Trendy and Fashionable Maternity Clothing

I remember looking sooo 'unfashionable' when I was pregnant with #1 with many solid color basic tops and pregnant black pants. I thought I tried better with #2 but my skin problem during #2 pregnancy was worse than #1, I had to cover my entire body. With #2, I wore many lose loose kimono dresses or just long dresses with cardigans.

With #3, I found Olian but it came late during my late trimester. I love the prints, the lightweight and quality jersey. I received compliments and I felt good :)

After giving birth to #3, Olian's sleepwear is my daily wear to rest during my confinement.

 Some good basics from Singapore - Mothers En Vogue and Maternalove. We need transitional clothes from maternity to nursing, that last more than 9months.

 Shopbop.com also have some nice maternity or long dresses that covers well and good quality. Love Shopbop free international shipping! When will baby stores offer the same too?
For Ella Moss, you may want to up a size to fit better. Rachel Pally is more forgiving with the size so me being sz4 pre-pregancy, can still fit sz S during pregnancy.

Asos.com have a big selection for maternity and they are much more available, although the quality isn't as good as I would like them to be. Buy the size during pre-pregnancy; I ordered a size up and they were too loose on me. It could also be that I didn't gain as much weight as my first 2 pregnancies...

2012 New Baby Product Reviews For Baby #3 (Bottles)

Its been years since I last posted anything on this blog. Ever since I gave birth to #2, I went back to work and all in all, kids and work filled my time that I don't have time to blog anymore.

Since I just gave birth to #3 and doing my confinement period, I decided to share some tips and honest reviews to other moms-to-be. Amazon reviews have been super helpful.

Bottles
2008 child #1 went through many bottles that she had nipple confusion for a period. It was around '07 and '08 and BPA-free bottles were newly introduced into the mainstream market. Adiri was good but it was quite tricky to assemble them with leaking problems and #1 settled for Pigeon BPA-free bottles and the nipples worked well in between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding.

2010 child #2 I have decided to use Avent BPA-free bottle, since #1 was still drinking from her bottle, I thought to use another brand so its easier to differentiate the bottles for the children. Plus, I wanted to use the Tempo liners for travel and we travel a lot during #2 first 6 months. During our Seoul trip, I came across Upis brand. The liner will protect the neck ring from milk, so less part to clean. It was feature a nipple container at the bottom, so we can easily switch to new nipple, if we don't have time to wash. However, to plastic liner is almost like clingwrap, and during travel, patience runs thin, you wouldn't want to spend time getting the liner to open and make milk.

2011 By 2009, most brands claimed to be BPA-free and it seems that even safe plastics such as PP are claimed to leach. So what is safe? They said pure, good grade stainless steel and glass bottles. I grew upset. #1 had been using her BPA-free Japanese Pigeon bottles for 3yrs, #2 used his Avent bottles for 1yr+ and what made me even more angry was my Avent sterilizer. It had this weird smell that I ignored and kept instructing my babysitter to use the cleaning powder. One day, I inspected the sterilizer and touched the interior, it had this whitish powder surrounding the plastic. I almost cried thinking how oblivious I can be and how I have poisoned my kids. The same night, I threw away all my children plastic bottles and the sterilizer.

After researching, Pura Kiki was my best choice, with no plastic neck rims and its versatility with Pigeon and Avent nipples. Glass Pigeon bottles was another great choice but its heavy and I worry the bottles hitting my children faces and #2 was going through bottle-throwing phase.

Next was the sterilizer, I remembered during my stay in Seoul was that most utensils were dried in UV sterilizers and through googling in English, came up with Upang.

2012 baby #3

I purchased Kleen Kanteen Baby series together same time as ordering Pura Kiki. I thought to have a different bottle again so its easier to differentiate bottles for the children. #1 still is attached to her pink Pura Kiki bottle for sleeping time before she brushed her teeth.
Although there are some articles saying stainless steel (SS) leech nickel, I choose to believe what Pura and KK's guarantee of good grade and zero migration of heavy metals. But on the hand, you can't freeze the SS bottles so hence, glass bottles.
In June, Avent launched its new Natural line on Amazon and I saw the glass bottles and quickly waitlisted for them. After using ComGateway service to have them sent, since the new Avent line is exclusive to US and UK market (maybe also in Europe?), I was excited to see the new bottles.

Review on Avent Natural Glass bottles- They are heavy, not so easy to screw the neck ring, but doesn't seem to be as fragile as other thinner glass bottles.
I  do like the nipple. I received the bottles late and #3 had been using regular neck Pigeon glass bottles and she had slight nipple confusion when I breastfed her. #3 drinks a lot, she is 1 week old and drinks 90cc. We have been using Avent glass bottles for 3 days now and she has no problem going back breast and bottle. The Natural nipples only fit the Avent Natural bottles. I tried to insert to other bottles but just doesn't fit.
The plastic ring is something I have to bear with but will change in every 3-6mths.

Big Apple

I used to travel to NY twice annually for fashion week and have always prefer to stay in different hotels for every trip. I had stayed in Thirty-thirty Hotel, Mansfield Hotel, Shoreham Hotel, Marcel hotel, Hudson Hotel, Amsterdam Hotel, L.ecole Oakwood Apartment, and others which I don't remember...My favorites: Mansfield and Shoreham for their location and rooms.

Since I haven't been back to NYC for 2 years since pregnant with Baby J, I was quite excited to travel although it was the first time I leave Baby J for more than 1 night. As usual, I planned out schedule for shopping and work but this around, I failed to input some addresses as I thought me and Lina (my friend, partner, traveling buddy) was familiar with the city. Not.

Day 1 - Lost
We exit the hotel without even checking into our rooms, for 1. the room was not ready and 2. we worried that we wouldn't get out of the hotel if we succumbed to the temptation to rest in the room. So off we went to the Grand Station instead of Bus terminal. After 1 hour of walking around and arguing about the direction, we finally arrived the bus station at 3pm. At 7.30pm was the promised time as we wanted to go back early, I was lost in the huge outlet! I ran around, sweating and blistering my feet, while my friend waited for me. The bus left when I reached the bus stop. We took the 8.30pm bus which delayed for 1/2 hour. We checked in back to hotel at 10+, since we hadn't had our dinner, we walked around to find decent supper. At midnight, I was restless and my feet hurt so I walked out to pharmacy.

Stay Hotel- nice, clean, good Times Square located boutique hotel.

We just have to stop by Magnolia Bakery before going to the bus terminal to go to Woodsbury Outlet.

Back to the city. 11pm and hungry...we just walked in the bar next to the hotel

Day 2 - Jet-Lagged and again Lost

We started our day okay aside from waking up hungry and ate hotel breakfast. We went around Hyde park by foot as my friend 'remembered' the Apple Store at. After walking around the park, we were too tired and too proud to ask for directions, so we took a cab with hopes of the driver knowing where it is.
Here's my friends description - a park, glass building, a huge toy store, and Louis Vuitton. I merely gaped. Geez, if I had to ask her to describe to me early on, I would have known we went to the wrong park. So off we went to Central Park. After getting to the Apple store, which is 24/7, I got myself Itouch and we had to go back to hotel to change to the Fashion show in Hyde Park.
As much as I anticipate to attend fashion shows, I detest the nervousness of getting in the show and preening too much. Fashion can be tough, the business and the people...After the show, both of us, went around the park and took off our Louboutins and back to our Crocs. We went back to Central Park and window-shopped around FAO and the stores nearby.
Then we went for dinner and drinks, which then led to more drinks.

From Fifth Ave to Soho. You gotta visit Kiki De Montparnasse and buy a little posh item *wink.

Day 3 - Jet-lagged and Hangover

Ugh! I don't when was the last time I indulge myself with alcohol...since 2007, last shot of vodka at my own wedding. Oh the vodka mix and wine in our last Seoul trip 2 months ago doesn't count...On the impulse of meeting my fun friend, Francesca and combination of Lina, and plus feeling for the first time of mommy-day-off, we got point-blanked drunk. Thank goodness of my instinct to know when to have my last drink, me and Lina, manage to get back to hotel to sleep away.
Forcing ourselves to wake up for our business meeting at 10am was not an easy task. We were late and we tried to be sober. After the meeting, thank goodness it was a small presentation of shoes, we were both pale from hungover and maybe still a little drunk since we still want to continue to do our errands in the city. From 5th Ave to Soho, I had to drop by Kiki de M store. From Soho, I went to Ground Zero to pray for a dear friend, which I then found out, the memorial ground is no longer there. Dinner again was late at 9.30pm...

Day 4 - Tired and Dumb
Both of us should have known after days of not having a normal day, we should be more aware. Again, another mistake to top off our entire trip - we missed our flight. I assumed our flight of being close to midnight after years of flying that flight, did not make me check my itinerary record, which I had already receive the check-in SMS.
OMG...Lina assuming I know the time, fail to heed her female instincts to check her paper records. So while we both were waiting for the private car I called after finishing our buying meeting, outside with our luggages, Lina flipped open her paper records to check. Hold and behold... our Singapore Airline flight to Singapore was at 9.20pm instead of the 11+ I thought it was to be. It was 6.40pm and I called the car to come at 7.15pm.
So aghast we were, we chased around the street at Ganservoort, which by means, frequency of any yellow car that passes by is minimum and even less for a taxi van, since we had 3big luggages. Our car came after we manage to haul up the luggages into a van...we wasted another good 5minutes to move the luggages again into the the private car.
Another dumb mistake we made in this trip was the fact that both of us didn't bother to buy local number, which we both usually do. So we asked for the driver to lend us his phone while Lina called to the airport.
Even a lot of "pleases", we were told that if we don't get into the airport 1hour before departure, we are not able to fly. We then called other airline to book for other flight availability that fly out the same night. Both of us cannot afford to miss that night's flight. Lina had to go back to her 2 children as her caretaker was to leave; I had to connect flight from Singapore to Beijing and I don't get to my connection Beijing flight, I would screw up my itinerary for 2 cities and I couldn't imagine my husband flying semi-long haul flight alone with Baby J.
So after running around the booths, we decided on China Airline. My initial round trip ticket was economy but I couldn't envision myself to sit more than 30hours in econ, so I spend freaking $3000+ on my business one-way tix to Singapore. Call me spoiled but NY-Anchorage-Taipei-Hong Kong- Singapore-Beijing??? Business seat will keep me sane.

Pop Burger is a fast food, self service dining. Good decor, not fast food friendly price, so-so burgers.

FAO is a haven! For kids and young at hearts adults. On the first floor is kingdom of furry animal toys, going up the escalator, I was greeted with a scene of dragon made impressively with Lego.
2nd floor- children books, Lego land, dolls, toy houses, Barbie corner with Barbie catwalk runway, VTech, Alex Toys, The Big Piano (you can tap dance on the piano floor), and a room for private parties
3rd floor - infant land

Doota!

Mommies, girlfriends, bargain shoppers, fashionistas, and fellow bloggers, be sure to visit Doota! in Dondaemum. 8 floors of shopping area- B1 trendy/ sports, L1 women clothes, L2 more women's fashion, L3 Shoes & bags, L4 Accessories & Make-up, L5 men's fashion, L6 Children's shopping haven, L7 souveniers& homewares. Pick up children's hanbok for as cheap as 32,000W (USD30). Remember- if you are buying a lot and paying in cash, you can ask for discount. Ask for calculator and punch in the number you are bargaining for. You can't bargain too much in this place, disc usually goes up to 5% of total value.

Travel Seoul

I lived in Seoul for 9 months as a housewife and I didn't really enjoy my time there due to lost in translation and homesickness. However, re-visiting Seoul with Baby J and friends turned out to very enjoyable. Here's what we did...
We strolled Baby J in the park. There are various parks by the rivers and many people jog, walk, play tennis, reading book, and many other activities. We saw the ducks by the river and it was first time for Baby J to see ducks up close.

Shopping!! Upscale shopping Corso Como on Apgujeong vs affordable shopping in Dongdaemun. Fantastic Korean beef, I'm not a big beef eater but I can taste quality! The Koreans carve good meet for the grill... I went into shopping craze for 3 different visitations to children's section! Its all about shopping, eating, hanging out and walking around till the wee hours. There are many 24hr restaurants, mini marts and super-late-night shopping.

For many local Koreans, or just these few Korean chaps we were with, they haven't visit the Namsan tower. Its a tourist thing and it was quite fun when you are with funny and easygoing group. We went on weekend, so there weren't any partking and there was a long queue to get on to the airconless cable car for an awful 5 minutes ride due to heat, so I highly suggest to visit any tourist place during weekdays.

Chaining locks of well wishes and loves on the gate. I had seen this display of love chains in Yellow Mountain, China, and well, that beats anything else...

Other worthwhile places to go in Seoul for the well-travelled visitors:

1. Everland Theme Park - this is fantastic for both adults and children. Ride the Express roller coaster which is touted as the Asian tallest roller coaster! Don't forget to purchase the picture outside the ride for a funny remembrance on how your face and hair look like.
2. Apgujeong Rodeo - Sit by any cafes and pay about $5 for coffee to people see. If you are lucky, you may chance upon local celebrities.
3. Nami Island - many dramas are filmed here, so walk down the memory if you are a Korean drama fan.
4. Eden Club - ever wonder where the beautiful and hip people spend their Saturday night? Eden. Wow! Back in my prime time, where I used to club, and let's just stick to Jkt, S'pore and HK, Eden Club in Ritz Carlton hotel has the most good people under one roof and on the same night. I haven't step into nightlife since I got married and due accompanying friends, that I got to sample Eden, and I was overwhelmed by the scene! Me and husband left at 1.30am and our friends told us when they left at 3.30am, there were still many people getting into the club.