I’ve spent the last few hours absolutely horrified at the selection of nursing tops online. I’m sick of seeing the same v-neck top on every website, available in the same 3 generic colors: black, grey and purple. After spending some quality time with the Google search box, I finally came across Dote Nursingwear, a line of modern, trendy functional nursing wear that I hope will save me from cursing at my misshapen Bravado camisoles.

Dote’s designs are somewhat Theory-esque with modern silhouettes and don’t scream “Motherhood”. The only catch here is the line is from Singapore and can take up to 15 business days to ship, and they’re closed until January 12 for the holidays. But I did find a few styles at figure8maternity.com. Tip: their coupon codes are stackable so use as many as you can.

Meanwhile, please excuse me while I go off on one more rant. I don’t know what irks me more, websites that use obviously un-pregnant and/or non-nursing women as models (I doubt the pink dress above looks like that on a DD chest) or the ones that use “real” shots of women using their clothes, and by “real” I mean it looks like the pictures were taken in someone’s backyard.

I convinced hubby to watch the baby under the premise of “post-Thanksgiving cleanup”… little does he know I’ve actually gotten sucked into online Black Friday sales. :)

Not only is Tea having an awesome $15 dress sale, but all sale items are an extra 25% off today, making each of these cuties $11.25 each. I’m stocking up in sizes 6 mo – 2 yrs. :) Coupon code: HEYEXTRA25

One of my favorite additions to the nursery is this 3 Sprouts Organic Storage Bin that I use to store baby’s toys when we are done with tummy time. They are on Gilt today but be forewarned, they are not discounted. It’s nearly impossible to find these guys on sale… they seem to pop up on sale sites but still sell at retail price. (Kind of like Aden + Anais.)

Oh, and Cora likes it too.

Happy 4 weeks little Madeleine!

It’s so hard to believe that it’s already been a month since you’ve entered our world. Seems just yesterday you were our teeny little newborn, completely content to sleep around the clock, that is, until the minute we left the hospital! You’ve already given me so much — more love than I can contain, more patience than I knew I had and more happiness than I could ever imagine. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life repaying that to you by giving you everything I possibly can. XOXO

If I could do the baby shopping all over again I’d exchange my entire newborn onesie collection for these kimono wraps from Petit Bateau. They’ve become an everyday staple for lil Maddie, so easy to put on and so much better fitting than any of her other newborn clothes. The key is in the fit: the skinny arms are the perfect width and length for newborns and the bottom buttons wrap forward, making it easy for diaper changes and the leg openings are super comfortable for a newborn’s frog legs.

You’d think all baby clothes are made like this but the onesies we’ve picked up from Baby Gap and other random stores just don’t fit very well. Also I’ve learned (the hard way) that over-the-head onesies are no good for a newborn… in addition to being extremely paranoid about their flimsy necks, it’s ridiculously difficult to take off a soiled onesie over the head without getting any dirty parts on their head. :P

Also just love that Petit Bateau baby stuff makes babies look like babies. Cute, adorable, tiny little babies. :)

10 days ago this little bundle of joy entered my world, and I still can’t quite believe it! Little Madeleine arrived last Monday, October 17th at 6 lbs 3.5 oz and we were both blessed to have a speedy delivery and recovery. I’ll be in and out to share updates as I get to know our little girl and settle into my new role as a mother (really?) so I hope you guys will continue to stop by and visit. :)

Meanwhile I’m learning quite fast and have become a pro at a few new things this week, including:

• How to text with my left hand.
• How to scarf down a Double-Double in 2 minutes flat.
• How to talk endlessly about nothing, to soothe the baby.

One thing I am failing at miserably though is restful sleep. And I hear that part doesn’t get much better…

A few products that make the twice-daily pregnancy showers bearable… All are new favorites, and some I’ll definitely use in my regular routine post-pregnancy!

1) Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre
I can’t count how many times I’ve seen this moisturizer on top beauty picks list, from celebrities, makeup artists, magazines and bloggers. I remember trying to hunt this down on my last trip to NY, hearing that this facial moisturizer was readily available in drugstores, with no success. Finally thought of buying it on Amazon (duh!) and have been using it for only a week and already see a difference in my skin texture. My skin has been red, blotchy and shiny since pregnancy and with daily use this seems to calm my skin back to normal. Even hubby mentioned, “Hey, your skin is looking better.” — without knowing I switched products, and he never says stuff like that?

2) Dr. Bronner’s Lavender Pure-Castille Soap
Something so calming about this soap as a way to unwind from the day. I love the light scent and it primes the skin perfectly for lotion. I buy the largest bottle and use a Simple Human dispenser in the shower, which makes it super convenient.

3) Maclaren Alleviating Leg Lotion
The third trimester is so so brutal on my legs/feet, I’m constantly looking out for muscle rubs and ways to de-swell. This oil-based lotion absorbs quickly into the skin with a light scent of orange, mandarin and patchouli. Every night I quickly rub it in and raise my legs for 15 minutes to get a little circulation back into my feet.

4) Tocca Cleopatra Hand Lotion
Frequent bathroom trips = frequent hand washing = dry, dry hands. I love the scent of Tocca’s Cleopatra hand lotion. Doubles as quick, refreshing scent therapy whenever you need to block out an offending smell that is threatening to make you nauseous. Just apply and cover your nose. :)

5) Shiseido Oil-Control Blotting Paper
Oil blotting seems to be an all day thing. I used to love Clean & Clear’s oil papers but it was so gross to use in public — the entire sheet gets glossy from absorbing oil. Shiseido’s papers are discreet, quick to remove oil and crumple up small for disposal.

6) Mustela Stretch Marks Double Action
I’ve tried several stretch mark creams during pregnancy and realize they all do the same thing — moisturize your skin so it can stretch easier during late pregnancy. What I found, though, is absorbency makes a huge difference. Tummy rub oils are great, until you put a shirt on (gets itchy and messy!). Belly balms are okay, if you have 30 minutes to soften the balm, rub it on in little patches and don’t care about the shirt it will rub off on. This cream is more of a lotion, absorbs quickly and is perfect for both day and night.

The one thing on my hubby’s baby wish list was a diaper bag. Yes, a diaper bag. His argument was sound: he’s likely to be the one to carry the diaper bag anyway, so why couldn’t we get a masculine one? After catching him repeatedly eye the diaper bag section whenever we were out shopping for baby, I decided to get him the Scout by PPB (Petunia Pickle Bottom) as a surprise gift.

He was pretty stoked, and I have to say I was pretty impressed when it came in the mail. It has durable construction (reminded me a lot like Hardgraft) but was cleverly designed to house everything both Daddy and baby would need. Bottle pockets on the outside snap off if you don’t need it, or snap inside if you want to be a little more discreet. Wide pockets on the back and inside keep Daddy’s cell phone, keys and wallet organized. Comes with a wipes case, water-resistant changing pad and stroller clips. All in a stylishly rugged felt messenger bag.

My strategy is fool-proof: he who carries the diaper bag, shall change all the diapers. :)

I have one empty wall left in the baby nursery that is just nagging to be covered. I know I want to hang up some matching prints, but can’t decide on what. My choices have fallen to these two sets of prints, both from Little Lion Studio on etsy.

The Morning Mist Personalized Print comes in three colors that when combined makes for a perfect set of first – middle – last name. These colors reflect the decor from my opposite wall perfectly, but I’m a little hesitant about putting up little bebe’s full name.

This Spring Kimono Bird Set carries more pink and is definitely more girly at first glance. I would double up the print to create symmetry but I’m not sure about the personalized center print, as my daughter will have a middle name and throwing in a 3-letter monogram might be too much.

Votes, anyone? :)

I’ve been gone forever! Amazing what the thrills and woes of pregnancy do to you — random bursts of energy that runs you through three grocery stores to pick up ingredients for a random dessert, or the lowest of lows keeping you on the couch for a never ending Rizzoli and Isles marathon. One place it did keep me away from was the computer; with back pain, discomfort, blurry vision and my prenatal version of ADD I did not have the patience to sit at a computer desk.

Makes me kind of sad that I didn’t document as much of my second and third trimester as I wanted. I thought it would be better to live in the moment and experience things as they came along instead of documenting everything to the tee (which I used to do, to the tune of 3 blogs, 1 Tumblr and 2 Twitter feeds). But instead of an independence from obsessive-compulsive-documentation disorder, life just passed by in a whirlwind. Somehow I’m here in my 37th week, as huge as a whale, waiting impatiently for the next chapter in my life.

So anyways, let’s track back a little and attempt to make up for the past couple of months. Here are a few more things I’ve learned about pregnancy thus far.

The glowing thing. What did I say after the first trimester? Hopefully something about what a sham this is. Pregnant women don’t glow. They overproduce oil until they are forced to make an emergency run to the cosmetics counter to pick up some oil-blotting paper, and obsessively use 2-3 sheets at a time, because that’s how oily my face is!

Your utility bills go up. What happens when you flush the toilet every half hour? Your water bill goes up. What happens when your overheated pregnant body insists on keeping the A/C on full blast, especially now that you’re stuck at home on bed rest? Your electricity bill doubles. Yay.

Stretch marks are real. When I bought my first tube of tummy rub my mom laughed at me, “We don’t get stretch marks! It’s an Asian thing!” But still, after every shower I religiously slathered on Mustela’s Stretch Marks Double Action. Around week 34 I ran out and told myself, maybe my mom is right! I don’t need stretch mark cream! Around week 36 my first stretch marks made their appearance. Needless to say, I am back to religiously slathering on that stuff.

You think they fit. You continue to wear your old, pre-pregnancy under things and PJ’s. No one sees me in these anyway! Sure, they’re a little tight… Then one day while folding laundry you hold up your favorite sleep shorts and realize the elastic is busted. Hey, the elastic is busted on this other one too. Hmm, I’m sure this tank wasn’t this out of shape. Advice: buy maternity under things and sleeping things, your wardrobe will not appreciate being stretched out of shape!