picture speaks a thousand words...

Thank you Josie for sharing these lovely pictures and congratulations to you, Chiao Chyi' and Yuling/Andy for being our first 3 winners! You have each won for yourself a brand new pouch of your choice from our new collection when it comes up, a 100%handmade travel-sized beansprout pillow with taggies, exclusive T-shirt iron-on by artist mein, and 'I love pupsik' buttons which we hope you will display on your diaper bag to help us spread the word on us! =)

And now for the wildcard! Since all the pictures you sent were so lovely, we thought it would be most unfair if we just settled on 3 winners. So we decided to add an element of surprise in this giveaway by conducting a lucky dip. As usual, we called in our lovely assistant, Vera, to choose 3 entries from a bag. These lucky winners will each stand to win a travel-size beansprout pillows with taggies. And to prove to you that this lucky dip is not rigged, we took a video.

hmm...my "Congratulations" in the video sounds wierd. =) Too bad we can't retake this.

Anyway, here are our lucky winners sharing their pictures and lovely testimony about our pouches.

"I like the Pupsik baby pouch carrier because it is convenient to carry my baby around, and she feels safe and comfortable inside the pouch carrier. :)" Ruby Tok

"Why I like my Pupsik pouch carrier?Because it's super easy to use, folds neatly and compactly and I love the funky stripes pattern on the carnival design. Most of all, my baby girl just simply loves being carried around in it! Also, it's a total lifesaver when she gets cranky in her stroller! " Azlina Hussain

"Just look at us! With pupsik pouch we're ready to go anywhere, anytime! Yippeee!" Norliana Shammad

So that is it! Our 3 top winners and another 3 lucky winners!

And for the rest who shared your babywearing journey with us, we will be posting your beautiful pictures here and sharing some of your testimonies on this blog over the next few days. I hope you will not mind. We would also like to show our appreciation by giving you a special something in the post. It's a little surprise, not something big but we hope you will like it when it arrives. Thank you all so much again for supporting Pupsik Studio!

Deadline Today!

Thank you to everyone who sent us your lovely pictures for the giveaway! I had too much much going through the entries and think it will be a tough job finding 3 winners! The deadline is the end of today, so if you are still wondering if you should send yours, please JUST SEND IT NOW!!

Winners will be announced on this blog next Monday, Jan 19th! So watch this space!

Clothkits

I came across a wonderful website today called Clothkits. A wonderful website if you always wanted to make your own children's clothes, toys etc but can't really sew or read a paper pattern to save your life.

Clothkits make it easy for you to make beautiful quality, well designed clothes without the fuss of paper patterns. All the cutting lines are printed directly on the fabric in a simple format that means even the inexperienced can make garments with ease. In addition to the fabric, their kits contain all you need to complete the project - thread, buttons (or any other necessary haberdashery, and of course well illustrated instructions to guide you through the project.

(Below) Tata! What the finished product should look like.

And if you really cannot handle it, you can simply get it ready off the shelf with the click of your mouse. Neat!

(above) Ready-made birdie dress.

Children Alert!

Starting January 26, Olivia the TV show will be showing on Nickelodeon. A very good friend gave us our first "Olivia" book called "Olivia Counts". I just love the illustartions of this little modern pig originally created by British illustrator Ian Falconer. Apparenty, this half hour show is guaranteed to keep your little one excited and mesmerized!

Pupsik in a Pouch - Deadline extended to 15 Jan 2009

(click image above to enlarge)

Thank you mommies who have sent your lovely pics to us so far. I had so much fun looking through them! By popular request (as some moms need more time to get pics their pics to us), we are extending the deadline of this giveaway to 15 Jan 2009!

So if you have not sent us your pic(s), quickly grab a camera NOW and snap a shot of your little one in a pouch! Or if you already have the pic, then all you have to do is simply email it to to us at hello@pupsikstudio.com with the subject heading "Pupsik in a Pouch". Please include you and your baby's name, and also remember to include a few words with your entry to tell us why you like our baby pouch carriers.

3 lucky pupsiks will stand the chance to win the following:

-A Pupsik Pouch of your choice in one of our new designs (coming soon)!

-1 handmade travel size beansprout pillow with love ribbons (One-of-a kind limited edition designs)!

-T shirt iron-ons by artist Mein (limited edition)!

-Handmade “I heart Pupsik” buttons!

and more!

So do send us your pics soon! Even if you are not among the 3 to win the giveaway, I promise you that you will at least walk away with something if you enter!

(above) Handmade travel size beansprout pillow with love ribbons (made from limited edition fabrics). Ribbons are perfect for the little fingers to findle and play with. This is one of the things your little one will stand to win if you submit an entry of your "Pupsik in a pouch"! So don't procrastinate any more, its a new year after all!

..............................................

I am compiling pictures of mommies, grandmommies, daddies etc. carrying your Pupsik (meaning baby doll in Russian) in a pouch.

If you would like to share your babywearing journey here on this blog and Pupsik Studio, simply email your favourite picture(s) to us at hello@pupsikstudio.com with the subject heading "Pupsik in a Pouch". Please include you and your baby's name. It will be great if you could include a few words with your entry to tell us why you like our baby pouch carriers.

I will select 3 lucky winners to win a surprise goodie bag from Pupsik Studio! The dealine for entry is 31 Dec 2008 (deadline extended to 15 Jan 2009). Good Luck!

Pics above. (Click image to enlarge)

1. Day at the Beach (Hip Carry)

2. A walk in the Botanical Gardens (Front Carry)

3. Shopping at Tangs (Cradle Carry)

4.Trip to the Bird Park( Kangaroo Carry)

Happy Holidays from all of us at Pupsik Studio!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Win a pair of Stephie's Castle Hairclips!

I was excited when Stephie emailed me a while back to share with me her pretty hair clip business. Stephanie is a full-time working mum to 2 lovely boys, Andric (4yrs) and Aldric (1yr). While patiently waiting for her own little princess to arrive so she can dress her up one day, she is wasting no time indulging in her passion for handicraft and dolling up many other princesses. Stephanie was really sweet to send me a pair of clips as gifts for Vera and Nadya.

I really loved the clips she gave us and was really impressed with the workmanship. All the materials she uses are specially imported from overseas and the clips are lined with quality velvet ribbons. I decided to support her lovely business by getting another pair from her. I will be giving away this lovely pair of clips to a lucky mom reading this. If you would like to win this clip, just be the first person to drop me an email at hello@pupsikstudio.com with the heading "I want Stephie Castle's clip for my princess!" and the clip will be yours, instantly!

======

Congratulations to Lynes Che for being the earliest bird to chope and win these gorgeous clips from Stephie's castle for her princess! We will be doing more giveaways in the coming weeks so mommies, daddies, whoever reading this, remember, the early bird usually gets the worm!=))

1st Christmas Sale by Pupsik Studio is now on!

Our very first Christmas Sale by Pupsik Studio is now on!

We have stocked up on many cool new items over the last few months. This includes the long awaited nursing covers by Pupsik Studio, new designs for our popular beansprout pillows and the unique momAgenda that is bound to get busy moms like you organised in style in 2009!

From now until 25th December, take 15% off the usual price on many items in our online store. In addition, you also get to enjoy:

1. Free shipping on all orders

2. Free giftwrap (simply indicate in the COMMENTS section at checkout that you wish to have your items wrapped)

3. An additional 10% off any total purchase above $100 when you include a momAgenda in your order (while stocks last!). Simply enter the code 'MOMAGENDA' at checkout.

Offer while stocks last so do visit us at Pupsik Studio today to start shopping! Oh, and don't forget to send in your entry for our "Pupsik in a Pouch" giveaway contest and stand a chance to win a goodie bag from us!

Warm Wishes,

Su Ling

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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.