The little man’s of course.

And only because I just couldn’t resist seeing his expression on this one because I had an inkling that he was going to love it, as he did with the other few toys that I selectively purchased during preggo + year-end sale days.

Like the little truck and crawling tortoise from ELC that have one of the most decent sounds (we’re talking about better quality speakers here). Each time we pop the button to activate motion, light & sound – he’ll light up like it’s nothing he’s ever seen. Hilarious and money’s worth especially since it entertains him for a good 10 minutes during play time every day and whenever we’re preparing his meal these days.

So anyway, back to the christmas present. I wasn’t intending to get any fancy, schmancy gift for the little one since well, being his first christmas – I thought the notion of being able to celebrate together as our first family’s christmas was good enough. Maybe a small toy or two in the name of fun, keepsake and photo op moments.

But all that changed when I got word that Fisher-Price’s Little Superstar Step n Play Piano was going at a special promo price for a limited period of time. Now, I wouldn’t pay $399 (retail) but special promo price..hmm. Plus I liked that it tripled as a 1)baby entertainer with 360 degrees of playful activities –> 2)pseudo walker by encouraging baby to take steps back and forth while being self-contained in a safe zone –> 3) a toy which he could use during his toddler years as well (hopefully he’s not one who prefers running ard to anything else) simply by removing the seat in the middle.

{I foresee taking a similar photo for Liam + friend in the future}

So the order was made, daddy was informed what he was gifting the little man this Christmas and before I knew it the huge present was delivered to my doorstep one morning.

I have to say out of all the bigger toys Liam has (which is 2, thanks to gifts from friends during Liam’s one month) – this is probably the easiest to assemble just by snapping all the pieces together. It feels so sturdy and secure too!

Liam got his first go at playing in it last evening and he was practically jumping in joy at every sound and light. He spun around 360 a few times, had his turn at various activity stations, used his hands to push himself back and forth (well done, my little muscle man) and giggled more than he screamed infectiously that we had to take him out because he was late in eating dinner by 20 minutes.

{multitasking}

Today he had a blast when we put him in it again while preparing lunch. His laughter filled the air for the entire 20 minutes and I had some good me-time replying my whatsapp.

Definitely worth the money spent, and I must commend that the toy and the music were really well thought out.

None of those annoying tunes that makes you just want to rip the batteries off.

Even I bop and sang to the tunes!

The yummy mummies are even coming for a play date to let their little cuddlies have a go at it :)

[EDIT: Promo closed] 

When I started getting inspiration to shop for the chungkin’s wardrobe during my final trimester,  I never thought I would ever be able to afford any of the cool togs ‘em Hollywood celebrity babies & kiddos were sporting. Com’on, we all know how fat their parents’ paychecks are.

Not that being able to afford any of those stylish, sophisticated celebrity-endorsed togs would have made me a better mom, but if I could afford a stylo outfit or two which I absolutely adore on a page of a magazine without bursting my allowance (= within my means) for the rare occasion, why not?

So when I first chanced upon Trumpette socks which were fast gaining a foothold among celebrity moms such as Gwen Stefani, Jessica Alba, Ashlee Simpson, Britney Spears – I thought those socks were simply toooooo cute and a brilliant idea to boot!

{Jennifer Garner dressing up Seraphina Affleck in  Trumpette Mary Jane Socks}

Plus since infants are too young to actually wear proper shoes (so we were told during antenatal classes time & again that it affects the moulding of their feet) and we were advised to keep their feet warm & toasty at all times, I loved that these trumpette socks actually looked like baby shoes! They actually had real laces attached on for the boys series (such as Johnny & Buffalo checks) and not drawn on too!

When a fellow mama dressed her twins in Trumpette socks during one of the first few playdates, I knew I had to ask where she got them from. And thankfully  it wasn’t as exorbitant as I thought (a box retails for about $45 for 6 pairs in assorted colors vs. $18 for a pair of boring, lower quality socks with drawn on patterns which the Bo purchased initially when I mentioned Liam could no longer fit into booties).

I ended up purchasing 2 boxes (just in case I forget to wash them fast enough since Liam has his walks everyday) at a special rate and since then I’ve been using them almost every day. They’ve not frayed, nor gone out of shape nor have the colors fade. And I can easily match any of the 6 colors they come in (a box) with what Liam’s wearing, or not. These socks are practically oozing with a personality of their own anyway!

And for paranoid moms like myself, the  socks come with anti-skid bottoms too for when the little ones start walking. Double yay!

Oh and because they come in such prettily packaged boxes, me thinks they make a fab idea for  a baby shower gift too! At least they will come in handier and last longer than the run of the mill baby sets.

If you’re keen to check Trumpette socks out, Haus de Bebe is offering an additional 5% off if you quote “Chungkin” for any purchases in the month of Oct.

{my little chungkin in his trumpette}

Who knew babies’ feet could be cuter than they already are?

NESTING.

or least that’s what my pre-natal yoga instructor told me what my sudden burst of energy was about. She said that my nesting instincts have probably kicked in when I mentioned to her during class today that I’ve been feeling very energized of late. Like how birds gather twigs preparing their nest just prior to giving birth, this burst was my body’s way of preparing for labour and baby’s arrival.

And I guess she was right because after yoga class today, me and some girlfriends went to do some baby shopping (at the taka baby fair & at paragon) and I ended purchasing lots of things on the to-buy list, suffice to say the only things that are outstanding are: more towels for bath because a gf chided me that 2 was not enough! and a clothes rack to hang the little one’s clothes. A productive day indeed!

Meanwhile, here’s a preview of the little one’s cot companions along with the new tidy purchased today. I was obviously bored, hence the arranging of animals. (p/s: The Bo has warned me not to expand our little zoo to a safari and that all 4 of them needs to clear out once little man claims his cot, which I will of course!)

The BR passed me a belated present on Sunday during the Queenies meet-up. And though I was just expecting a (no pun intended) nice catch-up dinner which we’ve scheduled later this week; I was really touched when she passed me a bag full of goodies!

The cute patterned package contained a huge item for baby chungkin – a too cute growth chart (he’s already being thought of before making his appearance into the world!), a pen for me to jot down his growth progress (again, another item for the little lucky man) & an adorable tote bag for me (yay, finally something for the birthday girl). But what blew me away was the birthday card (see below) – the apt visual on it and of course the content on the inside.

Thank you BR, and I know that you are going to be one fab, hot, god-mama to the chungkin (p/s: no alcohol till 18 years old please).

Muacks!

1. I had Macs for breakfast today and KFC for dinner. I’m one happy fast food junkie today.

2. Chungkin’s cot & stroller is finally arriving tomorrow. I feel like I’m getting closer to getting the necessary preparations done although the allocated space for the cot is still very much occupied by the bagfuls of baby stuff bought and hand-me-downed. Thank goodness for mom whose volunteering to come over in the afternoon. She’ll know what to do. :)

3. My energy level has been dipping quite a bit of late, I can actually fall into a snooze without much struggle every other hour now.

4. My hospital bag is 1/3 packed! Woohoo. 2/3 more to go.

5. I’m on a new personal project – to brainstorm of a new blog title and do a mini site revamp as I transition from a preggy to a mommy. You know, just to give myself a sense of new beginning, new adventures. The Bo thinks I’ve too much time on hand to think of such a silly idea. Any suggestions, anyone?

I’ve always been eager to get into the whole stroller/pram shopping since being confirmed the pregnancy. Although ironically with est. 8 weeks left before we can say ‘hello’ to baby chungkin in person (aww, counting down to the day already), I’ve yet to even purchase one. Oops.

Perhaps cause I’ve always enjoyed pushing my little cousins around in their strollers since I was a little girl (made me feel like an adult with that sorta responsibility) – so the whole stroller thing kinda stuck.

Anyways, this one caught my eye when the cousin posted in on Facebook earlier today. I’ve always been fascinated to get one of those heavy-duty jogger/travel systems but after seeing the SIL handle her chamelon and observing how opening & closing can be quite a b*tch especially, I decided otherwise. So this one… really caught my attention because not only does it auto-open (like the Quinny buzz), it auto-closes as well with the press of a button!

Click link to watch video: 4Moms Origami Stroller

Ain’t it just perfect for lazy bums like myself? :)

The only set-back I am anticipating: price & weight (considering that it probably has an in-built motor to do all the work for you).