Packing for a long vacation

We are heading to Taiwan for a long vacation in 2 days time! Woohoo!
 
Being a perfectionist and an organized mum (with a little OCD in between haha..) makes my life difficult when it comes to packing for overseas trip. I would check, re-check my luggage again and again and make sure I don't forget anything my kids need! Oh yes, it's really stressful! I would think of Plan A and Plan B, or perhaps Plan C, what would happen if this goes this way and if that goes that way, bla bla bla.. Everything just running wild in my head over and over again! And here comes my comprehensive packing list. I just want to make sure my kids' needs are met well, no less!
 
Sharing what I'm packing for my 10 day holiday, it doesn't mean you (parents who are reading this & planning for a vacation) have to follow the same. I'm just feeling more comfortable knowing I pack everything my kids need.
 
And of course I hope my sharing helps a little hehee..
 
Btw, a little bit of introduction if you are visiting my blog for the 1st time from googling "what to pack for baby" I'm a mum of two, a 2.5 year old toddler boy & a 10.5 month old baby girl. My toddler boy is drinking formula milk and my baby girl is breastfed! Both eat homemade porridge only! The boy is more picky then the girl and guess what, I'm bringing my cooking utensils along to Taiwan, literally moving house!
 
Okay, get back to what I pack, here is my super super long list :P

p/s: this list is more focusing on mommy stuff & baby stuff, for toddler, he has his own luggage, pretty much sharing the same necessities but with extra toys, ipad, lollipops, some snacking to entertain him, more clothing for the toddler too as he's super active and of course milk powder & bottles. And last one, he needs his home blanket & Brownie (a puppy soft toy he calls)
 

Mommy:
 
Clothing:
4 long sleeves button shirt
3 short sleeves
1 scarf
2 dresses
1 long denim
5 leggings/jeggings (lighter than denim/long jeans at least)
2 shorts
5 sets of pajamas (can be washed if it's not enough)
5 padded tank tops for easy breastfeeding (can be washed & it dries easily too)
2 home shorts
6 sets of Underwear (can be washed), 2 easy pull down bras for breastfeeding & breast pads (don't bring many bras because I wear padded tank top instead for easy breastfeeding)
2 Jackets (1 thick leather jacket & 1 knitted jacket)
2 Nursing covers (big poncho type that I can use as a big scarf too)
 

Toiletries:
Pads (gotta having period soon)
(Travel size)Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, shampoo, conditioner, facial wash, soap, make up remover, small hairdryer, face moisturizer, a very small bag of make up (basic make up), hair brush, hair band/clips lipgloss, mini hair oil, sample size of bottle & laundry detergent to wash baby stuff
 
Necessities:
Medications for adults like panadol, cough/flu mixture, etc
Make up
10 pairs of contact lenses (disposable kind)
Nail cutter
Vitamin C to prevent cold
 
Baby
 
Clothing:
Diaper 1 pack (walker 33pcs size M) & 20pcs pampers for night wear
1 crochet shoes, 1 mitten 1 hat
1 winter jacket
2 extra jackets
7 sets of top with legging for autumn (matching clips as well)
2 dresses with legging (matching clips as well)
9 sets of pajamas
4 sets of home clothing
3 bibs
4 napkins
2 carrier teething pads
2 Towels & 2 blankets

Necessities:
Sterimar & nose aspirator
Medicines like paracetamol, burofen, cough/flu mixture, diarrhea sachet, nose drop, etc
Essential oil
Diffuser
1 box of disposable bibs
Baby foods (jars & purée), milk powder & bottles (for toddler), cereals & toys to entertain toddler in airplane
Mini rice cooker (to cook porridge)
Bumbo Chair/inflated kind (to feed the baby)

Other baby things:
2 Pigeon anti bacterial wipes
Ear Thermometer & fever patch
2 Baby wipes
Tummy oil
Comb
Toiletries (bring all sample size)
Cottons & cotton buds & gauze to wash mouth
Nail cutter
Aveeno baby
Hand sanitizer
Baby oil
Desitin diaper cream

Mommy's clothes, all are breastfeeding friendly. I bring jegging (legging jeans) instead of jeans because it's so much lighter. And I also bring padded tank top to wear inside for easy pull-down nursing! And Uniqlo padded tank top dries pretty quickly over the night, so I can wash & wear repeatedly!

Zip lock bag is the key to organize well & using zip lock bags, I can find my stuff pretty easily and it's much neater too

And I put my stuff in a big plastic bag, so I can locate easily where's mine and where's baby's and of course I can use back the big plastic bag to dump dirty laundry!

Baby girl's clothing. I even match her ribbons & socks accordingly!

I'm packing mostly long sleeves & leggings with jackets since Taiwan's season is autumn now and it's quite cold. Not forgetting a pair of gloves & a hat too since we will be going to the mountain side where it can be cold & windy!

And clip her hair ribbon to each of her outfit too

And yes, each zip lock bag for different category!

Plastic bag to organize

I pack her diapers too, just in case I can't find brands she's comfortably using and especially for my toddler boy, I can hardly find size XXL comfortable diaper for him overseas, so I bring it from here! to be safe!

My necessities, period coming soon and seriously travelling & period don't go along well, never ever & it's troublesome too, super! If you ask me "but you can buy pads there, right?'' Yes, I can, but I don't like the idea rushing to store just to get sanitary pads, worst midnight. I just like to be ready!

Almost forget about this, sample size hair oil for my dry hair, lip balm & hair clips/bands

Baby Necessities ~ pretty much sharing the same thing with my toddler

I find sample size toiletries is very useful because baby doesn't use so much body/hair wash and a little bit of amount will do! I'm also bringing sample size of bottle detergent and baby laundry detergent to do a little bit of washing there

And the white bag is baby's necessities and the bumble-bee bag is mommy's necessities. I love to organize well!

 

Not forgetting important stuff such as nasal aspirator & sterimar nose spray in case kids having runny nose

Baby blankets (she's using sleeping bag) and towels. I just feel better if I use my own home towel than hotel's one

Loving my baby blue leather jacket from Love Bonito & super stylish rainbow nursing cover that I can use as a big scarf too

Essential Oils & Diffuser (mostly already been packed and not in the picture here) Gentle baby EO is a must!

Vitamin C to prevent cold for both me & my toddler (Yes, I eat this too because it's really yummy & easy to eat Vit C)

Medications for baby & toddler. Since they are sharing the same medications (toddler taking 2x higher dosage than baby), it's easier for me to pack everything in a bag too. Medicines like paracetamol, burofen, cough/flu mixture, diarrhea sachet, nose drop, etc are very important! Don't forget to bring syringe too. I will also bring some medications for adults such as Panadol, cough/flu mixture, etc

 

Baby foods. Yes I'm talking about convenient food! Since baby Calysta loves beef pasta, so I bring what she likes to eat more!

 

Bubble wrap the glass jars to prevent it from breaking and put food stuff in a separate luggage

 

New toys to entertain my cranky toddler (oh yes, he can throw temper badly if he's bored) preferably toys that can attract his attention for a long 6 hour journey. These are small toys and luckily these are not heavy & I can dump everything inside my diaper bag. Toys that require motor skills are good! For some reasons, old toys can't attract his attention for long, so mommy bought some new stuff for him & hope he likes it! :)

My super basic travel size make up, at least I look more... well, more presentable for photo! :p

 

Stuff in my diaper bag. Toddler has his own diaper bag, pretty much the same except he has his own iPad & milk powder, baby bottle & water bottle (oh yes, some lollipops to help him in easing ear pain during/after take-off/landing too!). I'm breastfeeding, so it's easier for me, just take out my nursing cover & latch the baby on! She will also be eating solid in the airplane, so I'm bringing baby food along in my diaper bag!

 p/s: I'm bringing a mini rice cooker not shown here as I have packed it away (light weight for travelling) to cook home made porridge for my kids, especially my toddler boy since he's really that picky and would refuse outside food at all! So yeah, I'm pretty done with packing and next will be a lot of praying, so our long journey will be smooth!

Wish us luck! And Until my next post on my long vacation to Taiwan! Bye from now!

(Sponsored Review) Managing Fever with KOOLFEVER

Hello!

Being a Mum of two, with both kids having close age difference of 19 months, fever is not unusual in our life. Fever has become quite an affair to me. Fever comes and goes. Fever comes (unwelcomed & uninvited) to my kids after vaccinations or after being contracted with some kind of viral infection or bacterial infection. As much as I hate fever, imagine I have to wake up every hour to check my little one's temperature (worrying the little one will wake up crying), the struggle I have when I need to force-feed paracetamol, the worried-ness how if the fever suddenly jumping up high? As much as I know fever does mean body is fighting against viruses or bacterial infection, no matter what it is, fever is very worrying to me! And always a HATE affair to me!! 

 

Thanks to KOOLFEVER Singapore for sending me super awesome Fever Management Kit which includes KOOLFEVER Products and and the Super KOOL Braun NTF3000 No Touch Plus Forehead Digital Thermometer. I'm now no longer afraid of UN-KOOL fever! 

 

 

 

I have been a big fan of KOOLFEVER patch for babies since EJ was an infant. KOOLFEVER stays one of the most important kits in my drawer. 

 

Being a Mum of two, handling a feverish baby or toddler is no longer a new thing for me. With 2 young kids under my care, I'm pretty confident on how to manage fever and I hope the tips I share here will be useful for moms-to-be or first time mums 

 

1) Paracetamol

 

Paracetamol syrup (pink color) is a safe medication prescribed by pediatrician for babies and toddlers and it's a must to have medication to control fever above 37.5 degrees. The dosage is normally prescribed according to the child's weight and can be taken every 4-6 hourly 

 

2) KOOLFEVER for babies & KOOLFEVER for children

 

I always use KOOLFEVER for both toddler & baby because it absorbs & disperses heat effectively. The size is just right & fits perfectly to my little one's forehead and doesn't displace at the slightest movement. It's also gentle for baby's skin as it doesn't contain fragrance or coloring. The best thing about KOOLFEVER is the cool effect lasts long, about 4 hours per sheet and I don't have to keep changing the fever sheet, unlike the old way fever compress. A must have baby essential! 

 

 Calysta was having fever!

 

3) KOOLFEVER for body

 

It's another smart innovation from KOOLFEVER I really like! A must have for me too! I use KOOLFEVER for body when my little one has a sudden high fever. Let's say fever jumping up from 37.5 to 39 degrees. Normally that will likely happen midnight. The first thing I do is to stay calm, feed paracetamol and use KOOLFEVER for body on the neck, wrists, underarms, inner thighs, ankles or any narrow parts of the body where the major arteries are found. My little one's temperature is effectively brought down. The cool effect lasts about 8 hours which is really awesome! 

 

4) KOOLFEVER soft cooling gel pillow

 

KOOLFEVER soft cooling gel pillow can be used for fever, sleepless and humid night. It contains special cooling gel that doesn't become frozen in the freezer. When my little one has fever, I wrap KOOLFEVER soft cooling gel pillow with towel and put it underneath my little one's head to help to bring down the fever. It's reusable simply by chilling in freezer again. The cooling effect will last for about 4-6 hours. 

 

 

 

5) Braun NTF3000 No Touch Plus Forehead Digital Thermometer.

 

Thermometer is a MUST and my advise to first time moms is get a digital thermometer because it's so worth it! Forehead digital thermometer is not only accurate but it's so convenient & easy to use. What I love about forehead digital thermometer is I can take my little one's temperature when he or she is sleeping. I don't have to be afraid of the little one waking up. I can take my little one's temperature without touching him or her which is really awesome! 

 

I have tested both ear and forehead thermometers and the difference is only -0.2 deg for forehead thermometer in comparison to ear thermometer. For instance, the temp using ear thermometer is 38.2 degrees and the temp using forehead thermometer would be 38 degrees and I would say it's accurate and I wouldn't doubt its accuracy at all. I get the same professional accuracy reading whether touching my little one's forehead or measuring up to 5 cm away

Forehead thermometer in comparison with ear thermometer

 

Another thing I like is there's a fever guidance like a green screen suggests no fever, a yellow screen suggests moderate fever and red signals high fever 

 

Most importantly is to stay calm when handling little one's fever. With good care and routine monitoring, the little one should be recovering in a few days time and becoming stronger after that. So, don't worry, mommies! Fever is manageable!

 

Thank you KOOLFEVER, my 7 month old baby Calysta is all well now!

 

To find out more about KOOLFEVER products, please like KOOLFEVER facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KOOLFEVERsg or visit their website at http://www.mykoolfever.com

Stay KOOL

Netty 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Sponsored Review) QuickGrab Nappy Bags

Hello!

Being a mom for the past 26 months (EJ is 26 months old & Calysta is 7 months old). Diaper duty has become a daily affair. Every day, my dustbin is always full of.... Diapers and more diapers! Since both EJ & Calysta are still wearing full time diapers, can you imagine how many wet & soiled diapers we are having a day? Both kiddos have about 5 wet diapers and 1 soiled diaper a day and can you imagine ehm..ehm how unpleasant the smell of our bathroom? I hate to admit I'm REALLY traumatized with the unpleasant nappies odours every time I have to throw something into the dustbin. Yucks! I swear the smell really lingers for long and I have to hold my breath for the longest minutes I can.

 

And now there's a smart solution!

 
Thanks to QuickGrab for sponsoring me, together with other December 2014 mommies most convenient, hygienic and fuss free nappy bags, now I'm no longer having a yucky feeling whenever I have to meet Mr. Dustbin in my bathroom. QuickGrab nappy bags are perfect for mothers who are on-the-go too

The bags are large enough to hold nappies, wet wipes and tissues. The easy-tie handles help to seal off any germs

Plus one thing I like is, the bag is scented to neutralize unpleasant odours. It smells like my favorite baby powder to me, while the black color subtly disguises the contents 

Directions for use:

1) change your baby's nappy
2) pull out a fragranced nappy bag from the pack
3) place soiled nappy and wipes in the bag. Tie handles together to close the bag
4) throw it in the bin 

QuickGrab nappy bags are currently retailing for SGD4.5 for 125 pieces online. 

You can find it at the following websites:http://www.vaby.com.sg

http://www.kulily.com

http://shop.mummysmarket.com.sg/378-quickgrab

For more information, kindly visit www.quickgrab.com.sg

Until next time,
Netty 

What does a newborn need? Must Haves for Baby Calysta

Hello

I was thinking whether to blog about baby essentials especially for newborn or not, because there are quite many baby websites listing about baby must haves for the first year. Then, I decided to share with fellow mommies here because I really think these are all what I need the most and also this writing is also for my own record, you know, in case I got pregnant again many years later and I need to start over again preparing baby stuff, at least I will know what to buy (although it's very less likely for me wanting to get pregnant again after many years, even if I want #3, I will try it within 2 years time frame, I'm not that young anymore haha... but who knows 'accident or something' haha..)

Newborn Clothing:

1) Swaddle (Traditional cloth type ~ I have like 7 pcs, please invest on Aden & Anais Muslin Swaddle)
2) Instant Swaddle (I have like 7 pcs ~ find it easy to wear on baby at night & easier for diaper change too)
3) Romper Pajamas ~ 6 pcs
4) Socks & Mittens ~ I have like 20 socks & 20 mittens because these get lost easily)
5) Wash Cloth & handkerchief ~ more than 20 pcs ~ find it very useful to clean baby face, body & hair during bath time and also can be used as newborn bibs during feeding & for mouth cleaning too)
6) Hat ~ 2 is enough
7) Baby shirt/short sleeve ~ button-down type ~ I have 14 pcs ~ I need many because baby vomits milk all the time
8) Long pants ~ 7 is enough ~ seldom use it though because newborn will be swaddled anyway to keep her warm & long pants are not that needed
9) Baby shirt/long sleeve ~ button-down type ~ 7 is enough ~ not that needed too because again newborn is swaddled all the time, so without wearing long sleeve, she's warm enough!
10) Romper ~ 4-5 pcs ~ not that needed because it can be a little hard to wear this type of romper on newborn baby & thus hard to take off too ~ however it's great for photo taking :D
11) Disposable Diapers ~ my favorite is Merries ~ do invest in newborn size 1 pack first to see if it fits and size S 3-4 packs
12) Cloth Diapers ~ I have 2 types ~ one is like Japanese Sumo pants (very traditional type) for newborn and another one is a modern cloth diaper. The green one as shown in the pic is great for baby aged 1 month and above, this one size cloth diaper can be worn by infants & toddlers. Check out Moo Moo Kow brand! Cloth diaper is a must because baby does get bum rashes quite frequently. My son wore cloth diaper when he had bum rashes ~ I have 12 cloth diapers with inserts!

Add: 1) Some pretty outing outfits, baby Cal has 2 dresses for 0-3 months and the rest are 3-6 months and 6 months onwards. Check out Baby Calysta's outfits/dresses here

2) Bibs ~ I have many but I normally will use bibs after baby is starting solid foods

And don't forget:

1) Bed Sheets ~ for your baby cot ~ 2 is enough!
2) Towels ~ I have 4, yes I need a few because baby pees on towel all the time ~ especially after bath
3) Mattress Protector ~ to prevent mattress getting wet
4) Baby Cloth Sling ~ it's a must for me, I prefer to wear baby sling when my baby is still a newborn and after 4 months old or when her head is firm and steady, I can definitely upgrade to baby carrier
5) Baby Cot Bumper ~ I don't need this as I'm using Playpen

Blankets:

1) Wearable Blanket ~ a must for me ~ I'm too paranoid normal blanket could suffocate baby at night when we don't supervise our baby, plus baby does kick blanket away every time
2) Normal Blanket ~ for afternoon nap ~ when I'm supervising the baby or not sleeping, and to make sure the blanket won't cover her face

Baby Care Essentials:

1) Changing Mat
2) Baby Wipes (I love Pigeon)
3) Spray Water Bottle (I use water to clean baby's bum after using baby wipes to prevent rashes, using baby wipes without rinsing can cause rashes)
4) Diaper Cream (I'm happy with Bepanthen or Desitin but prefer Bepanthen more as the texture is lighter)
5) Sterile Cotton (one small pack costs like $1 and I have like more than 30 packs, newborn must use sterile cotton. It can be used to clean newborn's eyes, face, ears, bum, etc
6) 2 in 1 Hair & Body Shampoo (I love organic brands like California Baby or Gaia and please use only organic hair & body shampoo for newborn as newborn's skin & scalp can be very sensitive)
7) Tummy Oil (either Ru Yee Oil or Minyak Telon, but I prefer Minyak Telon as it's mild/not so hot on baby's thin skin, but it's individual preference)
8) Body Lotion (This time I will try Mustela, I hope it's good!)
9) Aveeno Eczema Cream (I swear this cream is so good when baby has rashes on face, my 18 month old son is still using this when he has rough skin on his face & within 1-2 days, his face is back to baby-smooth-face)

Optional: Baby Massage Oil ~ I seldom use it though, but I have one sample bottle ^^

Please don't forget to buy anti-bacterial hand sanitizer ~ I put one in my room, one in living room and another one in the kitchen. When you have a newborn, you or other family members have to make sure hands are clean before touching the baby

Other Baby Care Products:
 
1) Nail Clipper/Scissor ~ I heard Pigeon brand is good
2) Nail Trimmer ~ Zoli Brand is really good, it's battery operated nail trimmer
3) Braun Digital Thermometer ~ Get the ear type, it's more accurate, easy to read & quicker, expensive but it's a good investment
4) Pigeon Hand & Mouth Wipes ~ A must to have, especially when we are outside, baby vomits a lot!
5) Hair Brush & Comb
6) Nose Aspirator ~ it's to suck the mucus out of baby's nose when baby is having flu. Mine is battery operated, Graco brand, just bought & never tried this before, I hope it's good!
7) Cotton Bud ~ to clean baby's ears (please do not clean inside!)
8) Mouth Wipes ~ you can use either clean wet cloth or My Dentist Choice Tooth Tissue (which can be used from birth up to toddler) to clean baby's tongue & gums. Mothercare offers similar product too. It's really individual preference. My mum & mil use Chinese Medicine Powder to clean newborn's mouth. They said it can prevent baby from being spooked (Well, I don't know about this too! Old Generation belief!)
9) Alcohol Wipes ~ it's to clean newborn's belly button when umbilical cord hasn't fallen off. You can get that from pharmacies
10) Medicine Syringe ~ Please invest on this A LOT! I bought 1 whole box (I think more than 50 pcs). This medicine syringe is a one time use & it's used to feed liquid medicine to infants or toddlers. Do expect that infants or toddlers can get fever after immunization and do prepare to feed them liquid paracetamol as prescribed by PD
11) Fever Patch ~ for fever ~ Pigeon brand is suitable for infants & toddlers

Diaper Bag is a must! ~ choose a light weight one! Mine is from Okiedog with lots of compartments inside! Awesome!

If you decide to bottle feed your baby, you may need:
 
1) Milk Powder Container ~ not only it's good for travelling but I also use this container on daily basis ~ you know sometimes you remind your helper, husband or mil to wash hands before making baby formula but they can forget or too busy or perhaps get distracted by baby cry, this milk powder container is the perfect solution without worrying milk powder would get contaminated or something! No wash hand, not too worry!
2) Baby Bottles ~ My son is using Avents and this time, my daughter will be using Comotomo (I heard it's a very good breastfeeding bottle and although I hope she would just latch on instead of using bottles)
3) Hot Water Thermos
4) Bottle Cleanser & Brush ~ Tollyjoy is the best

If you have decided to breastfeed, you may read my post on breastfeeding essentials here (breastfeeding stuff I prepared so far)

 

Item/s I won't buy:

1) Pacifier ~ the reason is I don't want my baby to get addicted to it plus I heard pacifier can change mouth shape & teeth structure, so I don't want to risk it ~ I want my baby to have beautiful smile in the future!
2) Pillow ~ just don't like the idea that it could suffocate my baby if baby left unattended
3) Baby Exersaucer ~ no good for baby legs' development

Other items I own: (most of these are from my son, passing down to my baby girl)
 
1) Baby Bottle Sterilizer (I use it every day, to me, it's very useful & a time saving product, instead of boiling bottles)
2) Bath Tub (A must!)
3) Car Seat (Seldom Use)
4) Stroller (A must!)
5) Baby Swing (Very Useful)
6) Baby Hammock aka yao lan (Very Useful too for my first born)
7) Baby Shoes (for non-walking infants, shoes are not needed, but I did own a few pairs for my first born, so he could look 'cool')
8) Baby Carrier (Very Useful, I love Ergo Baby)
9) High Chair (Absolutely! After 6 months)
10) Play Gym (I have one, but not really needed as I seldom use it)
11) Books & Toys & Teething Toys (all passing down from my toddler son)
12) Baby Walker (my son used this when he was 6 months old and above but I did make sure that he only used baby walker for max 10-15 minutes then he had to take a break)

Btw, for baby swing, I bought this Fisher-Price 4 in 1, I find it sophisticated, can be used from newborn to toddler :)

Check out here to take a look on my simple nursery for my baby girl and here for my maternity/nursing clothes

I hope I have already mentioned everything here and please excuse me if I have forgotten one or two items (I'm pregnant and I have pregnant brains too! LOL) Most of the stuff here are left over from my toddler son and some stuff they will both be sharing and I hope this post can be useful to first time mums-to-be. I'm no expert though, everything is just based on my own experience as a soon to be second time mum.

~Netty~

 

Week 34 + Baby Calysta's Nursery

Hello

I'm a little over 34 weeks pregnant now and yesterday was my 34th week scan.. Baby girl is finally 2.3 kg & 29 cm from top to bottom. Baby girl gained a good 600 grams in 3 weeks time. And she's also taller by 3 cm. Compared with my now 18 month old boy, he was 2.7 kg & 31 cm at 34 weeks.. Baby boy is bigger & taller, right?

Doctor told me my placenta position is not low, so I can pretty much deliver normally. Baby's head is also already fully engaged. Baby's head is low, thus I was asked to rest more.. Talking about rest, I'm so tired of resting! I have been resting since I was 28 weeks, following doctor's advise and seriously I feel so bored & I feel like going out! But I'm paranoid something could happen if I don't follow doctor's instruction which is to rest, so yeah yeah yeah, I'm resting on my bed while typing this.. One more month to go, rest & sleep more as much as possible is also a good thing, right? Because I can't be slacking that much once baby Cal is out..

I didn't even realize my baby's head engaged earlier because I didn't feel any lightening. That means I should feel lighter, my belly should have dropped lower. I knew my boy's head was engaged in my first pregnancy because I felt my belly was lighter and lower and I felt walking was much easier & less tiring but this pregnancy, I still feel my tummy is heavy and I feel so tired to walk far. So it's kind of funny how first and second pregnancy can be so different

Other than I was asked to rest more, I think this pregnancy is a total blessing. (Touchwood) so far, no itchy skin, no stretch marks on belly or thighs (except on my buttocks), no painful wrists, joints or knees. I had all the symptoms I just mentioned, in my first pregnancy except the stretch marks.

I have so far gained 15 kg at 34 weeks. I feel so fat & swollen everywhere ~ my puffy cheeks, double chin, fat arms & elephant legs ~ so unattractive! I put some make up yesterday when I went out for my doctor's appointment and realized make up could only fix eyes, eyebrows and complexion but there's no way I could hide my chubby cheeks & puffy chin =.=' The only trick I could do to make my face a little slimmer is to tie up my hair.

I would never thought I could gain that much weight because I gained super little weight during my second trimester. I only gained 1-1.5 kg per month during second trimester, so I thought I wouldn't gain that much in my third trimester too. I expected to gain 12 kg only for my whole pregnancy but you see, things can be quite different than you expected, right? I mean, as long as baby is healthy, I think it's fine to look like a hippo mama once in the life time (I hope so!)

Pregnancy makes me feel so hot (not looking hot of course!) but physically so hot & sweaty. I need to take cold shower more than twice a day! Even after a cold shower, I will sweat like mad again!

I also think it's really weird that baby Cal always do her kung-fu kicks & movements on my right tummy ~ literally my right waist. Yes only my right side & waist! I never felt her on my left tummy or anything on the left side. But funnily, I can feel her hiccups on my lower left tummy, totally the opposite! Unlike my first born, I felt him all over me!

And finally, her little nursery is set, organized and done! I have washed all her clothes as well.

Well, her nursery is nothing fancy since she will be sharing a room with us. Her baby cot is just a meter away from the king sized bed I share with my husband. We live in a 3 bedroom apartment. One room for me & husband, one room for my son & helper and another room for my mum in law who is staying together with us. So it's not possible for the little princess to have her own luxury nursery room. And also I will get worried if she sleeps by herself. So although she will be sharing with us, I will try to make her little nest as cozy as possible. And of course, I can't paint everything in pink or decorate every corner so girly since my husband is sleeping with us too. So I decorated a little for her in her own corner. The decorations I did (pom pom & butterflies) were all DIY from papers. And so her floral baby cot bumper, all DIY from mommy's proud hand works!

Showing you her little nest! Nothing fancy here of course!

DIY Pom Pom from tissue papers. I got these tissue papers at (I think) $0.90 cents each. Super cheap! Pom Pom is generally easy to make too.. Just cut into many square pieces equally (the more pieces, the fluffier), fold like you are folding origami hand fan, tie it with a string or ribbon in the middle & open up folded tissue papers piece by piece. Trim a bit, that's it! I think it took me 10 minutes to make 1 pom pom.. Cutting the super big tissue paper into many smaller pieces is taking so much time! Other than that, pom pom is super easy to make if you wanna try DIY! You can learn from YouTube videos too on how to make pom pom. Watching video will give you a better illustration than a picture here :)

Paper butterflies.. This is seriously super super easy to make. I think it took me only 2 minutes to make 1 butterfly. It's pretty much like folding colorful origami paper. You can learn that from YouTube too :) but of course, if you really want to know how I folded this, you can write me and I will do a blog post on how to make DIY paper butterfly next time! :)

I made pom pom from 3 colors, baby pink, hot pink and light purple :)

Here it is :)

 

Final touch with the musical mobile

This is how I made my floral DIY baby cot bumper Actually her baby cot/playpen is left over from my son, since he's now sleeping in a big mattress, so I'm passing this special cot to my baby girl :) This baby bed was once a cozy nest for my son and I hope it's a cozy corner for my little princess too :)

 

Nursery organizing is done! I have my baby bottles & a small can of formula ready (I hope I won't need it but who knows?) and an UV baby bottle sterilizer too. Never used UV sterilizer before. I hope it's good! I normally use steam sterilizer! I have my breast pump & accessories ready in a container. This $2 container from Daiso is really good, not only it comes with a secure cover but I can use hot water to soak my breast pump parts in this container too.

I love those $2 each floral cloth/plastic boxes from Daiso.. I can keep all baby care essentials I need to use daily like lotion, diaper cream, baby wipes, etc into one pretty box. I have 1 pretty big drawer to put all newborn stuff too

On top of my baby drawer, I have night light that came along with some soothing music. This night light is a projector kind of light.. It makes my ceiling looks prettier like little stars. I hope baby Cal will be entertained by this :)

Inside my baby drawer: 1st drawer: is my baby essentials (breast pads, diaper creams I bought a lot for both EJ & baby Cal, some sample stuff, baby wipes, disposable bibs, nose aspirator, fever patch, baby comb & brush, nail cutter, cotton bud, baby oil, anti bacterial wipes, etc)

2nd drawer: newborn clothing ~ mostly for home wear : swaddle (both instant swaddle and traditional cloth swaddle). I have many of Aden & Anais muslin swaddles, newborn shirts (button down type, both short & long sleeves), rompers, both long & short pants, small wash cloths (a lot), bibs, hats, mittens, socks & booties and pajamas rompers

3rd drawer: towels, cloth diapers & inserts, blankets, bed sheets, mattress protector, changing mat, receiving blankets and a lot of white cloths my mum bought me when I had EJ ~ turned out to be very useful ~ can be used as blanket, swaddle, bed sheet, changing cloth, etc..

4th drawer: random stuff I want to dump inside. Normally the last drawer is a little messy hahahaa...

And here are her dresses. The bottom part of her closet ~ I use $2 cloth boxes from Daiso to store her other clothes for future use :) Btw, check out her dresses collection here

 

 Baby bump at 34 weeks ~ swollen everywhere! ha..

Hospital bag packed at 34 weeks but I'm not sure if I packed everything completely ~ will double check & write again what I have packed when I'm really sure everything is inside ~ nothing missing!

Finally ~ my pregnant face and my 18 month old boy!

 

 

Until next post ~ Week 35 + Hospital Bag!

~Netty~