All Baby-ed Out

Last weekend was completely filled with baby related activities, with the exception of watching the Transformers movie. Looks like baby is already controlling our lives, even before she arrives in this world!

Saturday
10 - 11am: Prenatal Pilates - I really am beginning to enjoy this class - it's very relaxing and doesn't need much effort at all. I think the stretching is really good for me too. We worked out our arms this week, biceps and triceps, and did some calf and hamstring stretches to avoid those dreaded leg cramps (thank goodness, have not experienced them yet)

Popped into Topshop to buy this cute little dress from Topshop Mini (they have the cutest things!) that I'd been eyeing since my early days of pregnancy. Couldn't buy then 'cos I wasn't sure if it was going to be a boy or a girl. I just love this dress (bonus points for not being pink), and I managed to snag the last piece too!

1.30 - 5.15pm: Mothers Get Together aka Hospital Tour at Mount Elizabeth. This one left me with an aching back (a first) after hours of sitting in a chair listening to talks by various doctors and nurses. The event ran overtime, 'cos we were actually supposed to finish by 4.30. But we started late and things just dragged on from there.

We had talks about maternity services, what to expect during our stay, and even on stemcord banking. Then we took a tour of the nursery (cute babies!), delivery suite (kinda clinical and scary looking) and the maternity ward. Since it was 07-07-07, it was a popular day for births and we didn't manage to see any of the single rooms which were all fully occupied. At the delivery suite, heard lots of babies crying, but thankfully no women screaming.....

The food that they served for tea was pretty good - I hope that's a sign of the kind of food I can expect to eat during my stay there!

It's actually a little early for me to be going for this tour - but no choice lah. Mt E only conducts these tours once every 2 months, and although the September one would have been perfect, it clashes with my prenatal classes at TMC and the one in November is after my expected due date. All the other mums-to-be had huge bellies - I think mine was the smallest! Actually when I wear loose-ish tops, I can almost pass for being not pregnant, so I feel quite funny sometimes when I go to baby departments/ stores etc. I almost feel as if the other mummies are wondering, "What's this woman doing here??!" For those who are concerned about how baby is growing, doc says that she's doing just fine and is above average weight. I'm just not showing too much, and hope that it continues this way!

Sunday
Baby Hypermart - this place has been recommended by several friends as they have a good selection of baby stuff, and the staff are pretty knowledgeable. So Kisu and I ventured forth to Kaki Bukit, Shun Li Industrial estate. We went there mainly to check out strollers. Initially, we were quite keen on the Quinny Buzz, which is I think is decently priced ($799) for a stroller that is pretty compact, easy on the eye and is a breeze to setup. It also allows us to skip the bassinet and use a Maxi Cosi car seat for the 1st 6 months.

I was all set to buy it until I tried stowing it....it's only a 2 step process but it wasn't that easy, especially the final step of locking the frame. Even Kisu had a little bit of problem with it. He hustled me out of the place after that - despite me telling him that maybe it was just a matter of practice, he said no point if I was going to have trouble with it.

United Square
We had some time to kill before the Transformers movie, so I suggested checking out United Square (baby hub!) for more stroller options, but it turned out that there were more stores selling clothes than strollers. We ended up taking afternoon tea here instead of shopping.

Mothers Work
Hit Mothers Work at Great World before the movie at GV Grand. We wanted to check out the Bugaboo Chameleon again. It's a very beautiful stroller (featured in Sex & The City), but the price is more than double that of the Quinny - $1799.

The salesgirl was very helpful and gave us lots of advice and helped us to compare the strollers we were considering. Basically told us that we will never find the 'perfect' stroller. When I told her that I had trouble stowing the Quinny, she brought me to the showroom model and 'coached' me on the right method. And I actually improved with her help! It was easier than when I tried it at Baby Hypermart, but the locking mechanism still proved to be a challenge.

We didn't walk away with a stroller, but we've narrowed it down to 3 options.

In addition to the Quinny and the Bugaboo Chameleon, we also like the Stokke Xplory. It is sturdy, looks great - I like the clean lines, easy to manoever, but is heavy (about the same as the Quinny) and is not as compact. The extra benefit is that it allows your child to sit high up, so that they can see more, and it doubles up as a high chair at restaurants. Price is similar to the Bugaboo.