Missoni for Target Sept 13th

I'm SO buying these when they are coming out! I'm not big on wearing zig zags as a cardigan, tops or pants, so it looks like time to decorate my livingroom and wear a little more scarfs this winter.

xoxo

H&M Chicago Looting

You know we don't have H&M here in Austin (yeah totally unacceptable). So I was in Chicago last week, it was pouring over there, while Austin was stinking hot and dry-so I was happy to escape from it though only for a little while. So I stopped by at H&M, North Michigan Ave location and bought some outfits for fall/winter. Ok, it's not like Austin is going to get cold next week but I just had to buy them :-)
These are some of the items I bought- I also bought some cute onesies for my boys. Can't wait for the weather to get cooler!!

xoxo

Things that We (mommy & boys) Don't Need

OK, I finally able to gather around some of the things that we bought but seriously we could get by without them!

1. Graco Sweetpeace Swing

A lot of parents swears by this swing (damn it works for Tori Spelling), but my boys hate them. No matter how I adjusted the speed, get the music off my iPod (it has iPod connector..that's how fancy this was), the direction of the swings..nothing works. Okay, I'm not advocating that new parents should stir away from swings. But lesson learned, never buy any swings before the baby is born. If you see the picture above, I was never able to read book like that when they were in the swings (worse, I bought 2 of them!), they cried like I hurt them, showing me their tortured face. Fast forward, I sold both of the swings to close friend of mine since he wanted to give them as a gift (heck they looked brand new) and guess what...the babies love them. So it's only my babies. But really, just wait. You may never have to buy it at all and save that $$ for something else.

2. Mimijumi

Remember this? I won't say it's useless, because seriously when Winston was at his worse, even Dr.Browns bottles won't stop him from crying. I tried using this with him, sure he drank from it and stop crying for a bit, but was it necessary? maybe not. So I don't believe that the bottle itself will make the baby automagically stop crying. It could be the nipples (too slow or too fast-not necessary because the shape that doesn't resembles the breasts), could be the milk (some could cause very painful gas). In our case, Winston just wasn't feeling well. He's iritated and drinking just made things worse. For us, only time could fix it. I still remember it was a struggle to made him drink 2oz and if he finished it normally about 45 minutes later. I even took a liberty to give him multivitamin supplement for infant because his intake was way below. He is still using Dr.Browns 7 months later. When he got better around 3.5 months old, any bottle wouldn't matter, cheap or expensive.

Winston is still in low percentile for the average 7 months old (I'm talking about <10% low), but happy and full of energy. If you have colicky baby (and plus laryngomalacia like him), I can assure you, it will soon pass. It was hard to listen to his cry day and night, but we made it this far. NOW I have to deal with this --> This was yesterday when Winston tried to stand to see if he can play with my Mac.

3. Baby Einstein Activity Gym

I bought 2 of these. Again, they don't like it there. They get bored after 15 minutes. It could be the material, could be there are not enough things to keep them entertain and let's face it, I'm easily bored too so it's only fair that my boys have that trait lol. One day it occured to me that they love being changed. I don't have changing table (another hint-best decision I made) and I use this changing mat that my mother in law bought me to be placed on top of my bed. It's a soft plastic but it has cushiony feeling. I told DH about the revelation and he bought this Dwinguler playmat and we haven't looked back since. They boys love love being here.

4. Fisher & Price Luv U Zoo Crib Soother

Bought this based on the marvelous reviews I read. No, not working for us I'm afraid. If you want this, again, wait till the baby is born. If you can borrow even better, at least you can return it if it's not working out. To be honest, my babies rather listen to my hairdryer than this or sleeping in my chest listening to my heartbeats.  They are not interested to the ceiling lightshow either. Funny I said that...because now they love watching Pocoyo or any music on TV, anything bright and colorful (thanks to Glee and the various classical songs that I played for them while I was pregnant). The video below is in the morning before they went to daycare :-)

5. Any Diaper Rash Cream

I received a lot of samples before the babies were born. Then that nightmare began, red and raw sore bums and they couldn't even complain about it. I used the samples such A+D, Desitin as well as Vaseline. The rash went away but I couldn't help but notice that my boys' bums (TMI, by the way) were looking wrinkly as if they've been sitting in the water all the day long and it's pretty damp. Okay, honestly I don't like that. So you know what, I revert back to what my mother or my grandmother used to use when the babies have diaper rash. Plain old baby powders, medicated or non medicated, it's up to you. I found that the rash went away faster and most important of all, their bum looking soft and not wrinkly :-)

6. Baby Bjorn

Fortunately received these as gifts, I was excited to try them, but putting them on are such a hassle that I made the babies cries, so I stopped using it. Pity because when I put them on successfully, my hands were totally free and shopping were such a breeze. My suggestion, maybe get a different brand. I heard many good things about Ergo Baby Carrier. Do plenty of research and hopefully you will get the one that is perfect for your needs.

To summarize, we also never own:
1. Changing table
2. Diapers Genie
3. Bottles sterilizer
4. Bottles warmer
5. Wipes warmer
6. Play Yard
7. Baby gates

xoxo

My Chain Around Maxi

Here she is!

xoxo

Things that We (mommy & boys) love! Part 2

Continuing from Part 1, here are some more items as promised!

7. The First Years True Fit Premier C670 Car Seats

Believe it or not we never really own infant car seats. We were 'forced' to buy the infant car seats otherwise we couldn't take our babies home from the hospital. So we bought them just to transport them home and to their first pedi appointment a week later and we returned them right away. OK, that's my true confession-but hey we never really needed them. We bought these convertible car seats instead and it's the best. They padded well, easy to install, they got the highest rating from NHTSA and you can use them till the babies reach 65lbs (front facing). One thing though, the size of this thing is huge. If you have small cars, one of these will take up almost half of your back seat. DH drives Venza so 2 of these are still managable. You can get this at Amazon to avoid paying taxes and shipping.

8. Valco Baby Ion EX 4 for Two Stroller

Years ago, I used to daydream that I will buy the bestest stroller that money can buy if I have a baby. I bookmarked Bugaboo, Orbit Baby and my latest obsession (at that time), Stokke stroller. I even picked the color I want depending on the gender, the accessories and where to buy them. Alas I was told I will have 2 babies instead of one. It could be my hormone but I was so mad that I had to buy ugly double stroller, massive in size, the stroller that everyone hates because it's blocking people's way in shopping malls. I was even thinking about doing custom stroller after I saw The Back Up Plan movie. I searched high and low (Bugaboo Donkey has yet to be released at the time) and stumbled upon this stroller. They looked really cute and fit all doors (important!) and not too heavy (compare to other double strollers). It's a fully recline stroller, round extended sun canopy (and I got a lot compliments on this feature), lots of pockets and huge storage basket. At $600 bucks I should be happy that it's cheaper than my Stokke right?  Two cons of this stroller, where is the cupholder? I mean seriously people, I love my frappe, my ice tea, do you really want me to use one hand to hold my drink and the other hand to push this? Turned out they are selling it as 'accessories', not standard. Also I think the handle can be improved but I'm used to it now, so it's not a big deal. Overall I'm happy with this, yes, it's not Stokke but I think I should move on.

9. Baby Nasal Aspirator by Pigeonbaby

This is a lifesaver. My boys had runny nose twice since they started daycare...oh the joy. And this gadget just suck that sucker right out so they can breath better (and sleep better). It's a little pricey to buy this in the US, but in most asian countries this is downright cheap. If you still have relatives overseas get them to buy one for you.  There is nothing worse than seeing your babies have drools and mucus in one..yikes! Alternative to this brand is Nosefrida The Snotsucker, I heard it's equally awesome.

10. Kinderglo

Received 2 of these as a gift from my coworker, they are just wonderful and not to mention super cute. It's a night light that can change colors, made from non toxic material so the babies can chew all they want and hug them all night long since it's not hot to touch. No batteries needed, just charged them and one night light will last up to 8 hours. Just FYI, I don't sleep with my babies in the same room since they were 3 months old. So I did everything I can so they are sleeping in their cribs, alone, without me or DH. They slept through the night from 6.30 pm to 5am since 4.5 months old so I know I did something right in between. They don't really need these lights at night (they mostly use these for toys rather than sleep companion) but I know Sanford had nightmares sometimes and the night light helped in this case.

TO BE CONTINUED...
My next post should be about those uneccessary items heheh ;-)

xoxo

Things that WE (mommy & boys) love! Part 1

As requested, I will gather items that my boys and I love as well as unnecessary purchases I made cause I'm a sucker for ads!. Hope it will help some people to decide what they need to buy and what not to buy.

1. My Blankee

Yes, I bought a lot things that I'm afraid to say, a complete waste, but my decision to buy these blankets are the right one. Yes, they are costly and you would ask why would you need to spend $65 a piece for it. But I have to tell you, the material is just super soft, super warm during those cold nights and locally made. You can ask my mom (she's normally the one who complains that I spent too much money on everything), but she agrees with me on this one. I wash these blanket many times, put them in dryer and they still look as new. Winston in particular crazy about it. Well, I bundled him in this a lot when he was sick for the first 3 months of his life. He lost a lot of weight when he came from the hospital and he was incredibly tiny so the blanket kept him warm. Anyway, one of my best purchase. Their blankets are the girafee ones as pictured above (but in baby blue).

2. Aden Anais

More blankets haha, but hey if you are thinking of swaddling your baby, this is the best that you can have. I live in Texas, so during the day if they want to have a nap I use this one instead. I use this as a stroller blanket as well and now I even rolls one up and put it underneath Winston's neck so he can breath easily (due to his laryngomalacia condition).

3. Fisher and Price Precious Planet Bouncer

I only have one of these to be shared between the two of them. This is has something to do with the fact they hate their expensive swings (more of this later--it is one of the unnecessary to purchase item for me at least). So, this $40 swings proven to be useful, they always happy to sit there for longer period of time and at times either Sanford or Winston will drink their bottles there (they are at the stage where they love holding their own bottles but yet not strong enough to fully hold it, if that makes sense).

4. Beaba Babycook

OK, this is more what I like. My babies started their Earth's Best Oatmeal cereal at 4 months old. At 5 months old, they continue their oatmeal cereal but I added purees and I have promised myself that they are getting homemade organic purees since they didn't get breastmilk. I was planning to make batches because I work full time, so that's when I decided to get Beaba Babycook (you can get this either at Amazon or Williams Sonoma). Yes, I could have use my home blender or any blender really, but my home blender is sucks to begin with and though many people think it's overkill to purchase a special machine,  a $150 one especially just to make baby foods, I personally think it's worth every penny. This machine can steam, defrost and blend beautifully. It's not complicated to wash too. So far I made sweet potato, apple, pear, banana and peas purees and the boys love them.

5. bebePOD Plus

The thinking behind this purchase is really because I don't want to overcrowd my house. No offense, but I've seen other people's house with baby or babies, it seems their space is being monopolized by babies stuffs and I have two infants to boot ya know so in a sense I should really have double of everything right?. So at 4 months old I bought these bebePods Plus for them to learn to sit and hoping they can use them as high chairs so I don't have to buy 2 brand new high chairs so soon. They came with a tray and mat as well as the toy that you can attached to it. As of now at 6 months and 1 week old, these chairs are attached to our dining chairs. I do however have concern that once they get bigger these chairs won't fit them anymore and I will end up buying high chairs THAT soon if you know what I mean? But I will think about it when that time comes. Oh..there is one thing that I don't really like...the mat as well as the toy that you can attach to the tray, turned out to be quite annoying. My babies can pull them out so they play with it, drop them to the floor and making mess haha.

6. Reusable Baby Food Containers by One Step Ahead

All I say, this stuff is AWESOME! Screw on lids, stackable, freezable, OK to be used on microwave and dishwasher safe. I haven't seen anything better at Babies R Us. So yes, it is unfortunate that I have to purchase this from One Step Ahead directly and had to pay shipping for it. But it's worth it. Trust me on this.

TO BE CONTINUED...
next is stroller, convertible car seats etc ;-)
xoxo

Chain Around Maxi

You know I'm doomed from the start when I saw this bag on Ashley Tisdale. I don't want it in black or dark beige. I want it in that Taupe color and nothing else and I want it before the price increase in November eventhough they will have more colors then.
And you know I'm in trouble when my SA from NM casually called me a crazy (shopaholic) lady heheh ;-)

Pictures will follow! I was planning to take some pics over the weekend but of course didn't have a chance to do so. All I have is the crappy pics from my cellphone.

But if you want to know what it looks like, this is Ashley's.

Happy Monday!

xoxo

Half Year Old Babies

LOVE them!

xoxo

Day Out in the Sunshine

Me and my mom took the boys to the Domain recently for some sunshine. See I can only put up with weather in the 90s as you would have known by now. It was wonderful that day. Did a little bit of shopping and no fussiness coming from the little pumpkins.

xoxo

ODJ: Crop Cardigan from Review (Australian brand), Grey top (no brand), Nobody Skinny Jeans, Chanel J12 38mm and a hint of my Royal Blue WOC from Chanel.

Sales Loot

The only thing that I got from NM sale :-)
It was last year's item and I was surprised that I could find it and it's in perfect condition.

xoxo

Babies Go International

My boys are 5 months old and I have decided that they are getting their Australian citizenship and US passport in order.

We did the photos at home this morning, lots of takes and silly dance!. Underneath the cute shirt, they were on diapers only haha.

Anyway, enjoy the pics (templates from ePassportPhoto.com)!

xoxo

Then There is Pandora..

Ever since I got the brown Prada, she became one my favorite. Especially now that I have 2 boys, the extra shoulder strap for me to use crossbody really come handy. While I'm in the process of culling more bags that I have, I just had to have another cute tote that I can use as a messenger bag. So I have decided to get the large Givenchy Pandora. It's not everyone' cup of tea and the style does look funky with only one handle. But I love it either way. It's spacious and not heavy at all, just perfect for me and not to mention Reese looks awesome carrying one ;-)

ODJ: You can't really see my outfits but I'm wearing Top from F21,Cardigan from Ralph Lauren and my loyal Chanel J12.

xoxo

Camellia WOC

Here is the picture of my new love, Camellia WOC in Royal Blue patent. I was so sure I can skip this (because of the size), but I've been using it all weekend last week and I have to say, it is in fact more useful than my smaller size bags. It's enough to carry essentials and I'm practically hands free if I have my twins with me. What do you think?

xoxo

Miscellaneous

Hello, it's been a while yeah. Totally my bad!
What's been happening? Well..we finally did our family photoshoot. I was planning to get newborn pictures but Winston was sick for the first 12 weeks of his life, so I've been postponing it. Alas, I still dont have newborn pictures since they are in a way no longer a newborn. So we decided to just do family photoshoot during the memorial day long weekend when the boys were 4 months 1 week. And guess what, it was a success..no cries! Here is something funny, the outfits that I bought for them for the photoshoot pretty much useless because they didn't get to wear them. But yeah, momma is crazy too. She didn't end up wearing her new Vivienne Tam's dress haha, instead she's wearing her Banana Republic silk top. It's not even new if you know what I mean :D
Lesson learned: things are not always go according to plan you know! Just saying....

These are some sneak previews from our photographer. She is super awesome, highly recommended if you are in Austin area and thinking of doing newborn, family or engagement shots!

Other things, umm yeah I also been buying like mad woman. Some of the items that I got recently (hopefully I will get around to take pics!!):

• Chanel Camellia Jelly Sandals (Black sandal/White Camellia)
• Chanel Camellia rainboots in Navy Blue
• Chanel Camellia WOC in royal blue patent.
• Givenchy Pandora in black/silver hardware

That said, you just reminded me, I'm thinking of selling my Chanel Reissue Grey Camera Case (mine is Medium size, the exact same bag as Reese Witherspoon-see picture below).
Contact me if you are interested. I probably want to get a new tote as a replacement, haven't decide which one yet. If you know me, you know that all my bags are 100% authentic. The only thing that I don't have with this bag is the box. However I do have everything else (authenticity card, dustbag, serial number sticker still properly intact) and the bag is in pristine condition as I rarely use it.

Update 06/09/11: Chanel Reissue Camera Case - SOLD

xoxo