Tobisha Ultrabook

hehehe... either SQ saw my post or maybe the layer of dust settling on top of the eepad gave him a clue that I wasn't using the tablet much. Today, I got an early Christmas gift, the Tobisha Ultrabook!!

Again, I can save you all the specs but so far it is GREAT!!!  It's super thin and weigh less than 3 pounds and have all the features I want.  It just came out this month and it is by far one of the best laptop out there! I am so happy with it. YAY!!! Thank you SQ for giving me what I really truly want and need!! Love you!

Eepad

SQ bought me an ASUS Eepad Transformer for my birthday this year.  It's an e-tablet, which has supposedly the best operating system with fast internet computing power, etc etc.  I can spare you all the geeky technical info since I actually don't know much about all the functions myself.  Despite it being one of the best e-tablets out there in the market, I find it not suitable for my use!  I specifically told SQ that I would like a small laptop that would do the basics - browse the internet, upload and organize pictures, and blog.  That was all I needed.  This e-Tablet doesn't fit the bill.  Well, I think what my hubby got was what HE wanted, not what I wanted.

First of all, the built-in camera sucks.  It's awkward to hold and balance the big tablet with 1 hand, while trying to push the click button with the other. The pictures all turn out grainy or out of focus.  So I take pictures from my other camera, but I can't download any of the pictures onto this tablet because it doesn't have a SD memory slot, or a USB port for that matter.  It is so troublesome (to say the least) to transport pictures to and from!!

Browsing the internet isn't so great either.  My hands get stiff (borderline cramping) after holding the tablet up, even after a short amount of time.  I seriously can't figure out how to hold the thing up so I can see the full screen without hurting my hands at the same time.

Blogging - ok, this is perhaps the worst of all.  Touchscreen keyboards are great for texting or tweeting, when your message is less than 50 characters long. If you must type up an entire post, touchscreen keyboards just ain't going to cut it!!

Ok, maybe I should stop complaining and appreciate the gift and SQ's gesture.  I just really wish I can use that darn thing more often!!!

Nose Frida

Sarah is still battling her cold. It's been a long while, but she has a few random coughs here and there, and she was still a bit congested.  To help ease her congestion, we have tried using the "bulb."  Sarah hates the bulb.  She turns her head left and right and successfully dodges every attempt I try to make to put that horrific syringe near her nose. So I got desperate and went on-line.  I came upon the Nose Frida on Amazon.  I looked at the picture on the package and thought to myself, "are you kidding me?" One end of the tube goes into your mouth and the other end goes into the child's nostrils??!?  I was appalled.  But this product got over 400 reviews and a 5 star rating on Amazon. On drugstore.com, there were 25,000+ reviews and it also had a 5 star rating. 2600 reviews on diapers.com and yet another 5 star rating. I was still in disbelief.  Did these buyers get scammed and felt so embarrassed and angry that they purposely put a 5-star rating on this product just to get more people tricked?  But I was desperate to provide some relief for Sarah and at only $15, it's worth the try.

Boy, am I really surprised!!!  I couldn't believe how wonderfully this product worked.  Although it's still not Sarah's favorite item, she can actually stay still for a few minutes while I suck, yes, suck her snot out (like a straw).  It's amazing how it comes right out into the tube. And NO, you do NOT eat the snot.  The snot never ever reaches your mouth. The plastic tubing is like 14 inches long and seriously the snot only gets up to the tip of the hard tube. Washing is easy too. The hard tube disconnects and I just power rinse it with water and mild soap.  I am now a true believer of this product.  I would recommend the Nose Frida to all the mommies out there.  This gadget really works.

Sarah's New Ride

I took advantage of the break in the rain to take Sarah on an afternoon stroll around the neighborhood in her new ride...

After much research and "wishy-washiness" (if there is such a word), we finally bought Sarah the Uppababy 2011 G-Luxe stroller.  Her infant stroller, which she outgrew a month ago was the Graco Snap-N-Go stroller frame, which we used alongside with the car seat.  We loved it and we got a lot use out of it. But since we changed her infant car seat out to the Britax convertible car seat, we can no longer use that stroller.

As you can imagine, we were overwhelmed by the many varieties of baby strollers in the market.  There are some important criteria that we really wanted and some that were "nice to have."  Sometimes the more bells and whistles the stroller has, the heavier it gets - or the price sky rockets.  So we finally chose this stroller because it fits our needs.  Below is listed in the order of importance to us.  

1. Light weight - this stroller only weighs 11 lbs. 
2. 5-point harness - secures Sarah from falling when leaning forward
3. Reclines to 120 degrees - convenient for her to nap in
4. Basket & cup holder - it may sound silly, but this was a must for us!  
5. Not too expensive - only $190 (we bought it with a 15% discount + free shipping + no tax!) 

There are additional features that came with this stroller that I really liked:  

1. Full size seat at 13" wide, removable and washable
2. Suitable up to 50 lbs
3. Turns easily and good suspensions that comes with ergonomic handles 
4. Stroller folds us easily and can stand upright when folded (don't need to put it on the floor)
5. Huge canopy for Sun protection

This stroller is still not perfect - what would be nice to add is a peak-a-boo window on the canopy so I can see what Sarah is doing in the front.  This stroller doesn't have that.  And it also doesn't have a snack tray or a bar in front of the seat for the baby to hold on to.

But so far it's working for us. This is one of the top rated umbrella stroller out there.  Sarah seems to be enjoying her new stroller.  She likes to sit and be able to look around. She hasn't slept in it yet though so don't know how that'll go.  Look forward to using this stroller for years to come.

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Baby Essentials

I seriously believe that the baby retail industry is out of control.  There are gadgets and stuff for everything baby because marketers are great at making you feel guilty for not buying the best for your baby.  But you know, the truth is that most of the products, you can totally live without.  Well, the other day, while browsing through Amazon.com, I came across a list a mom compiled, of all the baby items she actually used and liked.  Okay, I'm not dumb to know that the list was sponsored by Amazon.com, so of course, it was bias! Well,  here is MY list of items I actually used & find helpful.  (Of course, as they say, every baby is different!)  Also by the way, I'm skipping diapers, formula/breastfeeding needs, and car seat essentials.

1. Diaper Champ.  Skip the refills, you can use the plastic bags you get from Target, grocery store, etc.

2. Only 2-3 receiving blankets. The ones the hospital give you are bigger & better.  The ones you buy are usually small so your baby is going to outgrow it very soon.

3. Snap N Go stroller frame.  This is to be used with the car seat.  It's great.  It's small and compact and folds up nicely.  Skip the travel system.  It's heavy and bulky.  By the time your baby outgrows the infant car seat, you can get a simple lightweight umbrella stroller instead.    

4. Changing pad

5. Onesies - haha, this is funny. For a whole week or so, Sarah didn't wear any clothes. She just got wrapped up in blankets.  Eventually, you'll need them - skip newborn sizes!

6.  Infant bath tub

7. Baby nail clipper - baby's nails grow so fast! It's nail-clipping time every 3 days! 

8. Play gym - not a 100% necessity. Baby can lie on a bed or a carpeted floor.  The Play gym offered some sort of stimulation, but I question its claim.


Things I didn't (or rarely) use -

1.  Baby wipes.  I wash the baby's bottom with water & pat dry with a towel instead.
2.  Diaper Rash cream
3.  Humidifier
4.  Baby bouncer
5.  Baby bottle stertilizer
6. Pacifier (Sarah never liked it or learned how to suck it)
7. Baby hooded towels (you can totally use regular towels)

Bumbo!

Thank you LK and SKC for this lovely Bumbo chair! It is already put into good use. Sarah can sit on here comfortably instead of the swing. This allows her to continue to balance her head & slowly grow her bald spot back! She does get antsy after 10-15 minutes, but I still think it works!