Mimi & Chichi Blog

2018 Reflections with Willow Breast Pump

December 31, 2018

To say that we’re going to have a low key 2019 New Years Eve will probably be the understatement of the year. After all, I’m currently writing a blog while watching Great British Baking Show. But just because I’m not ending the year with a bang, doesn’t mean that it’s has not been an eventful year. In fact, considering the arrival of Maxine, 2018 is probably the most exciting (and dare I say the best) year ever.

One of the goal that I set earlier this year is to breastfed Maxine for at least 6-month. I’m happy to report that we hit that milestone mid-December — and we’re still going strong (woohoo). I wish I could say she was exclusively on the boob for that entire 6-month, which would mean that I was at home with her for that long. This is the part where I wish I’m Canadian and have a year maternity leave. But alas I only had 3-months off, a total luxury by American standard. Once I was back at work, I relied on pumping, with the help of Willow breast pump, to make Max’s food supply.

One of the thing that gave me major anxiety about coming back to work is being able to pump enough. I did make a bit of a stash while I was at home, but I knew I would blew threw it very quickly if I did not make enough going forward.

5 Best Places To Get Matching Family Pajamas

December 9, 2018

Hi guys, I’m back! And hopefully will be blogging more regularly from now on. A lot of you guys are asking me for an update on life with Maxine, and I’ve got that coming soon (promise).

For now, let’s talk about matching pajamas! The whole idea of matching pajamas started because I was trying to think of what to do for our holiday card photos. I wasn’t one for doing holiday cards before, but I thought that it’s a nice way to keep family and friends updated on Maxine. Fellow blogger and friend, Megan Zietz of TF Diaries, did matching pajamas for their pregnancy announcement last year and I thought that it was such a cute idea. Plus I love that you get to be lazy and shoot the photos at home in bed (bonus).

Although it makes for a great holiday card theme, you definitely don’t need to have a planned photoshoot to get matching family PJs. I think it’s a great way to get the family together and possibly even start a holiday tradition.

Read on to see my five favorite places to get matching family pajamas.
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How to Prep for a Hospital Newborn Photoshoot

July 12, 2018

Did you guys know that you can have professional newborn photos taken at the hospital? I had no idea and found this by accident on one of my Facebook mom groups. At first I thought, why bother? I could just have my husband take the photos. Plus my parents had planned on being at the hospital, so I could also have my dad (who’s a professional photographer) take the photo. But then I realized that my family is part of the birth experience. They should be in front of the camera, not be behind it.

This is why I was so happy to find Bella Baby. They take the worry and hassle out of taking the photos on that very special day. Did I mention they’re also total swaddle experts / baby whisperers? Being a first time mom, who at the time was still trying to figure out how to calm Max when she’s upset, I can’t believe how well they do with babies. I guess it makes sense if that’s what you do on a day-to-day basis. Best part about Bella Baby is that you don’t need to make any commitments ahead of time. Bella Baby is on site at several hospitals throughout the US (I delivered at NYU). The actual photo session is complimentary and you don’t need to make the decision to purchase until you get the photo proofs.

So you’ve decided that you’re sold on having a professional take your newborn photos. But how would you prep for the shoot?

What to Pack in Your Maternity Hospital Bag

July 6, 2018

Hey guys, long time no see! I’m finally back from my baby-imposed blogging hiatus. I’m no dummy so I didn’t think the first couple of weeks of parenthood would be a breeze. But boy, this first time mom really did underestimate how much of my time baby Max will take up. Maybe this is different for moms who are not exclusively breastfeeding, but I feel like pretty much my entire day is taken up with feeding, changing diapers, or rocking the baby to sleep. I’m learning as I go, slowly getting the hang of things, and finally feel like I’m at the point where I can steal some free time to write a blog.

I meant to write this one before I had the baby. But the good doctors at NYU decided that ~~my belly~~ Max’s apartment is getting too cramped for her and she needed to come a bit early. So writing the blog pre-baby didn’t work out quite as planned. On the flip side, this also meant that I am able to actually test the items that I brought with me. You want to know which items were lifesavers and which ones I could’ve left at home? Read on to find out.

Take The Guesswork out of Tracking Contractions with Bloomlife

June 12, 2018

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bloomlife. All opinions are 100% mine.

I remember being asked by my OB in one of my check-ups if I’ve been feeling any Braxton Hicks contractions. My best answer to the question is unfortunately one big shrug emoji. I knew what Braxton Hicks contractions are, but I’m not really sure what it’s supposed to feel like (and thus no idea if I’ve been having them). Apparently you can have these “practice contractions” as early as 7 weeks — although first time moms-to-be may not feel them until 17 weeks or later (or maybe not at all). A quick search online tells me that most describe it as a “tightening of the stomach”, while some say it’s akin to period cramps. Well I don’t think I’ve felt that…or maybe I sort of have? There were times when I’ve woken up in the middle of the night with a feeling like I’m in the middle of doing an ab crunch. Was that Braxton Hicks? Or is my belly just getting so big that it literally takes the effort of doing a sit-up crunch to change sleeping positions? Or maybe I dreamt it all? Crud, how do I know if that was a contraction or not?

Lucky for me, and all the moms-to-be out there, we’re living in an era of fem-tech revolution. From apps that track your cycle to period discs that provide an alternative to tampons, there are so many female-targeted new technology coming out that aim to make our life easier. One of these innovation that I’m so happy to discover is Bloomlife. This app and sensor combo helps me take the guesswork out of tracking my contractions. Read on to find out how Bloomlife works and why I’m such a huge fan. Also, since paying full price is totally overrated, I’ve got an exclusive discount just for you guys.

8 Best Places to Shop for Maternity Wear

June 7, 2018

For the longest time I resisted buying maternity clothes. It worked for awhile since I didn’t really change in size much until around Christmas break, which I spent in the relatively mild winter weather of Texas. Most of that time I spent lounging my sweat pants and old t-shirts. When I do go out, I relied on my oversized tops and skirts with stretchy waistbands. I just hiked up the elastics over my belly. It wasn’t until I came back to the New York winter weather that I realized there’s no escaping buying maternity clothes — and I desperately need to get a pair of maternity tights to cover my cold legs.

But once I accepted my fate, I realized I had another problem. I really just have no clue where to shop for maternity wear. When I think of maternity wear, the stuff that comes to mind are maternity stores like Pea in the Pod. But really is that all there is? And do I really need to shell out $70 for a pair of jeans that I’m only going to wear for a few months? The answer is of course no and no. I’ve rounded up for you eight of my top favorite stores, that will cover all the budget and style you can think of. Read on to check out the complete list and see more of this outfit.

How To Fit a Nursery in a 1-Bedroom Apartment + Davinci Baby Crib Giveaway

June 1, 2018

When I made the announcement that I was pregnant a few months ago, some people asked me if that means I will be moving back to Texas. My answer of course is a resolute no. I love New York City and have no plans on moving — at least not anytime soon. But on the real though, we did not think we’ll be here this long (October will be our 6th year anniversary), let alone have a baby in the city. It’s no secret that cost of living in NYC is not cheap, so I always thought my timetable for being here was limited to when hubs and I decide we’re going to start a family. Only really rich people have kids and live in Manhattan, right?

Well that’s not really true. Not long after I moved here I met a good amount of people who are successfully raising kids in the city. And they’re not rich trust fund babies or hedge fund managers either. For obvious reasons, city dwellers just live a different lifestyle than their suburban counterparts. You don’t have backyards, so you go to the public park instead. And parents take the bus or walk their kids to school instead of driving (kick scooter seems to be a must have for city kiddos so they can keep up with their parent’s walking pace and not tire out too easily).

One big mental shift I had to make in family planning is the living situation. For the longest time I thought that I should have at least a two-bedroom before we even start trying. I’m glad we threw that idea out the door because it took us nearly two years to get pregnant. That would mean that we would’ve been forking out extra rent money for no good reason. After I got pregnant though, we still decided that we’re going to stay in our one-bedroom for at least a year — mostly because it’s the cheaper route to go. But it turns out that staying put is also better for the baby. American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies sleep in the same room as their parents for at least the first six months (ideally for one year). Doing so can cut the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS by 50%. That’s a pretty good bonus benefit.

I’m pretty lucky to be living in a sizable apartment that enables us to fit all of the baby’s stuff in our bedroom. But still, some adjustments had to be made to do this. Read on to see how we merged our existing furniture with the baby’s. Oh also, did I mention that there will be a Davinci Baby Crib giveaway at the end of this blog?

#Week37 Bump Report: The Struggle Is Real

May 29, 2018

So far, I have been lucky to have a pretty smooth pregnancy — or at least compared to stories I read on online forum and heard from fellow moms anyway. But even the easiest pregnancy is no walk in the park. For me, what makes things easy is not because I avoided the worst of the symptoms. Rather it’s because I deferred many of them to later in the pregnancy. Eventually though, those not-so-fun pregnancy calamities does catch up. In a nutshell: everything is just harder to do now, whether that’s trying to stay stylish (yep will never stop trying) or keeping focused and alert at work. But hey, I’m not complaining. I’ve got less than 3-weeks to go until my due date and I know I can power through this. Because that cutie at the end of the tunnel will be so worth it.

One Bumpin’ Jumpsuit

May 23, 2018

I love me a good jumpsuit. I always think of them as adult onesie: a stylish shortcut for lazy peeps like me. I never really thought that getting pregnant will affect my ability to wear them — and this was true in the beginning as I was able to still wear a good amount of my jumpsuits during the first trimester. But that quickly change after a few months. I even more bummed out when my search for a jumpsuit didn’t bode out real well. Even ASOS, which has pretty much everything, didn’t have a jumpsuit that I like.

Then one day I randomly got an email from Storq. I’m so happy that they found me because I’ve never heard of them up until then. They’ve got the most fabulous collection of maternity wear with understated minimalist design. I’m into pretty much every piece on their site, but what I really fell in love with is the jumpsuit. It has the perfect blend of comfort and style. And because it’s made from stretchy sweater knit fabric, it works throughout all 9-months of the pregnancy and beyond. Even better, even though its zippered it’s stretchy enough on the top for me to slip in-and-out of without having to use the zipper. Everyone knows going to the bathroom is the bane of every jumpsuit wearer. And this pregnant mama has to go to the bathroom every 15-min (or at least it feels like I do) so any outfit that is complicated to get in and out of is out of the question.

I have a feeling I will be wearing this jumpsuit way beyond my pregnancy. Read on to see more photos of the outfit and let me know what you think of it.

Things To Do in Montauk (Besides Laying Out By The Pool)

May 22, 2018

I was itching to have one last beach hurrah before I’m on baby lockdown and have a temporary travel ban imposed on me. So after convincing hubby that I was unlikely to go into labor at 34-weeks (I looked up the statistic and I believe the likelihood statistically is at 5%) we decided to go to have a weekend getaway to Montauk a couple of weekends ago. On calendar the timing seemed perfect: it was the beginning of the season and rates were cheap, I was early enough in my pregnancy that I’m unlikely to deliver, and it happened to coincide with our wedding anniversary.

Well as Murphy’s law would have it, what can go wrong will go wrong. The week was sunny and beautiful and the weather literally turned ugly the evening we got there. Who knew I needed to pack for sweaters and thicker jackets for a beach trip in May? Unwilling to have a little inclement weather ruin our weekend, we decide to make the best out of it. And hey, now I have a plethora of suggestion of things to do in Montauk besides the obvious of laying out by the pool and the beach. Read on to check out my full list.

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