Cross stitch : ABC Baby Afghan Complete

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ABC Baby Afghan Update 4
ABC Baby Afghan Update 3

ABC Baby Afghan Update 2

ABC Baby Afghan Update 1

Completed afghan with maroon backing and knotted edges

When I found out I was preggers with Jr., I finally made my way to the textile shop and bought some material to complete my baby afghan.
Chose a soft dark maroon cloth as the backing.
A dark colour will be able to hide any stains in the future...we are using it for a baby, stains are inevitable.

Took the afghan and backing material to a tailor and he sew it for me.
Then made knots for the edges.
And it's complete =)

I hope Jr. would love his afghan...my 1st present for my little prince <3

Baby Nursery Checklist - Pt.1

Everyone knows having a baby doesn't come cheap these days.
There's so many things to consider from baby's clothes to cute lil' booties.
Not forgetting insurance policy and future education fund.
Among all the happy anticipations of Junior's impending arrival...there's a whole list of things to prepare for him...started pretty late on this checklist, but as they say, better late than never =)

                                   Cot and Bedding                                 

We've considered getting a travel cot cum playpen. But after visiting Ikea, we've decided on a toddler bed with guard rails instead of a baby cot. I know it's kinda out of the ordinary to do so but I've heard so many stories about babies not liking sleeping in a cot and it's a waste of money. Hence, we got a lil bed that Junior could use till he's about 7 or 8. Hopefully we made the right decision as it doesn't come cheap. Got him a nice mattress and plain sheets to start with. Have read that babies don't need any pillow or bolster as it might cause Sudden Infant Death Syndrome(SIDS). So we'll add accessories to his bed when necessary.

Needs

(√) Baby Bed
(√) Mattress
(√) Mattress protector
(√) Waterproof Mattress Pads
(√) Fitted Bedsheets
(√) Blankets (a cute alphabet cross stitch blanket I made earlier)

Nice To have
- Swaddling Blanket (can be substituted with cloth napkins)
(√) The First Years - Close and Secure Sleeper (as I'm planning to breastfeed Jr. through the night, it'll be nice to have him really close by ie. next to me on the bed...lets see if Eric joins us)

                                         Diapering                                       

We're planning to use a cloth diapering system for Jr. It's the modern kind of cloth diapers and they're oh-so-cute (not the kind that our mommies and grannies used in the olden days). Why you ask? Well, we (or I actually) have some pretty good reasons for considering being a cloth diaper(CD) mommy.

1st - Save lots of $$$. It's cheaper in the long run (but that also depends the brands/types of cute diapers I can't resist buying) as these CD are washable therefore reusable which means...

2nd - We can use the same CD for our next child! Saving us more $$$.

3rd - CD will keep baby's bottom smooth and itch free. Heard of diaper rash caused by disposable diapers? Yup, it's painful for babies and agony for mommies.

4th - Save the environment. I'm trying to contribute my little bit to save the environment. Just imagine the amount of disposable diapers that goes into our landfills daily. It's not a pretty sight.

I'm not naive, I know it won't be easy to CD a baby when there are so many other things to do. Anyhow, I'm determine to give it a try and see how it goes =)

Needs

(√) Baby Cloth Napkins for various uses (nappies, swaddling...etc)

- Nappy Liners

(√) Baby Wet Wipes

- Changing Mat

- Baby Hypoallergenic Detergent

(√) Disposable Diapers (have read that it's best to use disposable for the 1st month)

(√) Cloth Diapers (So exciting...bought GroVia and Bamboolite)

Nice To Have

More Cloth Diapers that makes me wanna pinch baby's bottom!!!
(Gro Via, Happy Heiny's, Itti Bitti, Cushie Tushies, Bum Genius, Moo Moo Kow, Baby Kangas, FuzziBunz, Rumparooz, Knickernappies )

 

                                       Baby Clothing                                   

We're going economical on these as babies do grow pretty fast. Will buy Jr.'s clothes as and when needed.

Needs

(√) Booties and mittens

(√) Short sleeve shirt 

(√) Long sleeve shirt

(√) Long Pants with/without feet cover

(√) Bodysuits

(√) Newborn Hats

(√) Handkerchief

                             Baby Care/Bathing Needs                          

Needs

(√) Baby Bathtub (Thanks to Aunty Audrey)

- Baby Bath Wash

(√) Wash Cloths

(√) Cotton Buds

(√) Bath Towels

- Baby Lotion/Oil

Nice To Have

(√) Baby Monitor (Thanks again to Aunty Audrey)

                                  Feeding Supplies                                 

 

Needs

(√) Baby Bottles - Currently have Nuk (cause I'm really convinced by their nipple shaped orthodontic teats) & US Baby glass bottles (Thanks to Aunty Melaine)

(√) Bottle Brush

(√) Liquid Cleanser for bottles & teats

(√) Little Bean Sterilizer
(√) Little Bean Food Warmer (mostly for stored breastmik)

                                     Breast Feeding                                   

Needs

(√) Medela Swing Breastpump

(√) Breast Pads (in case of leaks)

- Nipple Cream (not sure if I need this...but cracked nipples sounds super painful)

(√) Nursing Bra

- Nursing Tops

Nice To Have

- Nursing Pillow (not sure if I really need one. I'm considering My Best Friend Breastfeeding Pillow but Eric says I can just try with a normal pillow on our bed) 

                                          Toys / Play                                        

Nice To Have
- Bouncer (Considering BabyBjorn but they're super expensive *sigh*)

                                       Out and About                                     

Needs

- Baby Stroller (considering Quinny Zapp Travel System but again...it's super expensive)

- Head Support Cushion

- Travel Changing Mat

- Carseat

(√) Diaper Bag (thanks Aunty Melaine for a cute diaper bag. But I'm still hoping to get my hands on a  Mrs Smith's Bag )

Nice To Have
- Ring sling (considering JumpSacBaby which is made in Malaysia)

For now, my checklist is lacking some stuffs that we may need.

So hard to decide if we should get the more expensive version of stuffs which have super great reviews (i.e QuinnyStroller, My Bestfriend Pillow & Baby Bjorn Bouncer) or just go and buy cheapo ones which I might just regret later as they don't work as expected.

Decisions...decisions...decisions...

Happy New Year 2011

Once again the year flew by and we're ushering in a New Year.
And this year, we're saying "Hello" to 2011 with a 'bun-in-the-oven' =)

Yup, we're having a baby soon...and yes, I look like a whale now at 8 months.
Junior is getting pretty big...and so am I =(
A truly unfortunate consequences of having such good appetite while preggers.

I know I haven't been blogging for a long long time.
Working & being preggers at the same time doesn't leave much time for much else (it's tiring lar waddling around like a penguin everywhere)
And now we've been busy shopping for Junior's essentials when he meets us next year.
So many things to buy for a baby...and they're not cheap either *sobs sobs*

So...did I have morning sickness?
Of course lar...but it's probably on the mild side compared to some other preggers mummy I've seen.
I was nauseous (it's like having a permanent hangover after a night of partying) and was prone to puking.
My face also broke out like crazy (damn those pimple causing hormones!) and nothing could help =(
Thank goodness the nausea, puking and pimples all went away when I got into my 4th month.

Did I crave for any special food?
Yup...no doubt about it.
I consumed food like a hungry horse (which contributed to me looking like a whale now).

Mostly it was fast food. McD's are my fav (I can smell the fries...*drools*).
Pizzas too but I try not to have them often.
I was also craving durian and I had lots of them thanks to my father-in-law until suddenly durian season was over =( Those thorny fruits were no where to be found.
I also craved for longan which was in season..then wasn't and now in again?
BUT...my ultimate cravings was for Lychees!!! *drools dreamily*
I want those fresh lychees with red red skin and juicy juicy flesh.
Those in cans from supermarket won't do. No thanks.
I'm still craving for lychees but damn they're not in season *sigh*
Guess I'll just have to make do with McD's then =P

There's so much I wanna blog about...just have to find the time.
For now...Wishing Everyone a Happy Fabulous New Year!