mommy's favorites

being a mommy you only want what's best for your baby. now that i'm in the third month of being a new mom to ava, i already have my favorite stuff that i love using when it comes to her.here's a list of my favorites so far.

• silver cross 3D pram system - no regrets in getting this one. maybe a bit expensive compared to other brands but it's worth it. it is sturdy and easy to maneuver and we can use it until ava is already a toddler because the pram converts into a stroller. we always get compliments every time we are out with it. and with silver cross, you can never go wrong.
• pampers baby dry diapers -  no wonder it's very popular. i just found out lately how wonderful this is. being practical as we are, we think there's no point using big name brands as long as it does the job and half the price compared to leading brands. so we've decided to use supermarket brand nappies like asda, tesco and sainsbury's. at first, it was ok. but as she grew older and have started urinating a lot especially at night, there's always a leak somewhere. when i pick her up at dawn for her feed, she's always wet in the waist area. so we've decided to try huggies and pampers. with huggies she still leaks but with pampers, it's wonderful. i don't have to change her at dawn after her feed and when i change the nappy in the morning, it's full and heavy but her bottom is still dry.so thumbs up for pampers.
• johnson's and johnson's wipes - this is a no brainer. this brand has been around for decades. i've tried huggies and pampers wipes (samples given during our hospital stay) and they were okay but when i tried johnson's and johnson's(bought it because it was on BOGOF promo), i loooved it. it's very nice on my baby's skin. it just glides and also nice smelling too. most times, i still use cotton ball with warm water to wipe her bottom. it's gentler to her skin. i only use the odd wipes when we are out and about.
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avent feeding bottles - i always see a lot of moms around using avent bottles but i should have known, they were using it for a reason and not just because of the name. so i bought tommy tippee bottles and when i started giving ava formula that's when i realized that it's not really good. especially the teat that was apparently designed to  mimic the mom's breast. actually,  it's no good. the tip of the teat seems to get sucked into the bottle when ava is feeding and i have to stop feeding her and take the teat out so the tip will come out again. so we bought avent bottles and i've never been happier.
sudocrem - really keeps nappy rash at bay.enough said.

what's a girl to do

when you are on maternity for 8 months,internet shopping becomes your friend...

confessions of a shopaholic

finally, Shopaholic the movie (confessions of a shopaholic) is going to be released next month. it seemed like i had to wait forever for it to be shown.this is one of the three movies that i couldn't wait to watch being a fan of the book series. i was just so glad when i heard that it was going to be turned into a movie. the other two that i was so happy about was Sex and the City the movie and Mamma Mia the  movie. i must've seen the musical in london more than twice already.
i'm loving the fact that isla fisher plays rebecca bloomwood. i'm sure she'll give justice to the role. i think it fits her to a T. so come february, i'm gonna ask my husband to baby sit ava for me so i can watch this movie with my friends. one thing i don't like about the movie version is that the location is in new york when in the series, becky is based in london (author sophie kinsella is english). also, i'm not sure about the dress sense though. rebecca bloomwood was good at shopping designer clothes but didn't know she didn't have good fashion sense.

had my date with the stork

i'm back in business after a very long time. shall we say, since i had my baby and that was almost 8 weeks ago. yes, i already gave birth to my baby girl last november 24 and i can say it was a wonderful experience. i wasn't traumatized as i thought i would. she arrived a week early and i couldn't be happier.she's the most beautiful thing that ever happened to me. it was a good labor and delivery (it's all the prayers) and i was lucky to have a very good team from the midwives to the nurses up to the attending consultant. though i can never deny the fact that it really hurt (i didn't have the epidural until i was 6 cms. dilated) and was physically exhausting. i mean, they don't call it labor for nothing. but thanks to the epidural, it made things easier and pain free.
what i found difficult was the days and weeks after the birth. taking care of a very demanding newborn while you are sore all over is such a daunting task. plus the sleep deprivation was just too much. there were times when i would cry because of pure exhaustion especially when she's crying non stop and inconsolable and my husband was already back at work. so i had no one to rely on but only myself. those were the times that i wished i was in cebu where my parents and all the relatives are. you can always rely on a helping hand out there.
almost 8 weeks on, i already got the hang of it and things are a lot easier. Ava's got a routine already and she sort of sleeps through the night from 10pm-4am unlike before when i have to feed her every 2 hrs at night and every 3 hrs during the day. i am able to enjoy her now after the rough first 6 weeks. i used to tell myself that things could only get better and it truly has.

37 weeks and counting

as of today, i have been officially off from work for three weeks now and officially full term with my pregnancy. i could give birth anytime soon (i doubt it though. haven't felt any signs yet) or i could still be pregnant in the next 4 weeks which i hope not. i'm hoping this baby is not a latecomer. what did i do in the last three weeks? well, for one, i have finished my christmas shopping and gift wrapped them before the end of november (a first for me). i also have washed, ironed and folded all the baby clothes that we bought, received as gifts and the hand-me-downs as well from friends' babies. i've even arranged them already in her closet and drawers. it's amazing how they all add up to think we only bought the very few basics like a newborn set (consisting of a cardigan,sleepsuit,hat and booties) and about 6 sleepsuits or all in ones. after i put them all together, they were like one whole wardrobe already and she's not even born yet.
i also have packed my hospital bag. i didn't realize it was going to be a daunting task. i had a list to follow given by the midwife alright, but it didn't seem practical because after i have put them all together in a bag that will accomodate them all, it looked like i was going on a 2 week holiday. so i sorted the list and packed just the very essential ones. after all, we only live 10 minutes drive from the hospital. hubby can always come and get something that we haven't got very easily.
i can't say that i haven't felt a tinge of boredom. especially when i still have three weeks to go until my official due date which is first of december. i will just have to find ways of entertaining myself. i'm sure that won't be difficult. for one, i already have the laptop and the internet as my new bestfriends.
and so the waiting continues...

at last

finally, i had my last day at work today or should i say half day to start my maternity leave. i only worked in the morning and left work at 1pm not for good (i wish) but only for the next 7 months. my colleagues prepared a few gifts for me and the baby and a little get together with some cakes to eat. it was so sweet of them to organize it and to present me with all these gifts. i got a lot of body suits for my baby and someone knitted a pink cardigan (the one on the left) for her as well. they got me some pampering gifts. it was the sweetest thing.
i was happy to be leaving work but worried about what i'm going to do with myself for the next 6 weeks until my baby arrives. though i have this urge to do a lot of organizing at home and some cleaning. many thinks this is the nesting instinct when a woman is nearing her due date. this is normal and i suppose practical because once the baby arrives there won't be a lot of time to do other things anymore. as they say, it will be all about the baby.

we're having a...

baby girl!!!
introducing... Ava Lourdes Gadiane Nakila
Ava [ayvah] -in hebrew means life
                        in latin means bird
                       in persian means voice
related names:
9th century saint St. Ava of Hainault,Belgium
1950's hollywood actress Ava Gardner
Lourdes [loor-des] - french in origin, place where the Virgin Mary
                     appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858.